Differences B/W Drone vs Quadcopter
Drone vs Quadcopter
Drone technology is multiplying, and different models of drones are available in the market. But when describing UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), people use terms like quadcopter and drones. Many believe that quadcopters and drones are the same; that’s why they use the terms interchangeably. In this article, we will determine the differences between a drone vs quadcopter.
What is Quadcopter?
As word quad indicates four which means four rotors, each consisting of a motor. Quadcopters are also known as quadrotors. Conventional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters rely on engines and tail rotors to fly in the air. Quadcopters have no wings or tail rotors. Quadcopters fly with the help of four rotors. Rotos spins and lift the quadcopter in the air.

What is Drone?
Many people tend to think of UAVs when they describe drones. But this term can be used to elaborate vehicles that travel on land and water, such as UGVs ( uncrewed ground vehicles) or UUVs (uncrewed underwater vehicles). The word drone can describe all kinds of unmanned vehicles that don’t require pilots, drivers or passengers on board.
Usage of drone vs quadcopter
Drones vs quadcopters don’t contain too many differences as their main focus is flying in the air in different ways.
Quarter can take off and land vertically and can hover in the air. Other hand, drones have fixed wings. So, they need runways like traditional aircraft. Smaller-wing drones can be launched by hand like paper airplanes.
Drones need to move constantly, unlike quadcopters.

Difference Between drone vs quadcopter
Nowadays, UAVs available in the market or UAVs used for photography all fall under the quadcopter category. But simply is that all unmanned quadcopters can be classified as drones, but all drones can’t be classified as quadcopters.
Quadcopter Pros & Cons
Pros
- Easy to operate
- Ability to hover in the air for a long time
- Can fly horizontally and vertically
- Vertical take-off requires minimal land
- Compact in size
- Affordable Prices
Cons
- Short Flight Time
- Low payload capacity
- Low speed
- Can operate in bad weather conditions

Drones
Pros
- Long flights
- Larger payload capacity
- Fast speed
- Can fly in bad weather
Cons
- Difficult to operate
- Can’t hover in the air
- Require land for take-off and landing
- Larger in size
- Expensive
FAQ’s
What are the four types of drones?
These four main types of drones, their strength and weaknesses
1) Multi-rotor drones
2) Fixed-wing drones
3) Single rotor drones
4) Fixed-wing hybrid drones
Is a drone a quadcopter?
As word quad indicates four which means four rotors, each consisting of a motor. Quadcopters are also known as quadrotors. Conventional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters rely on engines and tail rotors to fly in the air.