The drone industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. With technologies making strides with each passing day, it would be an impossible task to keep track of all upgrades available. Unless flying drones is your main occupation, and even then it will be a challenge, to put it mildly.
Today we will focus on the companies that create and manufacture drones and other components related to them. Their use is varied, ranging from photography and video production to construction, defense, as well as many other industries and government agencies.
When it comes to pricing, some drones that are for commercial use can go for thousands of dollars and more, but lately drones are more and more accessible and we could all probably afford an entry model. The average price for a decent drone that will do everything you want will run you anywhere between $300-$800.
Most drones are made from lightweight durable materials, and the new and improved models are faster and a lot stronger and more capable than the older models.
A Very Brief History of Drones
Drones have been around for over a century, but the more accessible drones that we can go and buy for our amusement have been around for around twenty years, give or take. Although they are a super cool tool to use for taking great pictures and video, they raise some serious privacy concerns.
Before buying one, inform yourselves about the laws of your country, as they vary from country to country and even from one place to another. But when they are used responsibly, they are a great tool to own.
Many police and government agencies have been using technologies that drones provide them with for data collection, safety and security concerns, as well as addressing and assessing risk management.
The average household is mostly interested in drones for taking pictures and videos that are otherwise impossible. We will not show you specific models today, rather the companies that manufacture them.
That being said, we will now take a look at the 20 best drone companies right now.
20. Brinc
One of the newest companies to pop up in the last couple of years, Brinc was founded in 2019 in Las Vegas. They produce the LEMUR S, a drone that features a quad-copter design that alerts first responders of high risk situations.
It locates people that need rescuing, or when a crime is in progress. The drone also comes with night vision capabilities and 31 minutes of fly-time.
19. Dedrone
This San Francisco based company was founded in 2014. One of the few companies that are trusted by the G7 nations, Dedrone has an impeccable reputation, even though they might be considered the enemies of drones. They are known for keeping unauthorized drones off the ground, therefore saving them from potentially causing harm.
Among some of the products they offer, you can find mitigation technology and software that machines use in order to countermeasure unauthorized drones. RF sensors are also one of their popular items that international airports, even prisons are using in their establishments.
18. DroneSense
The company’s Airbase platform caters mostly to pilots and operators. Founded in Austin, Texas in 2015, they have been a solid platform for first responders and other organizations that put public safety as their main priority.
The way they have their data set up makes logs easy to customize and follow, so the awareness of danger is easy to spot. Their drones come with full capabilities that allow pilots and operators to address risk management and manage it according to their values.
17. Airobotics
This company is known for addressing the unique needs of the world’s most complex industrial environments. Founded in 2014 in Houston, Texas, Airobotics developed an industrial grade platform that is multi-purpose and is fully automated.
Their products are safe, durable, and resistant to corrosion, as well as waterproof. Their software enables users to program, manage and control missions with one single click, and they can be accessed from anywhere, at any time.
16. AeroVironment
Located in Arlington, Virginia in 1971, AeroVironment is a publicly traded American defense contractor. They develop drones and helicopters that are used by more than 50 nations that are allied for intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance purposes.
Their unmanned aircraft systems are used by the Pentagon, and they also produce ground control tablets that streamline collaboration and communication for various missions.
15. Air Hogs
Air Hogs is a great company to check out if you’re into novelty and licensed toy drones. Created in 1996 in the UK, they offer mainly toy drones. Franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Batman are some of their customers.
It is a gravity defying brand that allows you to get your adrenaline pumping by putting you in the driver seat. Their products are kid friendly and range from air boards, Zero Gravity lasers, Power racer drones, among many other fun items.
14. FreeFly
Providing specialized machines that cater solely to high end photography, they are nonetheless a very highly rated company. Too bad we can’t get their products at our local electronics store. The commercial market on the other hand can consider themselves lucky.
FreeFly builds lots of camera equipment and stabilization rigs that come in many different shapes and sizes. One of their largest octocopter is the Alta 8, which can carry almost 20 pounds of camera gear.
13. SenseFly
Founded in 2009 by a team of robotics researchers, SenseFly is a Parrot-owned company. They are an industry leader in mapping drones, and they provide customers in various fields with data collection.
They also have some of the best processing tools on the market, and they are very in demand with industries such as humanitarian aid agencies, industrial inspection, surveying, among many others.
12. Uvify
Their great mini Draco OOri has won some awards in the racing drones category. This product is safe to fly indoors, and it can reach more than 50 mph outdoors. A leader in the light show industry, this Korean company was founded in 2014, and it operates out of San Francisco.
Uvify‘s specialty is drones and other components, as well as aerodynamics and robotics. Many of their unmanned products are made out of carbon fiber, and other lightweight materials.
