“Made in China” is embedded in almost all electronic devices, even in the majority of drones. Which makes it almost impossible to find a drone that is NOT manufactured in China. But it is possible, I did the research and here’s what I found.
The most popular hobby manufacturer in the USA is a company called Skydio. They manufactured the Skydio R1 drone which is currently priced at $1,999. According to PC Mag, the drone didn’t quite deliver on its promises, but they are launching a second version that only costs $1000.
However, that’s just a single drone company. It would be unfair to judge how well U.S companies can produce UAVs based on a single manufacturer. Let’s dive into some other American based drone manufacturers and see how they compare against Chinese drones.
American Drone Manufacturers
| Drone: | Drone Type: | Price: | Reviews: | |
| Skydio | Hobby | Around $1000 | 3/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Aguadrone | Fishing Drone | Around $1,100 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
| Blade | Hobby | $50 to $90 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Insitu Drones | Commercial | $800,000 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
| Impossible Aerospace | Commercial | $7,500 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
| Action Drone USA | Commercial | – | – | [SEE DRONES] |
Skydio
Skydio is a company in the U.S that’s trying to break into the hobbyist drone space against competitors such as DJI. The company created the R1 drone which is now available to hobbyist drone pilots for around $1,999. However, being $500 costlier than the DJI Phantom, which is a well-respected drone, you would think that the drone would be perfect. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
The Skydio R1’s price was steep because of the built-in “autonomous following” feature which avoids obstacles while still recording you.
Unfortunately, according to PC MAG, a popular gaming website, the R1 simply didn’t deliver. The drone got a review of 2.5 stars out of 5 by PC Mag. And on top of that, they highly recommend the DJI over the Skydio.
But are they making a come back? Skydio has recently announced the Skydio 2 which is far cheaper at only $999. They boast the same features such as autonomous following with a few added features.
This drone is supposed to be 50% quieter which would be welcoming to a lot of drone pilots.
Aguadrone
If you’re into fishing, then this will probably be your dream drone. It’s the world’s first waterproof drone that was designed for fishing. The drone pilot can do this by finding fish with built-in sonar technology, then by landing on the water to film or even catch fish. Once the fish takes the hook, the pilot of the drone would literally take off and pull the fish out of the water. Sounds crazy right? Welcome to the 21st century!
This drone is set to be released soon, so we don’t have the prices yet. However, some sources have mentioned that it could set you back around $1,100. Which based on the price of a DJI Phantom isn’t bad at all.
Blade
Blade drones is another U.S drone company that specializes in providing smaller cheap drones to the market. Some of the more popular drones they sell include;
- Blade Inductrix FPV
- Blade Inductrix RTF
- Blade Nano QX RTF Quadcopter
- BLADE Nano QX BNF Quadcopter
To give you an idea of pricing, all these drones range from about $50 to $90. These drones are great for beginners to learn how to fly a drone before they move on to your more expensive drones such as the DJI drones.
Insitu
This is a company that’s actually owned by Bowing. Insitu designs develop and manufacture drones for commercial use such as emergency services, defense, space, and security. So chances are you probably won’t be able to get your hands on any of their drones. It’ll be way out of your price range.
Just to give you an idea of how they are priced, their ScanEagle drone which is used by the U.S Marines cost the U.S government around $800,000.
Impossible Aerospace
This is a company that was founded by SpaceX and Tesla veterans that are based in Silicon Valley.
They recently announced that they will be selling a drone to emergency services across the united states. What makes them unique is that the entire drone built within the U.S and their drones battery is capable of keeping the drone flying for two hours. Which is extremely impressive against the DJI’s 20 to 30min flight time.
This drone will be sold for around $7,500, which isn’t bad for a commercial drone.
Action Drone USA
This U.S based company manufactures drones specifically for industrial use. Some of the more popular drones in their arsenal include the
- UAS: AD-VW1 – This is a vertical takeoff fixed-wing drone that is designed to travel long distances. It can fly as far as 124 miles.
