The 7 Best Indoor Drones in 2021
Altair Aerial AA108
Holy Stone HS200
SNAPTAIN SP300
When we picture drones, we almost always imagine majestic quadcopters hovering gracefully in the open sky. We still think of them as devices made for the great outdoors.
But a whole range of indoor-only drones proves flying them inside the house is just as fun as launching them from your backyard. In fact, it has several advantages.
So today, we’ll take a look at the best indoor drones you can buy. We’ll also discuss what makes a good indoor drone, and you would want to consider one in the first place.
What’s The Difference Between Indoor and Outdoor Drones?
Despite technically being able to fly anywhere, not all drones should do so. Some are only rated for indoor use. But what’s in these drones that make them specifically unable to be flown outdoors?
Generally, when you fly a drone outside, one big enemy is out to get you – wind. Strong winds constantly threaten to shove your drone out of position at best and blow it enough to make it completely crash at worst. Lighter drones are much more prone to this since they don’t have the mass to resist being moved by the wind.
And the problem is that winds can come in without warning. A bright and sunny day right now can become windy in a matter of minutes.
To compensate for this, outdoor drones must rotate their propellers harder when the wind blows in so that they don’t lose their position. They also need to have some heft to breeze through lighter winds (no pun intended).
However, this means outdoor drones need to have a much more powerful motor and bigger rotors. Not to mention, all that added weight needs more juice to power, which requires a bigger battery. This adds to the overall cost of the drone.
But drones meant for indoor flying don’t have this problem.
Since there’s no wind to speak, these drones don’t need the extra power to reposition themselves. Manufacturers can thus make them much lighter and cheaper, without sacrificing flight performance and speed.
Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t fly indoor drones outside your house. You most certainly can, and in fact, most drones are rated for both indoor and outdoor use. However, you’ll be much more limited. Generally, you can only fly your drones when conditions are perfect.
If you want to fly indoor drones outside, you’ll have better luck in tight city spaces like alleyways. They’re absolutely horrible in wide-open areas.
Best Indoor Drones
Just a small note with our selection: most of these are strictly indoor drones only, but some do have limited capability when flying outdoors.
With that being said, these are drones that perform best when flown indoors, since even a mild gust of wind will make these pretty unstable to fly.
We have a separate guide up on the best drones for racing if that’s the reason you’re looking for an internal-use drone.
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The AA108 is our top-rated drone for indoor use, packing a variety of features into an affordable and stylish body.
- Flight Time: 7 minutes
- Charge Time: 60 minutes
- Range: 100 meters
- Remote Controller: dedicated controller included
- Camera: 720p HD camera with a built-in 120-degree wide-angle lens
- Weight: 1.64 pounds
- Rated for indoor use only
The Altair Aerial AA108 is an above-average indoor drone with a fantastic price. For a beginner drone, it has some advanced features that even skilled users will appreciate.
First, the AA108 comes with a robust 720p HD camera with a 120-degree wide-angle FOV. With it, you can take panoramic photos and videos with ease. Not to mention, it can make FPV flying that much easier by giving you a much broader perspective.
And yes, this drone has FPV support. You can control and stream live video from the AA108 up to a distance of 100 meters. This means it has robust signal strength at indoor distances, or when you’re flying around inside a bigger building.
For the newbie pilot, the AA108 has the basics covered. Headless Mode is the bare minimum here, but you also have One Key Takeoff/Landing, which performs this flight sequence with just the push of a button. You can even draw custom flight paths, and your drone will follow them automatically.
The AA108 is pretty stable, and it’s generally a joy to fly around thanks to its tight handling and responsive controls. It has an Altitude Hold mode, which gives the ability to hover in place, which it does so admirably. For beginners, this is a must-have feature.
The flight time of the AA108 is above average for an indoor drone as well, which last for 7 – 10 minutes. The kicker is that the package includes two spare batteries, so you’re looking at a total time of around 20 – 30 minutes.
For an indoor drone, the AA108 is a decked out and feature-rich flyer at a stunningly low price. It’s an absolute dream for a beginner to use, yet still relevant enough for more experienced users.
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If you’re looking for a fantastic indoor camera drone, The Holy Stone HS200 should be at the top of your list.