11. Hubsan
If you’re in the market for a toy drone, Hubsan is the leader in the category. Their X4 series are great if you want a starter quadcopter that is affordable yet high quality. Ranging from nano to rigs that can haul a Go-Pro camera, they are a very impressive company. They set up shop in 2010 in Shenzhen, China and have many international headquarters.
Since the beginning they proved that they are innovators and trend leaders, and they offer customers very reasonably priced products. They integrate sales, research, production and development of hobbies and toys in their daily operations.
10. Aerialtronics
Aerialtronics is a Dutch company that is highly advanced in this field. They provide cutting edge development they perfected after years of research. They design, produce and service commercial unmanned aircraft systems, and they provide enhanced technological and industrial expertise.
Their clients include police forces and government agencies. They provide safety and security, inspecting, surveying, among other segments that are made possible with their state of the art technology.
9. EHang
The drones designed and manufactured by EHang can be controlled by a smartphone app. The company explores the boundaries of the sky and hopes to launch a two seater pilotless air taxi soon. Ehang 216, their first model, made its first trial in early 2020. But their GhostDrone 2.0 is one of their best selling products.
It comes with features such as self protection, which makes the drone return if the battery is low, and dual sensors, which operate with a backup sensor in case the first fails. The app control is designed with smart algorithms that will kick in and reduce human error during flights.
They’re also working on the world’s first passenger AAV (Autonomous Aerial Vehicle) and that’s something we’re all looking forward to see live.
8. Delair
Delair is a leader in the drone based solution providers for enterprises. Their fixed wing drones are very well known. The UX11 is their most popular offering. They combine long range fixed wing hardware that contains analytics technology and offers high performance operational services.
Other products they offer are intuitive flight planning tools, industry specific analytics software that is used for aerial dates processing. Their clients are varied, from agriculture to mining and transportation industries.
7. Insitu
Running the whole spectrum of drone services available, Insitu was founded in 2006 by two Princeton classmates that studied aerospace engineering. They provide hardware, software and drone related services for commercial applications. The commercial focused drones and the reconnaissance and surveying applications provide their clients with data that is being gathered by the drones.
Take the ScanEagle, for example. It was designed with aerial imaging in mind that provides agricultural assessment and force protection, among other utilities.
6. Skydio
In 2021, Skydio was named one of the most innovative companies by Fast Company. Their mission is to make the world more creative, productive, but above all, safe. Founded in Redwood City California in 2014, they manufacture intelligent drones that are powered by machine learning.
They possess capabilities for high speed autonomous manual flight while avoiding obstacles. Skydio 2 was created for commercial users, and the Skydio X2 is fitted with a 4k60 HDR camera with superior video capabilities.
5. Autel Robotics
A US-based company, Autel Robotics provides aerial robotics to enterprises and the commercial operations of the public sector, while trying to ensure public safety. They have been delivering solutions that improve aerial exploration.
Their quadcopter and camera drone technology are among the top rated in their field. They put a large emphasis on transforming complex technology into easy to use, aerial devices for imaging, filming, and photography.
4. Kespry
A company that focuses on building aerial intelligence solutions for the next generation, Kespry‘s clients are aggregates, construction, mining, and surveying companies. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, they hope to help their customers optimize data collection and come up with great insights from aerial technology, as well as automate processing.
Their drones in particular are designed to analyze, capture and view aerial imagery and survey data.
3. Yuneec
A Chinese company that was founded in 1999, their main products are unmanned aerial vehicles, electric aircrafts, and of course, electric drones. Their first commercial ready to fly RC airplane is a fixed wing type, and they eventually transitioned to the aerial video quadcopter. Typhoon H520 was launched in 2017, and it was specifically designed for commercial applications.
Yuneec‘s initiative to provide customers with high quality service is one of their strengths, and their latest voice controlled drone, Mantis Q was introduced in 2018.
2. Parrot
Parrot is a trustworthy company that even works with the Department of Defense in the development of short-range military aircrafts. Many of their products allow you to observe the environment with a different eye, and they are a trusted companion for many professionals. Founded in France in 1994, they recently stepped away from toy drone production.
They still manufacture some of the best drones in the world though. They design and develop components for smart phones and tablets, and they are leaders in the fast growing European drone community.
1. DJI
DJI is easily the top consumer drone manufacturer in the world today, and the most well known as well. They developed the most copied drone out there, the Phantom. They are also responsible for the impressive Mavic Series, which is now the quintessential drone for the newer videographers and pilots. Their Mavic Mini, is the tiniest drone out, weighing in at half a pound.
Other products on their repertoire are the Spreading Wings or Matrice commercial and professional drone applications with aircrafts. The reason they are number one in their industry is because they bring out new products every year, as well as numerous software features and accessories.
Conclusion
With hundreds of companies that manufacture drones and drone components on the market today, our task of narrowing it down to 20 was pretty daunting. We could not possibly list them all, but we gathered a list that gives you a good idea of who are the leaders in this super fast growing industry at the moment. Hopefully you found the article interesting and informative.
