Top 5 Budget-Friendly FPV Drones for 2023

If you want to enhance your piloting skills, FPV drones can be a great tool. Especially for beginners, the ready-to-fly versions with a limited number of components can make it easier to get started. With so much information out there, starting your journey into the world of FPV drones can be overwhelming. However, the best way to learn is to jump right in!

Quick Breakdown of FPV Drones

FPV drones, or first-person view drones, are essentially remote-controlled drones that allow pilots to see what the drone sees in real-time through a camera mounted on the drone.

The camera feed is transmitted to a display screen or goggles worn by the pilot, which provides a more immersive flying experience. FPV drones are also equipped with GPS navigation and other advanced features like obstacle avoidance and follow-me mode.

FPV drones can be broken down into two main types: ready-to-fly (RTF) and build-your-own (BYO). RTF drones come preassembled, and all you need to do is charge the batteries, pair the controller, and you’re ready to fly. These are ideal for beginners who want to start flying right away without the hassle of building their own drone.

BYO drones, on the other hand, require a bit more skill and experience. You’ll need to purchase all the components and assemble them yourself. This requires knowledge of electronics, soldering, and programming. However, the advantage of BYO drones is that you can customize them to your liking, upgrade components as needed, and get a better understanding of how drones work.

Whether you choose to go with an RTF or BYO drone, FPV drones are an exciting way to experience the thrill of flight and explore the world from a new perspective.

Here are several reasons why FPV drones are great places to learn from:

1. Affordability – FPV drones offer a cost-effective option for getting started with drone flying. Compared to camera drones, FPV drones are often less expensive and offer an excellent opportunity to learn the basics of drone flight. While a DJI Mavic 3 goes for upwards of $3,000, an FPV drone that can deliver just as great cinematography, would be $300 for the airframe. That’s massive difference!
2. Durability – FPV drones are often lightweight and compact, making them more durable and easier to handle, especially for beginners. They can withstand crashes and bumps without causing significant damage to the drone. Even if you do crash, you can just replace the parts yourself.
3. Indoor Flying – Weather can be a significant obstacle for drone pilots, but FPV drones are versatile enough to be flown indoors or in small spaces. With their size, weight, and propeller guards, they’re an excellent option for indoor flying at your leisure.
4. Ready-to-Fly – FPV drones often come as ready-to-fly (RTF) or bind-and-fly (BNF) kits, which means you won’t need to worry about compatibility issues or learning to solder. They usually come pre-assembled, so you can start flying right out of the box.
5. No Extra Gear Required – If you purchase a bind-and-fly (BNF) FPV drone with the appropriate radio receivers, you can use a corresponding radio transmitter/controller (RTX) that you might already own. With the right RTX, you can control all your drones, from beginner FPV drones to more advanced models.

My Top 5 Recommendations

As a beginner, it can get confusing with the seemingly unlimited options out there. My goal here is not to overwhelm you with choices, but really hone in on the best of the best to ease your decision making process.

To save you time, these will be in descending order starting with my number 1 pick. But first, a quick comparison table.

#1. Less than $50 – Cheerwing Syma X5 Series

Author’s notes: Look I know it’s not technically an FPV drone, but dude, inflation is killing us out here. You can barely find a kids toy drone in this price range. But if you’re this pressed on a budget, the X5 series is the best thing you’ll get. It may not transmit to your goggles, but if you’re in this price range, I’m going to guess you don’t have the rest of the gear, and you’re just starting out.

The Syma X5 series is something I buy as a gift for anyone who has an interest in drones. I’ve used it as a training tool in my current and previous jobs. They are robust enough to handle the crashes when practicing indoors or close to objects but also it’s strong enough to be outside in the wind.

My recommendation is to keep the prop guards on, but remove all the rest of the removable parts. 

The Cheerwing Syma X5SW-V3 is the model that fits this category. It’s a reliable and durable model that’s perfect for beginners looking to improve their skills. Constructed with ABS material, it can withstand minor crashes during practice. With its 720p front-facing camera, this FPV drone offers a thrilling flying experience by transmitting real-time data. It’s also equipped with one-key takeoff and landing options for ease of use.

The drone has two-speed modes, ideal for racing and obstacle avoidance, and can maintain a steady altitude while in flight. Additionally, the waypoint flight feature allows you to pre-program the drone’s flight path for automated flying. The Cheerwing drone is compatible with 2.4 GHz WiFi, allowing you to control it via an app or remote control. It has a control range of up to 50m and can fly for 5-7 minutes on its 500 mAh battery.

Cons

• Only two-speed settings
  The upside: From an entry-level FPV racing drone, the ability to adjust speed, although it might be only two settings, is rare. Moreover, the two-speed settings are sufficient to get you through several courses.
• The remote controller is not included.
  The upside: You can always get the remote control whenever you like or source an older model that isn’t made for smartphone integration. And you can alternatively control the drone with the app on your smartphone but I wouldn’t recommend it. 

Specifications

#2. Less than $100 – Eachine UZ65

The Eachine UZ65 is our first and cheapest FPV options. It’s a tiny whoop weighing 29g when the battery is included. By no coincidence whatsoever, it is our top pick for the tiny whoop category in general as seen in our other article, Best Tiny Whoops.

The UZ65 is a quadcopter that boasts a 65mm wheelbase and 35mm propellers powered by 19,000kv motors. Its brushless motors give it incredible power as well. It is equipped with a 3.8V, 300mAh rechargeable battery, and comes with four batteries in total.

