Best Drone Companies, Brands, & Manufacturers in 2022

Table of Contents show

Drone companies and drone brands — A picture showing the words branding which represents the drone brands available in the market

Seen some different drones you are thinking about buying, but you are not accustomed to the manufacturer?

Check out the best drone companies & brands.

The drone industry is developing rapidly.

The marketplace is expanding while costs decrease and technology improves.

Already, there are the industry leaders, the big shots all aiming to turn into the top brand.

Without a doubt, the increasing demand and use of these quadcopters will cause springing up a growing number of drone manufacturers & brands.

So, it could be hard for you to keep a record of what businesses are even producing the various versions out there.

That is why today we will cover a few of the best-known drone makers who are pushing aerial technology forward.

Without further delay, let us dive in to discover the list of the most innovative global UAV companies.

Blade

Blade is a Horizon Hobby, Inc. subsidiary – a hobby item distributor based from Champaign, Illinois.
Horizon Hobby distributes and manufactures a variety of RC craft and some other hobby devices as well.
Blade sells many remote control helicopters and today has several quads.
They offer a few enhanced features like SAFE to help make piloting their craft safer and accessible.
The Blade Nano QX is their most popular product, an excellent starter drone to practice before upgrading.

Cheerson

Guangdong Cheerson Hobby Technology was established in 2003 and is situated in China, Guangdong province.
They are specialized in the manufacture and design of many types of remote-controlled gadgets.
Most enthusiasts and hobbyists have suggested using this brand of drones when training.
Most recognized for the Cheerson CX-10 Mini RC Quadcopter.

DJI (Dà-Jiāng)

DJI is among the most respected multirotor manufacturers on the market today.
It is headquartered in Shenzhen, China.
Frank Wong found the company in 2006.
It offers various mid to high-end unmanned systems.
They target their products at both professionals and hobbyists.
DJI build the “Prosumer” industry in the drone with its Phantom model.
Current models comprise the all-new Mavic 2, Mavic Air, together with the compact Spark and the foldable Mavic Pro.
It markets a high-end model, the Inspire 2, to those with serious aspirations.

Estes

Most famous for the 4606 Proto-X craft, the U.S. centered Estes also produces many other RC-controlled aircraft and quadcopters.
Also, it is known for developing little rockets and mainly caters to hobbyists and modelers.
Estes models are designed to get explored and altered by the consumer, to fit their taste and needs.

Hubsan

Hubsan is one more shop based in China, Dong Guan and has become well-known with the Hubsan X4 editions.
The brand had its inception in the year 2010 currently they concentrate on strengthening its R&D.
This Chinese maker does not rely on size for building drones.
They have built a diverse selection from the big ones to the mini quadcopters.
Their almost every version is included with an actual controller that enables even a pilot with no phone to fly.
Hubsan company prides in manufacturing flying machines used by commercial photographers and hobbyist.
Reasonable prices and popular models have helped it become a household brand in the hobbyist drone market.

Parrot SA

The French brand Parrot, founded in the year 1994, has their origins in wireless units for cell phones (i.e., hands-free Bluetooth kits).
Since their beginning, they have attracted a devoted user-base.
Headquartered in Capital of France (Paris), is a relatively fresh newcomer in the quadcopter or UAV market.
Launched various consumer crafts both for pros and beginners alike.
Parrot started the quadcopter trend with its AR.Drone quadcopters series, but right now the brand sells their Bebop Drone primarily.
They are top civilian drones manufacturer and are widely known for their latest foldable drone Anafi.
Also, it sells a more compact quadrotor, the MiniDrone Rolling Spider. Though, its sales and reception are less than impressive.
They have state-of-the-art skycontrollers and many different Parrot drones.
They also offer free app upgrades to bring out the top-notch functionality from their drones.

Syma

Syma is a Chinese drone manufacturer commonly known for its traditional RC helicopters.
Syma is based in the China, Shantou City of Chenghai district and has worldwide distribution for their flying products.
The organization is a large-scale enterprise plus engages in their selling, manufacturing, and designing.
It is praised for providing reliable products with the optimum usage of accelerometers and gyros.
It is known for its X-series quads. This line was created for experts and beginners alike.
Doing ample research and development to meet the competitive UAV industry will help them pioneer at each possible step.

