When we talk about toy-class drones, none represent the label better than a nano drone. These mini flying quadcopters are often smaller than the palm of your hand, and elicit laughter as they buzz around your living room. These are easy gifts to give to others, fun toys to learn from and a very inexpensive way to safely get into the hobby.

As you might imagine, there are quite a few of these tiny drones out there, ready to drive your house pet insane. Join us as we explore some of the better options, some of the best nano drones available today.

Best nano drones

• Hubsan H111
• Syma X12
• Cheerson CX-10
• Eachine E010
• UVify OOri

How about a big camera drone instead?

The best part about these nano drones is that none exceed the 0.55 lb weight limit imposed by the FAA. You will not have to register these things. The downside, they are so small that you are almost stuck to flying indoors. The ones we’ve tested are fairly crazy little things, they’ll be all over the place as is, you don’t need wind causing extra difficulty.

For the most part, you are looking at inexpensive toys with very few offer flight assistance features, this is all skill. They are usually fairly under-powered as well — they’ll zip around fast enough, but you’re not likely to take off with a camera, for example, and they are likely not strong enough to fight a little wind.

I cannot rightly call any of the nano drones on our list ‘tools,’ they are all toys. Having said that, let’s go have some fun.

Drone legal and safety

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Hubsan

Hubsan H111

$18.00

MSRP

2014

Release Date

One of our favorite drones for flying around the house is the tiny Hubsan H111. This is an entry level toy drone that usually sells for around $20. It flies quite well, all things considered, and is a superb machine to practice on during the winter months or before you dive into a larger machine. The built in battery only provides about 5 minute of flight time, there is no camera and no fancy flight features, it's a raw flight experience - which is what we love about it.

It's not lost on us that it comes in Drone Rush colors as well, thank you Hubsan!

Check out the Hubsan H111 for about $18 today.

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Syma

Syma X12

$25.00 $21.00

MSRP

September 2016

Release Date

The Syma X12 nano drone is a tiny machine that easily fits in the palm of the hand. This drone, as with most in this size-class, is a very simple flier, offering almost no flight features or stability, just a couple simple navigational joysticks and some prop guards. You can fly machines like the Syma X12 outdoors, on a calm day, but they are best for indoor flight. With just around 5 minutes of flight from the built-in battery, the X12 is on par with most nano drones, all of which are fun little aircraft that are great for first time pilots to safely get some stick time.

Check out the Syma X12 for around $20.

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Cheerson

Cheerson CX-10

$18.00

MSRP

June 2014

Release Date

Another of the better nano drones out there, the Cheerson CX-10 fits in the palm of the hand and offers a simple flight experience for new pilots. Best used indoors, the CX-10 comes in several forms, the base model is just a simple drone, there are versions with some flight modes and cameras as well. Truth is, we can think of better drones with cameras, we recommend just sticking with the base model, having some fun practicing your piloting skills in your living room.

Check out the Cheerson CX-10 for about $16.

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Eachine

Eachine E010

$23.00

MSRP

August 2016

Release Date

Eachine makes many toy-class drones, and the smallest of the bunch is the Eachine E010 nano drone. As a fun little nano drone, you're best to fly in the living room, however, there are three speeds to choose from, with slow and medium handling well indoors, you might want a calm day int he backyard for fast mode. The Eachine E010 may well be the most resilient drone in our nano drones list, the hefty prop guards offer collision protection, which is a life saver for those tiny props.

Check out the race inspired Eachine E010 for about $22 today.

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UVify

UVify OOri

$349.00 $295.00

MSRP

January 2018

Release Date

UVify has a rich history in drone racing. They understand that the future racers need to start somewhere, developing the UVify OOri as a fantastic beginner's race drone. Slow and stable for practicing in your living room, this machine can open up to over 50MPH when you want to win a race. Agile, light-weight and fast, the UVify OOri is great for beginners on a budget.

• UVify OOri hands-on

There may be less expensive beginner drones out there, but if quality is of concern to you, the UVify OOri for $295 is hard to beat in the segment.

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Nano drones are fun little toys

That’s all we’ll look at today folks. We know there are many, many nano drones on the market, just hit your local electronics store, or grocery store for that matter, and you’re likely to find a flying toy able to fit in the palm of a child’s hand.

Due to the basic abilities of these little fliers, you are best to look for quality parts more than a known brand. Many of these small drones are cheap drones. Motors burning out and poor connectivity are one thing, but poorly constructed cables and connectors pose fire hazards, please monitor your purchase and consider purchasing a LiPo bag for safety. I use this Apex RC Products Lipo bag for $12 on Amazon.

In the end, these are hugely fun little machines. They are very safe for most children to fly, respecting the posted age limits, of course. The real thing here, most of the toys in this segment are made to be disposable – very hard to repair, possibly no parts to be found and made of simple materials. We hope our recommendations serve you well, and please fly safe in the house.

What is you favorite nano drone?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I fly nano drones outside?

Of course you can, just be aware of local flight laws and of the wind. In most countries, if your drone weighs 0.55 lbs, 250 grams, or more, it must be registered before flight, and there are strict rules to follow in the air. Most nano drones weigh less than this, they will not require registration, but are still subject to the flight laws. None of the nano drones on our list are able to fly 400 feet in the air, so they won’t be breaking that law at least. Otherwise, these are tiny, low powered machines that will struggle greatly in the wind, we recommend only flying on a very calm day.

Can I use a nano drone as a spy drone?

Yes, maybe. The fact of the matter is that the quad-copter design is a noisy one. The tiniest of drones make a lot of noise as the motors spin up and the propellers move a ton of air to attain flight. If your operation depends on stealth, I do not recommend a quadcopter at all. Further, these tiny drones usually do not have a camera. If you grab a nano drone with camera, and are operating where noise is of no concern, you’re in business.

Are nano drones any good?

As always, the value of a drone depends on your intended use. For us, we love our $20 Hubsan H111, we fly it indoors all the time. Thing is, these flights are just for fun and to hone our skills with the sticks. The battery only lasts a few minutes and the machine is not overly resilient to crashes, so our use is pretty much limited to being a fun distraction once in a while. To us, that’s a good drone, but if you need anything more out of your machine, consider something a little more substantial.