The UZ65 is compatible with an SPI receiver, either the Superbee F4 FC Flysky SPI RX or Frsky SPI D8 RX, which can communicate up to 100m and 200m, respectively. The drone also features a ⅓ inch image sensor, 140 degrees FOV, and an 800 TVL HD resolution. Its adjustable camera angle makes it an excellent FPV drone option as you can reduce the angle so that you can fly slower and still see straight. You’ll be able to adjust it as you get better.

Finally, this drone is on the smaller end compared to those on this list. At 65mm, this makes it super easy to fly indoors and through obstacles. You can hit some crazy gaps with confidence and ease (after some practice of course).

Cons 

• Too lightweight wind resistance may be an issue.
  The upside: Flying this drone in the strong wind may not be ideal. But it’s lightweight, perfect for stunts in flying indoors
• A small battery shortens flight time.
  The upside: While this drone comes with small batteries, you get up to four packs, reducing the time the drone sits in the charging dock.

Specifications

#3. Less than $150 – Happymodel CRUX3

If you have a budget of $150, the best cheap FPV racing drone to get is the Happymodel CRUX3. The CRUX3 is the first toothpick on our list (note to self – review more tooth picks), this means it’s lightweight and rugged. It runs 3” props so it’s half way between a tiny whoop and a full sized 5”. 

The Happymodel CRUX3 uses Gemfan-3018 propellers measuring 7.65 cm. The propellers are powered by 9N12P motors which deliver an impressive lift force. Since the motors are brushless, it’s understandable why the drone has such immense power. 

The onboard EFM8BB21 controls all the drone’s power, working with the 4-in-1 CrazybeeX flight controller and the onboard Flysky SPI or Frsky SPI D8 receiver. The receiver can communicate with the drone at distances between 200 and 300m.

The CRUX3 drone is equipped with a Caddx ANT camera that has a ⅓ inch image sensor and a horizontal resolution of 1200 TVL. If you’re not satisfied with this camera, you can switch it up with the Insta360 Go camera.

Cons 

• The battery is not included in the drone.
  The upside: Happymodel allows you to buy different battery sizes on this drone that will best suit your taste. If you’re new, stick to using a 1S configuration, but having the 2S possibility means you don’t need to upgrade your drone when you get better.
• No propeller guard
  The upside: Prop guards or ducts add unnecessary weight. They are often unnecessary if you’re not flying indoors and just drain your battery. It’s also debatable if it impacts the flight dynamics. I mean, you’d think adding anything would affect flight, but who knows how negligible that effect is. 

Specifications

#4. Less than $200 -Eachine Wizard X220 V3 

The Eachine Wizard X220 V3 is a great drone for anyone looking for a high-quality racing drone that won’t break the bank. At its current price, it’s an excellent value for beginners and intermediate pilots alike. 

This drone boasts an impressive set of components that make it a powerful machine in the air. It comes equipped with powerful brushless motors and 5-inch propellers that provide plenty of lift and speed. The drone also features a sturdy carbon fiber frame that is both durable and lightweight, making it easy to handle and transport.

One of the standout features of the Eachine Wizard X220 V3 is its FPV camera. The camera offers high-resolution video and a wide field of view, allowing you to capture clear footage and see more of the action as you fly. Additionally, the drone’s remote controller is well-designed and ergonomic, making it comfortable to use for extended periods of time.

Overall, the Eachine Wizard X220 V3 is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a powerful, yet affordable racing drone. Its impressive components, combined with its ease of use, make it a great option for beginners and experienced pilots alike.

Cons 

• Battery not included.
  The upside: Batteries are not included in the packaging of this drone. While purchasing the battery pack may cost you extra, you have the luxury of choosing from its range of 450 mAh to 650 mAh that best suits your flight habits.
• No radio receiver included
  The upside: To keep the cost of this drone low, GEPRC did not include a receiver with this drone. These types of things are really why we are able to place these drones in these low cost brackets. 

Specifications

#5 -GEPRC Cinelog25

Depending on your style, this is the first entry that focuses around cinematic footage. You can’t go wrong with the GEPRC CineLog25. This quadcopter is adequate for racing and freestyle practice but its main role is to attach a GoPro etc. for amazing cinematic footage. With 3 or 4 damping rings, you can take your creativity to new heights.

What’s more, the drone comes with a GoPro Lite 3D, and you can adjust the camera angle while flying from 0 to 40 degrees to get the perfect shot. The backward push design effectively uses the thrust-weight ratio of the propellers, ensuring maximum flight efficiency, while the smooth inlets of the propellers give it a smooth and stable flight.

The GEPRC new 1401 4500KV motors provide this drone with impressive power, and the motors are compatible with batteries ranging from 450mAh to 750mAh, depending on your needs. On average, you can expect a flight time of around 5.5 minutes, depending on the options you’ve set.

While some users have reported issues with the drone’s frame durability and camera stability, we believe that the overall quality of this drone makes it an excellent choice for anyone on a tight budget. Our team of experts is always available to answer any questions you may have, so feel free to reach out to us if you need help choosing the perfect drone for your needs.

Cons 

• Battery not included.
  The upside: Batteries are not included in the packaging of this drone. While purchasing the battery pack may cost you extra, you have the luxury of choosing from its range of 450 mAh to 650 mAh that best suits your flight habits.
• No radio receiver included
  The upside: To keep the cost of this drone low, GEPRC did not include a receiver with this drone. These types of things are really why we are able to place these drones in these low cost brackets. 

Specifications

Final Thoughts

Whatever your budget, there is an option for you. The good thing about FPV drones are, you can build your gear piece by piece and so you don’t need a lot of money all at once. These are simply 5 out of the hundreds of options within various price ranges.

If you’re interested in more tiny whoop options, please see our page, Best Tiny Whoops.

If you’ve got a cheap drone that you’d like me to test out, feel free to drone a message in my contact form.