Which Drone to Get for 2024 – Best Beginner Drones

If you’re considering a drone and wondering “Where do I start?!” – then START HERE.

Let’s start with good news (because there is really great news for consumers):

Drones are getting cheaper in price and higher in quality.

Think about what happened with flat screen TVs (bigger TVs, better quality, lower price) or cell phones (a huge brick in the 90s to advanced smart phones these days). Drones are no different – if anything, they’re getting better at a fater rate.

This is GREAT news, but with so many options it makes it difficult for us to figure out which one to get.

In this blog post, read on for a recap of the top drones for beginners to consider right now.

The First Question to Ask Yourself When Considering Drones

If you’re wondering what’s the BEST beginner drone, the REAL answer depends on how you will use your drone.

Consider this:

• Are you a traveler who just trying to quickly capture some fun shots on vacation? You might just need a simple Mavic Mini.
  
  
• Or are you a traveler or content creator who wants to take photos and videos that you will sell or use in projects? If so, you might want a drone that shoots 4K and above.
  
  
• Do you already consider yourself a professional photographer or videographer? If so, you might want to evaluate where your drone plays in your toolset and that will determine how nice of a drone you need.
  
  
  
• What conditions will you be flying your drone in? Will it be low to the ground to get more interesting angles? Or high in the sky to explore landscapes or over water and off windy mountains while hiking? This will help you consider which size of drone you need (a Mavic Mini will perform differently than an Air or Pro drone).
  

Read on for more info to help you make the best decision possible.

The KEY Beginner Drones

There are many drones out there, but if you want HIGH QUALITY photos and videos with a lot of SAFETY features built in to prevent you from accidentally crashing or breaking the law – then this lineup is where you should start.

• Mavic Mini 2 SE $339 (Previously: Mavic Mini SE $299)
• Mavic Mini 3 $469
• Mavic Mini 4 Pro $759
• Mavic Air 3 $1099
• Mavic 3 Classic $1,749
• And if you’re a “beginner drone pilot” but “professional photographer”, the Mavic 3 Pro $2,199

Read on for more info about each drone…

Prefer to WATCH over reading? If so, checkout the video below!

Why DJI is the Best Brand for Beginners

I swear by DJI drones and there is a reason why they currently hold 76% of the market. I own four of their drones (see them here) and these are the key reasons why you may want to consider them:

1. DJI is a consumer friendly drone brand

DJI is focused on creating drones that the everyday person can fly. I think of it like pulling an Apple product out of the box and quickly being able to use it vs. staring at five million pieces from Ikea while holding a novel of an instruction manual in your hand.

With this in mind, DJI has made it incredibly easy to fly their drones.

Often when you see some really cool drone shot on social media, it’s literally a push of a button and the drone will do it for you.

Non-photographers can get stunning shots.

And my 60+ year old mom can fly all my drones like a badass.

2. DJI has safety settings built in that will prevent common accidents

One of the biggest fears I hear from people is being afraid they will crash their drone, lose their drone or do something illegal on accident.

Given DJI is creating drones for everyday consumers, they have designed their drones with safety features.

For example:

Auto return to home: with the push of a button your drone flies back to you and lands just like Dorothy clicking here heels 3 times

Fly-safe database: your drone will tell you if there is an airport, a prison, a military base or ANYTHING you cannot fly around nearby. Not only that, your drone won’t even take off if you’ve accidentally missed the notification that “hey the White House is across the street”.

Sensors: this means if you are flying your drone straight into a tree, it’ll stop before you hit it (or go around it, depending on what you’ve told your drone to do).

These are just a FEW examples.

There are so many more, check out the video below.

The DJI Drones to Consider

Many people start with price points, but consider instead starting with this:

What you will do with your drone?

Based on this, you can back into the right decision instead of wasting money on the wrong drone.

One thing to consider: You can get a GREAT drone for less than a Go Pro, so before you get distracted by really cheap drones (i.e. the drones that you saw at the store or on Amazon for less than $100), consider the good, better, best (and pro) options to consider…

Good: DJI Mavic Mini 2 SE $339

The Mavic Mini 2 SE a fantastic opening price point drone and has way more features than the original Mavic Mini 1 had. Namely: advanced camera features like panos, more quickshots options, faster speed, and more.

