Best Drone For Under 500 Dollars &#8211; Top 5 Guide 2019

Flying Difficulty: Intermediate

Pros: Follow Me Drone, Super HD Camera, Great Flight Time, GPS, FPV, VR, Return Home

Rabing Elanview

GPS Follow Me Drone

$500

Our #2 Drone Pick

Awesome GPS / FPV follow me drone with visual tracking

Best Drone For Under $500 Dollars - Rabing Elanview

Features: Follow Me, GPS, FPV, VR, HD Camera

Cons: Controller Range

Range / Flight Time: 600 Meters / 20 Minutes

Camera: Yes - 16MP 1080P

Top Speed: 27 mph

Flying Difficulty: Beginner

Pros: Intelligent Flight Modes, Great Range, GPS, FPV, VR, HD Camera, Return Home

DJI Spark

GPS, FPV & VR Drone

$550

Our #3 Drone Pick

Perfect mini GPS / FPV smart follow me drone with lots of features.

Best Drone Under $500 Dollars - DJI Spark

Features: GPS, FPV, VR, Intelligent Flight Modes

Cons: Small Size

Range / Flight Time: 1.2 Miles / 16 Minutes

Camera: Yes - 12MP 1080P

Top Speed: 31 mph

Flying Difficulty: Advanced

Pros: Good Range, Return Home Button, Follow Me, GPS, FPV & HD Camera

Holystone HS100

FPV & GPS Drone

$280

Our #4 Drone Pick

Great overall GPS & FPV drone with lots of features

Best Drone For Under 500 - Holystone HS100

Features: GPS, FPV Drone

Cons: Average Camera, Slow Speed

Range / Flight Time: 500 Meters / 15 Minutes

Camera: Yes - 2MP 720P

Top Speed: 22 mph

Flying Difficulty: Advanced

Pros: Intermediate, FPV, VR, Foldable, HD Camera, Return Home

Leaning Tech

FPV & VR Drone

$62

Our #5 Drone Pick

Perfect FPV drone with many features for around $50.

3 Best Drone For Under 50 - Leaning Tech

Features: FPV & VR Drone

Cons: Outdoor Drone Only, No Altitude Hold

Range / Flight Time: 80 Meters / 15 Minutes

Camera: Yes - 2MP 720P

Stunts: Yes - Rolls

Flying Difficulty: Advanced

Our drone pricing should be correct, but please double check the exact price on Amazon to be on the safe side. Amazon tends to change their pricing frequently, so it’s always a good idea to check.

Best Drone For Under 500 – Top 5 Drones Reviewed Individually

Now that I have covered the top 5 best drone for under 500 side by side via their features and hardware, I will go ahead and break them down individually based on technical specifications, their features as well as my own input as to why I believe that these drones really are the top 5 best drone for under 500 dollar machines. My review on the drones is an in depth one and should definitely aid you in your journey of figuring out which drone under $500 would fit your need the best. Before I get into the actual reviews, let’s go ahead and discuss some of the things that will be reviewed here. As mentioned earlier, I will be going over some of the features as well as technical specs for these drones. The features are: follow me, return home capability, GPS, camera quality, top range, top flying time, FPV, drone speed and VR capability. On the next section of this web page, I will go ahead and go into a bit more detail as far as what exactly some of these features are and why they are important. Let’s get started.

Best Drone Features – What Are They and Why They Are Important? Best Drone Under 500 Dollars

When it comes to the features of a drone, it is very important to learn what they are and how they work. The features on a drone will determine if your drone is capable of taking pictures and video, if it can just hover in one spot, fly back home at the push of a single button, be controlled by your mobile device, determine how far and how long they could fly, how fast and more. All of these things are very important when trying to choose your drone. As with all things, not all drones are created equal. Some drones do it better than others, and this is why I am here; to pin-point the different features and technical specifications on each of the drones so that you can really make the best decision in your purchase. This best drone for under 500 dollars page really is a gold mine if you take your precious time seriously. We only have so much of it on this beautiful planet that we call home, and we should really dedicate our time and energy towards enjoying life and doing the things that we love. Researching boring technical specifications on drones is not that – this is our job. Here at Droneflytech.com, we specialize in drone technology research and pride ourselves in picking out the best drones currently available on the market based on technical specs and awesome features.

Best Drone Features – Drone Price – Best drone under $700

What is a good price one should pay for a drone? Well, to answer this question, we must first ask ourselves a number of questions. For instance, what are you trying to get out of your drone? Are you a novice drone pilot and would just like a beginner drone to learn how to fly one? Are you looking to fly your drone indoors or outdoors? Would you like to join the drone racing league with your drone? Are you wanting to take pictures and video with your drone? How important is the quality of the camera to you? Are you trying to race your drone? Do you want to be able to fly it for a long time? Should it be able to fly to places that are located hundreds of meters from you or miles away…… These are just a tiny number of questions that you should ask yourself when thinking about the right drone price for you. Once you figure out what your drone will be used for, you can then look into the features and technical specs that will be required for this drone use. Once you know all of that, you can then start narrowing down your pricing based on the features that you have picked out. As mentioned earlier, drones pricing can vary, it can be as cheap as $19.99 or less and go as high as tens of thousands of dollars. The bottom line is that your need and want will determine the price of the perfect drone for you.

