Best Autonomous Drones With Programmable Flight Path [Comparison Table]

Believe it or not, most people believe that drones require a massive amount of training in order to be controlled properly. They’re afraid they might damage them and/or suck at piloting a drone so that they don’t really take their chances with purchasing one.

best autonomous drone

Best autonomous drones in 2021.

But, little do they know that there are many fully or semi-autonomous drones out there nowadays. They can do all sorts of smart features without any need for manual controlling. There are many drones that allows you to precisely draw a flight path which your drone will follow, we call them drones with a programmable flight path.

So, how much do these autonomous drones for sale cost? Well, they fall heavily on the expensive side of the market, that’s unquestionable. But, despite that, if you’re on a strict budget, you’ll be happy to know that there are a few affordable options. Well then, let’s take a closer look at the most popular autonomous drones for sale currently available on the market.

 

Table: The Best Autonomous Drones

ImageNameCameraRangeFlight TimeBest Offer
8. Potensic Dreamer Pro4K2km28minSee best offer
7. HStone HS700E4K1km20minSee best offer
Holy-Stone-HS720-table6. HStone HS720E4K2km22minSee best offer
DJI Mini 2 drone5. DJI Mini 24K8km30minSee best offer
dji-mavic-2-pro-table4. DJI Mavic 2 Pro4K8km30minSee best offer
DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone white background3. DJI Air 2S5.4K12km32minSee best offer
Autel Robotics Evo 2 Drone2. Autel EVO 28K8km40minSee best offer
DJI Mavic 3 drone1. DJI Mavic 34K15km45minSee best offer

 

Potensic Dreamer Pro Drone with controller

8. Potensic Dreamer Pro

If you’re looking for a DJI Phantom lookalike, or you’re just a sucker for that old-school, non-foldable design, then this bugger is the right choice for you! It’s quite an expensive drone coming from Potensic. We usually expect low and mid-range DJI’s at this price point, not Potensic stuff. But, Dreamer Pro is worth every penny, and here’s why:

Power at the Expense of Compactness

This thing is powerful, there’s no doubt about that. It’s big, it’s loud, and it has quite the oomph. With power come stability, another huge plus. Precision-wise, we’ve seen better models, that’s for sure. But, all this power comes at the expense of compactness.

These days, the drone industry is all about keeping things as lightweight and small as possible. Take DJI Mini 2 as the perfect example – it sports hardware stabilization and an excellent camera, plus it’s so lightweight that it doesn’t even need to be registered.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, you have thick boys like this one. It’s not foldable, but that’s not necessarily a horrible thing. If space isn’t an issue, should you pay extra for a more compact model like DJI Air 2S?

Good All-Rounder

Well, you shouldn’t… if size is not an issue, that is. Why? It’s because Potensic offers a great all-around experience. It sports a 4K camera with hardware stabilization that can shoot 12MP photos, despite being just 1/3 inches. Specs-wise, Potensic Dreamer Pro can withstand around 2km of video transmission and 25ish minutes of flight time. Not bad coming from a relatively unknown drone manufacturer!

 

 

holy stone hs700e drone with controller

7. Holy Stone HS700E

Now let’s talk about another non-foldable device. This time around, we’re looking at a much smaller device. It still has GPS autonomy features like smart return to home and stuff like follow me and point of interest. Here’s a closer look:

Not Foldable

As mentioned in the intro, this thing is not foldable! But, that doesn’t make it useless! For starters, we’re looking at a relatively small drone here. But, it’s not that lightweight. You’ll need to register it if you’re living in the US.

On the bright side, HS700E is the cheapest drone on this list. It’s great for beginners and people who just want to experience in-air autonomy. The first time you see your drone returning to its takeoff location all on its own is, in essence, magical.

All-in-One Package

With HS700E, you’re getting not one, not two, but three batteries. Combined, they can endure for more than half an hour of flight time. They’re marketed for 46 minutes combined, but that’s not really doable if you’re actually flying with it and recording aerial footage.

While we’re talking about aerial footage, this thing boasts a 4K camera with EIS. It’s decent, but nothing that will blow your mind. To finish on a brighter note – HS700E also comes with a carrying pouch that fits not just the drone but all three of its batteries and its dedicated controller.

 

 

Holy Stone HS720 with Transmitter

6. Holy Stone HS720E

Next up, Holy Stone HS720E. It’s another Holy Stone model, one that won’t make you get a loan, but one that can still provide a ton of fun for everyone involved. It’s small, lightweight, and has foldable arms, just like many of DJI’s models these days. But, that’s as far as the similarities between HS720E and DJI models go.

