10 Best Build Your Own Drone Kits 2020 [Buying Guide]

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How to Choose the Best Build Your Own Drone Kit

Drones are a new and exciting technology. Everyone is starting to jump on the bandwagon. What’s even more exciting is getting to assemble your own drone that you can attach your cameras to and fly around. That’s where we come in. We’ve compiled this list of the best build-your-own drone kits on the market right now so you can get the most out of your construction efforts! Let’s get started with some things you should know.

Main Material: What the drone is made of is extremely important. You need to know that it’s light enough to fly; otherwise, you might need more powerful motors or different propellers. Carbon fiber is the most common.

Pieces: How many different pieces does it come with? This can be a way to measure how difficult the kit will be to put together, or it can tell you how much you have to purchase separately.

Power: Power is measured here in GHz, which is a measure of how powerful the receivers need to be to interact with the drone. You’re going to need a controller, so make sure that your receiver the drone kit.

Drone Weight: How much does it weight? As we already talked about, heavier drones will take more power to fly and be more difficult to control. A lightweight drone is easier, and you can add a camera to the frame!

Drone Size: How big is the drone? Sometimes there are regulations about what constitutes a ‘drone’ and you might not be able to fly if it’s larger than a certain size. Check your local ordinances before you buy.

Motor Included: When you have to buy the motor separately, it can get expensive. We’ve included this information so you don’t get blindsided with the extra cost of a motor for your new drone. Get everything at once!

Top 10 Products

With that information available to you, it’s time to take a look at some of the drones that you can build yourself. With this list, you can learn how to build a drone from scratch and get everything that you need at the same time. Our top pick and budget pick are the highlights of our list, so check them out first before continuing through the rest of our list. Your next drone is somewhere on this list!

LHI Quadcopter Frame Kit

The best DIY drone kit we could find during our research is this one by LHI. It comes with 23 pieces that you’ll need to put it together, including four 2300KV brushless motors that you can use to make your drone the fastest during races or other hobby activities. The entire frame is made of carbon fiber so that it’s lightweight and durable as well. You can fly it safe in the knowledge that it’s not going to break anytime soon. The flight controller is onboard with direct USB support. Basically, this set is easy to put together and fun to use. It’s a hobby-grade quadcopter that’s smaller than normal quads but is still powerful and reliable enough. This drone kit will be great for people who know a little bit about hobby drone building, but even beginners will have fun with this one! Almost everything you need is included, with the exception of the batteries and transmitters.

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Maxxrace Racing Drone Kit

This DIY drone kit from Maxxrace is an inexpensive way to get into building drones if it’s not something that you’re familiar with. It’s an easy, beginner-friendly build that’s great for kids and adults alike. The controls are easy to follow, and between the gyro action and the 6-axis frame, it can do all of the crazy flight stunts that you want it to. It’s got stronger wind resistance than some of the other copters on this list. It’s great for STEM teaching because it helps build science skills, as well as technology and engineering. If you’re looking for a great gift for your preteen or older child, this might just be up to their alley if they’re into building things. Once built, this DIY racing drone kit allows you 360 degrees of control to move however you’d like. The flexibility of the controls is one of the best things about this particular drone kit. The fun doesn’t end with assembly!

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Top Race DIY Drone Kit

If you’re looking specifically for a racing drone, go with this one by Top Race. The cool thing about this DIY drone kit is the fact that it is made with building blocks. It’s made for children older than 14 and encourages creativity as well as boosting engineering and technology skills. There are 54 pieces included in this kit, and most of those are because of the way that you create the frame. It also comes with a transmitter, battery, guards, cables, and extra parts. It even includes a screwdriver. This really is a complete DIY drone kit that’s going to be great for your scientifically-minded teens. The controls are flexible, and you can use a single button to return the drone to you when you’re out flying it. It has a bright LED for flying at night. Plus, the drone can get up to 165 feet from your controller. That’s versatile and flexible, on a durable plastic frame.

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Go On 123 Drone Building Kit

The Go On 123 Kit comes with absolutely everything that you need to make a full drone. This camera drone kit is great for children and beginners because you don’t have to make any other purchases. The only thing that you have to have on hand is a soldering iron to make sure the parts are put together correctly. Otherwise, you can put the drone together in about 30 minutes. The built-in camera records at 480P quality and can run on both iPhone and Android devices – the pictures and videos that the drone takes while in the air will be stored to your phone. That’s pretty amazing! It has a headless mode as well as an altitude hold mode, where it will hover at a specific level. The controls are flexible and dynamic, and it comes with an LED light that’s bright enough to use at night. Get everything you need with this DIY drone kit with the camera.

