Drones are starting to become the solution in many industries such as delivery, agriculture and surveillance.
Seeing as drones are starting to become part of so many things, it’s very important to understand and learn about some of the industry leaders in the commercial, consumer, military and institutional sectors that sell us these expensive products.
We’ve broken up this list into two parts, one being the top drone manufacturers in the consumer and commercial markets, and the other being the top manufacturers in the military and institutional markets.
We also felt it necessary to break up these two parts into two separate posts for your viewing pleasure in order to reduce page load times.
Now let’s get straight into the top drone companies/manufacturers in the world.
Top manufacturers in the consumer and commercial unmanned vehicle market
Consumer drones are devices meant for individuals who plan on using their drones for fun. These people are limited to what they can do with their drone’s as they’re not allowed to make any money of of it.
Commercial drones are devices meant for those who plan to use their drone’s for their business or simply to make money.
Here are the top manufacturers in the consumer and commercial unmanned aerial vehicle market:
- DJI
- Parrot
- Yuneec
- Hubsan
- Ambarella
- GoPro
- 3D Robotics
- Autel Robotics
- Cheerson
- Zipline
This list focuses on manufacturers who either focus on just manufacturing drones, those that just manufacture drone components and accessories, and those that manufacture both.
SZ DJI Technology Co.
DJI is the leader in the manufacturing of civilian drones and it owns about 77% of the global consumer and commercial drone market.
A little bit about them
DJI, which stands for Da-Jiang Innovations, is a private Chinese company that focuses on creating and manufacturing technology. They are headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong and were founded in 2006 by Frank Wang.
They have other offices in Frankfurt and Niederlauer in Germany, Hong Kong in China, Tokyo in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, Barendrecht in the Netherlands and Cerritos and Burbank in California in the United States.
The fascinating thing about the immense percentage of the consumer and commercial market that they own is that no other drone manufacturer comes close to having this kind of influence in this market.
Every other consumer and commercial drone manufacturer owns 5% or less of this giant market!
If you’d like to discover everything you’ll need to know on consumer drones, we have a full post here:
Related Post: What Are Consumer Drones? [Types, Uses, Sizes, Materials And Much More]
Their products are primarily used in the film, music and television industries but are seeing an increase in use in institutions such as law enforcement and education.
Founder Frank Wang started building the first prototypes of DJI products in his dorm room.
He built and sold flight controller components to universities and Chinese electric companies. In order to grow his business he later moved to the industrial area in Shenzhen and hired a small team.
He continued to build his way up, hiring more staff and beginning to cater more to international drone hobbyists.
He started new partnerships and gained a subsidiary in North America which helped grow the business tremendously alongside with the release of the Phantom series in 2013.
Falling out with his subsidiary led to a big lawsuit which did not stop DJI from continuing to innovate and create more popular drones that they offer today such as the later Phantom products and the Mavic series.
According to Craft, DJI has a market value of $10 billion. With its 77% market share of the consumer and commercial unmanned aerial aircraft market, DJI has proven to be the leader in civilian drones.
What they offer
DJI offers a wide variety of products such as professional, consumer, enterprise and agricultural drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
These drones come with many different designs such as quadcopters, hexacopters and octocopters. They offer mini and medium-sized drones.
DJI targets both consumer and commercial drone operators with applications such as aerial photography, aerial surveying, farming, and racing.
Camera gimbals and stabilizers are another aspect of their business. Due to some of their main focuses being around photography and videography, DJI have created their own brand of camera gimbals and stabilizers.
These camera gimbals range from gimbals that can be attached to your drone such as the Zenmuse, to handheld gimbals such as the Osmo series.
If you’d like to find out what a drone gimbal is, what kinds of drone gimbals are available, whether drones need gimbals, how a drone gimbal works, how to choose the right gimbal, how much they cost and much more, check out our post on this topic below:
Related Post: What Is A Drone Gimbal? Does Your Drone Need One? [Types, How They Work, Prices And How To Choose One]
Their high-quality camera stabilizer, Ronin, is a popular camera stabilizer built for consumers in mind.
They offer various professional accessories such as Master Wheels or Force Pro which are tools capable of precisely controlling gimbals remotely.
They offer software such as their Flight Simulator and their mapping software, Terra.
DJI have created their own brand of robots and a drone for STEAM education. We’re of course talking about the Robomaster series and the Tello EDU drone.
