Top Quadcopter Commercial Drone Manufacturers on the Market

As regulations have lifted, the commercial UAV drone craze is alive and well with commercial drone manufacturers flooding the market with new quadcopter models all the time.

If you’re just getting started in the hobby, you may recognize the models, but not the commercial drone companies. Here we’re compiling a list of popular quadcopter drone manufacturers to learn about so you can watch for new models coming soon. 

Blade

Blade, owned by Horizon Hobby, is a hobby product distributor out of Champaign, Illinois. They manufacture Blade quadcopters with enhanced features to make flying safer. Blade offers anything from helicopters to multi-prop drones with its most popular model being the Blade Nano QX, a great quadcopter for beginners. If you’re interested in photography, check out the Chroma drone and Zeyrok drone.

Cheerson Hobby Technology Company Ltd.

Cheerson Hobby started in 2011 in the Guangdong province in China. They specialize in designing and manufacturing remote-controlled toys and are best known for their CX-10 Mini Quadcopter. Their Cheerson CX-20 open source drone is a mid-level GPS drone with camera gimbal support for semi-professional aerial video production. New models include the CX-10WD and the CX-335 FPV.

DJI Innovations

DJI Innovations is one of the most popular drone makers in the industry, marketing to both professionals and hobbyists. They’re based in Shenzhen, China and manufacture the phantom series quadcopters with GPS first-person view. The Phantom 2 is great for those with a GoPro camera and the Phantom 3 is one of the best ready-to-fly video-enabled quadcopters on the market. New additions include the Phantom 4 Pro and the Mavic Pro.

Hobbico

Hobbico is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois and is the world’s largest wholesale and retail distributor of hobby products. They distribute around 30 brands including several proprietary brands: Estes Proto X, Heli-Max, and Dromida Ominus, amongst others.

Hubsan

Hubsan is located in Dong, China where they’ve made themselves a household name in the drone hobbyist market for their X4 models. Their entry level models are the Hubsan X4 H107C and H107D FPV X4 Mini RTF Quadcopter with Plus models now available.

JJRC Toy Co. Ltd.

JJRC is also located in China and manufacturers toy guns, toy robots, and remote-controlled vehicles. The JJRC Mini Quadcopter is one of their most popular models as well as their newer JJRC H37 pocket selfie drone.

Parrot

Parrot is headquartered in Paris, France and is a newer entrant into the quadcopter/UAV market. They specialize in wireless devices for mobile phones and cars such as Bluetooth hands-free kits. They’ve gained a large part of the consumer quadcopter/UAV market with their AR.Drone, a mid-range hobby drone with integrated FPV system controlled by a smartphone app. Parrot also offers an advanced quadcopter with plenty of features, the Bebop 2 drone.

Syma Toys

Located in Shantou, Chine, Syma Toys is best-known for their remote-controlled helicopters. They recently entered the drone market with their popular X5C and new updated models. Other popular models include the small Syma X11 mini quadcopter and the Syma X5SW Plus quadcopter drone with WiFi FPV camera, amongst other new models.

UDI RC Toys

UDI is also based in China and is a newer manufacturer. They make a line of radio-controlled cars, boats, helicopters, and quadcopters and are gaining great reviews on their products. Their most popular model is the new UDI U818A FPV RC quadcopter drone with HD camera.

Walkera

The Walkera drone factory is located in Guangzhou City, China and offers a wide range of drone models. Their focus today is on drone racing with the Walkera Runner 250 racing drone and the Rodeo 150 RTF FPV quadcopter.

Yuneec

Yuneec leads the world in electronic aviation. Headquartered in Kunshan, China with more offices in Asia, Europe, and America, Yuneec manufactures over 1 million units each year sold under OEM/ODM brands. They introduced the first ready-to-fly drone, the Typhoon Q500, to the world in 2014. The following year, they improved the drone by adding a camera and introduced SteadyGrip. Other innovative features such as Follow Me, Watch Me, and Dynamic Return Home make capturing video easier than ever. Newer models include the Typhoon H 4k collision avoidance hexacopter and a compact drone with the Breeze smart drone.

3D Robotics

Based out of Berkley, CA, 3D Robotics manufactures their quadcopters in Tijuana, Mexico and houses their engineering department in San Diego. They’re best known for their IRIS Plus model and the world’s first smart drone, SOLO. 3D Robotics was started by Chris Anderson, founder of DIYdrones.com, a great source for quadcopter and aerial craft information.

Watch for more commercial UAV designs and innovations in the coming months as commercial drone manufacturers attempt to keep up with the UAV craze. Likewise, we can expect more commercial drone companies to join ranks with new and improved models and innovations.