Multirotors
The familiar drone — one or more rotors lift it straight up, let it hover and move in any direction, and make it the default for cameras, inspection and spraying.
- quadcopter
- hexacopter
- octocopter
- multicopter
- DJI Agras T50DJI · CNPayload 50 kgUSD 17,999seen 2026-10-28
- DJI Matrice 4 SeriesDJI · CNPayload 0.2 kgUSD 5,189seen 2026-10-28
- DJI Mavic 4 ProDJI · CNMass 1.063 kgGBP 1,879seen 2026-10-28
- DJI Mini 4 ProDJI · CNMass 0.249 kgGBP 869seen 2026-10-28
- Skydio X10Skydio · USMass 2.11 kgPrice on quotation
What it is
A multirotor gets all of its lift from several fixed-pitch rotors and steers by changing their relative speeds. Nothing moves but the rotors, which makes it simple, cheap and able to hover and take off from a tabletop. The cost is efficiency: every second aloft is spent holding its own weight up with thrust, so flight times are tens of minutes, and a flight controller must correct it constantly to stay level.
Quadcopter, hexacopter and octocopter name the rotor count; multicopter is the generic term. In this taxonomy the rule is lift from rotors alone and no fixed wing; a single-rotor helicopter counts. Add a wing for cruise and it becomes a hybrid VTOL.
What they are used for
- Photography and video — folding camera drones from the pocket-sized DJI Mini 4 Pro to the Mavic 4 Pro.
- Inspection and public safety — enterprise models like the DJI Matrice 4 and Skydio X10, with thermal cameras and obstacle avoidance for roofs, power lines and search work.
- Agriculture — spray and spreader drones like the DJI Agras T50 that treat a field a swath at a time.
- Research and racing — small quads on open flight controllers for swarm and control work, or flown through goggles.
What to compare
| Attribute | Why it matters | In this catalogue |
|---|---|---|
flight_time |
The limit on every job; swapping batteries is the workaround | 34 min (DJI Mini 4 Pro) – 51 min (DJI Mavic 4 Pro) |
max_takeoff_weight |
Below the registration threshold or above it changes who may fly it where | 1.43 kg (DJI Matrice 4 Series) – 103 kg (DJI Agras T50) |
payload |
A camera gimbal, a thermal sensor, or tens of kilos of spray | 0.2 kg (DJI Matrice 4 Series) – 50 kg (DJI Agras T50) |
ip_rating |
Most consumer drones have none; enterprise and agricultural ones are rated for rain | 2 entries |
autonomy |
From hold-position only to full obstacle avoidance and mission flight | semi-autonomous (2), assisted (2), autonomous (1) |
sdk |
Enterprise lines offer mobile and onboard SDKs; consumer ones rarely do | proprietary (5) |
open_source |
Open flight controllers are what research and racing builds run on | not yet in the catalogue |
Price picture (observed 2026-10-28)
- Professional / industrial: GBP 1,879 (DJI Mavic 4 Pro) to USD 17,999 (DJI Agras T50).
- Education, hobby & consumer: GBP 869 (DJI Mini 4 Pro).
- On quotation: Skydio X10.
Prices are the latest observation per product, in the seller's currency; see each record's offers for history and VAT notes.
In the catalogue
Professional / industrial: DJI Agras T50 · DJI Matrice 4 Series · DJI Mavic 4 Pro · Skydio X10
Education, hobby & consumer: DJI Mini 4 Pro
Edge cases
- Coaxial rotors (two stacked per arm, as on the Agras T50): still a multirotor.
- Tiltrotors and tail-sitters with a wing: hybrid VTOL.
- Single-rotor helicopter drones: multirotor — the rule is rotor lift with no wing, whatever the rotor count.
- Toy quads with no programmable interface fail the Robot inclusion rule and are not listed.
Related
Rule of membership
Lift from one or more rotors; no fixed wing. Single-rotor helicopters are included.
Category rb-6-1 in the whatrobot taxonomy.