Most of us already know the fact that a drone can make memories last forever. But can you buy one of the best drones under $100?
Choosing a drone that is able to take photos/videos which worth keeping can be quite difficult when the budget is involved. Yes, difficult but not impossible.
Spending a bit of time and researching the market you can notice that you can get good quality drones for under $100. However, don’t expect to get a drone on the same level of a DJI Phantom that is worth a small fortune.
Even if you are choosing a budget-friendly drone you should keep in mind that you should check some features as some drones may be overpriced just for the sake of the company’s profit.
Below I made a list with things that you should consider before buying a drone, however it is not required for the drone to have all of them as our main focus is for the drone to cost less than $100 so we can’t be too picky.
Top 5 Best Drones Under $100
Drone
Features
Price
- Flight Time: 40 min
- Range: 100m
- Size: 12.8 x 12.8 x 4.3 in
- Flight Time: 16 min
- Range: 80m
- Size: 13.4 x 13.4 x 3.1 in
- Flight Time: 30 min
- Range: 100m
- Size: 31.5 x 31.5 x 10.5 cm
The Benyi Drone provides astonishing quality for a fairly low price. The drone is able to take amazing photos and videos with its 720p HD camera, the camera is 45-degree adjustable and will make it possible to wider the view and increase the quality of the photos.
The flight time per battery is about 10 minutes, but the drone comes with a total of three batteries which extends the flight time to up to 30 minutes.
Once a battery runs out of energy, it can be fully recharged in about 90 minutes. Benyi drone has a transmission range of 100 meters and it presents beginner-friendly functions such as Altitude Hold, Headless mode and One-Key return making it a perfect choice even for those who never used a drone before.
Package Contents:
- 1 x Benyi RC Drone
- 1 x Transmitter
- 3 x Drone Batteries
- 1 x USB Charging Cable
- 4x Drone Propellers
- 4 x Landing Skid
- 1 x Camera
- 1 x Screwdriver
- 1 x User Manual
- FPV REAL-TIME TRANSMITTION: With the built-in WiFi module, you can see exactly what your camera sees...
- HEADLESS MODE - No More Confuse About the Direction : As a Beginner or Kid, you may concern about...
- AUTOMATIC ALTITUDE HOLD: Powerful air pressure altitude hold function allows you to release the...
- EASY SAFE AND FUN TO PLAY FOR BEGINNERS: Built-in the latest 6-axis flight control systems offer...
- LONG FLIGHT TIME: Includes 3 strong powerful 3.7V 600 mAh LiPo batteries to extend the fun! FAA...
- Flight Time: 40 min
- Range: 100m
- Size: 12.8 x 12.8 x 4.3 in
One of the best choices for budget-friendly drones, the JJRC H68 have a flight time of 20 minutes per battery use and the total flight time is extended to 40 minutes as the drone comes with two rechargeable batteries.
The 720p HD camera provides a smooth and stable recording experience due to its anti-shock table, it also has an adjustable angle of 45-degrees. As a beginner-friendly drone, it is equipped with different functions that enhance the flight experience (Headless mode, Altitude hold, One key take-off/landing, Emergency stop).
The drone has three different speed levels that take the flight experience to another level. It has a charging time of 160 minutes, that can be considered quite a lot by some people. As for the transmission range, the drone can be controlled from about 100 meters away without any problems.
Package Contents:
- 1 x JJRC H68 Drone
- 1 x Transmitter
- 2 x Drone Batteries
- 1 x USB Charging Cable
- 4 x Drone Propellers
- 1 x Anti-shock table
- 1 x Camera
- 1 x Phone Mount
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x Screwdriver
- 2 x Landing Gears
- 4 x Propeller Guards
- Flight Time: 7 min
- Range: 100m
- Size: 9.09 x 8.54 x 4.37 in
The Amcrest Skyview is a drone specially designed for beginners and it is one of the best choices for a practice drone before spending a lot of money for an upgrade.
It successfully combines great flight quality and great video quality at a fairly low price. The drone has a 720p HD built-in camera and it is able to fly for about 7 minutes per battery charge with a charging time of 90 minutes per battery charge.