This is the drone you want if you want a quality camera that flies. It now comes with some bells and whistles, but not al of them.

One thing it will do? It definitely gets the job done.

Pros:

• Lowest price point
• 2.7K
• Extremely lightweight

Cons:

• Limited quick shots
• Limited advanced features (does not follow you, no timelapse, no panoramic photos)
• Poor performance in wind

Better: DJI Mavic Mini 2 $379

Staying at a lower price point, but with a few more features and 4K ability, the Mavic Mini 2 is a fantastic drone. Yes, it’s a starter drone, but it has some bells and whistles that fulfill “most” of what a new recreational drone enthusiast needs.

The key thing about this drone: LOOK FOR SALES. This drone will soon be “out of date” given the newer versions of the Mini series launching. Consider looking for it used (tbh, all you need is a perfectly working camera and a drone that can fly and you’re set).

Pros:

• Lower price point
• 4K
• Extremely lightweight

Cons:

• More quick shots than the SE, but still limited
• Limited advanced features (does not follow you, no timelapse, no panoramic photos)
• Bad performance in wind

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Better: DJI Mini 3 (“regular” or “non pro”) $469

That’s right, DJI came out with a “non pro” version of their Mavic Mini 3 and it’s a great drone at an opening price point.

The short way of figuring out if you need this drone is to ask yourself this question:

• Will you regularly be posting vertical photos and videos to social media?
• Do you want to avoid using (free) apps to edit your horizontal photos/videos vertically given the high quantity of vertical shots you need?

If you answered yes to any the above, spending the additional $100-ish dollars for the Mini 3 will save you from having to edit your horizontal videos into vertical videos. OR checkout the playlist of how to quickly edit (it really is easy).

As a side note – all the “later drones” after the Mini 3 will shoot vertical footage. However, this drone will be your “lowest price point drone” that will have this feature.

Best: DJI Mavic Mini 4 Pro $759

Let’s move to something that starts to teeter on the verge of being a recreational drone to something that can also be used to create professional looking shots.

The Mini series has improved dramatically by creating drones that are both high quality in camera and better performing in flying and battery time.

The Mavic Mini 4 Pro will put a lot of people in the toss up between choosing the Mini series and the Air series.

One of the key reasons for choosing a Mini? The size allows for a more compact item in your camera (or travel) bag and the 249 grams helps you skirt around some drone laws.

Pros:

• A more professional camera that will allow you to use this drone both recreationally and for projects
• Ability to use a “longer life battery” for longer flight time
• More features (pano shots, active track, time lapse) than the other Mini drones
• It’s a pro drone, but still at that “toy” size – which means you do not need to register this drone or any of the Mini series as long as it remains 249 grams or less (i.e. you don’t use the bigger battery)

Cons:

• Higher price point, but just barely less than the Air series

Choosing the Mini series vs. the Air series will come down to how you want to use the drone and what conditions you want to fly it in.

If you want to shoot primarily for social media, this is your drone. If you care about flying in higher wind and want better quality video, then the Air 2S.

This drone might feel VERY similar to the DJI Mavic Air 2S and it really comes down to TWO questions to ask yourself that will help you determine the right one for you.

1. Will you be flying FAR distances?
2. Will you be flying “in the elements”?

See this blog post for more.

OR watch the comparison video below…

Best: DJI Mavic Air 3 $1,099

The key differences between the Air Series and Mini Series is the size and camera quality. With a bigger size, you’ll find better flying performance. With a better camera, you’ll get professional level footage.

While the Mini will scream all day about it’s “amazing performance in wind”, nothing beats a (just by a little) heavier and bigger drone.

This means if you’re flying from mountain tops, windy ocean conditions off a boat or in any kind of weather, the Air series is going to perform better than the Mini series.

If you’re wondering about a quick size comparison more or less the Air is 1.5 lbs and the Mini series is half a pound. If you want more info – check out this quick video about drone sizes or this blog post on drone weights.

The Mavic Air 3 is the drone if you want a better camera and more advanced features (but don’t want to commit to the price point of a pro drone).

Super high quality photo and video with all the bells and whistles. If you are someone who regularly sells their footage, or is working on projects, but DO NOT want to spend the amount for the Pro drone series, then you will want this drone.

