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DJI is Apple of the drone industry. Every model they launch is a huge, deserved success.
Mavic Pro is another drone in the Mavic line of models that saw massive sale numbers and hordes of fans worldwide. However, the drone comes with a steep price and as soon as it came out, people started looking for solid Mavic Pro clones and alternatives that are good enough.
Some of the models we list below are not only good enough, but actually surprisingly competitive against DJI Mavic Pro while costing two times less.
So be sure to read till the end as we will go over a lot of models – all of them costing less than $500. We also added couple of budget Mavic Pro alternatives that are well below $200 but still good machines.
DJI also launched successors to the Mavic Pro – Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom models whose reviews can be read here.
DJI Mavic Alternatives – Top drones:
DJI Mavic Air 2
This is a brand new DJI drone that was released in April 2020. The drone saw huge improvements over its predecessors. This machine is a real beast with impressive flight time of 34 minutes, 48 MP photos and HDR capabilities.
The Mavic Air 2 weighs 570g (1.3 pound) and feautres a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor capable of 12MP and 48MP photos (JPEG and RAW). When it comes to video, the Mavic Air 2 can shoot up to 4K 60fps at 120 Mpbs. Mavic Air 2 is also capable to shoot in the H.265 HVEC video codec to improve efficiency without any loss in quality.
It is a bit more expensive but also much more feature rich than the Mavic Mini as you can see in our comparison of Air 2 and Mini.
DJI also introduced some new smart camera features on the new Air 2, called Scene Recognition and Hyperlight.
- Scene Recognition is made for detecting sunsets, blue skies, grass, snow, and trees. It then optimizes images with these objects for a stunning final photo.
- Hyperlight is a feature that is drumming around mobile markets – it aims to increase the quality of night shots by taking multiple photos and merging them to reduce the amount of noise (graininess) that’s common in low-light images.
Holy Stone HS720 – A top Mavic Pro alternative under 500$
Holy Stone is an underdog in comparison to DJI (who isn’t?) but some of their models can offer a decent competiton to DJI models.
The HS720 is one of the Holy Stone drones that is often seen as a replica for Mavic Pro. All things considered, we can confirm it is a good Mavic Pro alternative.
The drone is very responsive, easy to maneuver and good in wind conditions.
Camera performance is also more than decent – 12MP, capable of shooting 1080p video and transmitting live video, the HS720 upgrades that into a 2K FHD 5G Camera. Combine that with up to 26 minutes of flight time, excellent range of 1600 meters and a bunch of intelligent modes like Follow Me, Custom Flight Path, GPS system and automatic takeoff and landing and you get a fantastic and affordable clone of Mavic Pro.
ALTAIR 818 – the cheap Mavic Air clone
This is one of Altair’s most popular drones – the 818, AKA Hornet. It is a bulky but yet a nice looking drone.
Camera is not where this drone shines as it can capture modest 720p videos and has an FPV range of less than 60 meters.
Another drawback of this drone is lack of GPS module so the drone will not be a smooth flier.
However, the drone does have an altitude hold and 3 speed settings while flying up to 150 meters of range. It can stay in the air for around 15 minutes on one battery but you do get two of them in the box, so it is 30 minutes with one quick pit stop to replace batteries.
Overall, Altair 818 is a budget DJI Mavic Air alternative that can only barely perform as good as the DJI flagship.
POTENSIC T35
Another cheap Mavic Air clone that is, for its price segment, packed with features.
Starting with a dual GPS, altitude hold, return to home, follow me and waypoints – this drone can peacock around bigger names with no hesitation.
While the provided 1080p camera is solid for the money, the stabilization is poor and hence the videos are jittery, choppy, and you can’t really use them for much. It is a similar story for the photos.
As for the flying time, it can also do 15 minutes with its 2500 mAh battery and you can have to away for up to 200-300 meters which is decent controller range.