The flight time can be extended as the batteries are changeable but extra batteries have to be purchased separately as the pack includes just one battery. The drone as a microSD card slot that can be used for cards to up to 32GB (also SD card is not included and must be purchased separately).
Amcrest Skyview presents functions such as Auto Hover (Altitude Hold), Headless Mode, One Key Return and Stunt Flip making it a perfect choice even for kids. It has a transmission range of 100 meters and can be operated at temperatures between -10° C to + 40° C.
Package Contents:
- 1 x Amcrest Skyview Drone
- 1 x Drone Controller
- 1 x Drone Batteries
- 1 x USB Charging Cable
- 4 x Drone Propellers
- 4 x Drone Propellers Guards
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x Screwdriver
- HD FIRST PERSON VIEW - Put yourself in the pilot seat and fly the drone in First Person View using...
- ULTIMATE STABILITY - The Amcrest RC Drone is equipped with Auto-Calibration and Trimming features to...
- MAXIMUM CONTROL - The Headless Mode feature allows you to travel in the direction you want, no...
- LONG DISTANCE COMMUNICATION RANGE - The Amcrest Skyview WiFi Drone has a maximum communication range...
- FLIGHT TIME - Stay in the air for up to 7 minutes on a full charge with the included Drone battery....
- Flight Time: 16 min
- Range: 80m
- Size: 13.4 x 13.4 x 3.1 in
The Snaptain S5C has a 720p HD built-in camera that is able to take high-quality photos from up to 80 meters away. As a user-friendly drone, Snaptain S5C benefits of features such as Altitude Hold, Headless mode, One Key take-off/landing and Auto return.
Also, the Snaptain Era app supports both Android and IOS and makes it possible for the user to control the drone using only voice commands. The flight time can last for up to 15 minutes (when not recording) per battery use and this can be prolonged as the battery is changeable.
You are guaranteed about 30 minutes of flight time as the drone comes with 2 batteries. The drone also allows gesture control and the photo or recording process can be triggered by specific gestures (area of recognition: 2-3 meters between drone and target).
Package Contents:
- 1 x Snaptain S5C Drone
- 1 x Drone Controller
- 2 x Drone Batteries
- 1 x USB Charging Cable
- 4 x Drone Propellers
- 4 x Drone Propellers Guards
- 2 x Drone Landing Gear
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x Screwdriver
- Flight Time: 20 min
- Range: 1000 ft
- Size: 16.14 x 16.14 x 5.91 in
The Drocon Bugs 3 is a drone for experienced drone pilots as it does not provide beginner-friendly functions such as Altitude Hold and Headless Mode.
However, its key features are the brushless motor that can be considered way safer then brush motors and the camera mount that makes it possible to constantly upgrade your camera if needed without having to buy a new drone.
However, for some people not having built-in camera may be bothersome, but on the other side, it gives you the possibility to use a high-quality camera on a budget-friendly drone that focuses on enhancing the flight quality for experienced people.
The flight time is up to 20 minutes depending on the speed level and the flight time can be increased by purchasing additional batteries. Even if the drone does not present beginner-friendly features, it still has functions such as low power alarm and weak signal alarm to avoid damaging/losing the drone.
Its transmission range is about 300 meters and can successfully resist high-speed winds as it is specially designed to be considered windproof.
Package Contents:
- 1 x Drocon Bugs 3 Drone
- 1 x Drone Controller
- 1 x Drone Battery
- 1 x USB Charging Cable
- 4 x Drone Propellers
- 4 x Drone Propellers Guards
- 1 x Camera Holder
- Updated Brushless Motor: Brushless motor won't overheat and melt like plastic, so you get longer...
- Fly up to 15-20 Minutes: Blue B3 lasts for 15 minutes at mid-to-high throttle, and up to 20 minutes...
- Long Distance Control Remote Control Alarm: when your Blue B3 is a tiny Speck in the distance, you...
- Fly Against High Speed Wind: B3 is made of durable nylon fiber material and the weigh T is up to 1....
