Best Drones Under $300 for 2022

Here is a list of the Best Drones Under $300. You might reasonably expect DJI to be included on this list, but due to price they did not make the list. However, with one marginal exception, all of DJI’s drones are too expensive for this best drones under $300 list.

The drones we do feature in this list, such as our number 1 pick is the Ruko F11, might be from companies you’re not familiar with, unless you’ve been flying them for some time already. Besides Ruko, you’ll see Contixo, Holy Stone (twice), and Ryze, which is the quadcopter related to DJI that we hinted at above.

For those of you who just want to check the pricing and availability of these drones under $300 at Amazon, here’s the short list of their links you can click.

Here is a list of The Best Drones Under $300

#1 Ruko F11 Foldable Drone
#2 Contixo F24 Pro Drone
#3 Holy Stone HS720 Drone
#4 Ryze Tech Tello Drone

#1 Ruko F11 Foldable Drone

Best Overall

It’s really hard to go against the crowd, so we’re not going to try. The Ruko F11 drone is the most highly-rated quadcopter under $300 that we found at Amazon.

As with virtually all decent drones these days, you get a camera for creating videos and taking still shots. According to the main Ruko site, this camera gives you 4K photo and 1080p video. Owners do report that the quality is good.

You can adjust the angle of the camera while in flight. It’s not as flexible as cameras on the gimbals of the more expensive drones, but then you shouldn’t expect it to be at this price point.

You only get one battery (but see below) in the package which theoretically lasts 30 minutes. Actual flight time will more likely be between 20 and 25 minutes per full charge.

The app that goes with the Ruko drone usually works as expected, though some users have had their machine fly away instead of returning to home when they pressed the proper button. Other app features include Follow Me, Waypoint Flight, Gesture Photographing, and more.

You should be able to fly about 3/4 of a mile away from “home” before losing contact between your Ruko F11 quad and your remote controller. We wouldn’t suggest pressing this limit though.

Specifications

Rated Flight Time: 30 minutes
Battery: 1 – 2500mAh
Camera: 4K
Video: 1080p
Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 3.15 inches (folded); 17.51 x 15.94 x 3.15 inches (open)
Weight: 520 grams

Pros

• Good flight time
• Multiple flight modes
• Good photographic quality

Cons

• Only one battery
• Weight requires FCC registration

#2 Contixo F24 Pro Drone

Close Runner-Up

The features, specifications, and look of the Contixo F24 drone are so similar to the Ruko F11 that we’re not even going to bother telling you about them, except for what you see in the bulleted list below.

We rather suspect (but have no proof) that the Contixo and the Ruko are the same quadcopter under different brand names.

So why would you get one over the other?

We ranked the Ruko first because it had a better rating (as of this writing) at Amazon. You might consider going with the Contixo F24 drone because it costs a little less.

The current description at Amazon is a bit confusing regarding batteries. We think the basic package comes with just one. If you want two, there is an F24 Pro Premium Pack available that will still keep you under the $300 mark. The only other change we can see there is the inclusion of a 64GB SD card.

Specifications

Rated Flight Time: 30 minutes
Battery: 1 – 2500mAh
Camera: 4K
Video: 1080p
Dimensions: 4 x 7 inches (folded), 10 x 11 inches (open)
Weight: ~517 grams (1.14 lbs.)
Pros and Cons
See the Ruko F11

#3 Holy Stone HS720 Foldable Drone

Best Value

Surprise, surprise! The Holy Stone HS720 drone isn’t all that much different from the drones we’ve discussed above. Considering that the price and ratings are about the same too, this really should come as no…er…surprise. In fact, if you start at the Holy Stone site and click through far enough, you get to the same page as you do for one of the other brands.

The Holy Stone is just a little smaller than the other drones. It has a longer recharging time (5 to 7 hours) than the Ruko or Contixo, which is one reason we bumped it down to number 4 in this list.

You get a 4K camera here too. (We couldn’t find specifics for video resolution, but it’s likely in the 1080p range.)

It looks like you actually do get 2 batteries for this price! The rated flight time might be a little less (or Holy Stone is just being more realistic and honest than the others), but the second battery makes the Holy Stone HS720 the best value of any drone listed here.

A feature not mentioned for the other models is that you can switch the controls on the remote to better suit a left-handed pilot.

Specifications

Rated Flight Time: 26 minutes
Battery: 2
Camera: 4K
Video: n/a
Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 2.2 inches (folded), 14.4 x 13.2 x 2.4 inches (open)
Weight: ~459 grams (16.2 oz.)

Pros

• 2 batteries included
• Multiple flight modes
• Left-handed operator option
• Good quality photography

Cons

• Possibly shorter flight time
• Weight requires FCC registration

#4 Ryze Tech Tello Drone

Best Budget Drone

The Ryze Tech Tello quadcopter is at the low end of the under $300 range of machines. Anything lower should probably only be considered a toy in most cases. This is the one drone in our list that is related to DJI. It’s flight controller is powered by DJI technology inside, even though it’s marketed by Ryze.

The Tello is significantly smaller and lighter than the other models in our list, but it’s cost is only about a third as well. As long as you buy one with the knowledge that you shouldn’t expect it to have all the features or to be able to do all the things its more expensive cousins can do, you should enjoy flying it.

Even at this price, you get a camera that can shoot stills in the 5 megapixel range. The best video quality is HD, 720p.

Specifications

Rated Flight Time: 13 minutes
Battery: 1
Camera: 5MP
Video: 720p
Dimensions: 3.8 x 3.6 x 1.6 inches
Weight: 80 grams

Pros

• Low cost
• High quality pictures
• Portability

Cons

• Short flight time
• Only one battery
• Mediocre video quality

Conclusions about The Best Drones under $300

If you’re looking for close to a half hour of flying through the air and are willing to spend just under $300 for the privilege, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the options in our list, except the Tello. After all, most of them are nearly clones of each other.

If you don’t mind less air time per outing and want to save some cash, the Tello could be just the ticket for you.

You might reasonably expect a drone manufacturer like DJI to be included in a “best of” list like this one. However, with one marginal exception, all of DJI’s drones are too expensive for this best drones under $300 list.

The drones we do feature in this list, such as our number 1 pick is the Ruko F11, might be from companies you’re not familiar with, unless you’ve been flying them for some time already. Besides Ruko, you’ll see Contixo, Holy Stone (twice), and Ryze, which is the quadcopter related to DJI that we hinted at above.

For those of you who just want to check the pricing and availability of these drones under $300 at Amazon, here’s the short list of their links you can click.