The uses of drones keep widening, and so does what they can do on their own. The pilot no longer has to be steering the aircraft the whole time: a follow me drone can record moments where a person or an object is constantly on the move.
Below are the best follow me drones, so that you can buy sensibly rather than overspend the next time you want an aircraft that comes along on your hikes, your bike routes or your sport.
We recently put together a similar round-up of the best 4K camera drone.
Follow me records. The good shot is flown
Tracking mode handles the basic framing and little else: add trees, a change of light or someone crossing the frame and it falls apart. Flying it by hand is what our audiovisual course teaches.
What is a drone’s follow me mode?
Follow me is a specific feature found on some drones. It lets the aircraft track a moving person, object or vehicle automatically, using GPS and positioning sensors to hold a constant distance without losing sight of the designated subject.
Put simply, it is a drone that follows you automatically wherever you go — useful whenever you want aerial images or video without actively flying the aircraft.
If you are going to charge for the footage, the rules change
Filming a cyclist for social media is one thing; shooting for a brand is another, and it needs accredited training and an operator registration. The professional course covers both.
Which is the best drone that follows you?
There are several models on the market with this feature, and some of them stand out for aerial filming in particular. We have picked three that count as the best follow me drone right now.
DJI Mavic 3
A strong choice for follow me video is the DJI Mavic 3. It carries ActiveTrack 5.0, which lets the aircraft track a subject from different directions.
That works because of onboard subject-recognition technology which recognises, distinguishes and keeps a specific subject framed using multiple vision sensors.
It also has powerful omnidirectional obstacle sensing, so it detects with real precision what it has to avoid to stay in one piece.
This is a 4K follow me drone with GPS that stays airborne for up to 46 minutes, which is a long working window for aerial shots. It also transmits live over a 15-kilometre range at 1080p/60 fps, and there is a 5.1K/50 fps camera version.
Skydio 2
Another of the best follow me drones is the Skydio 2. It uses GPS-based subject tracking that detects people and vehicles, and it can track up to 10 subjects of interest at once, so nothing gets missed during the flight.
It ships with a set of preset cinematic skills, which means you can get striking footage without working as a drone pilot for a living. Pick a preset and the aircraft flies the move for you.
It is also a good option for aerial stills and panoramas: across its 27 minutes of flight it captures over 100,000 images in 4K. You then process the sequences in Skydio Panorama Skills to build large horizontal, vertical and spherical images at high quality.
DJI Mavic Air
A third option for a 4K drone that follows and records is the DJI Mavic Air. It is more limited than the two above, but it delivers good results at a more accessible price.
It has MasterShots, which lets you set several routes for the aircraft to fly while recording the subject you have picked. So if you are after a cheap 4K follow me drone, the Mavic Air is a sensible call.
Any of these will let you get on with cycling, hiking, skiing or surfing while the aircraft captures dynamic footage of a moving subject. They also work well for travel films, documentaries or anything else where you want active tracking from the air.
Join our professional drone pilot course — taught in Madrid, Bilbao and Málaga — and get everything out of these aircraft. At UMILES University you can get certified against the requirements to become a drone pilot and fly within the AESA regulations in force in Spain.
From the drone that follows you to the drone you work with
- ✓Training approved by AESA, the Spanish aviation authority
- ✓Real flight practice, not just theory
- ✓In-person classes in Madrid
- ✓We tell you which path fits you, no strings attached
Not sure which path fits you? Tell us where you are and we will point you to the right one.
