20 Best Quadcopters Under $100 | 2019

Today, there are several very well built quad copters that cost less than $ 100. And many of themcome with a camera included as well. On this page, we review several of the best quad coptersunder $ 100 on the market.

Quad copters, especially the smaller models, are a lot of fun to fly. They can do flips, trick sand other aerobatic stunts. The larger quads are not suitable for aerobatics.

Drones like the Phantom 3 Pro and other similar models can cost you more than $ 1000. While there extremely well-suited for aerial photography because they have 4K HD cameras, gimbals and GPS navigation you definitely cannot do stunts with them,

On the other hand, the smaller models are a lot of fun to fly even though they do not have fancy 4K cameras.

Model

Camera

flying time

price

Blade Nano QX RTF

No

7 minutes

Hubsan X4 H107C

Yes, 0.3 MP

7 minutes

Syma X5C

Yes, 720p

7 minutes

Heli-Max 1SQ

No

4 minutes

Traxxas 6608 LaTrax

No

10 minutes

Estes Proto X

No

4 minutes

Holy Stone Mini Drone

Yes, 1280 x 720

6 minutes

Best Quadcopter Under $100

#1 Blade Nano QX RTF

Blade Nano QX

If you're a beginner to this hobby and you're looking for a quad copter under $ 100, this might be the best choice for you.

The reason we have listed this at the first position is because of its SAFE technology. SAFE or Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope is basically an electronic stabilization system that keeps you from crashing and also helps you during takeoff.

Most beginners - unless they have spent a substantial amount of time training on a simulator -would do well to choose a drone that is electronically stabilized. Or else crashes will be all too frequent and can result in a lot of downtime.

With this model however, if you lose control all you need to do is just let go of the controls and the quad copter will automatically hover.

And once you become more skilled, you can switch to the agility mode and learn aerobatics.

So this is one drone that is good for beginners as well as for intermediate level pilots.

#2 Hubsan X4 H107C

Hubsan X4 H107

This is a quad copter that is extremely well-suited for aerobatics. It has a six axis flight controller and you can flip it either left or right, forward or backward.

It has two flying modes - one for beginners and other for more experienced fliers. Although this is a relatively small drone, it has very powerful motors and is thus very powerful.

Perhaps one of the best features of the Hubsan X4 is its camera which has a resolution of 720x480.While the camera certainly is not good enough for professional photographers, it's more than enough for amateurs and folks just getting started with the hobby.

On a single charge, this drone can fly for about 7 min and the control range is about 100 m.

#3 Syma X5C

Syma X5C

This is one of the most popular small drones right now. Measuring a mere 31 cm x 31 cm x 8 cm its somewhere in between micro and full-size quad copters.

With a flying time of about 7 min and a control range of 50 m, the batteries require about 100 min before they are fully charged. Needless to say, you would want to have at least one spare set of batteries. 

And like the Hubsan, this too comes with the camera and the resolution is 720 p.

#4 Heli-Max 1SQ

Heli-Max 1SQ

This is another really good quad copter that is a lot of fun to fly. Its triple axis gyro-stabilization makes it a breeze to fly either outdoors or indoors. And the rotor blades are independently controlled.

While it does not come with a camera unlike the previous two models, this gets high ratings in our list because it flies extremely well.

And it looks really pretty too.

It comes with two flying modes - one for experts and the other for beginners. The only drawback isits very low flying time - only around 4 min.

#5 Traxxas 6608 LaTrax

Traxxas 6608 LaTrax

Traxxas is very famous for their extremely fast Traxxas X0-1 RC car. Now, they're also manufacturing drones.

This model is very easy to fly because of its auto leveling six axis controller. It does not have a camera but its strengths are its very responsive, fast and durable.

If aerobatics are what you're trying to master, this may be just what you're looking for. You'll be able to learn stunts a lot sooner with this one than perhaps with any other drone on the market today.

It flies for 10 min on a single charge and the included USB charger charges the batteries pretty fast.

This is a ready to fly model and there is no assembly of any kind required.

#6 Estes Proto X

estes proto X quadcopter drone

This is possibly the smallest quad copter on the market today. It is great fun to fly, but ifyou're someone who has never flown a quad copter in the past you would not want this to be yourvery first quad copter.

In general, drones as small as this one can be pretty hard to fly for newbies because they do not have all of the electronics that are needed for stable flight.