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Woafly LHI Kit Quadcopter

Woafly makes this DIY quadcopter kit that comes equipped with the LHI motors that we’ve seen praised so highly elsewhere on this list. The frame is sturdy, made of well-cut carbon fiber. It’s a little heavier than usual due to the 4mm arms, but that just means that it’s more durable and won’t have any effect on the way that it flies. For beginners that are looking into the FPV camera-style of drone racing, this is a great place to start. In this type of racing, you also need a camera to go onto your drone. They do recommend a camera to use, as well as a battery, transmitter, and receiver. It’s great because you get to choose those components, so you can customize your drone in these aspects. Everything else that you need is there, including the motors. You get to have the fun of putting it together, and with just the components here you’ll get a great drone!

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Crazepony Racing Drone Frame

Crazepony makes this carbon fiber racing drone frame. This is just the kit that includes the frame – there are no other pieces that will help to create your drone. However, it is a good starting point if you’re looking into building your own drones without the help of a kit. This frame has removable arms that are about 4mm each, as well as a lightweight body that can stand up well to crashes and mishaps in the air. It’s flexible, so it’s more adaptable to any situation you might encounter during the race. It’s got the perfect-sized camera mount right on the nose so you can get your camera in the perfect position for racing. It’s great for both beginners and people who have been at it a while. The compact design has very few components, so it’s easy to assemble and to get started. Plus, they even provide recommendations for the other parts you’ll need.

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FPVDrone Frame Kit

This carbon fiber drone frame kit comes with four different pieces that you assemble to make the basis for your drone. This means that it’s extremely lightweight, coming in at only 7.2 ounces all told. It’s durable and strong, though, and that makes it perfect for FPV drone racing. The structure is assembled in the shape of an X, which means that it’s suitable for the speed and movements that you need during this type of play. It includes instructions as to what other parts will fit – it’s got a room for some of the best motors and flight controllers on the market, which makes it one of the most adaptable frames. The screws are steel so they aren’t going to be stripped down easily. They will hold when you most need them to. When you have all the parts together, this frame is going to be the best way to put them all together and create a great drone!

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Hobbypower DIY Quadcopter Kit

This quadcopter kit by Hobbypower is great for someone who is a little more experienced in putting them together. It comes with everything but the battery and the transmitter/receiver, so you can choose the ones that you think are best. They do have recommendations for the types of components that work best with the motors, so keep that in mind as well! Whether you’re doing FPV racing or just doing the regular flying, this drone will serve you well. There’s plenty of room to mount a camera and the frame is made of lightweight, sturdy carbon fiber. This drone kit is popular because of the amazing quality! We love that it comes with everything that you need other than the parts you might want to customize. It’s a stable, quality drone that you’re going to love putting together. On top of all of that, it’s a great-looking drone! With a few hours of work, this thing is going to last.

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SpeedyFPV FPV Racing Drone Kit

SpeedyFPV makes this FPV drone kit that you’re going to love taking through courses. When completed, the 2 brushless motors at 2300kV will pair with the matching set of propellers to give you a smooth, powerful performance. The carbon fiber frame is lightweight and high quality, so it’s strong enough to keep pushing you forward. Everything about this drone is technologically sound. It is fun to assemble and is definitely more of a professional-grade drone when finished than a toy or hobby one. There is plenty of space to mount the camera that you want to get the best footage from your races. This kit has nearly everything that you need to make the perfect drone for FPV work. The flight controller is a full F3 plug-and-play system with a complete cable set that you won’t have to buy elsewhere, as well as multiple receiver inputs so you can control from several different devices. That’s powerful!

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LHI Race Copter Kit

LHI is back on our list again with this build your own quadcopter kit. This drone is simply beautiful when it’s fully assembled, and made of lightweight, durable carbon fiber. This kit is perfectly fine for users of every different skill level, including senior players and beginner DIYers. This kit specifically is very stable and easy to fly, with high-powered LHI motors included. It’s a little heavier than the regular drone kits because it is a quadcopter kit instead, so don’t let that stop you from trying it out. This is one of the most popular drone kits on our list! It comes with four sets of propellers – two sets of green and two sets of black, as well as the flight control and all of the cables that you need. The only thing you need to purchase separately is a battery, and then you’re good to go. The bottom even lights up with different colors in the dark!

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About the Author

Kimberly Graf

Expert Researcher and Writer

Kimberly Graf is a researcher and writer for GeekWrapped.com. She covers kitchen, cooking, and home products.

Best Build Your Own Drone Kits

Top 10 Buying Guide

Our Recommendations

LHI Quadcopter Frame Kit

Maxxrace Racing Drone Kit

How to Choose the Best Build Your Own Drone Kit

Top 10 Products

LHI Quadcopter Frame Kit

Maxxrace Racing Drone Kit

Top Race DIY Drone Kit

Go On 123 Drone Building Kit

Woafly LHI Kit Quadcopter

Crazepony Racing Drone Frame

FPVDrone Frame Kit

Hobbypower DIY Quadcopter Kit

SpeedyFPV FPV Racing Drone Kit

LHI Race Copter Kit

About the Author

TOP PICK

LHI Quadcopter Frame Kit