Building a new multirotor? You definitely ought to buy a flight controller then! This post is our ultimate guide to choosing and buying the best flight controller for quadcopter and multirotor type crafts and is split up into two sections:
To figure out what is the best flight controller for your craft, you must first figure out WHAT EXACTLY you are trying to accomplish. Are you a beginner trying to build that first quadcopter/multirotor? Do you want to build a fast, racing style multirotor? Or are you a tech savvy cinematographer looking to build a multirotor to add to your photography and videography repertoire?
Of course, depending on what you want to accomplish, the price will vary. A flight controller like the KK2.X for a beginner or a Naze32 (which is typically popular on racing quads), would be way cheaper than a flight controller capable of autonomous flight and videography. Racing quads are often equipped with flight controllers that are on the cheaper end of the scale (mainly because they are prone to crashing).
I don’t know about you, but to us, a flight controller that is a pain to setup is less valuable than one that is easy to get going with. Some boards are compatible with configurator software packages such as CleanFlight and OpenPilot, which are very easy to setup. CC3D and Naze 32 are examples.
Other boards like the KK 2.X models, come with an on-board UI that makes tuning (PID, for instance) very easy, without having to go back to your PC all the time. Many boards come with their own configurator package and firmware.
Not all flight controllers fly the same. Some flight controllers are better than others at handling and balancing. The KK 2.X model’s handling capabilities for example, is far inferior to the Eagle tree vector.
Quick note: Please make sure to update your flight controller firmware before even setting it up and taking it out for flying. Many boards have reported to have significantly improved their fly-ability from their initial firmware release (including the KK 2.Xs).
Last but not in any way the least, you must consider the capabilities that the said flight controller supports. The following is a list of sensors and features that you must check whether or not the flight controller supports, depending on your needs:
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The KK2 board may not be the most performance delivering. It also doesn’t come with many advanced features and support. Nevertheless, is among our favorite, especially because of the ease of setup and the support for almost all flight configurations (including quadcopter, hexcopter, octocopter, tricopter, fixed wing etc). The on-board screen makes it extremely easy to tune with this craft, making it very beginner friendly. What’s more, it is also among the cheapest flight controllers you can get!
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Much like the KK2 board, the CC3D board doesn’t come with many advanced features and sensors. It doesn’t come with an on screen display either. Nevertheless, the board is compatible with CleanFlight, OpenPilot and the like, making it very easy and reliable to setup and work with.
The CC3D also comes with a 32 bit microcontroller as opposed to the 8 bit one on the KKV2, making it closer to Naze32 Acro in terms of performance and capabilities. You can build racing quads with these. Essentially, there is little difference between the two boards if you flash CleanFlight onto the CC3D board.
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Naze32 Acro is similar to the CC3D, but the full version comes with additional sensors – a barometer and the ability to add GPS. The Naze32 comes with Baseflight, but you can also use CleanFlight. The Naze32 also has a built in FrSky telemetry inverter and supports all standard receivers. This board is comparable to the CC3D, since it is very similar. If you are into drone racing, this is the best flight controller you can get.
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The KISS FC is another 32 bit flight controller comparable to the Naze32 and CC3D. It doesn’t have a barometer or magnetometer and it doesn’t come with a flash memory chip either. Unlike flight controllers like the Naze32, the KSS FC comes with its own custom firmware and software which is much more “dumbed down” and simpler to setup than something like the CleanFlight.
This is a great flight controller overall for a small racing style quadcopter but it doesn’t support octocopters, which might be a bummer. But hey, if you are going for a small, racing style multirotor, you probably are better off not building an octocopter in the first place!
Here is a great review of the KISS flight controller by Oscar Liang.
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On the pricier end of the sale, the ArduPilot APM is a great entry level flight controller that supports GPS and autonomous flight (including RTH and other features). It also supports telemetry and flight logs. In summary, it includes all the important sensors and more, including a magnetometer and a barometer. You also have the ability to add more sensors. A cheaper predecessor to the 3DR Pixhauk, we decided to include it in this best flight controller list.
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This ought to be our favorite flight controller that supports autonomous features. We think that the Eagle Tree vector is the most versatile flight controller out there. If autonomous flight is what you are looking for, this is it. It also comes with an OSD and connector (that comes in different versions), which means you won’t have to get them separately.
The vector FC is pretty easy to program and setup and the controller handles a craft (supports multiple different crafts including fixed wing aircrafts) very well with minimum tuning. More than worthy of being included in a list of best flight controllers
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Here is a great video on setting up the Eagle Vector, in case you plan on getting one:
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Coming with an open source software and firmware, the 3DR Pixhawk is probably one of the best flight controllers for autonomous flight and the amount of features. The 3DR pixhawk can be thought of as a successor to the APM flight controllers and much more powerful but not nearly as well tested, making it worthy of being called as one of the best flight controllers out there.
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Very popular because of the DJI phantom drones, the Naza M-V2 has an excellent GPS capability. We think that the Naza is easier to setup than the 3DR Pixhawk, but offers lesser features especially because unlike the Pixhawk, the Naza is not open source. DJI does sell many addons to this flight controller though. Keep in mind that if you get the Lite version, these addons and accessories will not be supported. If you want to build a craft capable of cinematography, the M-V2 is the way to go. Definitely the best flight controller for cinematography.
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To summarize, consider the following before making a purchase:
That’s all folks! We hope this guide on the best flight controller helps you in selecting the appropriate flight controller for your next build. If you have any questions or suggestions, please drop them below and we’ll be sure to answer and love you for it!