But if you are either an intermediate level or an experienced pilot, this is a great drone to fly.This is very small and very inexpensive but still you would not want to give this to a child who has never flown drone ever.

This is also a great quad for flying indoors. It is too small to cause any kind of damage eitherto your furniture or to someone in the room. That certainly is not the case with much bigger drones.

#7 Holy Stone Mini Drone

holystone mini drone

This model is a pretty good choice for beginners. It has just about everything you would want in a inexpensive beginner quad copter.

It has four different flight molds which makes it ideal for folks of any proficiency level. It has 1280 x 720 pixel camera which is pretty good considering how inexpensive this really is.

It comes with a crash cage - and crashes are far too common when you're learning to fly. Included in the pack are 12 spare propellers and an extra battery.

#8 Blade Pico

blade pico quadcopter

This is a good drone for flying indoors. You can flight outdoors as well, but since it is very small even a slight wind can make it unstable resulting in a crash.

This is a ready to fly quad copter and requires no assembly whatsoever. It comes with propeller guards which keeps the motors safe.

Its small size also makes it the ideal choice for travel.

#9 Sky Viper Nano Drone M200

Sky Viper Nano Drone

If you're searching for the best nano quad, this might be it. It is very inexpensive, very well-designed and the battery lasts for several minutes. It is just 2.75 inches across and is an excellent choice for flying indoors.

You can fly it outdoors as well but there should be absolutely no wind.

One thing you would want to remember about micro and nano quads is that these are in general not suitable for beginners.

As mentioned earlier, very small drones do not have the electronics that are required to keep a quad copter in stable flight.

Which is why unless you have some experience either with the simulator or with other electronically stabilized quads, you would not want to buy and nano quad when you're just starting out.

#10 Sky Viper HD V950 Video Drone

Sky Viper HD V950

If durability is what you value most in a quad copter, this will be the best choice for you.

This model has digital stabilization and has been built to withstand impacts. It also has a 720 pcamera. This would be an extremely good choice for beginners or even intermediate level pilots.

#11 UDI U818A

UDI U818A

This is the best beginner quad copter with a camera on the market today.

It is relatively inexpensive and very durable. It is digitally stabilized and can do aerobatics. These are qualities that make it ideal for anyone wanting to learn to fly a camera drone.

That said, you would not want to flight in windy conditions as this is a relatively lightweight quadcopter and strong gusts of wind can make it unstable.

It has a beginner flight mode and the high-speed flight mode. It can fly for between 7 to 9 min on a single charge and has a range of 30 m. And since the battery needs to be charged for two hours,you would want to buy a spare battery.

#12 Cheerson CX-10 Mini

This is currently one of the hottest selling nano quad copter is today. In general, you would advise beginners to stay away from nano quads because most of them do not have all of the electronics required for stable flight.

But this one is an exception. This is really tiny drone comes packed with a lot of sophisticated electronics. Not only is it easy to fly, but it can perform complex stunts as well.

It is also really inexpensive - quads typically do not get cheaper than this. It has a 100 mAh lithium polymer battery and can flight for about 5 min on a single charge. In the batteries require about 30 min to recharge.

If you're flying the drone and the batteries require to be recharged, the LEDs light up and you will know you need to land and recharge the batteries.

#13 Eachine X6 Hexacopter

eachine X6 hexacopter

Technically, this is not a quad copter but it is a hexacopter as it has six rotors. It has six axis gyro stabilization. Included is a 720 p camera and a 2.4 GHz transmitter with four channels. You'll need to buy four AA batteries for the transmitter, a micro-SD card for the camera and a screwdriver separately.

Since this model has six rotors, it makes more noise than your average quad copter. It has twoflying modes and flying time is around 10 min without the camera. If you are attach the camera,the flight time will be between 5 to 7 min.

You can fly this hexacopter outdoors, but you would need to make sure there are no strong winds.

What We Like ...

  • It is easy to fly and responsive
  • It comes with a detachable camera
  • It has gyro stabilization

What We Don't Like

  • It is noisy
  • Does not include a micro-SD card or batteries for the transmitter

#14 Hubsan Q4 H111 Nano Quadcopter

Hubsan Q4 H111 Nano

If you have at least a bit of flying experience under your belt, this is one quad copter you would want to fly.

This little Nano drone can do 360° flips and other impressive stunts. It is very responsive to controls and has an excellent Yaw rate. While it is far too small to be flown outside in windy conditions, on a really calm day you can have a lot of fun flying it outdoors.

Although this is really tiny, it still has three accelerometers and three gyroscopes on board.

It has a flying time between 4 to 6 min and requires around 30 min to be recharged.

What We Like ...

  • This is an ultra small drone
  • Six axis gyroscope
  • Electronically stabilized

What We Don't Like

  • Cannot be flown in windy conditions
  • Does not have a camera

#15 JJR H8C

JJR H8C

This is another really good quad copter and is suitable for beginners and intermediate level pilots. It comes included with landing gear and propeller guards.

The dual mode transmitter has an LCD monitor that displays battery remaining, throttle and other pieces of information. This is a really helpful feature.

You can fly this at one of four speeds - 25% to 100% and it flies for around 8 min and weighs a little over one and a half pounds.

It has 2MP camera as well.

What We Like ...

  • It has a 2MP camera, a card reader and 2GB memory
  • The transmitter has a LED display
  • Flying time is 8 min - which is good for a camera quad at this price.

What We Don't Like

  • You can't perform stunts

#16 Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider

Parrot mini drone rolling spider

This is unique because it has a set of detachable wheels that enables it to roll across the floor or climb up walls.

You can detach the wheels and flight as you would a regular quad copter.

You can control this with your tablet or smart phone which is really convenient. That said, you would not want this to be your first drone because your first drone should always have a regular transmitter with stick controls.

It can fly for 8 min and has a range of 20 m.

What We Like ...

  • This has a circuit breaker that gets triggered in the event of a crash and protects your motors and propellers.
  • The detachable wheels have a lot of novelty value.
  • It has a camera

What We Don't Like

  • The range is too low - just 20 m.

#17 UDI U839

UDI U839

This ready to fly mini drone has a really powerful set of coreless motors and is built for racing.It has a high-speed mode - obviously, since this is designed for racing, and rubber feet designed to take the impact of hard landings.

It can do 360° rolls and other stunts. Flying time is a little over 5 min and the range is 30 m.The downside is the powerful motors take a toll on the batteries and consequently the flying time is low.

The certainly is not meant for beginners and is more suited for intermediate to advanced level pilots.

What We Like ...

  • This is a racing drone
  • Good for stunts

What We Don't Like

  • Flying time is low
  • Control range is low - just 30 m.

#18 USA Toyz F180+

USA Toyz F180

This is another good quad copter for beginners. It is very durable and is built to take a lot ofpunishment. Which is what makes this suited for beginners because those who are just getting started tend to crash a lot.

It has sturdy propeller guards which protect the motors and the propeller in the event of a crash.

It has a camera which can take videos or photos. It can do 360° flips as well. Flying time is a little over 7 min, charging time is around 45 min and the range is 30 m.

What We Like ...

  • It is very durable and has sturdy propeller guards
  • It has a camera
  • It can do 360° flips

What We Don't Like

  • The range is low

#19 USA Toyz UX5C

USA Toyz UX5C

This is a relatively sturdy training drone which can be flown outside even in light winds. It hasa 720 p HD camera and a 2 GB SD card.

It is very stable and very responsive and comes with propeller guards - features that make it an ideal choice for those just getting started.

The motors are powerful and can easily control the speed. And it can do 360° flips.

The flying time is 11 min - which is mighty impressive for a quad copter of this size. This is a pretty good choice for pilots with any skill level - from from beginner to advanced.

In general,bigger drones are easier to fly because they have a lot of electronics in them that keep them stable. Bigger drones also have bigger propellers - and these have better gyroscopic stability

What We Like ...

  • Stability - this is a very stable drone.
  • Relatively long flying time.
  • Very responsive to controls
  • Can fly outdoors in light winds
  • Comes with propeller guards
  • Has a camera

What We Don't Like

  • Some assembly required - does not come ready to fly

#20 Yi Zhan X4

Yi Zhan X4

This drone has powerful motors that make it suitable for flying outdoors, and the small enough to be flown indoors as well. But you would not want to fly this outdoors in very strong winds - it istoo small for that. But it can fly well in light to moderate winds.

It has a flying time between 5 to 6 min and the range of about 100 m. The batteries take around an hour to charge. This is a very stable quad copter that is easy to control.

What We Like ...

  • Very powerful motors
  • Easy to control and very stable
  • Transmitter has an LCD display

What We Don't Like

  • Does not have a camera