Great Package

Probably the best thing about this drone is its package. Not only does it come with a Mavic-like controller (that’s actually pretty good), but an extra battery and a carrying pouch too. With the extra battery, the HS720 can endure around 40 minutes of flight time. Yes, it’s marketed at 46, but we all know these batteries can barely hold 20 per charge.

Range-wise, you won’t get more than 500 meters from the video transmitter. On the bright side, the control range extends much further than that, but even if you surpass it, the drone is equipped with GPS-powered return to home which will promptly get it out of stick situations.

Not the Best Camera

Even though this thing sports image stabilization, it’s an EIS solution that doesn’t provide pitch-perfect results. Even if it could, though, the end results wouldn’t be that good because the HS720’s camera isn’t built for better than entry-level stuff.¸

I’m not trying to sway you away from this one. I’m just stating the obvious. I mean, the footage isn’t outright terrible, but you can’t really brag with it, either. Just check out a few Youtube videos and you’ll understand what I’m talking about!

 

 

DJI Mini 2 drone with controller

5. DJI Mini 2

DJI Mini 2 is a masterpiece; a proper masterpiece of drone tech. It’s miniature, but powerful; lightweight, but still able to capture enthusiast-grade aerial footage. Best of all, it’s not that expensive! This is an entry-level DJI drone, and if you’re looking for aerial autonomy on the cheap, it’s probably the ideal choice for you!

Superb Flight Time

This thing is absolutely packed! It’s so small that it can easily fit into your pocket… yet it offers unprecedented performance across the board. It can fly around for around half an hour, a few minutes give or take depending on your usage patterns. As for operating range, 5ish miles is what you’ll be getting in most areas, though the drone is marketed at 6 miles.

Camera-wise, 4k at 30fps will have to suffice. It it’s too choppy for your taste, you can always lower it down to 1080p for a full 60fps experience. The footage is rather smooth – I’m sure you’ll appreciate it, especially at this price point.

Enthusiast-Grade Performance

Where do we start here? This thing has so many enthusiast-grade perks that make it one of the best bang for your bucks drones on the market. DJI Mini 2 is also a top-notch autonomous drone too. It has a solid variety of autonomous features, though obstacle avoidance is not one of them so make sure you’re extra careful with it all the time.

 

 

dji-mavic-2-pro-with-transmitter

4. DJI Mavic 2 Pro

DJI Mavic 2 Pro is worth mentioning too! Even though it’s already three years old, Mavic 2 Pro is still one of the best and most useful drones on the market. Only a handful of readily available drones are on par with this one… and most of them are also made by DJI. One of them is this bugger’s successor, DJI Mavic 3. We’ll talk about it in more detail down below!

Unparalleled Performance

25ish minutes of flight time, 8ish kilometers of control range, and a ton of features! DJI Mavic Pro even supports autonomous flight missions, which could be what some of you are looking for in your next autonomous drone. Just set everything up on your smartphone and start the mission – your Mavic 2 Pro will do everything else all by itself.

On top of all this, DJI Mavic 2 Pro has lots of features. They might not be next-gen, but they’re still great, offering a unique blend of quality and variety. It’s just exceptional – I have no other words to describe it. It’s old, it’s still holding value, but it’s just darn good!

Still a Decent Camera

Once again, we’re looking at a slightly outdated drone here. Still, its 1-inch CMOS camera by Hasselblad is more than enough to satisfy the needs of even the neediest of professionals. Of course, it’s mounted on a 3-axis gimbal that does wonders in terms of image stabilization. Buttery smooth footage, in combination with a plethora of smart flight features, makes DJI Mavic 2 Pro still one step ahead of most competitors.

 

 

DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone

3. DJI Air 2S

DJI Air 2S is the next drone we need to talk about. Perhaps it’s not as expensive as DJI Mavic 2 Pro was on release, but it sure does bring exceptional performance to the table. No matter what you want from this little bugger, it’s bound to provide – here’s why:

The Epitome of Smart Drone

DJI Air 2s comes packed with features! MasterShots, FocusTrack, QuickShots, Hyperlaps – it’s all here. This thing is like a flagship, but smaller and less expensive. It’s the best budget drone you should get if obtaining a pilot license and registering it isn’t a hassle. If it is, then I guess you’re stuck with the next best thing – DJI Mini 2.

The specs are not to be forgotten! You can expect around 12 kilometers or cca 7.5 miles of video transmission distance, as well as half an hour of flight duration. Of course, take both of these with a pinch of salt as they depend on the terrain you’re flying in and what exactly you’re doing with your drone.

Do You Need Anything Better than This?

