The best indoor drones of 2024

A lot of people fly drones outside, but what about inside? Whether the weather is rough outside, or just the airspace is too chaotic to operate in, flying indoors is often a preferred solution. But drones don’t always perform well inside. Some drones are BETTER when flown indoors. So with that, here are the best indoor drones of 2024:

Many of the drones in this guide are on the cheaper end, which sadly means they don’t hold up well in the slightest breeze. But many also work great outside, providing you with the most options. Our top pick among the best indoor drones out there has an incredible Level 5 Wind resistance.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re seeking advice and legal guidance around flying drones indoors, I’ve got you covered right here.

So without further adieu, here are the best indoor drones of 2024:

The best indoor drone: DJI Avata

Price: Starts at $579

Flight time: 18 minutes per battery

Camera? Yes; 1/1.7” CMOS sensor with 48 million effective pixels. Films at 4K/60fps and slow-motion footage at 2.7K/50/60/100/120fps.

DJI released its Avata drone in the summer of 2022 as a Cinewhoop-style FPV drone, made with indoor drone flights in mind. At just 180×180 mm in width and length, it’s ideal in tight spaces. Plus, it weighs just 405 grams. Built-in propeller guards eliminate the risk of scratching walls or other items inside, should you crash.

The Avata drone is a bit different from all the others in this list in that it’s an FPV drone (thus is designed to be flown with FPV goggles). It was also designed to be flown with what DJI calls a Motion Controller, differentiating itself from standard controllers with sticks. However, if you prefer flying line of sight and want to use a standard controller, you can do that too, by way of the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, which you can buy for less than $230.

This drone wins as the best indoor drone not just for its ease of use, small size, and beginner-friendly modes, but comes out on top for its camera. Some DJI Avata camera specs:

• 1/1.7” CMOS sensor
• 48 million effective pixels
• Films at 4K/60fps and slow-motion footage at 2.7K/50/60/100/120fps.
• f/2.8 aperture
• An ultra-wide-angle lens with a viewing angle of up to 155°
• D-Cinelike color mode for a broader color palette that enables detailed chromatic adjustments

DJI Avata is the best indoor drone, but it also holds up incredibly well outside thanks to Level 5 max wind resistance. That means it can fly at wind speeds ranging from 19 to 24 miles per hour (which is about the equivalent of winds that generate moderate waves at the beach). 

Avata is absolutely amazing for so many use cases, indoors and out. Here’s an example of how the Avata effortlessly executed an incredible real estate tour:

The standalone Avata goes for $579, though it can run upwards of $1,398 for the Pro-View Combo with DJI Goggles 2. The Fly More Kit goes for $279.

The best indoor drone if you’re on a budget: Tello (as long as you can find it)

Price: $159

Flight time: 13 minutes per battery

Camera? Yes; 5-megapixel camera and shoots 720p video

The Tello is an all-around awesome drone. It does it all, and it does it all well.

It’s great indoors, but it still flies well in most conditions outdoors. It’s got a camera that takes decently great photos. It can perform stunts like flips to make the act of flying a bit more fun. It can even teach you how to code.

While it’s technically made by a company called Ryze, the drone often gets put under the DJI umbrella of drones because it was built using DJI flight technology— and an Intel processor.

The drone doesn’t come with an RC transmitter. Instead, it’s controlled via a mobile app (or an external one can be purchased separately). You can also control it via hand gestures. Video quality is decent for a $159 drone, but it doesn’t compare to DJI’s camera drones like the Mavic 3 Pro, or even the $399 Mavic Mini.

One standout feature is how the Tello can teach you how to code, making it an excellent STEM drone. The drone pairs integrate with a programming language called Scratch. With it, you can program the drone to fly in certain directions based on the “code” you have written.

All that for under $200 is a pretty good deal.

Best place to buy: Amazon ($159)

Was the Tello drone discontinued?

Now if that all sounds too good to be true, sadly it might be. It appears that Tello might be discontinued. As of mid-to-late 2024, the $99 Tello drone appears as sold out on DJI’s stop. Third-parties such as Amazon still sell Tello. But even there, quantities are limited (mostly to used versions only).

The Drone Girl reached out to DJI for official comment, and only got a vague answer.

“Currently, the Tello series is still being sold in the United States, and we will continue to provide technical and after-sales support to the customers,” a DJI spokesperson told The Drone Girl. “We have been working hard to provide global users with drone products that meet different needs. We will continue to launch new products that are accessible, easier to use and meet entry-level or educational needs, so stay tuned.”

As for you, jump on this one now if you want a Tello drone. Otherwise, it’s potentially gone for good.

The best indoor drone if you also want to fly outdoors: DJI Mini 4

Price: $769

Flight time: 34 minutes per battery

Camera? Yes; 1/1.3-inch CMOS camera; shoots images at up to 48MP and video up to 4k/60fps

The DJI Mini 4 Pro is designed as an outdoor drone, and I recommend mostly using it for outdoor flying. However, it stands out for its omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. While DJI won’t outright call it crash-proof, this is pretty much as close as you can get.

