Since the FAA first started issuing commercial drone permits in 2006, the sale of commercial drones has grown exponentially. Not only are people flying them as a hobby, but they're used professionally for real estate to terrain mapping, or being raced competitively. 

Ready to join this new trend and purchase your first drone? Read on for the best drones of 2019 for hobbyists to professionals!

Best for Photo & Video: DJI Mavic 2 Pro

This is by far the best drone for aerial photographers and videographers. With its up-to-date DJI software, it's a breeze to fly and includes 30 minutes of battery life, a high-end camera, and autonomous obstacle avoidance to avoid crashes. 

Its Hasselblad camera captures 20-megapixel photographs and 4K videos. If you're not a fan of spending too much time editing your photos, it's straight out of camera RAW images are more colorful than most competitors'. 

For a relatively expensive piece of equipment that is selling for $1,500 currently, you want to ensure that it stays in the air. The Mavic 2 Pro has many features to aid you. 

While you're focusing on getting the best composition for photos and video, this drone can hold itself steady in moderate winds through the power of GPS. Its ability to sense obstacles in all directions gives you ample warning to steer clear from trees, buildings, and telephone poles.

It includes a variety of smart-flight modes. These enable it to track a subject you highlight while smoothly following a prescribed flight pattern.

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro weighs 2 pounds and is 8.4 by 3.6 by 3.3 inches folded. If you find yourself traveling often, this drone won't weigh you down.

Best for Entry-Level Hobbyists: DJI Spark

At $500, this drone is a far more affordable dive into the drone world. However, it includes many features that the DJI Mavic 2 Pro sports, such as intelligent collision avoidance, gesture controls, and smart-flight modes.

The DJI Spark's beginner-friendly features include the ability to return to home if the battery is critically low or you lose visual line of sight, and it can hold itself steady in the air with moderate winds. These features alone are invaluable for beginners, as the risk of losing your drone or crashing it becomes a lot less! 

The caveats are that it has a shorter battery life of 15 minutes, a shorter range, and only captures 1080p video. However, it folds into roughly the size of your hand, so if you're looking for a simple drone to travel with while you're on vacation, hitting the trail, or just want to capture gorgeous views of the sunset near your home, the DJI Spark has you covered.

Best for Kids: Parrot Mambo

This drone is a great investment for both younger and older kids, so that as your child grows it'll still get plenty of use. Moreover, at $50 it's affordable enough to not break the bank, allowing your child to safely fly without too much stress about the inevitable accident. 

For safety, it includes guards for each of its propellers to keep them from striking people or plummeting to the ground if it grazes a tree branch. It also includes sensors that help it remain stable and level in the air, making it far easier to control. 

The Parrot Mambo also has extra features, such as the ability to program flight paths to help your kids develop an interest in coding. And if you pay extra for the Mambo FPV bundle, it includes a camera that attaches to the Mambo so your child can view its flight path from a first-person perspective. 

As drones become more prevalent, there is some worry about drones spying on your family and especially your children. You can read more here about what to do in those situations. 

Best for Out-of-the-Box Racing: Walkera F210 3D 

Drone racing is a whole different beast. With speeds of up to 100 mph and technical courses that will test your ability to control your drone, you're looking for small, tough, agile, high-speed drones that come with FPV cameras and goggles. 

Before you start drone racing, note that these drones offer little to no flight assistance. It takes far more practice and perseverance to get these flying than drones that are geared towards capturing photo and video - you may even consider finding a trainer.

The Walkera F210 3D is one of the best out-of-the-box racing drones you can buy today. Although it's not guaranteed to be crash-proof, it's constructed to protect the core components during a crash, with the rest of its exterior parts easy to replace. The Walkera remains lightweight and agile, allowing you to tackle tight corners and keep up with competitors. 

Best of all, it comes with simple customization features that allow you to tweak its flight characteristics. Once you become a capable racing drone pilot, you'll find that there are certain specifications you need. Those specifications help tighten your control over the drone. The Walkera lets you do just that. 

The Best Drones for You

No matter what you plan to use your new drone for, hopefully this list of the best drones of 2019 has you covered! It's all about what you plan to use your drone for - it's not recommended to pay $1,500 for a drone you're planning on handing over to your child, for instance. 

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