Pros:

• 5.4K
• Better night shots
• All quick shots
• Advanced features (follows you, timelapse, point of view, panoramic photos)
• Performs well in wind
• Can fly further and faster

Cons:

• Higher price point
• Slightly larger and heavier than the Mini series, which is a pro for flying outside, but a con for traveling and adding this drone to your camera bag

Curious about the previous version of the Air? The video below walks through why the Mavic Air 2s is a fantastic drone to consider.

Professional Series: DJI Mavic 3 Pro $2199

This is DIFFERENT from the Mavic Mini and Mavic Air series. The Mavic 3 Pro is part of the “true” professional series and as soon as you look at footage from these drones vs. the others, you’ll notice the difference.

If you are a photographer or videographer shooting at a professional level consistently and looking to add something to your arsenal, then this is your drone.

This drone came out end of 2021 and replaces the long time running (and very popular) Mavic 2 Pro.

However, a huge change that DJI made is instead of using a different DJI app (“Go 4 App”) for the Pro series, it’s put everyone on the same DJI Fly app with the Mavic 3 Pro.

If you’re newer to photography and drones, the bottom line is it will feel like taking photos with a flying DSLR vs. a flying iphone camera.

Pros:

• Everything. This drone will likely go serve you a glass of champagne.
• INSANELY long battery life (46 mins)
• An even larger drone that will perform better in the elements

Cons:

• Price

Drone Size Comparison

There is a misperception that “the smallest drones are the best drones”.

This simply IS NOT true. It depends on how you will use your drone. For example, if you will be flying in environments such as the mountains, beach, areas with wind or far distances, a larger drone will perform significantly better.

However, these drones are NOT that much different in size and weight:

Wondering how much the top DJI drones weigh?

	(All) Mavic Mini			249 grams	0.54 lbs
	Mavic Air 2			570 grams	1.25 lbs
	Mavic Air 2S			595 grams	1.31 lbs
	Mavic Air 3			720 grams	1.58 lbs
	Mavic 3			895 grams	1.97 lbs
	Mavic 2 Pro			907 grams	1.99 lbs
	Mavic 3 Pro			958 grams	2.11 lbs

*The exception is if you are using the DJI intelligent battery (larger battery giving the Mini longer flights), this puts it over 249 grams.

For a quick side by side comparison of the Mavic Mini 3 Pro vs. Mini 1 vs. Air 2S see the video below

What About Starting with Cheap Drones?

If I don’t know what I’m doing, shouldn’t I start with a cheap drone to “practice” before I get a real one? The short answer: don’t do it.

If you identify with any of these statements, there is a better option for you: try a free online simulator first.

• “Ooolala I saw a drone online for $75”
• “I want a cheap drone to practice with”
• “I’m going to crash it anyway, so I want something that I can throw away”

If you were able to drive a car on your first try (and if you currently drive a car while sipping your water, checking your text messages and casually putting your hair in a pony tail while driving with your knee), then you can fly a drone.

In my opinion, it is significantly easier to fly a drone than to drive a car. There are very few things to hit at 400′ and don’t forget your drone will fly back to you when you simply PUSH A BUTTON (I wish my wallet and car keys and phone did that).

Cheap drones (in my experience) fly NOTHING like DJI drones. They are significantly more difficult to handle, often are meant for indoor use, and in the end teach you nothing about what will happen when you get the real deal.

Everyone that I have flown with that bought a cheap drone and tried mine, regretted their decision. Save your money.

More info about why can be found in the video below.

Used drones

I am a fan of used drones. Especially if a newer version of a drone came out, there are plenty of people who want to offload their previous models.

Rule of thumb: As long as the camera is in PERFECT condition and the drone FLIES, you’re good.

Save yourself some money, get a used drone.

Consider joining The Drone Party facebook group, a free community in which people will sometimes post their drones for sale.

Getting started with drones NOW

Figuring out which drone is just one of the first steps, a quick follow is “can I fly here? do I need a license? register my drone? what are the laws?” and so much more.

I take you step by step on the things to know that will quickly help you get started. Many of these are things to consider BEFORE you even get a drone.

Preview the entire (free) mini course by clicking here.

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Bottom Line

There are many drone options available, but the right decision comes down to how will you be using your drone.

If you still have questions, I’m in the drone facebook group helping ya out! Join us!

And if you’re wondering what drones I currently fly, read this instagram post.