They offer drone accessories such as carrying cases, drone parts (landing gear, rubber dampeners and adapters that integrate payloads onto a drone) and
What makes them good
Due to their manufacturing facilities located in several countries, this gives DJI the ability to easily ship their products all around the world for much cheaper prices than if they only shipped products from China.
DJI helps hobbyists fulfill their passion by either providing toys or a career.
They help kids learn the beauty of science through robotics with their STEAM education robots and drone.
They’ve covered many industries with many different kinds of drones. They try and provide the best drones for specific uses that come at the best quality possible.
DJI tries to achieve it all when it comes to drones whether that be for professional or consumer applications.
From a man that started creating and selling flight controllers in his dorm, to a multi-billion dollar company, DJI triumphs as the leader in civilian drones.
Popular drones
Here are a few popular DJI drones:
- Phantom 3
- Phantom 4
- Mavic Pro 2
- Air 2
- Inspire 1
Check them out
Parrot SA
Parrot is a drone manufacturing company that specialises in unmanned aerial vehicles that released the first consumer drone in 2010 (Parrot AR).
Take note that as of 2020, Parrot is no longer manufacturing drones for the general public. They will remain in this section as they are still continuing to sell their Anafi consumer drone but will no longer be creating new ones.
A little bit about them
Parrot is a company that manufactures wireless products and is based in Paris, France. They were founded in 1994 by Christine/M De Tourvel, Jean-Pierre Talvard and Henri Seydoux.
From the years of 1995 to 2021, Parrot created a wide range of products such as Voicemate, a personal digital assistant with voice recognition software, mini drones such as Rolling Spider, the Disco FPV fixed-wing drone and the Anafi folding drone.
Since this article is about drones specifically, we will only be diving into the drone aspect of their business.
They only have one office in Paris, France where they handle their operations.
Since 2017, the company has focused exclusively on drone manufacturing.
What they offer
Parrot offer primarily wireless technology. They’ve built voice recognition software, unmanned aerial vehicles (Drones), chipsets, noise reduction and echo cancelling algorithms and more.
They sell all of their products through retailers around the world.
Their professional drones were used for aerial mapping, surveying and for fun in the past. These professional drones consisted of drones such as the Parrot AR drone and Disco FPV fixed-wing drone.
Rolling Spider and Jumping Sumo mini-drones were toy drones meant for drone hobbyists primarily. The Anafi is also created for consumers with a large amount of packed features.
The Anafi Thermal and Anafi USA are drones meant for institutions and professionals specifically.
They have an estimated yearly revenue of 57.3 million euros ($69.8 million) in 2020 according to Statistica.
What makes them good
Parrot is an innovative company that had the incredible idea to turn drones, which were primarily used for military applications back then, into a fun hobby for enthusiasts.
They did this with their creation of the Parrot AR ready-to-fly drone in 2010.
This company provides excellent drones that fulfil each task effectively and efficiently.
Parrot have gone from creating hands-free Bluetooth car kits to partnering with the French Army for 300 micro-drones.
Popular drones
Here are a few popular drones from Parrot:
- AR
- Disco FPV
- Bebop
- Mambo
- Anafi
Check them out
Yuneec International
Yuneec is a Chinese drone manufacturing company that created the world’s first voice controlled drone (Mantis Q).
A little bit about them
Yuneec manufactures and sells drones, cameras, e-longboards, drone carry cases and spare drone parts.
The company is based in Jiangsu in China. They have other offices in California in the United States, Kaltenkirchen in Germany and Hong Kong in China.
The former owner who founded the company in 1999 was named Tian Yu, but he was later replaced by Larry Liu.
Yuneec started off producing electric powered radio-controlled model aircraft that was supposed to carry people. They however only managed to create prototypes. It was called the International E430.
They did however manage to win the Lindbergh Electric Airplane Prize at the World Electric Aircraft symposium when the project was finished
It wasn’t until 2010 that they began focusing their attention on building unmanned aerial vehicles meant for civilians for aerial photography.
In 2015, Intel Corporation invested $60 million in Yuneec. Yuneec also later on that year made a retail partnership with Best Buy.
From late 2010 to the present day, Yuneec has continued to produce primarily multi-rotor drones for consumers, professionals and institutes.
What they offer
Yuneec offer a range of products for a range of applications. These go from quadcopters (4 propellers) such as the voice controlled drone the Yuneec Mantis Q and the newer Mantis G, to hexacopters (6 propellers) such as the Yuneec H520E and the Typhoon H Plus.
Additionally, they sell e-longboards such as their E-Go 2, cameras such as the LaQuinta Multipectral camera, controllers, carry cases and spare drone parts.
They even offer FPV goggles with their SkyView FPV headset.
What makes them good
Yuneec was one of the first companies to get into the civilian drone industry. This means they have some of the most experience in the game.
They have released a limited amount of products over these many years as they prefer to focus more on quality rather than quantity.
Each of their products are built to be easy to use and most have multiple applications and various features.
With most of their drones, they manage to come up with awesome new and innovative ways to satisfy the customers demands.
Popular drones
Here is a small list of some popular drones from Yuneec:
- Typhoon H
- Mantis Q
- H520E
- Breeze
Check them out
Shenzhen Hubsan Intelligent Company Limited
Hubsan is known for creating one of the world’s smallest consumer quadcopters (H111 Nano Q4) which weighs only 11.5g and is 1.8*1.8 inches.
A little bit about them
Hubsan is one of the best drone companies out there that provides ready-to-fly drones for consumers.
They also create top of the line, high quality professional drones for photography with a few that are primarily for FPV racing to sell to brands and organisations.
Hubsan was founded in 2010 by FCC Wireless Applications. In only five years, in 2015, Hubsan became a known and popular brand in the drone industry.
They’re headquarters are in Shenzhen, China, which is also where their products are manufactured. However, they also have other offices all around the world as the CEO of Hubsan, Sam Lee, wanted to capitalise on the huge market for Hubsan drones in America.
They have a gross revenue of $3-$4 million every year.
What they offer
Hubsan primarily manufactures drones and drone parts. They have cheap and expensive quadcopters and a few fixed-wing drones such as the F22 standard edition fixed-wing drone.
They offer a range of tiny nano drones to professional medium-size drones such as the H109S Pro Professional drone.
What makes them good
Since the start of their business, their goal was to provide affordable, quality drones to the market so that they could reach every drone enthusiast in the world.
Hubsan caters to the needs and demands of this industry by providing drones that are the perfect mix between quality and price.
They build drones with skill in mind, customising every feature to adhere to the target buyers skill level. They build beginner, intermediate and professional drones.
For those looking for DJI alternatives at cheaper prices, then Hubsan has you covered.
Popular drones
Here are a few examples of popular drones from Hubsan:
- H111 Nano Q4
- H117S Zino
- H109S X4 Pro
- Zino 2
- Zino Pro
Check them out
Ambarella Inc.
Ambarella serves the top drone maker in the world (DJI) as well as the top security camera maker in the world (Hikvision).
A little bit about them
Ambarella is the leader in developing high-definition and Ultra HD video compression, image processing and computer vision processors that consume a low amount of power.
Ambarella’s products are used in a wide variety of human and computer vision applications, including video security, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic mirror, drive recorder, driver and in-cabin monitoring, autonomous driving, and robotics applications
Source
Ambarella was founded in 2004 by CEO Feng-Ming (Fermi) Wang and is a public company. Their goal became producing high-quality imagery in challenging lighting and high-motion environments.
In 2021, it is estimated that they had a revenue of around $223 million according to Craft. Their headquarters are located in Santa Clara, California.
They have offices in Shenzhen and Shanghai in China, Parma Italy, Yokohama Japan, Seongnam-si in the Republic of Korea and in Taiwan.
What they offer
Ambarella is known for producing the chips in GoPro action cameras. However, they are also responsible for producing video-processing chips for drone manufacturers.
Many of the top drone manufacturers such as DJI and Parrot have used these chips in some of their most popular drones today.
They cater to those in automotive, consumer, security, industrial and robotics fields.
What makes them good
They’re the first company to bring HD and UHD video to drones which makes them a pioneer in the rise of drones for aerial photography and videography.
They strive to achieve the best possible chips with the highest quality in order to satisfy their customers.
Popular chips
Here is a short list of some popular Ambarella chips:
- A2
- A5
- A7
- H1
- CV5
Check them out
GoPro Inc.
GoPro was originally designed for surfing and capturing pro camera angles.