UDIRC

UDI RC, located in China, produces a range of drones and is well-known for their value for money & affordability.
They make a complete line of radio-controlled craft from boats and cars to choppers as well.
It is a maker receiving positive reviews for its products hence bringing in top product sales through the years.
The majority of the UAV’s from the UDI stables is sturdy yet lightweight. The U818A model being one particular drone.

Walkera

Based in the city of Guangzhou, Walkera drone manufacturer is famous for its drones series.
They are a Chinese quadcopter maker that offers many quadcopter models.
The company’s strength relies on the able hands of over 1000 skillful workers and senior engineers.
They also produce RC helicopters and aerial vehicles specially designed for FPV recording.
The company got other sub-brand names away from Asian countries, in Europe and North America founded in 2014.
Initially selling drone like the QRX 350, although now appear to be focusing more on race drones.

Yuneec USA

Yuneec is somewhat late arrival to the drone market, but it boasts a long background in electrical products and fixed wing aviation.
The parent company, Yuneec International, is located in China, Jiangsu and has well over 1800 employees.
With offices at Asia, Europe, and North America, Yuneec manufactures over 1 million items a year which are sold below OEM/ODM brands.
The Hong Kong drone manufacturer is well-known for capturing high-quality stills and footages.
Their products have steered the Yuneec company to come out as a serious competitor to DJI models for market share.
The brand is well-known for its radio control quadcopters, Breeze and Typhoon.
Their best-seller, the Q500, is the planet’s first out-of-the-box ready to fly quadcopter drone.
Fresh to the Yuneec’s series is the Mantis Q, a foldable miniature drone that is used with a few basics voice commands.
Also, they launched the Sterdygrip that is often recommended and used by many actions sports buffs.
Further, they are the first to create an all-electric-powered paraglider.

3D Robotics 3DR

3DR is a VC backed startup stationed out of CA, Berkeley and had 20+ employees.
The brand has rapidly settled itself within the consumer multicopter marketplace.
It had a few recent setbacks and has resulted in staff layoffs and organizational reshuffling.
Chris Anderson founded the 3DR, who also created DIYDrones and Jordi Munoz.
Their customer center is at Tijuana and is the Drone Code’s pioneers.
Probably their most essential drones, the 3DR Solo is the world’s first smart drone.

GoPro

GoPro is headquartered out of California, San Mateo and its CEO & founder is Nicholas Woodman.
It is noted for developing portable cameras used in the movie industry.
Their cams are the best for recording airborne videos and shoots using gopro drones.
It is a famous company and can elevate the drone section by attracting beginner-level drone buyers.
The company competed with DJI when determining the drone segment in the initial phase.
They collaborated with YouTube platform to help inventors shoot 360° panoramic video.
Hired Hulu’s former original series head, Charlotte Koh, to broker offers with Hollywood Studios.
Though primarily an action sports camera manufacturer, GoPro made their consumer use quad, the Karma which was later discontinued.

Autel Robotics

Autel Robotics, initially a start-up business, is a Washington-based, Bothell drone company which mainly focuses on photography drones.
They were founded in the year 2015, and ever since risen to popularity over the past years or so.
Its X-Star Premium quadcopter, oddly enough, made their debut in the CES 2016.
Autel has released their first portable small craft, the EVO, loaded full of functions and a high-quality camera.

Ascending Technologies

Ascending Technologies was established at Krailling, near to Munich by 4 innovators in drone know-how in 2007.
Intel Capital, a US-based Software Company, acquired the startup UAV maker recently.
Their drones are getting used by specialists in the aviation and imaging industry.
Their every model undergoes various control processes such as outdoor and indoor demo flights.

Flyability

Flyability is a Switzerland company. Based in Lausanne and founded in 2014, they aim to be the boss in the flying robotics segment.
They take satisfaction in their goal of creating UAV’s that can operate inside in confined, complex spaces together with people.
The brand is most noteworthy for developing the Elios in 2015.
Also, they are making Gimball, the globe’s single collision-enduring flying robot.
Flyability also won the “2015 UAE Drones for Good Award” with one million prizes.

Insitu

Insitu is a wholly owned branch of the Boeing Company that is currently leading regarding the high-performance and cost-effective drones.
They have quite a few offices all around the earth, from Australia, North America, to the UK.
Working on a few of the highly sought after drone technology in which it concerns reconnaissance and surveying.
Their Boeing ScanEagle, a UAS that does not need a runway is serving the United States military ever since 2004.

Matternet

Matternet is a logistics UAV manufacturer out of California, and an advancing Silicon Valley drone start-up.
Established in 2011 by a group project at Singularity University.
Founded two wholly owned sub-brands in Europe and North America. They ship their solutions to over 100 regions and countries.
It has set up its delivery drone network in real-world projects in places which are hardest to reach.
They designed the Matternet One model; the first smart drone explicitly made for transportation.

Traxxas

Traxxas is an excellent brand to learn without risking crashes too much.
For learning to fly a drone manually, the Traxxas is an excellent starter.
Their popular drone is the LaTrax Alias that has grabbed headlines to the company.

Potensic

Potensic is a global internet retail brand that specializes in remote control toys and products.
They are well-known for producing different types of drones from GPS to Mini to FPV models.
Not only drones, but they do also produce high-end electronic items and has formed long-term cooperative relations with several top manufacturers and enterprises.
It has an innovation-driven team made of a large batch of top-quality personnel who take care of product development and sales.
One of their biggest positives is an excellent customer service which goes above and beyond your expectations.
The best-sellers from this brand are A20 RC Nano Quadcopter, T35, T25, and T18 GPS FPV RC Drones.

Force1 RC

The company has been in the drone industry since 2012.
Force1 is a brand providing affordable drones and RC cars without compromising quality.
It provides U.S-based customer service and tests drones on-site through rigorous quality assurance processes.
Force1 carries a wide range of radio-controlled cars, trucks, boats, quadcopters, etc.

Dedrone

Dedrone is based in San Francisco, California.
The company was established in 2014.
It specializes in anti-drone / counter-drone solutions, with customers coming in from several countries.
They created a device called the DroneTracker that uses multiple parameters to help guard against spying, smuggling, terrorist attacks, and invasions of your privacy.
Dedrone is trusted by G7 nations, Fortune 500 companies, international airports, and prison complexes to keep unwanted drones off-grounds before they have the chance to harm.

Skyfish

Skyfish is focused on solving engineering-grade field challenges with its powerful inflight processing intelligence.
It has an open platform for sensors, which is ideal for commercial drones.
Its drones are made in the USA.
Skyfish provides industry-standard sensors, cameras, RTK kits, and radios.
It can process, map, and 3D model data with its unique capabilities.

Wingtra

Wingtra was founded in 2017 and has been selling mapping drones globally ever since.
It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 100+ employees with more than 30 focusing on R&D.
Their engineers are graduates from ETH Zurich, the world’s third-best university for engineering and technology.
A VTOL drone manufacturer uses fixed-wing technology to eliminate the risk of damaging the aircraft while landing.
Their WingtraOne model can carry heavier and better sensors, allowing for mapping large areas.
Wingtra has partnered with more than 50 big equipment dealers since its excellent market entry.

Azur Drones

Azur Drones is committed to designing and manufacturing autopilot drones that are useful in a wide range of fields, most notably in the area of security applications.
It was started in 2012 as a drone-operation business.
They have a fully autonomous drone solution approved to fly beyond the visual line of sight.
Because of their triple-equipment redundancy and cutting-edge security systems, Azur Drones ensures high-quality and reliability levels for their drones.
The company has several strategic partnerships with prominent actors of the security and surveillance industries, such as Genetec.
It pioneered the French professional drone sector. A year later, the company took part in making the French FPDC (Professional Federation of Civilian Drone).

Planck Aerosystems

Planck Aerosystems designs and produces autonomous unmanned aerial solutions for mobile applications.
A US Navy helicopter pilot from 2014 founded the company to make unmanned aviation better, safer, and more accessible.
They’ve worked with the FAA to help integrate UAS into their current airspace regulations.
Planck’s team consists of some of the most creative workforces in unmanned flight autonomy space.
It has built unique algorithms and AI systems that unlock UAV capabilities to facilitate a wide range of new applications.
Its vision is to be at the forefront of offering value for its users by providing excellent products and services that support them attain their goals.

Vayu Aerospace Corporation

Vayu Aerospace is a drone manufacturer focused on designing and building high-performance unmanned aircraft for enterprise and sensitive government customers.
They have offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Vayu designs drones with functions that serve firefighting, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, disaster response, border patrol security, and other long-period applications.
The company has developed a drone having vertical takeoff & landing capabilities that automatically transports 2 kg of items 100-km to offer affordable, reliable, and fast delivery.
It innovates within the UAV market, positively impacting current supply chains.

ParaZero

ParaZero was founded in 2014 and has partnered with Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty and Skywatch.ai.
It is the first brand to come with an ASTM F3322-18 compliant drone parachute platform.
ParaZero has been highly successful, with 40 waivers over people in 2019.
Authorities recognize ParaZero’s knowledge in drone safety tech, and they were an active member in different drone programs.
The SafeAir system shields bystanders on the surface, prevent payload loss and protects your drone equipment by ensuring your drone lands safely.
The company’s vision is to utilize its technology to facilitate drones in military and civil applications and for personal usage by consumers.

Percepto

Percepto is a manufacturer of autonomous drone technology for inspections and surveillance purposes.
The team is based in Israel, Australia, and the US.
It has an autonomous drone system that enables 24/7 surveillance of assets & security in industrial workplaces around the globe.
It believes in creating technology that complements the human workforce with state-of-the-art software and robotics.
Percepto Sparrow is a deployed drone-in-a-box solution in the marketplace, with an end-to-end autonomous monitoring and inspection platform.
The company has received the Frost & Sullivan Global Enabling Technology Leadership Award.
Fortune 500 companies trust Percepto’s solution in over 10 countries.

SkySpecs

SkySpecs is a drone company that focuses primarily on automating and analyzing wind farms.
It provides purpose-built services and software for renewable energy asset management in Europe and North America.
Their solutions consist of analytics, engineering projects, wind turbine blade expertise, collaborative tool to manage & analyze information from multiple sources.
SkySpecs creates drones that can inspect wind turbine blades and a drone that prevents obstacles.
The company is the first and only provider of entirely automated blade inspections with a drone.

Airspace Systems

Jaz Banga, Earl Stirling, and Noah Moore founded Airspace Systems in 2015 in San Francisco.
Airspace Systems helps keep skies safe and secure by identifying, tracking, and autonomously removing rogue drones from them.
Their two significant products include Airspace Galaxy and MetroAir, which care for your airspace.
It is a recognized leader in airspace security and is trusted by organizations like FAA, San Francisco Fleet Week, MLB, etc.
Airspace works with the Department of Defense to develop their solutions, and they’re the only drone security provider on the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee.
The company has developed technologies that drive innovation for commercial and military solutions.

SICDRONE

SICDRONE specializes in unmanned aerial systems for government, security, and agriculture applications.
It is located in Peabody, Massachusetts, and is a US-based maker of high-performance UAV systems.
The SICDRONE SUAS aircraft is designed to maximize flight efficiency and maneuverability compared to similar aircraft.
Their drone systems are well-known for their modular payload mechanism, making them perfect for any mission.
This company provides integrated unmanned systems for the US Department of Defense.
SICDRONE is currently producing and configuring operational prototypes to its SIC5 Group 2 tilt-rotor hexacopter to meet the demands of the military & commercialize its item for the offshore wind market.