The question now is – do you really need something that can do more than this? I mean, despite Air 2S not exactly being a cheap option, there are much pricier drones available on the market. Should you opt for them? Well, if you’re going to use them for commercial purposes, then sure – go ahead! If, however, you’re just in it for recording something for yourself, then there’s really no need to go with something pricier than DJI Air 2S.

 

 

Autel Robotics EVO 2

2. Autel EVO 2

Autel EVO 2 is a superb drone, there’s no doubt about it. It is one of just a few premium drones that aren’t made by DJI, yet will stand the test of time and are on par with their flagships across all departments. But, can a non-DJI drone be as autonomously perfect as the likes of Mavics and Airs? Believe it or not – it can!

Drone with programmable flight path

Let’s start with the most important stuff – flight autonomy. For starters, the second-gen EVO has omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and is among the most stable and precise drones out there. As far as concrete flight modes go, you’re basically getting the exact same package as you’d get from DJI flagships. A bunch of smart camera drones, safety features – you name it and EVO is bound to possess it!

All of that would be in vain if it weren’t for EVO 2’s superb 8K camera. There’s also a 6K version too, and that one is better suited for professionals as it features an adjustable aperture from f/2.8 to f/11. All in all, we’re looking at a well-rounded package that’s worth every penny!

Orange Masterpiece

Another important factor about this little bugger is its bright orange color. It’s what separates it from a ton of DJI models – if you go to the drone meet with EVO 2, everyone will recognize it at the very first glance. It will turn quite a few heads no matter where you set it lose, come to think of it.

On the specs side of things, EVO 2 won’t let you down. It can fly for more than half an hour (roughly the same as Mavic 3, but depends on the workload) and go as far as five miles. A nice little bonus is the built-in LED display on the standard controller. It’s not too large, 3.3 inches… but if you want a larger one, you can get the Smart Controller that comes packed with a much heftier 7.9-inch screen.

 

 

DJI Mavic 3 drone

Best autonomous drone 2021

1. DJI Mavic 3

Finally, after seven outstanding drones, we’ve reached the very best one – DJI Mavic 3! It comes in two variants, Standard and Cine, with the latter aimed for photography/videography professionals. As far as autonomy goes, this is one of the best drones with autonomous flight out there. Nothing surprising really, considering its predecessors.

Flight Autonomy at its Finest

When talking about flight autonomy, no other drone comes close to DJI Mavic 3… Or, to be more precise, no other drone will come close to DJI Mavic 3 once it gets a firmware update that’ll enable all of its next-gen features.

As some of you might already know, a ton of autonomous flight features were missing on release day. DJI are supposedly going to release a massive firmware update in early 2022 (most likely January or February), which is when this bugger is finally going to be at 100% oomph.

Specs are Sweet AF

Talking about oomph, DJI Mavic 3 packs serious hardware inside; hardware that is capable of outputting impressive numbers across the board. The range on the FCC version can extend up to 15 kilometers or roughly 9 miles. These are ideal condition metrics; realistically, you’re still getting enough power – 7 miles at the very least. More than you’ll ever need, really.

Camera-wise, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth here. This drone’s camera is no joke – we’re talking about a mighty 4/3-inch Hasselblad accompanied by a second smaller sensor. Combined, these two are capable of providing professional-grade footage. If you opt for the Cine version, you’ll also get additional ND filters and Apple ProRes support, among other fancy goodies.

 

fully-autonomous-drone

Autonomous drones for sale 2021.

Things you should know before looking for the best autonomous drone with programmable flight path

As always, we’ll give you a few tips before buying your new autonomous drone. Pay attention to these things and you should be all good!

What does autonomous flight mode mean?

If you did not realize by now, high-end drones come with more than a handful of specialized functions and features. Even though they are often heavily advertised, some buyers still tend to overlook them when purchasing a drone. Why is that so? I honestly do not know. But what I do know, and what I can tell you, is that one of the most helpful features is the so-called autonomous flight.

Consider autonomous flight as an autopilot feature. What it does is essentially allows you to program a flight route that you drone will effectively follow once you launch it up in the air. It’s pretty straightforward and not a nuisance to set up. All It Takes is a bit of tampering around with the software… but that’s only with the very first try or two; or until you learn how to do it on your own.

By far the most popular type of autonomous flight is called Waypoints Mode. It is a wide presence in virtually all medium and high-end drones where it’s an outright must to have it incorporated in the software package. It is not overly expensive (for today’s technology standards, of course) to manufacture and implement it, plus it has many benefits which we’ll discuss more later on. With that in mind, it’s pretty obvious that Waypoints Mode will continue to flourish even with the next-gen drones where this feature will be polished even further and better than ever.

 

How do drones with waypoint navigation work?