Here are some DJI Mini 4 camera specs:

• A 1/1.3-inch CMOS camera sensor with dual native ISO: This means footage from either camera can be packed with rich coloring and natural lighting transitions.
• Aperture: f/1.7, which is ideal for low-light and nighttime performance 
• High-quality capture: It shoots images at up to 48MP and video at up to 4k/60fps 
• Digital video zoom: It’s available up to 2x in 4k, up to 4x
• HDR Video recording: Available in 4k/60fps 
• Night Shots video: Delivers clear, cleaner footage in low-light conditions  

Additionally, the DJI Mini 4 Pro is under 249g, films high-quality photos and videos, and is the best drone option if you are looking for a drone that gives you the versatility of flying indoors and out.

Best place to buy: Amazon ($769)

Price: $140

Flight time: 5 minutes per battery

Camera? No

Star Wars nerds! Whether you love Baby Yoda, Kylo Ren, Ewoks, or all of the above (that would be me!), the Propel Star Wars Battle Drones are incredible. No other drones in this guide have the combination of aesthetically stunning AND truly fun to fly.

They’re hand-painted and highly realistic drones, arriving in all sorts of various designs like a tie fighter, speeder bike, or X-Wing. Not only do the Propel drones fly, but they can also actually battle. That’s possible due to eye-safe lasers that can be fired at other Star Wars drones. You can pair drones together to turn them into a battle game, where the drone wobbles and the controller vibrates in your hand if hit. After three hits, the drone will crash land.

Also, you can either play with a buddy. Or, if you’re truly in single isolation, you can battle against others via a system that records, combines, and compares your performance against virtual players in the world.

Now at $140, this one is not cheap. Consider it more of a collector’s item or an amazing gift for a diehard Star Wars fan. It’s listed at $140, though you can often find it for far less. Set a price alert or browse many websites for the best deal.

Best place to buy: Amazon ($140)

Price: $250

Camera? FPV camera

Fat Shark’s FPV (first-person view) headsets are the gold standard among drone racing pros. But even if you’re not a pro, there’s great news. Also, Fat Shark makes a kit with everything you need to get started drone racing.

However, with the Fat Shark 101 Training system, you get a radio, goggles and tiny quadcopter all in one kit. The RC transmitter has two modes for beginners and more advanced pilots, giving you an opportunity to improve your skills as you’re at home self-quarantining.

I love how easy this kit is to upgrade. While the quality of each individual piece is good, should you decide to step it up, you can swap out individual pieces (ie. just the goggles, or just the drone) and incorporate them into the kit.

Best place to buy: Get FPV ($249)

Now for the bad news. As of publication, this drone is out of stock. However, GetFPV’s product page allows you to subscribe to alerts where the company will notify you when the product is back in stock, which you can do via this webpage.

Read my full FatShark FPV drone kit here.

Best true FPV drone: the Flywoo Explorer with Naked GoPro 10

Price: Naked camera ($689) and drone itself costs ($489), putting this total kit at just over $1,100.

Camera? Flywoo Naked GoPro 10 Action Camera

For a true FPV drone, there’s no better bet than the Flywoo Explorer LR 4″ Quadcopter HD w/ DJI O3. Fly it with the Flywoo Naked GoPro 10 Action Camera w/ Touchscreen + Filter Set mounted on top, and you’re looking at incredibly high-quality footage.

This one stands out as an especially great indoor drone for its 4″ size, enabling it to better fit through tight spaces. Plus, that help it makes a lot less noise than a 6-7″ drone.

This drone is best when used in tandem with the the Flywoo Naked GoPro 10 Action Camera w/ Touchscreen + Filter Set, which is effectively a GoPro Hero 10. Flywoo took it and stripped out all the unnecessary features beyond what you need for FPV flying to make it weigh just 44 grams (critical in your FPV flight).

I especially love this pick if you’re looking for an indoor drone for real estate agents.

The best indoor drone if you want to record sound: HoverAir X1 

Price: $439 (frequently on sale for $399)

Flight Time: 11 minutes per battery 

Camera? Yes; 12-megapixel camera and shoots 2.7k video 

The HoverAir X1 does not come with a controller. Instead, it flies with a selection of pre-programmed paths, including Hover, Follow, Zoom Out, Orbit, and Bird’s Eye. If flying indoors, I recommend flying with manual control mode ensuring total control. 

The stand-out feature of the HoverAir X1 is its ability to record sound. The drone records sound from your phone (the controller). While the sound quality itself is pretty solid, the sound does not always match up to the video recording. HoverAir X1 recommends downloading a third-party app to edit the sound to fix this issue. 

The HoverAir X1 can do all the same features outdoors, has a level 4 wind resistance, and reaches a maximum height of 15m. You can read an in-depth review of the HoverAir X1 here.

Best place to buy: Directly from the HoverAir website for $439

A cheaper alternative to the Mini 4 Pro: DJI Mini 2

Price: $379

Flight time: 31 minutes per battery (or about 20 with the propeller guards)

Camera? Yes; 5-megapixel camera and shoots 720p video

The DJI Mini 2 was designed for outdoor flight, and should primarily be flown outdoors. That said, it’s surprisingly well-suited for indoor flying. Given that it’s just 11.3 inches wide when unfolded (including the propellers) and the average interior doorway is about 30 inches, it has more than enough clearance to fly through doorways. The Mini 2 also comes with lightweight propeller guards to keep your walls and indoor objects safe. Plus, it made the list of the best DJI drones under $500.

With the Mini 2, you will lose out on video and photo quality compared to the Mini 4 Pro, but you will certainly save in price.

Best place to buy: Amazon for $379

What are the best indoor drones in your opinion? Leave a comment below!