Atlas Dynamics

Atlas Dynamics is a company that makes end-to-end solutions in the drone industry.
It was Founded in 2015 in the EU by robotics and aerospace professionals.
They launched their Nest, a charging station that enables drones to be automatically deployed on programmed missions.
Atlas develops and manufactures UASs that solve the aerospace industry’s biggest problem – high-end aerospace technology in scale.
It has a competitive advantage because of its team of experts and its proficiency, comprehension, and expertise in the aerospace field.
Their drones are intended to serve key markets, including infrastructure inspection, construction, security, first response, delivery, and insurance.

BFD Systems

BFD Systems (Freefly Integrations) was started in 2017, and they make big custom rigs for high-end apps.
It is a UAV hardware development company focused on industrial-grade multicopters and drones.
They are professionals in the payload integration and R&D aspects of custom quadcopters.
BFD specializes in heavy lift payloads, long-endurance flights, gas hybrid UAVs, and tethered UAV solutions.
Its solutions use the latest technology in tethered, hydrogen fuel cell, hybrid electric, and lithium polymer batteries.
Their systems have been tried and tested around the globe in demanding conditions & environments.

Gryphon Sensors

Gryphon Sensors is one of the well-known names in safe UAS integration and intelligent drone detection space.
It was founded in 2014 and designs navigation equipment, such as UAS radar.
The Gryphon Sensors is a subsidiary of SRC, Inc.
They launched Skylight, a UTM system, in 2017 to help with drone traffic management and BVLOS flights.
It provides sophisticated systems to detect low-altitude, small unmanned aircraft, birds, and other hard-to-detect airborne traffic.
The company specializes in tracking low and small airborne targets to the Department of Defense.

Embention

Embention is a company that makes unmanned aircraft systems and develops custom UAVs.
The company was founded by David Benavente and is located in Alicante, Spain.
It develops two main product lines, including high-reliability drone components and ready-to-fly autonomous vehicles for professional use.
They started their activity by developing autonomous aerial forest firefighting systems. Then, they shifted their focus onto the UAV and UAM industry.
It has 60 employees, mainly engineers specializing in hardware, software, and aircraft design.
Embention announced the Drones Against Tsetse project to reduce trypanosomiasis in Ethiopia.

JOUAV

JOUAV was established in April 2010 and based in Chengdu, China.
In 2015, CW-20 was released, it is the 1st industrial-grade VTOL fixed wing UAV in China.
On February 2021, JOUAV became the 1st listed company in China stock whose main business is UAV and related technology.
Current models comprise CW-007, CW-15, CW-25E, CW-40, and CW-100, with the weight covering 6.8~105 kg and endurance covering 1~10 hours.
CW series UAV are widely used in surveying and mapping, pipeline & powerline inspection, security monitoring, emergency, and other fields.

Drone Brands Factors

From being a military equipment to an everyday appliance, from surveillance to delivery, drones have transformed and fit into the modern world.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, which have been regarded mainly as a weapon of war, are expected to play increasingly key roles in business and civic affairs, from delivering packages to inspecting roads and bridges to video content production which allows great flexibility in a small budget compared to using a helicopter.

So it is quite a useful to know the prerequisites for this soon to be a big commodity to choose from best drone brands.

Before we start, keep in mind the use of consumer drones can vary from region to region due to the different laws in place but generally being able to be used in large open areas away from urban cities but nevertheless we strongly advise you to check your local laws first.

This article is fairly generic and discusses top drone brands which may or may not manfacture drones for consumers.

So how were these drone brands shortlisted?

The Controls

The best drone brands range from the most sophisticating controls to simpler automated flying though the app interface (still relatively new) but usually comes in a remote control with two joysticks like the Xbox.

One stick controls the speed that is throttle and also rotation. The other controls maneuverability like roll (about the longitudinal plane) and pitch controls (for up and down movements).

Best drone companies provide good remote controls that fit well in the hand, with sticks resting comfortably under your thumbs and providing a smooth, responsive feel that allows you to guide the drones by touch.

Some best drone brands 2015 skip the remote control, or offer it as an extra-cost feature, and instead use the latest trending techno companion, smartphone connected via Wi-Fi and a flying app.