Overall, for its three digits price, this Potensic model is another cheap but good DJI Mavic Air alternative.
DJI Mavic Mini
It is small, feathery light and can fly up to 30 minutes. DJI Mavic Mini is currently the cheapest Mavic drone by DJI. It is a perfect drone for everyone, beginners and advanced users alike and it looks like a meld of all Mavic models together – it is on par with Mavic 2 Pro in terms of flight time, it lighter and more portable than any other Mavic model. The only drawback is lack of 4K videos but it does 2.7k and it is only fractionally worse than 4K Mavic models.
There is hardly another drone more compact and lighter than the new DJI Mavic Mini. Weighing only 249 grams (without propeller protection), the new DJI Mavic Mini does not even require a drone license plate or registration – for example in the USA.
Granted, it is not the most stable drone in windy conditions nor are the plastic legs and propellers as sturdy as with high-end DJI drones (cost of the weight reduction) but Mavic Mini is just incredible piece of engineering with frugal mindset.
DJI Mavic Mini
FIMI X8 SE – Affordable DJI Drone alternative
Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi Tech’s new camera drone X8 SE Drone has made its debut in 2019.
The X8 SE drone is marketed under the subsidiary brand FIMI. The Xiaomi FIMI X8 SE has a 4K camera and a three-axis gimbal and, thanks to its foldable design, resembles the DJI Mavic Pro or DJI Mavic 2 (Pro/Zoom).
The consumer drone has very small dimensions of only 204 x 106 x 72.6 millimetres with the arms folded in. This makes the drone about the size of a conventional smartphone. By comparison, the DJI Mavic 2 measures 214 x 91 x 84 millimetres when folded. The take-off weight of the FIMI X8 SE is 790 grams. The integrated positioning system consists of a modern GPS and Glonass module. In addition, the XIAOMI FIMI X8 SE has a Vision Positioning System (VPS) on the underside of the housing.
It is quieter than its competitors and can develop decent speed of 65 km/h.
The maximum photo resolution of 4,000 x 3,000 pixels.
When in video mode, the camera can record 4K images at up to 30 fps or 1080p images at up to 60 fps.
The data is stored at a bit rate of 100 Mbps on a local microSD card with up to 64 Gigabyte storage capacity in the drone. The drone is easy to fly and is suitable for beginners and professionals alike.
The Xiaomi FIMI Xiaomi drone has 33 minutes flight time.
Altair Outlaw SE – Another Budget Pick
Another drone from Altair – Outlaw SE is a high-quality drone that is loaded with cool features.
Most of those features are geared towards the newcomers and have a goal to make it easy for them to learn to fly. They include automatic takeoff and landing, altitude hold and more advanced stuff like follow me, return to home and waypoints.
The drone has a GPS module and can fly away up to 600m wihtout losing signal. When we add a praiseworthy 20 minutes flight time on top of all of this, we get a whole package. Check the price and your eyes will pop out – getting all of this for 3-4x the money you would shell out for Mavic Pro is almost irresistible deal to pass on.
The camera on Outlaw SE is average – but can do 1080p HD. However, as you would expect, without the gimbal the videos are pretty jittery and shaky. Photos are much better though.
AA300 GPS DRONE – Best Budget GPS Drone Under 500
The AA300 costs well below $500 but deserves a mention on this list because of all its cool features and GPS capabilities. It’s one of the highest-quality drones in this price segment, costing less than $200 and that’s why we want to share it with you.
The drone features a 1080p HD camera and 15 minutes flight time.
As for the flight modes, the AA300 has a handful of them, and they’re beginner-friendly, too! These go from headless mode, altitude hold, one-touch takeoff and landing to return-to-home.
This budget GPS drone is a great choice if you’re searching for a Mavic Air clone.
Contixo F24 Pro
This foldable drone is an absolute steal for its price. It features an excellent 4K Ultra HD Camera that is vertical adjustable with a 120° FOV lens.