A little bit about them
GoPro, formerly known as Woodman Labs Inc. is a public company that was founded in 2002 by now CEO Nick Woodman. What started out as a small company catering to a niche audience has turned into a giant organisation catering to millions worldwide.
GoPro had an estimated revenue of $891.9 million in 2020.
They’re based in San Mateo, California. They have other offices in Carlsbad California, Prahran Australia, Shenzhen China, Issy-les-Moulineaux France, München Germany, Amsterdam Netherlands, Taguig Philippines and București Romania.
Woodman created the idea for his business one day as he was on a surfing trip in Australia with his friends. He wanted a good affordable way of capturing footage of surfers while in action.
He sold shell belts and bread to raise the initial costs and later received $230,000 from his parents to invest in the business.
The first camera the company sold used 35mm film in 2004. This was soon replaced by the digital still and video cameras.
They continued producing more action cameras throughout the years and even created a consumer drone called in Karma in 2016. Due to issues with the drone they were forced to recall all of the models sold and give full refunds.
They later attempted a second version of the Karma drone (GoPro Karma Grip) but did not meet it’s sales projection and was forced to completely discontinue it’s line of drones in 2018 and focus on it’s action cameras.
What they offer
They manufacture action cameras that can be mounted or worn including their own apps that can control these cameras from a distance.
They have their own video-editing software allowing you to edit footage after capturing it.
GoPro also offers accessories such as high-quality backpacks, clothes and cases for their cameras and brand.
What makes them good
GoPro provides high-quality, waterproof cameras that can capture stunning real-time footage. One thing that makes GoPro cameras so useful is their versatile applications.
They can be mounted anywhere from your helmet, to your chest, and even to your drone!
Their apps and editing software make is very useful and efficient to control your camera remotely and edit your footage after you’ve recorded it for example.
Their cameras are portable and lightweight which makes them easy to travel with.
However, their cameras can get quite expensive compared to a smaller company that produces the same thing at similar quality and capabilities.
Popular cameras
Here is a short list of popular GoPro cameras:
- Hero Max
- Hero9 Black
- Hero8 Black
- Hero7 Black
Check them out
3D Robotics
In 2017, 3DR partnered with DJI to integrate it’s Site Scan software into DJI’s drones.
A little bit about them
3DR is an American company that was created by CEO Chris Anderson and Jordi Muñoz in 2009. Anderson found Muñoz in a drone forum that Anderson created because he was fascinated with drones after building one with his kids.
The two went on to build up their office in Berkeley, California with new employees and new investors seeing promise in their products. They also have a second office in Tijuana, Mexico.
Today, large organisations such as NASA use their software in their operations.
They also played a fundamental role in funding and founding the Dronecode, which is a booklet that contains the rules ad regulations when it comes to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the United Kingdom.
What they offer
3DR offers enterprise drone software and hardware for construction, engineering firms, mining firms and government agencies.
They built their own drones such as the Iris and Solo. Solo was the world’s first smart drone which used advanced autonomy.
3DR is responsible for creating PixHawk, the world’s leading open autopilot platform that is used by many organisations that change the way we look at agriculture, construction, real estate, conservation and more.
They were the first to create an open aerial analytics platform they called Site Scan.
The Site Scan platform democratizes aerial data collection, enabling anyone to perform physical asset management and analysis at the worksite.
Source
Take note that Site Scan has now been acquired by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) in 2020, becoming part of their ArcGIS Drone Collection.
What makes them good
Without the innovations from 3DR, we may not have seen such advancements in drones such as automations for many more years. Their creativity and passion fueled the growth of their successful company.
From two men with skill and passion to a multi-million dollar company, 3DR definitely deserves it’s spot in this post.
Popular drones
3DR no longer manufactures consumer drones for recreational pilots.
However, they have and are now building drones meant for institutions and governments such as their recent H520-G.
Here is a short list of popular 3DR drones
- Solo drone
- Iris+ drone
- X8 quadcopter
- AERO-M fixed-wing UAV
Check them out
Autel Enterprise Robotics
Autel Robotics creates top of the line drones for a range of applications whether that be construction, recreation or law enforcement.
A little bit about them
Autel Robotics was founded in 2014 to provide high-quality unmanned aerial vehicles for both consumers and commercial applications.
They created a range of products that each excel at certain things. Autel Robotics is a subsidiary (a company owned or controlled by another company) of Autel Intelligent Technology Company Ltd. which was founded in 2004 and focuses on manufacturing automotive diagnostic tools and equipment.