- 3D Rolls & Flip: this drone will amaze you by performing a cool 3D flip at the Press of button. Have...
Best Drones Under $100: Buying Guide
Battery
No one likes when the battery runs out when things are getting interesting. A battery that lasts for a longer period of time can be quite a help in taking longer videos or shooting more photos.
The flight time of the drones on the market can range between 8 to 30 minutes per battery. Therefore, you should look for a drone that can be used for 15 to 20 minutes per battery.
Camera
Considering that you are looking for a drone under $100, you can not expect to find a drone equipped with a 4K UHD camera found in the best drones under 300.
But you will be able to find some drones that are able to take some great photos, most of them will be equipped with 720p HD cameras. It’s not the best quality but not the worse either, you may end up quite surprised by the quality of the photos took by these drones.
However, you can find drones under $100 with better cameras but you should keep in mind that this improvement may mean that the drone is lacking in other aspects such as flight time or even overall quality.
Transmission length
If you are going to explore a bit with your drone, you may need to keep in mind that the transmission length can have quite an impact on your experience, therefore try to focus on one which will allow you to do so, most of the budget-friendly drones will have a transmission range of about 100m, but you if you are willing to trade some camera quality and other features for some extra range you may be able to find something suitable for under $100.
Flight features
Most of the flight features have more impact on beginner’s flight experience. While you may not need all of the features, some of them are quite important.
For example, if you are a beginner and you are flying a drone for the very first time you won’t be able to control it quite well, therefore Altitude Hold can be considered essential as it will be able to maintain a fixed altitude and avoid crashing due to lack of experience, this feature can prove a great help not only when you are flying the drone but also when you are trying to take a picture.
Also, Auto Return is one of the most important features that you should consider as this feature will greatly decrease the chance of losing/damaging your drone as the drone will automatically return to the take-off point if it will run out of battery, lose signal or if you press the auto return button.
Changeable battery and charging time
It is important for the drone to have a removable battery, otherwise, you won’t be able to increase the flight time of the drone by just changing the battery with a fully charged one. Sometimes you may even get more batteries with the drone as a pack.
Having some extra batteries can be quite helpful especially when you are taking the drone on your trip, with two/three extra batteries you may be able to reach even 1 hour of flight time. Also, the charging time is quite important, especially if you are recharging the batteries one by one.
If you get a drone that has batteries with over 2 hours of charging time, recharging all the batteries you have maybe quite bothersome. Therefore, you should focus on drones which require a lower charging time if you don’t have that much time available. However, the charging time of a drone’s battery won’t affect its flight quality at all.
Best Drones Under $100: Conclusion
When you are choosing a budget-friendly drone (in our case under $100) you should keep in mind that it can be expected for some drones to lack in some areas such as flight time or camera quality in order to provide a smoother and better flight experience.
As well, if you are looking for a higher quality camera, you should expect your drone to lack a bit in other areas as in this price range it can be considered a budget-friendly drone and getting an astonishing overall quality may not be possible.
If you think that you found a 4k drone with 30 minutes of flight time per battery use and a lot of flight functions and as well in the budget-friendly range (under $100) then it may sound a bit too good to be true. Therefore, it may not be true. When you are looking for a cheaper drone, you have to be willing to accept the fact that it can not have top-notch quality in every aspect. The Snaptain S5C drone is one of the best cheap drones on this list with a camera.
As you have seen in our top 5, you can find drones that can prove themselves worthy and can do their job properly either if you are looking for flight experience or if you are looking for recording videos and taking pictures.
Most of the times when you choose this types of drones you have to be aware of the fact that a small loss on a side is a small win on the other side as the overall quality have a great impact on the drone price.
For just a few dollars more, you can check out the best drone under 150 as well for a reasonably priced unit or read up on this DJI Spark alternative, the JJRC X9 Heron.
Drone
Features
Price
- Flight Time: 40 min
- Range: 100m
- Size: 12.8 x 12.8 x 4.3 in
- Flight Time: 16 min
- Range: 80m
- Size: 13.4 x 13.4 x 3.1 in