- Flight Time: 9 minutes
- Range: 100m
- Camera: 720p HD camera with 120-degree FOV
- Battery: 1,000 mAh LiPo
- Weight: 145g
While it can operate outdoors as well, we feel the Holy Stone HS200’s merits lie more in indoor flying.
You can think of the HS200 as an advanced toy drone with lots of nifty features. For one, it has a pretty decent 720p HD camera, which is surprising given its price range in the $50 – $100 range. This also gives you access to its FPV mode, which is exciting to have in a starter drone.
Because the camera lacks stabilization, though, the photos do tend to be blurry. That’s why we recommend keeping everything still – easily achievable by flying it inside the house.
The flight time of 9 minutes is above average and is pretty long for a kid’s drone. It also has a range of 100m, which is the bare minimum for getting responsive performance from the remote controller.
The drone does handle like a dream and has a fantastic performance. The HS200 is capable of hovering in a stable position through its Altitude Hold feature. In the background, a combination of air pressure sensors and 6-axis gyro makes this all possible. It’s also responsible for the smooth and stable flight of the HS200, and the ability to do those impressive 3D barrel rolls.
The included joystick might look kiddie, but it’s actually pretty responsive and intuitive. A good thing about it is the LCD screen, which gives you a lot of useful drone info like battery level and signal strength. You can also launch the drone with its One Key Takeoff/Landing feature, or have it return and land with the Return to Home button.
In our opinion, the Holy Stone HS200 is one of the ultimate beginner indoor drones. It’s affordable and stable, plus offers some pretty great features. For a newbie, what more could you need?
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The Snaptain SP300 might be an indoor toy drone, but it’s packed with some innovative technologies that make it more than just a bit of fun.
- Flight Time: 8 minutes
- Range: 50m
- Weight: 72g
The bulk of this tech is centered on how you control the SP300. It actually gives you FOUR different ways to do so, which is why flying this drone is so darn fun.
Let’s start with the most innovative – using nothing but your hands! The SP300 is equipped with 360-degree infrared (IR) sensors that can detect any movement. It will then go in the opposite direction to avoid it.
You can thus control the SP300 by “bouncing” it around with your hand. You can gently push it around and direct it to change direction by merely putting your hand up in front of it. To launch the drone, you can simply toss it in the air.
By the way, if you think that this sounds like an obstacle avoidance system, that’s because it’s precisely what it is. It’s actually one of the cheapest drones with this feature. This makes the drone very safe for toddlers and little kids.
Aside from the hand technique, you can also use another “hand” technique courtesy of the G-Sensor controller. This is a wrist strap with an attached wire to your index finger, which allows you to move the drone using finger and wrist movements. It’s undoubtedly futuristic and cool.
If you want a more traditional way of piloting the SP300, then you go do so with the included physical remote controller. For more experienced pilots, this is a welcome sight.
Finally, you have the One Key Remote. It has a single button that instructs the SP300 to takeoff and land. Other cool features include the one-button flips and stunts, and the flashy LED lights.
With a flight time of 8 minutes, the Snaptain SP300 is undoubtedly a decent toy drone. It’s in the many ways you can fly it that make this drone such a fun toy to play with.
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A very cheap option for those looking to test the waters of the drone racing world.
- Flight Time: 6 minutes
- Range: 30m
- Camera: 5.8G 25mW FPV HD camera
- Battery: 200 mAh
- Weight: 25g
The Poke Micro FPV is for the racer that wants to experiment with FPV racing on a budget.
The Poke Micro itself is a fast and tiny little drone, able to fly in fast and zip through the air with ease. It’s lightweight and compact, so controlling it will feel very ‘light.’ The handling is just like any racing drone – agile and nimble. Adjustable speed modes make it easier to handle it if you’re not used to the speed yet.
The main draw of the Poke Micro is the built-in FPV camera. It’s surprisingly robust and works well even in low light conditions. The accompanying Video TX is set at 5.8G 25mW with 48 channels, which is compatible with most monitors or goggles in the market.