Best Drone Features – GPS System – Best Drone Under 500 Dollars

GPS drone systems, what are they, how do they work and why they are important? GPS stands for Global Positioning System. A GPS system on a drone allows for you to control and track your drone utilizing a satellite navigation system. This type of navigation system is more accurate than other forms of drone tracking and navigation. The system is utilized throughout the world and is very reliable due to the large number of satellites that are orbiting our planet. The GPS system was initially developed by the US military, but has since entered the private consumer market and can be seen as being in use on many different devices (Mobile Devices, GPS Map Systems for Driving, Google Maps etc.). When it comes to GPS use with drones, this really is the best tracking system available. Most beginner and cheaper drones will typically utilize a visual tracking system and not a GPS system due to the higher costs associated with it’s implementation. The GPS drone tracking system is definitely important and I 100% recommend that you spend the little extra $ to purchase a drone that has the system built in. The GPS system helps with drone navigation, drone tracking, drone control and even helps when trying to find a lost drone. More about the lost drone issue here: how to find a lost drone without a tracker. Luckily for you, pretty much all of our drones mentioned here on this best drone for under 500 dollars page have the GPS system included. This is without a doubt one of the more important features on a drone.

Best Drone Features – FPV & VR Capability – Best Drone For Under £500

What do FPV and VR stand for? FPV stands for first person view & VR stands for virtual reality. What FPV allows for you to do is to download an APP on your Mobile Device (phone or tablet) and to control and fly your drone remotely by utilizing your drone’s camera. What this means, is that pretty much whatever your drone sees through the camera (bird’s eye view), you see the exact same thing on your mobile device and can pilot your drone this way. This feature is especially useful when trying to take a perfect picture, video or during drone racing. Really, FPV has a lot of great uses that it can be utilized for. VR on the other hand provides a flying experience like no other. It allows for you to use some VR goggles to pilot your drone. How it works is that you first turn on FPV, then you place your phone into some virtual reality goggles (or just use VR drone friendly goggles without the phone). You then put the VR goggles on your hear and get submerged in your drone’s VR world. With VR, just as you were able to use FPV through your phone, you use the VR goggles together with FPV for the ultimate flying experience. VR hardware can vary, so I will have to be very general in the technical specifications that I provide here. Basicaly, most VR goggles provide a screen inside of the goggles. The screen resolution varies, could be HD, 3D, 720p, 1080p and 4K. Flying your drone FPV via VR goggles is an awesome way to get submerged with some drone action.

Best Drone Features – Follow Me Drone

Did you know that you could have your drone follow you automatically? Yep, you heard right. Drones nowadays have a built in capability of following the drone’s pilot. Let me explain. Some drones allow for you to program your drone so that it actively follows, hovers or circles around the drone’s controller or a wrist band. This technology is currently being utilized in both the commercial and private drone markets. Commercial follow me drones are currently used in sporting events. Think Snowboarding (just one of many commercial follow-me drone uses). You can have your drone follow you down the mountain (via your wristband controller) as you speed down on your snowboard. The drone is taking photos and video footage of your whole snowboarding session. How awesome is that? Now private uses for the follow-me drone functionality can be used to have your drone take some selfies of you from a programmable distance, it can also circle around you and take pictures, video and more. This feature is pretty awesome and is standard on just about all drones over $200 dollars.

Best Drone Features – HD Camera Quality – Best Drone Under 500 Dollars

When it comes to a drone having a camera. I would say that this is probably the most important part built into a drone. With a drone camera, the flying experience just ends up being much more satisfying then without. Now, just as there are hundred’s of different drones out there for sale, there are also that many different camera configurations to explore. For instance, some of the cheaper drones typically will come with a 2.0MP 720p HD camera. As you start going up in price a bit, you start seeing higher MP’s and the resolution bumps up to 1080P (typically between $100 to $200 dollars). With drones over the $200 price, you now start getting into the good stuff; 16MP+ cameras with 4K resolution. So how do you go about choosing a good camera drone? This again will come down to the primary use that you are getting this drone for. Let’s say for example that you are a real estate agent and are looking for a good camera drone to take some great pictures of your properties that you have listed for sale. For a job like this, I would definitely recommend a drone with a 12MP camera or better. With real estate photography, picture and video footage quality is extremely important. A good 16MP HD camera would be the best choice for such a case. This best drone for under 500 dollars page has some pretty good quality machines with 16MP 1080p HD cameras that will more than work for pretty much any job or drone use.