- UAS: AD-F – Designed for mobility to make it easy to travel with.
- UAS: AD-H – Designed to lift heavy objects over long distances. This drone can carry around 15 pounds!
- UAS: AD1-V2 – Designed for training.
That about covers most of the more popular drones that are manufactured in the US. As you can see, there aren’t many. Especially for hobby drones. The Chinese have become so efficient at manufacturing electronics that it’s near impossible for U.S companies to compete.
Chinese Drone Manufacturers
| Drone: | Purpose: | Price: | Reviews: | |
| DJI | Hobby | Around $1,500 | 5/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Hubsan | Hobby | Under $100 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Cheerson | Hobby | $15 to $400 | 3/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Syma Toys | Hobby | $50 to $80 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Autel Robotics | Hobby | $400 | 5/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Yuneec | Commercial | $1000 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Xiaomi Drone | Commercial | $400 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
| Ehang | Person carrier | $200,000 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
| Flypro | Commercial | $4000 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
DJI
If you don’t know who DJI is then you’ve either lived under a rock or you’re extremely new to the drone world. DJI is probably the the most successful drone company in the world. They are well know for the;
- DJI Mavi series. Which includes the Mavic mini, 2, pro and air.
- DJI Spark series.
- Dji Phantom. Which includes the Phantom 3 and 4.
DJI has even managed to break into the commercial space by offering professional and enterprise-level drones and affordable costs. Some of these drones include;
- DJI Inspire 2 – Designed to be a filmmaker drone with CineCore2.1, which records video at up to 6K in CinemaDNG/RAW. Costs $3,299.
- Agras T16 – Designed as an agricultural drone that boasts the widest spray width and can carry an impressive payload of 16 liters. Costs around $21,000.
- Agras MG-1P Series – Another impressive agricultural drone. Only around $7000.
Hubsan
Another popular drone manufacturer based in China, Hubsan is known for their smaller, and cheaper entry-level drones. Some of their best drones inlcude;
- Hubsan H501S X4
- Hubsan X4 H107C+
- Hubsan H109S X4 Pro
- Hubsan X4 H107D+
All of the above drones are only priced between $30 and $100 dollars which makes them great for beginners who are still trying to learn how to fly.
Cheerson
This company is known for their mini drones however they do have some bigger more expensive options. Some of their more popular drones include;
- Cheerson CX-10WD
- Cheerson CX-OF
- Cheerson CX-10 Mini
- Cheerson Cx-20
- Cheerson CX-91
Their smaller drones range between $15 and $80 while some of the bigger drone will set you back around $400.
Syma Toys
Starting out as a toy company, Syma Toys is another China-based company that has successfully broken into the drone industry. They also focus on providing smaller and less advanced cheaper drones to the broader beginner drone market. Some of their more popular drones include;
- Syma X5C
- Syma X8C Venture
- Syma X8HG Drone
All of the above drones are only between $50 to $80 which are perfect for beginner training before you want to move on to your more advanced drones such as the DJI.
Autel Robotics
This drone manufacturer is actually U.S based, However, it’s owned by Autel Intelligent Technology which is a Chinese company.
They are specifically know for their EVO drone which costs around $500.
European Drone Manufacturers
- Parrot – hobby drones.
- SenseFly – commercial drones owned by Parrot.
- Delair – commercial drones.
- Aerialtronics – commercial.
- Flyability – hobby – created the first drone that can remain stable after contact.
- Bmbention – commercial drones.
- Wingtra – commercial – surveying roles.
- Azur Drones – commercial – surveying leader.
Canadian Drone Manufacturers
- Kespry – commercial drones.
- Draganfly – commercial drones.
What Company Makes The Best Drones?
Based on my research, DJI which is based in China seems to make the best hobbyist drones by far. Not only are they great quality, but they are also extremely affordable compared to other drone manufacturers. Especially when comparing DJI to other hobbyist drone manufacturers in the United States such as the Skydio R1 drone.