Indoor drones face a different set of challenges compared to outdoor drones. The DJI Avatar is the overall best indoor drone because of it’s robust fixed frame, great quality camera and super responsive agility!
I’ll also go through some of the best indoor drones for photography, drone battles, DIY indoor drones and an overview of how to adapt outdoor drones for indoor use.
Overall Best Indoor Drone
DJI Avatar
DJI Avatar is the overall best indoor drone. It’s super agile, with high maneuverability all packaged up in a small, compact body. This model far exceeds other small indoor drones with a flight time of 18 minutes and first person live stream (FPV) footage up to 10km.
This drone can be flown outside as well and is equipped with GPS. To fly safely indoor, check out the 5 steps for flying indoor drones without crashing.
PROS
- Speedy & responsive
- Robust frame
- 1/1.7″ Camera Sensor
- Image quality up to 4K, 48MP
- Robust propeller guards
- Can be flown outdoors as well
- Up to 10km with FPV
- Up to 4K 60fps video
CONS
- Has GPS for outdoors flying but if return home is activated there is no obstacle avoidance
The lense on the Avatar is 1/1.7″ which is generally the largest lens used for compact cameras. DJI Mini 3 Pro, which is around the same price, does have a larger sensor (1/1.3″) which is better for low light photography but Avatar is smaller and more robust for indoor use.
With up to 4K video and stills this drone really packs some quality features in a robust design perfect to use for indoors.
What is the best indoor mini drone?
Holy Stone HS190
The best indoor mini drone is the HS190. This is a very affordable micro drone that fits in the palm of your hand and does some cool one button tricks like flips and spins.
It’s a sturdy little drone that can handle crashes and conveniently stores away inside a compartment in the controller.
This is a great little UAV to learn the basics of steering and maneuvering drones before moving onto something bigger and flying outdoors.
PROS
- Detachable propeller blades
- Automatic tricks : flips, spin and headless mode
- Low price
- Simple and straight forward to operate
CONS
- The propellers are a bit fiddly to replace because the drone is so small. The kit includes a louver tool to help replace the props.
- 7 Mins flight time
This little drone is tonnes and fun, because they are so cheap they can be bought as gifts and used with friends for indoor drone racing and obstacle courses.
Best Drone for Indoor Photography
DJI Mavic 3
The DJI Mavic 3 is the best drone for indoor photography thanks to it’s fantastic low light capabilities.
The Mavic 3 is designed as an outdoor drone so it’s important to follow the 5 steps for flying a drone without crashing. Basically these are;
- Turn off obstacle avoidance
- Deactivate return home
- Adjust the sensitivity of the controller
- Turn on the visual warning system
- Turn on visual positioning
PROS
- Great quality photos in low light settings
- 4/3″ camera sensor
- Raw format files (better than jpg for post processing & editing)
- Adjustable aperture
- Multiple lens options
- 46 min flight time
CONS
- Louder than mini drones
- Size: Requires more skill to maneuver in small indoor areas
Most drones don’t have an adjustable aperture but this model has the option of using f/2.8 or f/1.1. For more on photography in low light setting check out drone photography for beginners. In that article I go through what aperture is and how settings the aperture to let the most light in helps take drone photos indoors.
The Mavic 3 also has the option of using the prime lens or the tele lens. The prime lens is a Hasselbland brand camera which can shoot up to 5.1k . The second camera is available when Explore mode is active and the zoom exceeds 7x. For a slightly cheaper price you can buy the Mavic 3 Classic which doesn’t have this additional camera.
Indoor DIY drone
Thames & Kosmos Robotics Buildable Drone
The Thames & Kosmos Robotics 5-in-1 Buildable Drone is the best indoor DIY drone. This kit includes over 100 pieces and is similar to putting together Lego.
This DIY kit can also create 4 other robots including a car and a 360 camera.
Flying a drone is even more rewarding when you’ve built it yourself! This indoor DIY drone kit is aimed at beginners, more advanced DIY kits have complicated wiring that require a bit more knowledge. The wiring on this DIY drone is just place and plug-in following the manual which has lots of pictures.
PROS
- Optional developer app where you can write your own programs
- Includes propeller guards to protect walls and the drone propellers.
- Camera included
- One button take off, simple to use
CONS
- No controller (use app on phone or tablet)
This drone is controlled by an app which can be installed on a phone or laptop. It doesn’t come with a separate controller so is a bit different to flying normal drones. The drone and app connect over wifi.
App interface for the Thames & Kosmos Indoor DIY Drone
Indoor Battle Drones
Star Wars Battle Drones
The best indoor drone for battles is the Star Wars battle drone collection.
Battle drones are designed for combat and racing. Some are engineered to survive collisions but the Star Wars battle drones are cleverly designed to keep track of how many lives you have left, like playing a video game. When you get shot, you loose a light from the lives indicator. Once you run out of lives the drone smoothly descends in a spiral to the ground.
Below are the X-Wing and Tie Fighter but there is also the Speeder Bike and Rebel Ship.
Star Wars T-65 X-Wing High Performance Battle Drone
Darth Vador's Tie Fighter Battle Drone
PROS
- Life indicators lights
- Points are recorded in the app for every time you shoot your competitor
- Barometric sensors to help with flying at a set height
- Decent size controller for adult hands
- Push button stunts i.e. barrel role
- Removable propeller protectors
CONS
- Flight time 6-8 minutes
- No camera
These drones are designed for the all-round, ultimate Star Wars experience. From the minute you open the box, lights turn on and audio plays either music or scenes from the movies.
These indoor drones are also great for learning the basics of controlling UAVs by switching over to training mode. This turns the controller and attached phone screen into a flight simulator type game to learn the controls for moving and shooting. The mobile sits in a bracket that extends from the top of the controller.
Wrap Up on the Best Indoor Drones
Indoor drones face different challenges to drones built to fly outdoors so it’s important to choose one that won’t auto-return home, fly straight into a wall and crash!
It’s possible change the settings on an outdoor drone to fly without crashing indoors but it’s also a good idea to start with a drone that’s robust enough to deal with the collisions that are bound to happen.
The DJI Avatar is my all-round top pick for the best drone to fly indoors because of it’s study build, agility and great camera. If high quality photos and video are your goal then adapting the Mavic 3 or the Mini 3 pro is a great option because both of these are great for low light photography.
When it comes to indoor drones that are affordable and fun to fly, the Holy Stone HS190, Star Wars battle drones and the DIY Buildable drone by Thames & Kosmos are all great options with slightly different capabilities.
If you want to learn more about the challenges and features of indoor drones checkout this article : Indoor Drones for Beginners: What you need to know before buying.