These apps often provide a live video view from the drone’s camera. However, apps don’t allow the precision of real controllers: It is easier for your thumbs to slip, possibly causing a crash.

Moreover, newer features such as tapping on a 3D map to travel is still new and prone to issues but updated frequently to remove such issues and thus providing a better experience, evidently why it’s better to go for the best drone companies.

Bodywork Repair

Best drone brands make sure of an unplanned descent and ground interface or crash in stride, without frame damage.

Best drone companies include shields to protect the rotors and electronics from harm and offer a ready supply of cheap parts like rotors and struts to replace the broken ones, and will make it easy to swap these parts out when required.

The same is true of batteries and water resistance, some drone may not mention it but they are actually made to withstand a certain small amount of water.

Batteries

Even the best drone brands give only an airtime of about 10-20 minutes. So it’d be best to buy secondary batteries for swapping whenever needed.

For creative professionals, this is quite important, as you never know how long it will take to get the right footage. This may not be easily possible with cheap drones not bought from the best drone brands.

Camera

Want to show off your flying skills or perhaps that amazing view? The camera can be an added feature in some drones.

The best drone brands even provide HD recording in internal memory cards like GoPro or even first person view, for example, the Parrot Bebop comes with a camera built right into the main frame.

Frequently Asked Questions

What company makes the most military drones?

Many companies make military drones, but some of the most popular ones include:

Northrop Grumman is a leading manufacturer of military drones and has developed some of the world’s most advanced drone technologies. It makes drones for various purposes such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeted killing.

Lockheed Martin is one of the largest defense contractors in the world and makes a wide range of military hardware, including drones. It specializes in making unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) used for reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition/ designation, and precision strike missions.

Boeing is another leading drone manufacturer, and they make both civilian and military drones. Their drones are used by the US Military, law enforcement agencies, and commercial businesses worldwide.

Do different manufacturers have different drone regulations?

There are no specific drone rules for different brands but must operate all drones within the limits of the law. That means you cannot fly your drone over people or buildings, and you must keep it away from airports, stadiums, and other sensitive areas. Finally, make sure to follow all local regulations when flying your drone.

Should I get from a brand or receive a warranty when I order on Amazon?

Each manufacturer provides different stuff and has various rules, yet most offer a standard company warranty regardless of where you get the drone. Check the information on your new potential quadcopter before you buy.

Why is not [drone maker X] on this listing?

This question is difficult to answer as many drone manufacturers are out there. However, some of the reasons [drone manufacturer X] may not be on this list are because their drones are not considered professional-grade, they do not have a wide range of drones available for sale, or their customer service is not up to par.

Final Verdict

We come to the end of our list. You must look out to these latest, creative high-tech UAV manufacturers who will make your flying experience fascinating.

We have tried to include as many drone manufacturers as possible, but if you know of a manufacturer that we have missed, please let us know, and we will update the list.

How many these do you have tried till and what is your opinion? We are looking forward to your thoughts in comments.

8 thoughts on “Best Drone Companies, Brands, & Manufacturers List”

Eleni Lee

You had shared such informative content about drones; I think every tech enthusiast wants to know about it.
- Oliver McClintock
  
  Thank you so much for your kind words, Eleni.
Raj

https://www.exporthub.com/eh-shenzhen-deepsea-excellence-technology-co-ltd/
- Oliver McClintock
  
  Hi Raj, thank you for finding this link and sharing it with us.
Tom Elken

Thanks for this list. Where is Potensic based? It’s one of the few where you didn’t list a country of origin.
- Oliver McClintock
  
  Hey Tom, thanks for commenting. We don’t have reliable info on where the Potensic brand is based; hence we didn’t list the origin country. If any of our readers know this information, please share then we will update it.
Scottrogger

This is a really awesome and helpful article for me. I really appreciate your work for providing such useful information, thank you so much!
- Oliver McClintock
  
  Hi Scottrogger,
  
  Thanks for your appreciation. It means a lot to our team. Keep supporting us as always.

Best Drone Companies, Brands, & Manufacturers List