Which drone should I buy? Here's your 2024 drone buying guide

If you’re considering buying a drone in 2026, you’re in good company. The drone market is buzzing with options for every skill level and price point.

Whether you’re seeking a budget-friendly drone for casual flying, a high-performance model for professional work, or the latest in intelligent flight technology, this guide likely has a recommendation for you. After all, I’ve flown hundreds of different drones in my lifetime and know what actally makes for a good flying experience, and what sorts of specs you need.

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Whether you’re into photography, drone racing, starting a business, or something else, use this drone buying guide to find the right drone for you. So with that, here’s your ultimate 2026 drone buying guide:

The best drones of 2026

The best drones for photographers of 2026

Alex Turner, Drone Camera Work, reviews the DJI Mini 3 Pro in May 2022.

Most people intend to use a drone for photography or videography. Whether your budget is $300 or $3,000, there are plenty of options for photography drones. Most of these drones come with a camera built-in, and the drones are ready to fly out of the box so you can focus on making art and making memories, not on setting up complicated electronics.

Find out my recommendations for the best drones for photographers of 2026.

There’s also particular interest in follow-me drones, especially for folks looking for drones with smarter sense and avoid technology, or who want to capture action sports. For that, check out my guide to the best follow-me drones of 2026.

And if you’re on a tighter budget, I have a specific guide for camera drones under $500.

Oh, and then a lot of people want to support American drone companies. For all those folks, I’ve outlined the best camera drones that are made in America (though spoiler: the options are limited).

Here are all those photography guides in a nutshell:

The best commercial use drones of 2026

If you’re using a drone for business purposes, you may need more than your average camera drone that you can buy at Amazon or Best Buy.

If you’re a commercial drone user, then you might want a standard camera, sure, but it might also behoove you to have other features. Some commercial drones are modular, so you can swap out a standard camera with something like a thermal camera or a payload (how about a device to carry tacos, anyone)?

I also have more specific guides for some commercial industries. Check out my guide to:

The best drones for beginners and kids in 2026

Alex Turner, Drone Camera Work, and the DJI Neo drone. (Photo by Alex Turner)

Your first drone should not cost a lot of money. While advanced drones are easier than ever to fly, you still want to get comfortable on a drone that — quite honestly — you’d feel comfortable losing.

You’d rather crash $40 into a pool than $400. That’s why my top-recommended drones for beginners and kids all tend to have a lower price point. Here are some of the best drones for beginners and kids, broken down into sub-categories:

Other great STEM drones and classroom products

drones are a fantastic tool to enrich a kid’s life and get them interested in high-paying, vital STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math) at a young age. Given that I also dial down on some specific drones (and drone-related content for kids). I’ve developed additional guides…

For parents and teachers looking to use drones in classrooms: The best educational drone for a STEM program
For indoor flying (great for rainy days or just for better keeping an eye on kids!): The best indoor drones of 2026
For reading, rather than flying: The best drone children’s books

Other great drone industry products that aren’t actually drones

Odds are, you’re looking to buy more than just drones. You might need Part 107 training courses, lesson plans for students, gifts that won’t break the bank, and more.

Here are some other products for drone enthusiasts that I recommend, that aren’t actually drones:

Online drone courses

Not all products are physical. I LOVE the gift of knowledge, and these guides to the best online courses and workshops might level up your career and help you make more money:

How far the drone industry has come

Well over a decade ago, the drone market exploded with the 2010 launch of the first consumer drone, the Parrot AR.drone. But not long after, DJI quickly overtook the Parrot in popularity after it launched its DJI Phantom drone, a sleek drone that was ready to fly out of the box and — at the time — had a mount to carry a GoPro (DJI now equips most of its drones with its own, in-house made cameras).

But as you can tell in this latest drone buying guide — the best drones in 2026 are far more advanced than anything we had not long ago.

But one thing that has held true: ever since the launch of the DJI Phantom, the drone market has been mostly all DJI. At what point, DJI had a nearly 80% market share, according to an analysis of FAA drone registration numbers conducted in summer 2019 (done by drone market research and data group Drone Industry Insights. Coming in at number two was Yuneec, which had a measly 3.1% share based on that analysis. While DJI’s consumer market share has dipped (within the 60-80% range, depending on the metric), it’s still huge — particularly given its advancements in the world of drones under 250 grams.

But it’s not all DJI. There are hundreds of drones and camera systems to choose from, and while DJI tends to appear often in many of these guides, they’re not the only ones out there. In fact, there are many great DJI alternatives.