You can take 4k images and 2.7k recordings with it.
Intelligent 25000 mAh batteries power the drone for a whopping 30 minutes of flight time.
The range is also impressive – 1,700 feet for live video and image transition.
The drone also comes with follow me mode, gesture control and orbit mode – three surprising features for this price range drones. But that is not all since the drone also has tap to fly option with 16 waypoints you can use to direct the drone on its fly path.
Hubsan Zino 2
This is a third Zino model by Hubsan, even though the name suggests otherwise. This is a drone that came as a third generation after Zino and Zino Pro.
The new Zino 2 will be a much more powerful drone with important specs jacked up:
- range is improved from 2.5km to 6km
- flying time is improved from 23 to 33 minutes
- camera will be able to do 4k on 60 fps (better than Mavic Air)
- 32.6 x 26 x 9.49 mm in size, meaning it is slightly bigger
- weighs almost 1Kg (915 grams) which is 215g more than Hubsan Zino.
Ruko F11
Great drone that can fly up to 30 minutes, has a 4k camera and a 1.2km control range.
The drone features a 4K UHD camera that lets you to capture footage at high resolution. The camera can record 2.7K videos and stills at up to 8.3MP. It also has a 120-degree field of view, which enhances the extent of details in your footage. It lacks the smoothness and has a bit of a fish-eye effect. The stabilization is surprisingly good, although there’s still a bit of vibration going on.
The long flight time is powered by the 2500mAh intelligent batteries that it uses to give a pilot a whopping 30 minutes of flight time.
Two downsides are lack of obstacle detection sensors and gimbal stabilization.
Ruko F11 is easy to fly thanks to onboard GPS, and it possesses the typical safety/accessibility features like headless mode, one key takeoff and landing, altitude hold, and auto return to home.
Which Drones Like DJI Mavic Pro To Pick?
Although there are few drones like DJI Mavic Pro, the above mentioned models could be called Mavic Pro clones, in the broadest sense of the word.
If you are tired of DJI and their models, then Hubsan drones from the Zino series are definitely worth a look. Also, the chinese XIAOMI continues to impress with their drones and their flasgship model FIMI X8 SE is carving out a market for itself.
The more cheaper alternatives are Potensic and Contixo F24 Pro, both under $300 with solid equipment.
And finally, we made sure to suggest a short list of DJI Mavic Pro replicas and clones for under $200. There you have, again, one DJI model with Contixo F24 and models from Altair.
Why There Are DJI Mavic Pro Clones?
Well, anything good in any industry always attracts copycats and imposters. So does Mavic Pro – a lot of other companies have modelled their drones in a hope to shave off a bit of the DJI market share while emulating them.
But, quality comes with price so not everybody can afford DJI Mavic Pro. Sometimes you just want a cheaper drone to learn the flying skills or to use it as a perfect gift for a friend or a kid. Btw. our guide on best drones for kids might be a good start for those of you who came to this article for this reason.
However, our list has drones that do not resemble DJI Mavic Pro in appearance but rather in flight performance. We also made sure that these Mavic Pro clones are just like Mavic Pro but only cheaper – some of them well under $200, which means 5x less than Mavic Pro.
If you want to see more expensive drone models – click on our guide about that.
Are These DJI Mavic Pro Clones Worth It?
Of course they are.
You don’t want to spend too much money on a drone when you are still fresh to the piloting world. Having a too expensive drone in the air could be a fun-decreasing and stressful experience, if you keep thinking how bad would it be if you crashed that drone.
With these more cheaper DJI Mavic Pro clones and replicas, you can have more comfortable flights as there would be a lesser financial damage in case of a crash or drone breakdown.
Should You Get DJI Mavic Pro?
Yes, you should if you have the money. This is still one of the top drones on the market when it comes to overall performance and abilities.
However, if you are a noob, you are better off with one of these alternatives.
Make sure to check out our other guides about DJI drones:
