Best Drone Under $500 For Beginners

Select the choices that best fit your scenario and get an expert recommendation for the best drone for you under $500.

For beginner drone buyers on a budget.

Inputs cover primary use, camera need, flight time, portability, and app controls to separate true beginner-friendly drones from toys while matching your early flying goals. These ensure the recommendation is crash-resistant, easy to control, and offers enough features to grow with you. Limitation: under $500, advanced features like 4K video or obstacle avoidance are limited or absent.

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Here is a sample output for a user looking for a drone for learning to fly purposes, a 720p camera, 10-15min flight time, no preference on portability, and easy app features.

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Best Beginner Drone Under $500

1. Holy Stone HS110D

• Price: $129.99
• Camera: 720p HD
• Flight Time: 10-15 minutes
• Range: 100 meters
• Features:
  • One Key Takeoff/Landing
  • Altitude Hold
  • Headless Mode
  • Easy to use app with dedicated features for beginners
• Crash-Resistant: The Holy Stone HS110D is designed with a lightweight frame and protective propeller guards, reducing the risk of damage during crashes and making it ideal for novice pilots.

Runner-Ups

2. Potensic D70

• Price: $199.99
• Camera: 720p HD
• Flight Time: 10-15 minutes
• Range: 120 meters
• Features:
  • GPS Assisted Flight
  • Follow Me Mode
  • Easy to use app
• Crash-Resistant: The Potensic D70 has a durable frame and propeller guards that protect it from minor impacts, making it a solid choice for beginners who are learning to fly.

3. Ryze Tello

• Price: $99.00
• Camera: 720p HD
• Flight Time: 13 minutes
• Range: 100 meters
• Features:
  • Easy to use app
  • Programmable with Scratch
  • Stable flight performance
• Crash-Resistant: The Ryze Tello features a lightweight design and protective casing, allowing it to withstand minor bumps and falls, making it beginner-friendly.

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The Tool Collective are a group of diverse hobbyists with loads of unique passions and interests. We have set out to build an enormous library of one-of-a-kind decision tools that help people buy products that best fit their needs, or provide genuine expert advice for unique problems or challenges. All pertaining to the hobbies and interests that we and millions of other people have. Drone flying, particularly for photography and videography, has elevated our other hobbies and interests significantly. We have skiers/snowboarders, that use them for self filming their adventures, and passionate outdoor enthusiasts that film and photograph their adventures whether they are out fishing in the Atlantic, or on a two week long overlanding expedition, they all use drones to cherish those memories and capture amazing footage.

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