I’ve been using DJI Drones for years but recently I have decided to try out an EXO drone and I have found that EXO is making excellent drones at a good price. It’s a very close battle but DJI drones are still the best drones for the money. But if you’re trying to save a few dollars, EXO makes some really great mini drones at prices that DJI doesn’t offer.
DJI’s cheapest drone is the DJI Mini 3 which starts at $469 and DJI sells drones that go all the way up to $16,000. Exo on the other hand, only sells min drones and doesn’t offer any of the larger, more expensive drones that DJI has.
EXO on the other hand offers 2 models that are cheaper than DJI’s cheapest drone:
- EXO X7 Ranger PLUS at $279
- EXO Scout at $117
- EXO Recon at $89
– If you want to buy a drone for under $350, then EXO is your best choice and DJI doesn’t have any drones this cheap.
– If you want to buy a drone for over $900, DJI is the best choice and EXO doesn’t have any drones in that price range.
So the overlap between these 2 drone companies is in the price range between $400 and $900. EXO has 6 models in that range and DJI has 3 models.
EXO vs DJI – Who makes the best drone?
Let’s do a quick and simple comparison of the models of drones the EXO and DJI are competing on using charts and numbers to see the data in one picture.
I gave all these drones a score based on the 9 most important qualities, For each quality I gave each drone a score from 1 to 10 and then added all of those scores up to get an overall score for each drone. At the bottom of the page is the detailed table that I used to get the score for the simplified table below.
Simplified Table
| EXO | Price | Score | DJI | Price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXO X7 Ranger PLUS $279 | $279 | 45 | |||
| EXO Cinemaster 2 $379 | $379 | 51 | DJI Mini 2 SE $339 | $339 | 55 |
| EXO Mini $489 | $489 | 67 | DJI Mini 3 $469 | $469 | 68 |
| EXO Blackhawk 2 $649 | $649 | 70 | |||
| EXO Mini Pro $699 | $699 | 72 | DJI Mini 3 Pro $759 | $759 | 73 |
| EXO Blackhawk 2 Pro $849 | $849 | 82 |
Overall DJI is still the better drone maker as they offer drones and drone features that EXO does not have. But you also have to pay a lot more for those high-end drones and features. If you compare apples to apples, DJI models at similar prices to EXO are very similar. But I think it is safe to say that even between comparable models, DJI still has a slight edge over EXO. The difference is always close though, and close enough that you could make the choice as much on your personal preference as opposed to which model is slightly better than the other based on just the stats.
The personal preference would boil down to 2 things:.
- EXO has better customer support and they are based in the USA, which makes working with their support much easier.
- DJI has better automated flight software – Position hold, and obstacle avoidance are a little better.
About DJI
DJI is a Chinese company that has taken the drone industry by storm. DJI has been the leader in drone manufacturing and drone technology for years. They’ve brought innovation again and again and have made it difficult for any other company to compete. DJI is always on the cutting edge and the current state of drone technology is mostly thanks to DJI!
About EXO
EXO is a newer drone company that is leaving other up-and-comers in the dust. EXO is an American-based company that is right on the heels of DJI. They are laser-focused on the mini drone category and have some amazing innovations of their own. EXO is selling the best budget drones and their top-tier drones have some impressive features like level 8 wind resistance and 40-minute flight time for $850!
Detailed Table
This is the method I used to assign a score to each model.
| Model | Transmit Range | Battery Life | Camera Quality | Camera Controls | Manual Flight | Automated Flight | Wind Resistance | Features | Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXO X7 Ranger PLUS $279 Score: | 0.5 miles 1 | 20 minutes 2 | 2k 30fps 1/3.2″ cmos 3 | 3axis 10 | 6 | 5 | level 6 25-31mph 6 | 3 | 10 | 45 |
| DJI Mini 2 SE $339 Score: | 5 miles 8 | 31 minutes 5 | 2.7k 30fps 1/2.3″ cmos 5 | 3 axis can look up 10 | 6 | 6 | level 5 19-24mph 4 | 4 | 7 | 55 |
| EXO Cinemaster 2 $379 Score: | 0.5 miles 1 | 28 minutes 4 | 4k 30fps 1/2.3″ cmos 7 | 3 axis 8 | 6 | 6 | level 5 19-24mph 4 | 5 | 10 | 51 |
| DJI Mini 3 $469 Score: | 6 miles 10 | 38 minutes 9 | 4k 30 fps 1/1.3″ cmos 8 | 3 axis can look up 10 | 7 | 7 | level 5 19-24mph 4 | 6 | 7 | 68 |
| EXO Mini $489 Score: | 5 miles 8 | 40 minutes 10 | 4k 30fps 1/2.6″ cmos 7 | 3 axis can look up 10 | 6 | 7 | level 5 19-24mph 4 | 5 | 10 | 67 |
| EXO Blackhawk 2 $649 Score: | 5 miles 8 | 35 minutes 7 | 4k 30fps 1/2.6″ cmos 7 | 3 axis 8 | 7 | 7 | level 8 35+mph 10 | 6 | 10 | 70 |
| EXO Mini Pro $699 Score: | 5 miles 8 | 40 minutes 10 | 4k 60fps 1/1.3″ cmos 10 | 3axis 8 | 7 | 8 | level 5 19-24mph 4 | 7 | 10 | 72 |
| DJI Mini 3 Pro $759 Score: | 5 miles 8 | 34 minutes 6 | 4k 60fps 1/1.3″ cmos 10 | 3 axis can look up 10 | 9 | 10 | level 5 19-24mph 4 | 9 | 7 | 73 |
| EXO Blackhawk 2 Pro $849 Score: | 5 miles 8 | 35 minutes 7 | 4k 60fps 1/1.3″ cmos 10 | 3 axis 8 | 10 | 9 | level 8 35+mph 10 | 10 | 10 | 82 |