Soaring into the air has never been easier (or cheaper), thanks to a growing selection of starter drones on the market. There are starter drones for kids retailing for under $25 and more advanced models for videography, racing, inspections, and FPV flights.

At Bavovna, we spend a lot of time, testing different drone models as we train models for AI navigation. And a good part of our team are also avid drone hobbyists. So if you’re in the market for a new quad, here are recs of the best starter drones. 

Best Starter Drone With Camera: DJI Mini 4 Pro 

DJI is almost eponymous with the ‘camera drone’. They’ve got several great beginner drones including NEO, Mavic Mini, and Air 2S. But we prefer DJI Mini 3 because it offers a premium drone photography experience without a premium price. 

Lightweight and portable, DJI Mini 3 can cruise for up to 50 minutes (in good flight conditions and with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus add-on). Otherwise, it’s a good 20 to 30 minutes of flight time — more than enough to capture some scenic shots. Extra features like QuickShots mode can help you snap even more content with its  12MP camera with 4K video capabilities. 

A DJI Mini 3 is the best starter drone because of its robust safety features: Geofencing, infrared collision sensors, a downward vision system, and automatic return-to-home when your battery runs out or your connection lags. Overall, DJI Mini 3 offers an affordable gateway into drone videography, making it easy to capture stunning aerial shots—without the complexity of pro-level models.

Runner Ups:

• Potensic Atom
• Parrot ANAFI 

Best Starter FPV Drone: Eachine Novice VI

Eachine Novice IV is easy to start using, plus it’s packed with pro features to explore as you advance—so you’ll never hit a ceiling. It comes assembled, bound to the radio controller, and the right video channel matched with your goggles aka ready-to-fly. 

Battery life is commendable: about 20 minutes with a stock battery and 30 minutes with an alternative 4S 18650 3000mah. An integrated 1080p camera captures detailed, crisp shots with a 3-axis gimbal preventing motion blur. Hold and headless modes also make novice FVP flying easier and GPS Rescue helps with faster drone retrievals in case your mission went rogue. 

Runner Ups:

• Hubsan X4 Air FVP 
• BetaFPV Cetus X FPV Kit

Best Starter Drone for Inspections: Skydio X10

Skydio X10 is a compact yet long-range drone with an ample flight time of 40 minutes, thanks to an 8419 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery — more than enough to run inspections around larger industrial sites. 

Featuring a triple sensor array—narrow, telephoto, and radiometric thermal cameras— the drone shoots HD footage even in low-light conditions. A  22 lux flashlight also helps. Plus you can opt for an array with a thermal  FLIR Boson+ sensor, offering sensitivity down to 30 mK and a resolution of 640 x 512 px.  

All of these characteristics make SkydioX10 a stellar choice for condition-based asset monitoring programs. 

Runner Ups:

• Voliro T drone 
• Evo II 640T Enterprise V3

Best Starter Racing Drone: EMAX Tinyhawk III  

Retailing for about $260 (with all accessories), EMAX Tinyhawk III is a great entry-level racing drone, packed with some solid features. The pre-installed 1S 450 mAh battery system gives about 4-5 minutes in flight time but can be easily swapped for a more robust option. 

With a durable, but lightweight body and propeller protection, Tinyhawk III can withstand the (inevitable) light collisions and bumpy landings, giving you ample room to practice. An improved control system (an EMAX E8 transmitter) offers faster navigation response during swift maneuvers. 

The integrated RunCam Nano 4 FPV camera offers crisp, real-time footage for immersive flights. The triple-combo of affordability, performance, and user-friendly navigation make  EMAX Tinyhawk III a great option for building up your FVP skills. 

Runner Ups:

• iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 
• DarwinFPV BabyApe

Discover even more drone recommendations in Bavovna’s UAV directory. 

Whether you just had an unfortunate ‘incident’ with a tree or want to upgrade a VTOL with a new motor for extra flight time, you gotta know where to source UAV parts. 

There are loads of drone parts suppliers on the market — and even more online resellers. To save you time, we’ve put down the list of sites where we’d shop any day for UAV parts and custom-made components. 

3 Places to Get UAV Parts for Leisure and Starter Drones 

If you need some spares for your beginner drone like an extra battery or new propellers for a racer drone, the following websites offer some good deals. 

Banggood. 

If you’re looking for affordable UAV parts, Banggood is a good place to start. The Chinese e-commerce marketplace pedals a lot of wares from mostly Asian-based sellers. The prices are on the cheaper side, but quality can be hit or miss. So always read the reviews. 

GetFVP 

As it says on the tin, GetFPV sells loads of racing FPV drones, along with popular camera drones from DJI, HOVERAir, and Lumenier. Plus, you can find spare parts for all of these manufacturers and others — electronics, frames, propellers, and extra batteries. The goods ship from the US, so delivery times are fast if you’re in North America. 

QuadPartPiker 

QuadPartPicker is a good option for more prolific builders. It offers a bigger selection of quad parts, including flight controllers, receivers, ESCs, frames, and video transmitters. Their jumbo-sized catalog is nicely organized with extra filters to narrow down your selection by size, power, frequency, or another characteristic. Sold brands include Walksnail, Flywoo, AxisFlying, and Happymodel among others. 

3 Suppliers of UAV Parts for Commercial Drones and VTOLs 

You may find the following companies to be great partners if you are looking to build UAV platforms and VTOLs. 

UAVOS 

UAVOS, operating out of Mountain View, California, has built its reputation as a reliable UAV supplier, trusted by the likes of NASA and GRADEONE. Its autopilot models are particularly worthy of attention. Available for fixed-wing and rotary UAVs with a takeoff range of 15 kg to 4000 kg, the autopilot supports dead-reckoning, GPS-denied navigation, automatic take-off and landing, full payload control, and feedback. 

Apart from autopilots, UAVOS also develops frames, servo drives, engines, and ground control units. You can also request fully custom drone construction services or lease their equipment, instead of buying. 

H3Dynamics 

If you’re in the market for a hydrogen-powered UAV engine, H3 Dynamics offers ultra-light hydrogen fuel cell systems with 250W to 2000W nominal power. Their lightest PEM fuel cell stack weighs only 720 gr (1.6 lbs) — a great option for smaller, tactical UAVs. The system is plug-and-play and includes performance data transmission and software for viewing it.  

For long-duration field missions, the team also offers a mobile automatic refilling trailer for safely producing hydrogen from water. Using onboard technology, you can refill a 9L – 350 bar cylinder in under 2.5 hours or faster (depending on the configuration). The conversion process is fully automatic
with little human supervision required. 

Refitech 

Dutch Refitech has been producing custom composite solutions for construction, defense, and more recently — the drone industry — since 1989. They’re best known for light-weight high-endurance, custom-made composite frames for fixed wings, quadcopters, VTOLs, and gyrocopters. 

The company can produce custom-designed drone bodies, based on your specs or hook you up with a good selection of standard carbon tubes and panels for drone construction. They also offer ready-to-fit (sub)assemblies for those seeking faster time-to-market.

Discover even more drone parts manufacturers in Bavovna’s UAV directory.