What they offer
They offer high-quality drones that have great cameras to capture footage, compact features for increased ease-of-use and portability and most of their drones are packed with sophisticated technology allowing for multi-purpose applications for both recreational and commercial pilots.
They also offer an incredible fixed-wing VTOL drone for professional uses called the ‘Dragonfish’ that’s packed with incredible technology such as incredibly long-endurance (120 minutes flight time), 4K optical zoom, 18.6 mile (30km) max video transmission range and more.
Their Evo II series is meant for consumers and professionals alike with multiple capabilities and accessories making them the perfect tool for your needs.
What makes them good
As they put it:
We are a solutions-based team of multi-disciplined engineers, who are inspired by our customers and their desire to be more and to do more. It is that blend of science and passion that leads us to produce the best products in the industry.
Source
Their drones are not perfect, but they are all built with incredible ingenuity and design in order to stay compact and durable. They have cutting edge technology and often cheaper prices than competitors.
Popular drones
Here is a short list of popular Autel Robotics drones:
- Dragonfish
- Evo II
- X-Star
- Evo II Dual
Check them out
Guangdong Cheerson Hobby Technology Co. Ltd.
Cheerson is a leader in the drone industry that has created some of the best nano drones in the world including the world’s smallest drone (CX-10).
A little bit about them
Cheerson is a public company that was founded in 2003 in Chenghai (Shantou,China).
It’s predecessor is Shantou SLH Mould Toys Company Limited.
What they offer
Cheerson offers small sized drones such their popular nano sized quadcopters.
If you’re not quite sure what a nano sized quadcopter is and you would like to discover every type of drone there is according to size, payload, design, weight and even including military drones, feel free to check out our full post below:
Related Post: What Types Of Drones Are There? Every Type Of Drone Explained In Detail
They build high-quality, durable and cheap drones that are fun and easy to use for anyone. They target different applications such as aerial photography and racing drones.
They also offer chargers, drone frames, toy drones, radio-controlled models, drone batteries, electronic components, and more.
What makes them good
Their products are primarily targeting novice drone pilot’s who are just dipping their feet in the drone industry. They make them very reliable and simple to use.
Their quality products have built them a massive reputation in this market all around the world for the past 18 years.
Popular drones
Here is a short list of popular Cheerson drones:
- CXHOBBY
- SH
- CX-10
- CX-30
Check them out
Zipline
Zipline’s delivery drones make 30-40 trips a day on average delivering emergency health care and vaccines in remote areas in Rwanda which cuts a 4 hour road trip into just 45 minutes.
A little bit about them
Zipline is a private American company that was established in 2011 as a company called Romotive which created an iPhone-controlled robotic toy called Romo.
It was later shut down in 2014 and CEO and founder Keller Rinaudo refocused the business on drone delivery.
Today, Zipline uses their drones to deliver blood, vaccines and medicine to areas that cannot quickly and easily have it available when it’s needed.
The company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California and has distribution centers in Muhanga in Rwanda, Omenako in Ghana, Kannapolis in the US, Pune in India, Visayas in the Philippines, Kachia in Nigeria and more.
They have received a total of $222.1 million in funding over the years to continue their incredible work.
What they offer
Zipline offers medical care to those in need in hard to get to rural areas. They have many facilities around the world used as distribution centers where they store medical supplies and their delivery drones.
Medical staff at remote hospitals and clinics place orders to Zipline.[22] A Zipline fulfilment operator receives this order and prepares the medical products into a special delivery package with a parachute.
Source
Zipline offers a chance to those in dire need. They provide essentials that we may take for granted to people that could suffer if not provided this medicine in critical time.
They use fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that they design, manufacture and operate themselves. These drones are lightweight.
What makes them good
As they put it:
Zipline was founded on a mission to provide every human on Earth with instant access to vital medical supplies.
Source
So far, they are changing the lives for many people of multiple countries with their quick and efficient unmanned aerial vehicles.
We wanted to add this company to the list as they are changing the world with the technology that we love. Their drones are incredible and we hope that they continue to do good for the benefit of others.
How it works
We strongly urge you to watch this video about how Zipline prepare and deliver medical supplies, all the incredible features their drones have, what they’re made of and what they could achieve in the future:
