Best Indoor drones: Featured Image

Best indoor drones [2019] : A definitive buying guide


Best indoor drones, last updated: September 2017

What to expect from indoor drones?

Design and build of the best indoor drones we’ve picked

Since you are looking for indoor capable drones, we’ve hand picked quadcopters and hexacopters that we have tested and found to be small, agile and manueverable.

Nano and micro drones are the best, when it comes to indoors. They may not be stable and efficient outdoors even with little to no wind, given the size of their propellers, but it is exactly this trait that makes it extremely good for indoors.

Do not expect extreme high quality build with any of the quads and it’s components when it comes to nano drones that are built for indoor flying. Please try not to use them TOO rashly or in harsh weather.

Flight characteristics and functionalities

Expect to be able to fly indoors perfectly well with the drones suggested below, but don’t expect them to fly spectaculary outside. Some of them may be able to handle low wind conditions at low altitudes but thats about it.

As far as functionalities go, you get what you pay for. In this post, we’ve listed “drones†that come under different price ranges. All of them come with basic features like a gyroscope, head less mode and 3-D flipping capabilities at the push of a button. Most of them are under $50 but some of them were listed at $100 at the time of this post.

What do you get with the extra price? FPV capabilities (phone screen), ability to fly with your phone, auto landing and take off and a better camera to boot.

Camera

Though some of the best indoors drones listed here can capture some decent video and pictures, don’t expect anything magnificent. Getting a drone for indoor flying is best done to improve your flying skills than anything else. Getting that awesome aerial photography can be put off to later, when you are ready to buy something fancier. We have listed both drones that have and do not have a camera.

Best indoor drones warranty : A heads up

Most drones in the nano/micro indoor drone category are not offered by giants like DJI or Parrot. Quality and durability wise, please do not expect magic. The customer service may not be on par with the giants either. Regardless of the quad you buy, make sure you buy from the vendors directly (in case of websites like Amazon). Do not go for cheap knock offs.

We also recommend you get an extended accidental protection plan for anything RC related.  Canopy provides a decent plan but there are also others, especially if there is no warranty associated with the product. (Make sure you select the appropriate price setting).

Selection Criteria for the best indoor drones

For this list of best indoor drones, we’ve handpicked nano and micro drones that we think have the best features, flight characteristics, build quality and design. Practicing piloting skills on these drones is the right step before moving onto bigger and more complex crafts in the future.

The crafts mentioned in this article are tested and reviewed for different characteristics – the overall design and build, ease and flexibility of control, flight characteristics and camera quality (if there is any). At the end of each model’s review, we have listed what is awesome and what is not so awesome for each model for you to be able to quickly glance over the pros and cons.


MOTA JETJAT Ultra Drone

Best Indoor drones : JETJAT
(Clicking on image will take you to Amazon)

Design and build

While the design may not be anything spectacularly unique, (it still looks cool, though) The JETJAT drone has a pretty sturdy build, compared to most other micro/nano drones. The drone has surprisingly sturdy props for its size and it also comes with a propeller guard (something that most nano drones don’t boast) giving it an additional layer of resilience.

Flight and control

The JETJAT boasts the most features in this list and hence it is also the priciest. It boasts auto take off, auto landing and hover at the push of a button. What’s more, you can FPV (First person view) fly it via a screen of a phone attached to the controler. You can even switch to completely flying the craft with the phone app that can be downloaded for it.

The craft can fly up to 80 feet in distance and the flight time lasts for about 5 – 7 minutes. These specifications are not that great but it is pretty decent for an indoor drone.

Photography and videography

The drone comes with a 640×580 camera specification. Though it is not spectacular, it is still decent enough for taking some photos and videos from the aerial perspective. You can definitely get a drone with better camera specifications for this price range, but rememeber that it probably wouldn’t be a nano drone and hence, not ideal for indoor flying or carrying around in your pocket. A nano drone with photography capabilities is something unique and hence this one deserves a spot in the best indoor drones list.

Pros and cons

Pros –

  • Excellent features – auto take off, landing, hover.
  • FPV (First person view) capabilities and flyable with a phone
  • Durable build

Cons –

  • Pricey
  • Poor instruction manual

Click here to check price on Amazon


Inguity® XR Micro HexDrone

Best Indoor drones: HEXDRONE
(Clicking on image will take you to Amazon)

Design and build

The Inguity XR is a pretty uniquely designed and built drone in that it is not a quadcopter but a hexacopter! Now what is the benefit of a hexacopter over a quadcopter? Although most of the advantages of going hex may not apply to a nano indoor drone, the major advantage is reliability. Unlike in the case of a quadcopter, a failure of a single propeller is not going to crash a hexacopter.

