Top 5 Cheap Drones (Under $180): UAV Coach 2023 Buying Guide

Note: Fly safely and responsibly, folks. Never flown before? Learn to fly for free over here. Need to get your FAA commercial drone certificate? Start studying over here.

If you’re in a hurry, check out our top pick:

Holy Stone HS440 FPV Drone

A good beginner / intermediate drone for still photography and aerial videography

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In this post, I’m going to walk you through 5 inexpensive drones for beginner pilots.

At UAV Coach, we often suggest starting off with a less expensive system. This is so you can hone your skills before moving on to the bigger guns (like the Mavic 2 Pro or the Flyability Elios 2).

The models in our list below don’t have all the bells and whistles of higher-end drones for sale, but you’ll be surprised at how advanced their features can get.

Also, you may want to consider learning to fly using a drone simulator. We’re pro-simulator over here and recommend trying this free trial of the DJI Flight Simulator if you’re interested in learning how to fly with real-life training 🙂

Note: If you live in the U.S. and want to earn money as a professional drone pilot, check out our step-by-step guide to getting certified. And here are our latest course promo codes.

The Best Cheap Drones for Beginners

For Hobbyists

Scoot Mini Drone

Flight Time |

8 Minutes

Flight Time | 8 Minutes

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For Hobbyists, FPV Racing

UFO 4000 LED Mini Drone

Flight Time |

18 Minutes

Flight Time | 18 Minutes

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For Hobbyists, FPV Racing

Holy Stone HS440 Drone

Camera |

1080P

Flight Time |

20 Minutes

Camera | 1080P

Flight Time | 20 Minutes

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For Hobbyists

DJI Tello

Camera |

720p HD, 5 MP

Flight Time |

13 Minutes

Camera | 720p HD, 5 MP

Flight Time | 13 Minutes

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For Hobbyists

Holy Stone HS175D Drone

Camera |

4K

Flight Time |

23 Minutes

Camera | 4K

Flight Time | 23 Minutes

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Drone technology has come a long way, which means we’ve been able to pack more capabilities into smaller, less expensive packages.

These are some of the most affordable (and popular) UAVs on the market today, and they’re great for anyone looking to get some flight practice under their belt. They’re also great gifts for both adults and kids.

Don’t want to scroll down and read all the specs and just want to see the full list?

Here ya go:

Check out the full specs of our list of 5 cheap drones for beginner pilots below:

Note #1: All specs/features are obtained from the manufacturer or retailer.

Note #2: On this list, we’ve included models available for sale on Amazon and DJI — as Amazon and DJI Associate partners, we earn a small commission for qualifying purchases. Please know that we’ve tested many of the models on this list, and we wouldn’t recommend anything we wouldn’t fly ourselves!