The science behind our point of interest for today is various navigational systems. More precisely, GPS and GLONASS, the two most popular ones on the market that work seamlessly no matter where you are located on the world. Basically, the Waypoints flight mode gets fed location data from GPS/GLONASS allowing it to locate itself along with its surroundings.

After that, you’ll have a chance to manually set up one or more waypoints (the number of available waypoint spaces depends on your drone) and order your drone to follow them. Aspects such as height, speed etc. are all manually adjustable for each and every single waypoint. As you can see, the Waypoint mode is highly customizable so it is able to suit everyone’s needs. When the state of the art software meets hardware to match it, amazing things like this often end up as a result.

 

What are autonomous drones used for?

I’m sure you all realize that drones have already established themselves across a significant number of industries. They can be found everywhere, especially autonomous ones. They just make process-automatization a lot more optimized.

With that being said, let’s see which industries are using autonomous drones:

Autonomous drones in agriculture:

Agriculture is heavily drone-powered nowadays. When it comes to drones in agriculture, they’re most often used for inspecting crops and searching for stray sheep.

Autonomous drones in security firms:

It doesn’t take a genius to realize the potential of drones in perimeter security. Even though the entire process of implementing drones in the industry (on a large scale) isn’t down to the finest details, improvements are expected in the near future.

Autonomous drones in mapping

Environmental mapping uses not just drones but an entirely automated system that greatly helps with speeding up the task. Mapping has gained a massive boost by modern-day drone technology and seems to be flourishing at the moment.

 

Benefits of using various autonomous drone flight functions

In addition to the above-stated commercial uses for autonomous drones, here I would like to tell you my experience (as a casual user most of the time) with them to give you a better perspective on the whole deal.

First things first, I need to say that I am using autonomous flight modes for 90% of the time on my daily driver – the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. To be completely honest with you here, I haven’t used manual flight on my drone for at least a month. I just don’t need it. I’m sure you all know that Phantom 4 Pro has everything you might want from a drone… including state-of-the-art autonomous flight modes which do all the piloting work for me. While I do consider myself a skilled drone pilot, it’s safe to say I am not practicing a lot lately. Since I am always taking aerial shots of my backyard parties, my beautiful Barksy, and my roommate Steve, I like to concentrate on taking the perfect shot with autopilot rather than manually flying and sacrificing image quality.

That’s basically the number one benefit of drones – the ability to concentrate on other, more important things, than actually flying a drone. Imagine yourself at a good old family barbeque. Simply turn your drone on, set it to manually circle around your backyard and record your guests having fun… and join them. The drone will do all the work and it will even land on the preprogrammed home location (don’t forget to set this up) when it runs out of battery. If that’s not convenient, then I don’t know what is…

 

The most popular autonomous flight types explained:

For those of you wondering what are the best types of autonomous flight, you’ve come to the right place. You can find a shortlist of the most popular ones down below:

Follow Me

This mode works in 2 ways: through GPS data and software recognition technology. It works in a very simple way – select an object or person you wish to focus on and your drone will follow it wherever it goes.

Cable Cam

This allows you to program a route that your drone will follow in straight lines. In addition to standard cable cam, some drones (such as Yuneec Typhoon H) have curved cable cam which essentially does the same thing but instead of straight lines, the drone will use a curved pattern.

Drones with Waypoint navigation

This feature allows you to designate a specific path/route that your drone will follow. Customizability is of utmost importance and Waypoints mode (in most cases) will allow you to configure flying speed, altitude, camera rotations, and plenty of other options.

Selfie

If you want to capture that perfect selfie for all your social media followers to admire, then Selfie mode is your go-to option. This feature will order your drone to fly away from you roughly 50 to 150 feet and snap a breathtaking aerial selfie straight out of your wildest dreams!

Orbit

This one is pretty self-explanatory. When you select Orbit mode, your drone will start… well… orbiting around you or an object of your choice. You can manually configure specific details such as object/person focus, flying altitude, speed, and in some cases, even more.

Return To Home

RTH is the most essential safety feature that comes with most modern-day drones. There are 2 versions – GPS powered and headless mode powered. The latter is not nearly as effective as GPS-powered one since it simply instructs the drone to “fly back”. On the other hand, GPS RTH is a reliable feature that remembers takeoff location and effectively returns the drone to it in case of battery shortage or connection issues.

 

Conclusion

With the brilliant DJI Inspire 2, we have come to the end of our top 8 best autonomous drone list. Undoubtedly, this has been one heck of a journey. In the end, I want to add that the main purpose of this list was to show you guys that drones aren’t that difficult to enjoy. With any of the 10 drones listed above, you can have a ton of fun without having to manually control them. It’s that simple! So, with that said… happy piloting!

Larry Haller