This craft has also got to be one of the strongest crafts in the “nano drone†category from what we’ve observed and hence deserves a place in our best indoor drones list. Obviously, you cannot expect the same durability and reliability as you would expect on a “real†drone, but if durability is your number one priority, go for this.

Flight and control

Although this craft does not boast the same amount of features as JEJAT like FPV, it does have everything that you’ll probably need for an indoor drone. And watch out – this drone is fast and agile. It is capable of moving and maneuvering pretty quickly so if indoor aerobatics fun is what you are looking for, go for this. The flying time (10 minutes) and range is pretty decent too, for a drone of its size.

Photography and videography

This craft does not come with a camera!

Pros and cons

Pros –

  • Hexacopter – extra reliability
  • Fastest, most agile and superb flying feel

Cons –

  • No camera!
  • Inbuilt, unswappable battery

Click here to check price on Amazon


Holy Stone HS170 Predator

Best Indoor drones: Hollystone Predator
(Clicking on image will take you to Amazon)

Design and build

The Holy stone HS170 has to be one the bigger drones in this list. While the design may not be anything particularly unique in comparison to other options, the build quality is arguably the best for its price range and hence, we thought it deserves a place in this best indoor drones list.

The only downside to the design is the controller. We think that it looks cheaper and even more toy like, relative to what you can get in this price range.

Flight and control

This drone comes with everything you’ll need for indoor flight and beginner friendliness. And though it cannot be compared to real “dronesâ€, it has also got to be thebest in this list when it comes to outdoor flight.

The HS170 comes with a control range of 30-50 meters and a flying time of about 6-8 minutes with a charge time of 60 minutes. Pretty decent, we’d reckon.

Photography and videography

This drone does not come with a camera!

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Well built
  • Wind resistant (best in this list), can fly outdoors in mild wind conditions
  • Swappable battery (which means additonal flight time)
  • Pre-installed LED lights

Cons:

  • Cannot remove propeller guards
  • Controller design
  • No camera/FPV features

Click here to check price on Amazon


AUKEY Mini Drone

Best Indoor drones: AUKLEY
(Clicking on image will take you to Amazon)

Design and build

The AUKEY mini drone is similar to the JETJAT and more main stream drones like the Cheerson CX-10 in terms of design in that it is a nano quadcopter drone shaped like a small cube with four propellers. However, in terms of build quality it seems to be superior to the Cheerson CX-10 and inferior to the JETJAT.

Flight and control

The Aukey mini drone has everything you will need for an indoor drone especially if you are a beginner – auto landing, auto take off and intelligent hover. It is similar to the JETJAT in terms of flight characteristics. However, it doesn’t have a FPV/camera or phone support.

Flight times last for 5-6 minutes and range extends to about 82 feet. Plenty for an indoor drone. Overall, definitely deserves a place in the best indoor drones list.

Photography and videography

This drone does not come with a camera!

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent features – auto take off, landing, hover.
  • Durable build

Cons:

  • No camera/FPV features
  • Swept away by the slightest of winds

Click here to check price on Amazon


Hasakee Mini RC Helicopter Drone

Best indoor drone : Hasakee
(Clicking on image will take you to Amazon)

Design and buildi

The Hasakee Mini is very uniquely designed and built so if you want to stand out from the rest of the indoor drones, this is the drone that you should get.

It looks similar to the Parrot Bebop drone with the camera placed at the front and the look of its frame but smaller and can perfectly fit on your palm, making it excellent for indoor use.

The build is pretty durable and what we like the most about this drone is its pre-installed propeller guards that are pretty sturdy. Plus points for resilience, hence worthy of inclusion in the best indoor drones list.

Flight and control

The Hasakee Mini is another drone in this list that falls under the “mini†drone category and not nano. It can fly outside under some really mild wind conditions. Overall, it comes with everything most other drone in its price range offers including headless mode, one press 360 flip and different flight modes.

The drone can fly upto 50 meters in range and flight times last about 5-6 minutes which we think is plenty for an indoor drone of its size.

Photography and videography

The drone comes with a 0.3MP camera. Nothing spectacular, but it can take some pictures and video from the aerial perspective.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Uniqely designed
  • Can fly outdoors in mild wind conditions
  • Strong propeller guards

Cons:

  • Cannot remove prop guards
  • Video may not always function properly
  • No FPV features
  • Have to calibrate before flight or the drone might drift to a certain direction

Click here to check price on Amazon


Conclusion

Decide what you want the most – Cheap price? Best flight characteristics? Camera? FPV/phone features? If you want the additional FPV/phone flying capabilities, expect to pay a bit more. If you want the best agility or flight characteristics, go for the hexacopter drone. Also, remember to pick between nano or micro drone. Nanos are the best for indoors, but micros are a little bit more well off if you take them outdoors.

That’s all folks! We hope you loved this buying guide for the best indoor drones. If you did, please do help us by sharing it!