Best Drone Features – Drone Speed

This is a pretty important feature in my opinion. Having a drone that can go fast will allow you to fly at higher speed even in windy conditions. Most low budget drones (under $100 typically) will have OK speeds. I are talking 15-20 mph or so. If you want a drone that has some speed to it, you will typically have to dish out some extra cash. A drone over $200 (bur under $500) will typically give you speeds between 30 and 60mph. This is a definite step up from the 15-20mph speed range. If you start talking about drone racing machines. well this is a whole other ball game (think 120mph or more). Yeah, speed is great to have when you have a fun drone to play with. Our best drone for under 500 dollars page has some pretty quick drones (50+ mph).

Best Drone Features – Return Home Function – Best drone under 700

The return home function is a pretty useful one. What this allows for you to do, is to have your drone fly back home to you with the click of just a single button. You no longer have to manually maneuver the drone back home. The return home function is possible due to your drone’s global positioning system (GPS). This feature comes in really handy when you have completed filming or taking pictures and just want to call it a day. Having this return home function allows for you to complete the flight back home in seconds, rather than minutes (as it could potentially take by manual flight). Where this feature also comes in really handy is if you start losing connectivity with your drone. Lets say that your drone is flying at a distance away from the controller where it is close to being out of range. There is a chance that the drone might start losing connectivity with the controller. Quite often, you can typically just press on the return-home button and have the drone fly back home to you. This feature is also pretty standard on most of the GPS drones that I have mentioned on this best drone for under 500 dollar page.

Best Drone Features – Altitude Hold – Best Drone For Under £500

Altitude Hold is a pretty neat feature. Altitude hold allows for you to just have your drone hover in one area constantly. This is super useful when you are trying to take some pictures or video footage. Without this feature, there is a good chance that your pictures would come out blurry and out of focus. It is also a fun “hey look what I can do” type of a feature. I would say that this feature is somewhat important and that you should look for it with your next drone purchase.

Best Drone Features – Controller Range

Drone controller range, this is a big one. When you are doing your homework and looking for a new drone, it is very important to look for one with good controller range. When it comes to cheap budget beginner drones, most of them will typically not fly further than 100 meters (typically 50 meters or less). This is a very bad thing in my opinion as short-ranged drones tend to get lost quicker. With the more expensive drones (over $200), you start getting into some high controller range drones. Most of these pricier drones will have a pretty decent range (sometimes going into the miles). This page that you are on now “best drone for under 500” showcases some good controller range drones.

Best Drone Features – Flight Time – Best Drone Under $500 Dollars

The flight time is also an important technical spec. You definitely want a drone that can fly for a bit of time. Imagine if you had a short flight time drone. You would have to fly it for 5-10 minutes, then charge it for 2 hours sometimes. Yeah, this is definitely not a good thing to have to deal with. Drones over $200 will typically provide a higher max flight time. Some of the drones mentioned on this best drone for under 500 page fly for a good 25+ minutes. 25 Minutes of flight time is definitely what you should want. I recommend that you stay away from anything that flies for less than 15 minutes.

Best Drone Features – Conclusion

Alright, so now that we have gotten some of the features and technical specs out of the way; let’s go ahead and get into the good stuff. Without further adieu, the top five best drone for under 50 dollars reviewed below.

Top 5 Best Drone for Under £500 Dollars

#1. Contixo F18

Our #1 best drone for under 500 dollars pick is Contixo F18. This drone really sets itself apart from the rest of the machines on this page as it is under $300 with a TON of great features, functions and technical specifications. Please take a look below to see why this drone made it to this spot on our list.

Price: Around $300 – Coming in around $300 dollars, this drone is definitely a steal. If you are looking for a GPS drone with super long range, then this bird is a good choice.

Pros: As you can see, the Contixo F18 is a really great looking drone. Coupled with GPS, FPV, long range, altitude hold, VR, HD camera and more, this drone really is ready to go the distance. There really was a bit of a fight between the Rabing Elanview drone and this one for this particular best drone for under 500 dollars spot. Even thought the Rabing Elanview Drone Officially won it’s current place due to the craftsmanship and other features, the Contixo F18 drone still came in as a very close contender due to it’s awesome price and value.

Cons: Really the only thing that comes in short on this drone is the Contixo F18’s flight time. Although not a terrible flight time, it does raise some red flags. Please continue reading this best drone for under 500 dollars page for more details on this.

Camera Quality: Has Camera – The camera on this drone is absolutely spectacular. It is a 16MP camera that can shoot video in 1080p. If you are looking for a good quality drone that can shoot some super high def. footage, then this Contixo bird is for you.

Top Range: 1+ Miles – This drone has great range. With a max range of 1+ miles, it is the 2nd longest ranged drone on this best drone for under 500 dollars list. Just imagine what you can do with this drone. Coupled with the 16MP 1080p camera, this drone’s range allows for you to fly it super high and remote to take some great images and video footage.

Top Flight Time: 16+ Minutes – I’ll be honest here, a flight time like this can pose some challenges if you want to fly your drone out there for longer periods of time. One way to get around this issue would be to go ahead and purchase a couple of extra batteries so that you can easily keep the drone out there flying longer. Even if you don’t purchase additional batteries, this drone still packs so many different features into it that a 16+ minutes of flying time should be adequate.

GPS: Yes – The Contixo F18 drone has an advanced GPS system that allows for you to pinpoint your drone’s exact position on the map at all times. With a GPS signal strength checker (7 strengths); you will definitely know when you have full control of your drone’s systems via the GPS controller. Best Drone Under 500 Dollars

Follow Me Drone: Yes – If you are looking for a drone that can follow you around, then this best drone for under 500 dollars page is definitely here to offer assistance. Thus far we have mentioned a few different drones with this feature. I am however not done yet though. The Contixo F18 drone also has follow-me drone capability. All of this is possible due to the Contixo drone’s GPS system.

Return Home Button: Yes – This particular drone offers a variety of different return-home functions. They are; smart return home, auto return home, fail-safe return home & low voltage return home. So, if this feature is super important to you, then the Contixo F18 should be the perfect fit. It wins the best award for this function on our top 5 best drone for under 500 dollars list. No other drone mentioned here on our page has so many return-home options.

FPV Capability: Yes – Are you ready to get into some high tech HD FPV action? Look no further. This drone’s 1080p HD camera, together with the advanced GPS system, allows for some amazing FPV control. It utilizes 5G WIFI for connectivity and is almost flawless. Take a look at Amazon’s product page for this product here for more information: Contixo F18 Quadcopter Drone.

VR Capability: Yes – This drone isn’t necessarily built for VR, but you can still utilize a VR goggles headset to pilot the Contixo F18 via the FPV VR experience. This definitely will take your flying experience to a whole new level.

The Look: Great – As you can see in the above image for the Contixo F18 drone, the curves and the modern design of this machine are superb. The sleek design allows this drone to be aerodynamic so that it can withstand heavy wind resistance. I love the shiny black shades with the colorful led lights on this machine.

Technical Specifications: These Technical Specifications Were Retrieved From Amazon’s Website

Camera: Full HD 1920 x1080
Drone Controller: 2.4GHz (Mode 1/2/3/4)
Maximum Speed: 20+ mph
Control Channels: 4 Channels
Positioning: GPS
Maximum Controller Range: About 1+ Miles.
Type of Drone Battery: 7.4V 2100 mAh Li-po battery
Total Charging time: About 4 hours
Maximum Flight Time: About 16+ minutes
Type of Battery for Controller: 4 * AA battery (not included)
Fully Expanded Drone Size: 14.5*13.4*3.15 inches
Drone Weight: .73 pounds

Conclusion: As mentioned earlier, the Contixo F18 quadcopter drone is definitely our strongest contender for the #1 spot on this best drone for under 500 dollars list. With all of the awesome features, functions and great technical specifications to boast, this drone really is a great overall machine. If you are in the market for a solid long range GPS FPV drone for around $300 dollars, then this is your best choice.

#2. Rabing Elanview

Price: Around $500 – This is definitely my second favorite drone on this best drone for under 500 dollars page. The Rabing Elanview has all of the features that you would typically find on a drone in this price range. Due to the propeller guards, this drone also makes for a good beginner drone.

Pros: Let’s start with the 16MP HD Camera, yeah you read that right. The camera on this drone is amazing. The drone also includes the following features; One key takeoff and land, GPS, follow-me function, FPV and 20+ minutes of flying time. This is one of my favorites for sure. Please take a look below for the detailed specs on it as you continue reading this best drone for under 500 dollars page.

Cons: One negative thing that kind of sticks out about this drone is the range on it. The range is not horrible, but it is less than half of the DJI Spark’s max controlling range.

Camera Quality: Has Camera – The Sony camera on this drone is definitely in a league of its own. The drone sports a 16MP camera that can shoot video in 1080p. If you are looking for a good performing, stable and highly accurate HD camera, this drone has just that. The drone also features a 3 axis electronic stabilization system for image stabilization. This is one of the reasons why this drone is our #1 pick of the best drone for under 500 top 5 list.

