Love to get outdoors and capture the action? These budget drones will carry your GoPro and capture the action, all for chump change!

The world’s most popular action camera, the GoPro has changed the game for sports enthusiasts the world over. 

Capturing epic footage in first person is one thing but what about some aerial views to really wow your audience? These are some of the best budget GoPro drones available for under £500.

If you’re travelling or hitting the slopes/mountain etc, these drones will also fit in your bag easily.

Yuneec Breeze

The Yuneec Breeze actually comes fitted with a pretty decent 4k camera, something rare in budget drones. The Breeze boasts cool features such as ‘follow me’ mode and is usable both in and outdoors, and at around 400 grams, is light enough to sling in a backpack. But, despite its compact size it can actually handle the weight of a GoPro, ideally in calm (11mph wind) conditions.

Flight time is short at around 15 minutes, but the Breeze comes with 2 batteries meaning you can get a half hour out of one trip without splashing out on extra batteries. In fact Digital Trends says, “The Breeze… has a great autopilot at a fantastic price”.

Price approx £200

DJI Spark

DJI make the top end drones such as the Mavic Pro and the Phantom. If you’re not quite ready to splash out around £1000 yet, then the Spark is a great option.

For your money though, you get a drone that has many quality features. A 12 MP camera, a range of nearly 2 kilometres and a glut of premium flight options like object tracking, return to home and selfie mode. There is also a decent 2 axis gimbal which will give you enough control for your images.

At under 400 grams, the DJI Spark is light enough to drop into your backpack to capture the days images.

The battery life is around 15 mins but you are getting a fast and sturdy drone that will be a great entry to the drone world.

Price – Under £500.

 

Parrot Bebop 2

The Bebop 2 is a compact little number with one of the best flight ranges of a budget GoPro drone. You’ll be able to film from around 1.5 miles away and with the long battery time (around 25 minutes), you can get a leisurely shot too.

Despite being lightweight (around 500 grams) Parrot claim that the stabilization of the Bebop 2 is one of the best on the market – resisting headwinds of up to 37mph.

But, the Bebop 2’s coolest feature is probably its first person view headset, allowing you to strap on the goggles and get a pilot’s eye view of the action. You won’t be able to use this feature with a GoPro, but still, it’s a pretty cool gizmo.

Price: Around £300.

3DR Solo

Another drone that comes sans camera, the 3DR Solo is a solid piece of kit and is made for GoPro photography. It comes with a camera mount (although if you want a gimbal you’ll need to buy that separately) and is great for expert and beginner drone operators alike.

It’s a solid piece of kit, so even if you stack your drone into a tree it should stand up to a bit of a beating. For peace of mind, 3DR also offer coverage for damage to your drone and your camera, if the worst should happen.

You’ll get about 20 mins flight time and the top speed is listed as a very respectable 55 mph. If you’re looking for a GoPro drone that is made for the job, this might be one of the best options.

Approx £400-500.

Veho Muvi Q-1

As the Q-1 comes without a camera, you can strap on your GoPro easily to the included mount. The specs say that it will handle the Hero 3/4 GoPro camera but you get additional mounts for other action cameras.

It’s not the lightest option at over 1kg, but it is a sturdy piece of kit which will handle a crash or two (so long as it isn’t too catastrophic!).

You do get a 3 axis gimbal (for maximum control), a 20 minute battery life and lots of features such as follow me mode and drone stabilisation.

Price approx £250-300.

If you’re looking to get one of these great GoPro budget drones then make sure you abide by your local laws for pilots.

In general:

• Do not fly near airports or government installations.
• Respect people’s privacy.
• Do not fly over people’s houses or other private property.

You can view the legal bits here: UK / USA / Canada / Ireland / Australia