However, the main selling point also has a drawback – you have no way of viewing FPV unless you get a separate monitor or goggles. While this is meant to be flexible, it’s an additional expense and step for the complete newbie. But for the expert, it DOES give you the option of customizing your FPV experience, such as recording it.
Being a drone built for racing, it’s scant with features. Apart from the usual Headless Mode, the Poke Micro also has its own version of Return to Home, which locks into your remote controller at the push of a button.
But overall, this is a fantastic and inexpensive way to get into FPV drone racing. The only hurdle is getting and connecting your own FPV monitor or goggle, but this shouldn’t be much of a problem.
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The rock bottom price of this drone coupled with the durable construction makes it one of the better options out there for aspiring young pilots.
- Flight Time: 5 minutes
- Range: 30 meters
- Camera: None
- Battery: 3.7V 150 mAh (non-removable, charged via USB)
- Weight: 28g
The Eachine E10 is a robust little flyer that’s as stable as they get.
The E10 is based on the Tiny Whoop, a famous series of racing drones. It has the iconic ducted fan design on each rotor, which gives them ample protection against crashes. The drone itself is surprisingly durable for the size, thanks to its tough nylon shell. We crashed ours repeatedly, and it still survived unscathed.
Performance-wise, the E10 is a very stable flyer. The internal 6-axis gyro allows it to hover stably in place, although it’s not as accurate as a real GPS system.
The 5 minute flight time, while expected, feels rather short nonetheless. Unfortunately, you can only charge this drone via USB and takes around 30 minutes. So that’s a mandatory 30-minute wait for 5 minutes of flying unless you buy like 3 of these.
Fortunately, you can maximize flying the E10 with a few basic features. Headless Mode allows you to operate this drone easily, even if you’re a complete beginner. You can also do flips and stunts via with one touch. For safety features, it supports One Key Return that allows it to automatically fly towards your remote controller with the push of a button.
Lastly, the E10 has three speed modes, which you can adjust to make the drone go faster. The slowest mode is perfect for casual indoor flying, but will probably be easily blown away with even the smallest gust of winds.
And that’s about it. Overall, the Eachine E10 is a good and very cheap intro to get into drone flying. It flies smoothly and stably, with battery life being its biggest drawback.
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The Force1 Scoot XL is one of the more unique drones you’ll find. Not just because of its ball-like appearance, but in the way this drone is controlled.
- Flight Time: 6 minutes
- Range: N/A
- Obstacle Avoidance Sensors: infrared
The Force1 Scoot XL is one of the few budget drones that has an obstacle avoidance system on board. But what sets this drone apart is that it takes this system one step further – by making it the sole way to control the Scoot.
Yup! The way you control the Scoot is purely by taking advantage of its obstacle avoidance sensors using your hand. Whenever you put up your hand in front of the Scoot, it detects it as an obstacle and promptly flies off in the opposite direction. You then just keep on “bouncing” it around with your had to move it around.
It’s like playing a game of ping pong with a drone. Incidentally, this is also one of the fun ways we play with this drone. We take a bunch of Scoots and pass it around from person to person – a fun way to pass the time with the kids.
Launching the drone is easy as well – just toss it in the air! You can also use the one-button remote, but we find launching it by hand is just more dramatic.
The Scoot is one of the safest drones you can ever buy for yourself and your kids. Aside from the 360 obstacle avoidance, the outer shell of the drone is made of flexible crashproof material. It also keeps the rotors from your child’s hands.
The drone has a modest 6-minute flight time, which is, of course, never enough. It also needs to be charged (no option for a spare battery, sorry!), so there’s some delay in between uses. Our solution was just to buy a bunch of these since they’re so affordable.
Overall, the Force 1 Scoot gives you a unique hands-free way to play with and enjoy your drone.
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If you want to get your young kid into drones then the Force1 Stunt is one of the most effective ways to do so.
- Flight Time: 6 – 8 minutes
- Camera: None
- Battery: Li-Po battery (charged via USB)
- Weight: 250g
The Force1 Stunt Riders drone is a toy drone packaged with an action figure. And while the experienced drone pilot will scoff at this, stay with us because it’s surprisingly fun to fly.
The Stunt Rider drone is a quadcopter with a pretty unique configuration – two rotors facing up and two rotors facing down. Strange as it is, it works pretty well. The drone hovers and flies around without much effort or problem.
The drone itself is an easy to operate flyer, designed for first-time users. Basic features include a One Touch Takeoff/Land button, allowing you to launch the Stunt Rider easily and quickly. It also has an Emergency Stop button, which will slowly land the drone if ever you need to stop it in a jiffy. Of course, you have Headless Mode to make flying the done easily for absolute beginners.
For the action figure, you can either mount him on the drone as a hoverboard or hang it underneath as a paraglider. It makes the included one button Stunt Mode that much more entertaining for kids and adults alike.
The Stunt Rider has a flight time of around 6 – 8 minutes, which is fantastic given the price. Overall, behind the gimmicky toy look, is a drone that actually performs solidly.
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What to Look For In An Indoor Drone
Range
A drone’s range refers to its signal strength, which ultimately determines the maximum distance your drone can fly out from you. While often overlooked, this is a consideration that should be made for all drones, even those intended to fly indoors.
Now, you might be confused. Since you’re just flying indoors, distance shouldn’t matter that much, right?
That’s true, and that’s not what we’re after here. Instead, we want that long range for the signal strength it brings. You need a robust transmission between your remote controller and drone since this is what determines how responsive your drone’s control is.
This matters much more when flying indoors because there are many more sources of interference in the form of the radio, Bluetooth devices, and other wireless appliances.
Flight Time
Ah, flight time. It’s the first thing most drone owners look at. After all, fantastic specs won’t matter as much if you don’t get a lot of time flying your drone.
Unfortunately, flight time is where most indoor drones fall short. Owing to their lighter frame, they tend to have smaller batteries, which can store much, much less capacity. You’ll be lucky to get around 5 – 6 minutes of flight time out of them (but there are exceptions). If you can, however, aim for approximately 10 minutes or more.
To get around the short flight time, spare batteries are essential. These can extend your total flight time by a considerable amount, with just a small delay when swapping the batteries.
Opt to get a drone that allows you to do this. Drones that only let you charge via USB ruin the momentum by making you wait until the drone battery finishes charging fully.
Propeller Guards
Propeller guards are plastic shells that protect your precious propellers. They act as a shield that prevents the rotors from hitting walls or objects.
These guards are essential because rotors are one of the most crucial parts of a drone. If even just one propeller gets broken, the drone won’t be able to fly properly. The spinning blades of a rotor can also cause injury to people it hits.
If you can, look for cage type guards that can protect your propellers from all directions, as these offer the best protection. Also, a final note: propeller guards do have some weight, and will have some impact on your flight time.
In the absence of prop guards, then the next best insurance is to have extra propellers on hand.
Extra Propellers
Some drones provide additional sets of propellers as added insurance against crashes. This makes swapping them on the fly easy, in case your propeller gets broken. It also saves you the time and money from having to go to the store and having it repaired.
You should look for propellers that are a breeze to remove and install, such as quick snap on/off rotors in some drones. Several drones also have more than one set available for the ultimate insurance policy.
Flight Stability
Not having to contend with strong winds doesn’t mean indoor drones have to be lax in performance. On the contrary, they should have fantastic flight stability because they have no excuse NOT to!
At the minimum, drones should be able to hover on their own without wobbling or increasing/decreasing in altitude.
Since most indoor drones don’t have GPS (because that would be useless), this is done through an internal gyroscope. Some also make use of optical sensors or flow cameras to help maintain height. Look for any of these features to make sure your drone is at least stable in flight.
Adjustable Speed
Indoor drones tend to be small and zippy, which also makes them very fast. While this is a good thing, it’s not always easy to fly a drone at higher speeds, especially for beginners. This is a surefire recipe for a crash.
Hence, it’s a good idea to have adjustable speed in your drones. It’s usually offered in three modes, from beginner (slow) to advanced (fast). The slower setting is recommended for newbies, or when you’re flying in tighter spaces.
Obstacle Avoidance
Obstacle avoidance is a feature commonly seen in more advanced drones. This allows the UAV the ability to detect obstructions along its flight path. When it does, it then either stops or avoids it automatically.
While it’s an expensive feature, some indoor drones have a simpler yet equally effective version of obstacle avoidance. This is actually perfect for indoor drones with the number of obstacles and obstructions usually in their way.
FPV
First Person View (FPV) mode allows you to basically “see” what your drone is seeing. This is achieved via the drone’s camera, which continually streams a live video feed to your smartphone or the LED screen of your remote controller.
FPV mode for indoor drones is mostly for the fun and experience of it, although it can be useful for flying in smaller spaces. For aspiring drone racers, however, FPV is an essential part of racing. This makes FPV a good practice for these kinds of drone pilots.
When purchasing an FPV drone, the smooth and lag-free quality of the video feed is much more important than the quality of the camera used. Look for a longer or more robust FPV transmission power if you can to ensure this.
Headless Mode
To make indoor drone flying easier (and therefore safer), you might want to consider going into Headless Mode. This matters, especially if you’re an absolute beginner.
Headless Mode allows you to fly your drone without taking its orientation into account, making piloting way, way easier. Let me explain.
Usually, when you instruct a drone to turn right, it will turn right based on where it’s faced, not where YOU’RE faced. So if the drone is facing you and it turns right, it will turn left based on your perspective.
This is the thing that screws with a lot of beginners when they first fly a drone. It’s a mental leap that takes skill to do.
Headless Mode, however, eliminates all of that. Now, turning left on the drone will make it turn left based on where YOU’RE faced, regardless of where the drone is faced. Left will always go left, and right will always go right. It’s much simpler that way!
Can You Fly Outdoor Drones Indoors?
Generally, you shouldn’t fly an indoor drone outdoors, but what about the reverse?
Again, there’s a fine line here. You can definitely fly an outdoor drone indoors, especially since they’re rated for rougher conditions. However, there are some caveats you need to be aware of.
Most outdoor drones tend to be bigger, with much more powerful propellers. While this is usually a good thing, it’s not when your drone is about to crash. The added mass plus fast-spinning rotors can deal much more damage to its surroundings than a smaller drone.
For wide-open spaces, it doesn’t matter, but it DOES matter when it crashes on your furniture or window. It’s also riskier when it hits people, which is far more likely to happen indoors than outdoors.
And that’s also the most significant risk with outdoor drones flown indoors – the tighter spaces make it more challenging to fly. Of course, it’s the same with smaller drones, but at least they pose less danger when they crash.
So, if you do plan to fly your outdoor drone inside the house, make sure you know what you’re doing. Keep everything safe and opt for a smaller drone if you can.
Advantages of Indoor Drones
There are plenty of good reasons to go for indoor drones as opposed to an outdoor drone, and most of it will boil down to preference, budget, and situation.
They’re cheaper
As mentioned, indoor drones tend to have less powered motors and rotors than their outdoor counterparts, which makes them less expensive overall. However, this doesn’t mean that indoor drones have less flight performance. There are actually fantastic models that can handle and zip through the air just as well as outdoor drones.
All that extra power is supposedly going to wind resistance, which indoor drones don’t have to worry about. So it’s all channeled into actual flying instead, giving them fantastic stability and performance.
This makes indoor drones great starter UAVs for practicing your flying skills. You’re not as careful and can fly them around much more confidently, knowing that you didn’t shell out that much in case it crashes.
It’s easier to fly around
Since indoor conditions are calmer, it’s way easier to fly your drone around. There are no strong winds or other environmental factors to worry about, which can create some resistance when you’re operating your drone.
They’re faster
Even though they have less powerful motors, indoor drones can still be fast little buggers. The combination of lightness and calm conditions means they can achieve really high speeds.
You can fly it around in any weather
One of the best reasons to own an indoor drone is that you can fly them anytime and anywhere. You don’t need to check weather forecasts and wait for clear blue skies and calm winds. You could fly an indoor drone even if it’s storming outside if you wanted to!
This freedom is actually one of the best reasons to buy an indoor drone, in our opinion. It also gives you a consistent schedule on which to hone your pilot skills.
It’s safer
Most drones rated for indoor use usually have safety features in mind. Now, they’re not in the form of advanced like obstacle avoidance or such. Instead, they simply utilize intelligent design. Not only does this protect other people, but it also protects the actual drone itself from damage.
The propellers are often encased in a propeller guard or shield, which lessens the chance of it hitting someone while in the air. These rotors are also not as powerful as a big drone, so it won’t cause any severe injury when touched.
This is the biggest reason why indoor drones are the best UAVs for kids. They won’t cause the same dangers as a high-powered adult drone can do while minimizing damage to your house.
Minimal damage if they crash
Since they’re so lightweight, even a high-speed crash with an indoor drone is unlikely to cause heavy scratches on your walls or furniture. Most drones also have propeller guards to prevent the rotors from scraping through your walls.
No risk of losing your drone
One of the constant dangers of flying your drone outside is losing it permanently. Strong winds can carry your drone faster than you can fly or recover it. You can crash it in a raging river, which can make retrieving it difficult. Some drones are even known to fly off indefinitely when they lose signal strength!
There are just so many things that can go wrong when flying a drone in the wild outdoors.
Fly indoors, however, and all of these dangers are negated. Your house or room is a completely controlled environment with clear boundaries and protection. In short, it’s nearly impossible for you to lose your drone permanently.
They’re more durable
Since indoor drones tend to be simpler and less powered, they also feature less moving parts. This means that when they inevitably crash, there are fewer things that can get misaligned or dislodged. Their lighter mass also lessens the force of the impact.
These types of drones are usually made of a much more rigid plastic that can withstand a lot of punishment.
It’s a great practice tool
With all of the advantages mentioned above, it all boils down to one thing: indoor drones are great to hone your piloting skills.
First, you get flexibility.
They’re lighter and much more compact, so you can literally play with them anywhere. And anytime too, I might add, since you can operate them indoors regardless of the weather outside. Your flying conditions indoors will also be consistent, so you can really do practice runs without any outside factors like wind interfering with you.
Then, there’s the confidence.
Since they’re durable, you don’t need much care when flying them around. This is important when trying to learn something, as you should always be experimenting and pushing the envelope to learn rapidly.
Finally, you have the affordability.
With the low cost of indoor drones, there’s no reason anymore not to get into the drone hobby. It’s the cheapest and easiest way to get your first taste of piloting a UAV.
Tips for Flying Indoors
While generally safe, you still need to exercise some precautions when flying your drone indoors. Here are a few simple tips you can do for a better flight experience:
Clear the area of any unnecessary obstructions
If you can, fly your drone in an empty room. If not, try to clear as many obstacles as you can. Remove and keep any valuables or fragile objects such as vases. Fly away from windows, mirrors, or other things that can easily break. Overhead fans are particularly deadly for drones, so make sure to turn them off.
Turn off Auto Return functions
Some drones are equipped with an Auto Return feature, which instructs the drone to return to its origin point automatically if it runs low on battery or if it loses signal strength.
While this is fantastic outdoors, when done inside, it can do more harm than good. You don’t have a wide-open space like the outdoors, so the drone’s return path might cross some obstacles, causing it to crash.
If you can, we recommend turning this feature off or not using it. It’s a feature you don’t actually need when flying indoors.
Turn off interfering devices
Unlike when you fly outdoors, there are lots of interference inside a house that can mess with your drone. These include FM/AM radios and Bluetooth devices. If you can, we recommend turning these off to maximize your drone’s signal stability
Don’t fly near walls, floors, and ceilings
Flying too close to obstacles like walls and floors can make your drone less stable. This is because the air produced by the rotors bounces off the walls, and blows back on the drone. So best to avoid them, and fly in more open areas. You’ll also be likely to leave small scratches on walls if you collide with it — take it from someone that has done exactly this in their newly painted lounge.
Wear safety goggles
Safety first! Always wear protective eye gear, especially for children. A drone might be small, but it hitting your eye can still hurt.
If you plan to fly it outdoors…
If you want to try and fly your indoor drone outdoors, do it gradually. Start first near your front door, or very near the walls of your house. This allows you to test the conditions out first, to see if your drone can handle it. If yes, then you can fly out slowly.
Whatever happens, though, we recommend flying close to a structure. Don’t fly near rivers or forests where your drone can drift to and get lost.