Top Range: 600+ Meters – The Rabing Elanview drone’s range is not the greatest, but as mentioned earlier; it is not horrible. If you look through this best drone for under 500 dollars page, you will see that there are only two other drones that have better controller ranges, these are our #2 pick and #3 pick. Best drone under 700

Top Flight Time: 20+ Minutes – The flight time on this drone is pretty decent. Coming in at 20+ minutes of max flight time is a pretty good feat. For this price range, 20+ or better time is some of the best flight times that can be expected. This top 5 best drone for under 500 page has a pretty good mix of machines with different flight times. There should be something here for everyone.

GPS: Yes – The GPS system on this drone is top notch. It uses a dual positioning system for better accuracy with the drone’s map placement and navigation. The GPS on this drone allows for follow-me opportunities as well as FPV and return home.

Follow Me Drone: Yes – The Rabing Elanview drone has a built in object tracking system that allows for you to utilize the follow-me option which uses the GPS coordinating system. This drone is definitely worthy of the #1 placement on this best drone for under 500 dollars page due to all of it’s features (including the follow me function).

Return Home Button: Yes – This drone has the return home functionality. It is super easy to use and can save you quite a bit of time when trying to get your drone back home once you are done filming video footage and taking pictures.

FPV Capability: Yes – The FPV capability on this drone allows for you to take your flying to the next level. Just turn on the FPV on your mobile device and start utilizing the drone’s HD camera to be your eyes in the sky. Most of the drones mentioned here on the best drone for under 500 page have the FPV option included.

VR Capability: Yes – Just place your phone into a VR headset which is compatible with your phone (sold separately), and you can start flying your drone via the first person view. This definitely takes things to the next level.

The Look: Great – The Rabing Elanview drone looks great. With the grey/white body colors, sleek design and durable build; this drone would definitely be a great addition to your drone collection. It’s spot at #2 on this best drone for under 500 dollars list is well deserved. Best Drone Under 500 Dollars

Technical Specifications: These Technical Specifications Were Retrieved From Amazon’s Website

Camera: 16MP, 1080P HD
Drone Controller: 2.4GHz
Maximum Speed: 27 mph
Control Channels: 4 Channels
Positioning: GPS / Glonass / BDS
Maximum Controller Range: About 600 Meters.
Type of Drone Battery: 11.1V 2000mAh li-po battery
Total Charging time: About 2.5 hours
Maximum Flight Time: About 20+ minutes
Type of Battery for Controller: AA battery (not included)
Fully Expanded Drone Size: 7.3*7.3*4 inches
Drone Weight: 1.1 pounds

Conclusion: The Rabing Elanview drone is a good #2 choice for this best drone for under 500 list due to all of it’s features, sleek design, great technical specs and price. For roughly around $500, you can get a drone that sports a 16MP camera, can shoot 1080p HD video, does FPV, has the Follow-Me Drone functionality, flies for 20+ minutes and can take-off / land with the touch of a single button. There isn’t a whole lot that this drone is not able to do.

#3. DJI Spark – Best Drone Under 500 Dollars

When it comes to drones, nobody does it better than DJI. DJI drones are like a staple. They make the best drones hands down. If you want a good quality, professional drone that won’t break the bank, then DJI’s Spark is for you. This drone does it all; intelligent flight mode, GPS, FPV, HD Camera, return home and more. I picked this drone as our number one due to it’s quality of build. The drone is a smaller type drone that really packs a punch. It has a range of over 1 Mile and can shoot 1080p video. This can be an awesome selfie drone due to it’s intelligent flight mode. Please Click Here to be taken to Amazon’s product page for this drone to get more information on the intelligent flight modes.

Price: Around $550 – Although technically not under $500, I thought it a good idea to include a DJI drone here on our list as I do believe that the price on this drone is definitely a steal. There is so much intelligence, good craftsmanship, awesome features and quality technical specs crammed into this little drone, its unbelievable. If you are looking for a cool looking drone that won’t break the bank, then this drone is for you. Best Drones Under 500 Dollars

Pros: Where do I start. Well for one, this drone is a follow me drone. It also has a built in 1080p HD camera for shooting high def video and imaging. It has GPS, FPV, VR, one touch return home button, hand gesture picture taking and more. For what this drone brings to the table, there really isn’t much out there that can top it within this price range.

Cons: Not a whole lot of negative things to say about this one. One thing that does kind of stand out a bit is the fact that it is not a full size drone. But to be honest with you, the amount of features that you get with this drone; the small size isn’t really even a negative thing. This is a drone that was built for one purpose; selfies & video footage recording

Camera Quality: Has Camera – This drone has an awesome camera. It is a 12MP camera that is able to shoot 1080p video in 2.7K. Yeah, this thing is great. It is super stable when shooting video as well as picture. The drone includes different intelligent flight modes that are specifically built to help you shoot better video footage and pictures. If you are looking for a good selfie drone; well, you just found one. I am proud to feature this bad boy as the number one pick on this best drone for under 500 dollars page.

Top Range: 1.2+ Miles – The range on the DJI Spark is also great. There are not too many drones under $400 that provide you with a long range like this. 1.2 Miles of range is truly amazing. Coupled together with the quick speed and decent flight time, the DJI spark can definitely cover some distance to take some awesome footage and pictures.

Top Flight Time: 16+ Minutes – Although not the best flight time in the world, I believe that the rest of the technical specs and features on this drone more than make up for it. Then again, 16 minutes of flight time is really not that bad when you think about it. If you look at some of the other budget drones (under $150), most of those machines fly under the 10 minute mark. So 16+ minutes really isn’t that bad of a spec.

GPS: Yes – The DJI Spark definitely has a great built in GPS system. It uses dual-band GPS technology for better positioning accuracy and navigation. The GPS system on this drone is the technology that provides the platform for the return home button feature as well as the follow me drone functionality. Most of the machines mentioned here on this best drone for under 50 dollars page will have a good on-board GPS system.

Follow Me Drone: Yes – Like the rest of the newer DJI drones, the DJI Spark also has the built in follow-me drone function. In this case, the name of the function is ActiveTrack. The ActiveTrack feature allows the drone to make easier and smarter object tracking decisions. It can identify and remember different objects based on their different shapes and sizes. Once identified, you can program the drone to track the object from the front, back or even circle around it. This drone’s follow me drone technology really has no competition, DJI does it best.

Return Home Button: Yes – This drone does have the return home functionality. The DJI Spark can return home automatically as long as it has a good and steady GPS signal. The return option is definitely a much sought after feature as it allows for you to be able to get your drone home safely with just a click of a button. Even if the GPS signal starts being shaky, there is a good chance that the return home button will work to get your drone back to you. Best drone under 700

Intelligent Flying Modes: Yes – The DJI Spark is the only drone on this best drone for under 500 dollars page that has this built in feature. The different intelligent flying modes that are included with the DJI Spark are; Quick Shoot, Tap Fly, Active Track & Gesture. The QuickShot mode allows you to take professional video footage with cinematic precision. The Tap Fly mode allows for you to just tap on your phone’s drone control screen map, and the drone will fly to that exact location and start taking pictures for you. The ActiveTrack feature automatically recognizes objects based on the different shapes and sizes, this allows for more accurate tracking of objects. The Gesture mode is super cool. This mode allows for you to just gesture with your hands and your smart DJI Spark drone will perform a number of tasks for you based on what you do with your hands. Some of the gestures are PalmLaunch, Away and Follow, Selfie, Palm Control, Beckon and Record. The intelligent flying modes really put this drone in a whole other category, and again I am really happy to have it listed here as our #3 pick on this best drone for under 500 dollars page.

FPV Capability: Yes – The DJI Spark absolutely has the built in FPV capability. Just switch the Spark to sport* mode and you are in business. Once the sport mode is on, the gimbal is set to FPV automatically. This allows for the camera on the drone to move with you as you fly. This drone is jam packed with cool features like this.

VR Capability: Yes – You can fly the drone by utilizing DJI’s VR goggles. Once the goggles are in play, you will experience a whole new world when it comes to flying drones. Just think, whatever your drone sees via it’s Camera, you can have the same exact view right in front of your eyes in the VR goggle headset.

The Look: Great – This DJI drone really is a looker. It is a futuristic, modern and cool looking machine that definitely packs a punch with the many features and great technical specs that are included. This truly is the best drone for under 500 dollars that you can buy out there on the markets.

Technical Specifications: These Technical Specifications Were Retrieved From DJI’s Website

Camera: 12MP, 1080P HD
Drone Controller: 2.4GHz
Maximum Speed: 31 mph
Control Channels: 2 Channels
Maximum Phone Control Range: About 164ft.
Maximum Controller Range: About 1640ft.
Type of Drone Battery: 11.4V 1480mAh li-po 3s battery
Total Charging time: About 52 to 80 minutes
Maximum Flight Time: About 16+ minutes
Type of Battery for Controller: 2970 mAh battery (included)
Fully Expanded Drone Size: 143*143*55 mm
Drone Weight: 300 grams

Conclusion: The DJI Spark definitely deserves the number one place on our best drone for under 500 dollars page. Although the drone itself costs $550, I decided that it should definitely be on this list as the price is close enough to $500. For what you get, the $550 price is a steal. With all of the combined features and awesome technical specs, you just cannot get a better drone in this price range.

#4. Holystone HS100 – Best Drones Under 500 Dollars

Price: Around $280 – The Holystone HS100 drone has the best price on this best drone for under 500 dollars page. But do not let this price fool you. The $280 dollar price definitely is a bargain price for what you are getting. This right here is Holystone’s first GPS drone, and it is priced very well to compete with the best. Go ahead and take a look below and see for yourself as to why this drone has made it on our best drone under 500 dollars list at spot #4.

Pros: As drones go, this drone definitely has all of the better features that you would expect from a drone in this price range. One of the best PRO’s is the value that you get for this low price. As mentioned earlier, the Holystone HS100 is a GPS drone with good range, return home button features, follow me function, FPV capability as well as an HD Camera. If you are looking for a good solid drone from a well known name for under $300, then this bird is for you.

Cons: The two cons with this drone are the drone’s camera and a slow speed. Not exactly sure why Holystone decided to put a cheap camera on here, but this is surely what you are getting with this drone. If you scroll down, you will see the camera details. As for the speed; the drone tops out at 22 miles per hour. The speed isn’t horrible, but it can definitely be better.

Camera Quality: Has Camera – Yes, the drone definitely has a camera. It is a 720p, 2.0MP camera. Although not the best camera out here on our list, it definitely can get the job done in terms of taking HD pictures and video footage. For $280 dollars, the Holystone HS100 drone comes equipped with your basic components (not the highest quality, but they still do the work fairly well).

Top Range: 300+ Meters – The Range on this particular drone is one of it’s better features. Coming in at 500+ meters in maximum range, it is pretty close to the Rabing Elanview quadcopter drone mentioned on this best drone for under 500 dollars page.

Top Flight Time: 15+ Minutes – The top flight time comes in at a lower max range when compared to the other machines here on this page. However, coupled with a maximum range of 500+ meters, it is a pretty good contrast. It allows you just enough flight time to explore area’s within the drone’s maximum range and take some HD pictures and video footage.

GPS: Yes – The Holystone HS100 quadcopter drone gives you the complete package. It’s GPS system is on par with the rest of the drones within this 500 dollar price range. The GPS assisted flight provides you with accurate positioning details of your drone at all times. This way, if you are ever worried that your drone might have gone missing or become unresponsive, you can always take a look at your controller’s GPS map and see the exact location of the bird.

Follow Me Drone: Yes – This drone has earned it’s place here in the top 5 best drone for under 500 dollars due to all of the different features and functions that are readily available on it. And, since we are now once again discussing a drone that has a built in GPS capability (the Holystone HS100 drone), we are once again working with the cool features and functions that come with GPS. This drone’s follow-me drone function works like a charm. It will lock in on you, follow you and take constant footage by keeping you in the frame at all times. This function provides hands free selfies and flying.

Return Home Button: Yes – This feature is an absolutely necessity these days with drones. The HolyStone HS100 drone definitely includes this capability. Just at the click of a button, you can recall your drone back home to you. No more manual guessing of how to get the drone back home, just click the button once and the drone flies back.

FPV Capability: Yes – The drones HD camera allows for this bird to have the FPV capability in full splendor. It utilizes an adjustable wide-angle view for the feature. If you are looking for a decent FPV capable drone under $300, then the HolyStone HS100 is a good choice.

VR Capability: Yes – This drone’s 3D VR options works at the click of a button. Just click on the small VR icon on the controller to turn the phone into a mobile VR station together with some VR goggles. Once again, not bad for a $280 price.

The Look: Good – This drone’s design kind of reminds me of DJI’s Phantom design. Not sure if the design was purposely done in this way, but I have to say that HolyStone definitely did a good job with the modern look. The dark gray curves and color throughout, definitely makes this a good looking drone.

Technical Specifications: These Technical Specifications Were Retrieved From Amazon’s Website

Camera: 2.0MP HD1280*720p
Drone Controller: 2.4GHz
Maximum Speed: 22+ mph
Positioning: GPS / Glonass
Maximum Controller Range: About 500 Meters.
Type of Drone Battery: 7.4V 2500mAh li-ion battery
Total Charging time: About 3 – 6 hours
Maximum Flight Time: About 15+ minutes
Drone Size: 500*500*175 mm
Drone Weight: 700 grams

Conclusion: With this being HolyStone’s first GPS drone, I have to say that I am impressed. Minus a few items; like the budget camera, short max flight time and the longer than usual charging time; the HS100 really is a pretty good drone. For under $300, you are getting a GPS drone, that can return home at the press of a button, utilize FPV and perform follow me functions; there really isn’t a better deal out there. I am proud to list this here on our best drone for under 500 dollars page. Best drone under 700

#5. GordVE Visuo – Best Drones Under 500 Dollars

I went ahead and added this drone to our best drones under $500 dollars page as this particular drone was the #1 drone on our top 5 best drones for under 50 dollars page. This particular drone really is in a class of its own when it comes to drones within the $60 dollar range. It really doesn’t make sense that this machine is priced at the $60 range with all of the awesome features, technical specification and great reviews that it received via it’s Amazon product page. However, here it is and this drone made it to our top 5 best drone for under $500 dollars page. I picked this particular drone for this spot on our $500 dollar price list due to variety of reasons. One of the most important things that sets this drone apart from the rest of the $500 dollar machines is it’s price. Coming in under $100, this is definitely a drone price that just about everybody can live with. This GordVE Visuo drone has FPV, VR, HD camera, top flight time of 15 min’s, return home functionality and much more. Well deserved place here on this best drone for under $500 dollars page. Please take a look at our review below and see for yourself.

Price: $60 – Yeah, you heard that right, a whopping $60 dollars for this drone. This drone definitely fits into the best drone for under 500 price range category. This drone is well priced and I am really happy with what it has to offer.

Pros: For the number of features that you get here under $100 dollars, this is really an awesome buy. As mentioned earlier; FPV and VR features sit very high on my list of important drone functions. And this Gord VE Visuo has both, FPV and VR. It also has an amazing high flight time for a drone in this price range. Oh yeah, the drone also folds, which makes it super easy to transport.

Cons: The one thing that really does stick out as a negative about this drone is the fact that it doesn’t have GPS. The rest of the drones on this best drone for under 500 dollars page do have GPS, but then again they also cost a lot more due to this. This drone also doesn’t have Altitude Hold.

Camera Quality: Has Camera – Not the best camera in the world, but for what you are paying; I wouldn’t say too much about it. The camera on this drone is a 2MP, 720p HD camera. It can take both video footage as well as images. For the price of around $60, this drone really is a steal. You can also utilize the FPV to take pictures and video footage.

Top Range: 80+ Meters – Again, coming in at around $60 dollars, you shouldn’t expect the best range in the world. But then again, 80 meters really isn’t horrible. The range on this drone is still better than most drones out there for a $60 dollar price. Through the research that we have done to pick this drone as our number 1 drone on our best drone for under 50 dollars page, I found that most of the $60 dollar and under drones will typically not exceed a top range of 60 meters.

Top Flight Time: 15+ Minutes – Coming in with a top flight time of 15 minutes helped this drone get a place on this “best drone for under 500 dollars” page. Most of the other drones on this page are right around this top flight time amount. For the price that you will pay for this drone, the machine really does a good job of competing on almost every level in this $500 drone price range page.

Stunts: Yes – This drone actually does some cool rolls as well. Even with the other included features, this drone’s make was still able to add stunt features to this drone. It not only does First Person View, Virtual Reality, HD camera action and has the ability to fly for 15 minutes, it also can do stunts and rolls.

Return Home Button: Yes – The Return Home Button is indeed a feature on this drone. You can utilize the return home button to have the drone return quickly to you after taking video or pictures. with just a single press of the Return Home Button, the drone will come flying right back to you. This particular feature is also helpful if your drone was to experience a “getting lost” issue.

FPV Capability: Yes – As mentioned earlier, this drone absolutely has the FPV functionality. The FPV mode allows for you to control the drone directly from your phone. Your view will be directly displayed on your mobile device. Once the drone gets connected to your phone, you will be able to take full control of the drone’s flight. Best drone under £500.

GPS Capability: No – Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier; most drones with GPS functionality cost significantly more than this particular drone. If you re looking for a good GPS drone, then please check out the rest of the drones on this best drone for under $500 dollars page.

Mobile App: Yes – The GordVE Visuo drone has an app that can be installed on your mobile device. The name of the app is “SMAO FPV” (According to the maker). As soon as you are able to download the app, you can go ahead and program your drone’s flying coordinates right into the application’s map system.

The Look: Great – This drone has an awesome modern and futuristic look to it. It is built solid and looks absolutely great. This this drone stands apart from the rest of the drones under the 50 dollar price range.

Technical Specifications: These Technical Specifications Were Retrieved From Amazon’s Website

Camera: 2MP, 720P HD
Drone Controller: 2.4GHz
Speed Modes: 2
Control Channels: 4 Channels
Type of Gyroscope: 6-Axis
Maximum Phone Control Range: About 164ft.
Maximum Controller Range: About 262ft.
Type of Drone Battery: 3.7V 900mAh li-po battery
Total Charging time: About 60 minutes
Maximum Flight Time: About 10-15 minutes
Type of Battery for Controller: AA battery (not included)
Folded Drone Size: 7*5*2.4 inches
Fully Expanded Drone Size: 12.8*12.8*2.4 inches
Drone Weight: 0.3 pounds

Conclusion: This drone here really has a great amount of features for this price. For just a little over $60, you can get a drone that sports VR, HD Camera, FPV, Great Long Flight Time, Good Range and many other features. This drone definitely fits the bill on our best drone for under 500 dollars list. And when I say that it fits the bill, I really mean it; $55 is chump change for what you are getting. If you like the great features and functionality on this particular drone, please click on Amazon Product link below for the GordVE Visuo page with actual buyer reviews and more.