Here are some of the best FPV Drone flight controllers (FC) that I recommend in 2022. If you are just starting, I strongly recommend going with Betaflight as your FC firmware, because it has the largest community, with tons of online resources to help you get started and troubleshoot issues.
Further Reading:
What key features to look for in flight controllers:
- Using either F4, F7 or H7 processors, preferably F7 and H7 as they are faster, more future-proof and doesn’t care about signal inversion when dealing with Frsky receivers
- MPU6000 Gyro is still the preferred gyro, since Betaflight only supports up to 8K now, no need for faster but noisier gyro; ICM gyros are generally okay if they are soft-mounted
- Supports wide range of input voltage, preferably up to 6S
- Provides soft mounting solution, such as using silicone grommets
There are special flight controllers designed specifically for the DJI Digital FPV system, that are not listed in this post.
Table of Contents
Speedybee F405 V3 – Cheapest Worth Having Stack
Stack: Speedybee F405 V3 FC + 50A BLHeli_S 4in1 ESC
- GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-szri
- AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDolH5v
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-oibq
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FdpdlQ
- Newbeedrone: https://oscarliang.com/product-3dpx
Just the FC: Speedybee F405 V3 FC
- GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-hbaf
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-vrin
- NBD: https://oscarliang.com/product-3dpx
The Speedybee F405 V3 is probably one of the best value stacks right now with decent quality control and performance. It has most if not all the modern features you would want in a flight controller. It supports analogue FPV system as it has onboard Betaflight OSD chip, and it’s also “plug n play” with DJI FPV system.
FC Specs:
- STM32 F405 Processor
- BMI270 Gyro
- BEC: 9V 2A + 5V 2A + 3.3V 500mA
- Micro SD Card Slot for Blackbox
- TVS Protection: Yes
- Built-in Barometer
- 4 UART’s
- Analog OSD: Yes
- MOUNTING: 30.5mm, M3
- Input: 3~6S Lipo
Same as the more expensive Speedybee F7 V3, the F405 V3 also has a built-in RGB LED control system. A single press of the boot button on the FC will change the colour of the LED’s. (only useful if you are into putting LED on your FPV drone though)
As explained in my FC Processor article, F4 is slower than F7 and H7 processors, but it does not matter if you just want to run 4K looptime which arguably perform just as well as 8K today, so the speed difference does not matter much. In fact it has more memory in the processor so it might have better longevity than the faster F722 which only has half the memory.
Rush Blade F722 FC – Top of the line
Analog Version
- AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDkwnin
- GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-xr0x
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UlAo08
DJI Version
- GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-wlzi
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-wy0t
- AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DlTadlz
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UsATWq
The Rush Blade F722 is a feature packed and robust FC/Stack. It has many JST connectors to support a completely “solder-less” setup, making FC swap out quick and easy in the field (not that we do it often but would be great for racers and emergency). The solder pad layout is super clean and user friendly too if you decide to direct solder your devices to the FC. Take a look at my review to learn more about this FC.
Beware that there are two flavours, analog and DJI. Make sure you select the right FC option for the FPV system you plan to use.
Sometimes when you buy the FC and 4in1 ESC from different manufacturers, the wiring can get messy because the pin-out’s might be different. That’s why I’d recommend getting a stack and you know you it’s going to be “plug-n-play” and fully compatible. You can get the Rush FPV F722 FC together with a 50A or 60A 4in1 ESC, which will save you many headaches.
Flywoo GOKU GN745 – Most Feature-Rich Toothpick Style Board
Product Page:
The GOKU GN745 is great for light weight 4″ and 5″ FPV drone builds.
It’s probably one of the most feature-rich whoop/toothpick style FC out there. You will be blown away too by the specs. Bear in mind, this is one single board, with 40A BLHeli_32 4in1 ESC built-in! RPM filter and bi-directional DShot are supported out of the box.
The main downside, however, is probably the soldering. The solder pads are extremely small and cramped up together. But to look at the bright side, you only have to work at it once, and if we are purely talking about specs, you can’t really beat this board.
FC Specs:
- STM32F745 MCU
- MPU6000 Gyro
- Barometer: BMP280
- 7 hardware UARTS (UART1,2,3,4,5,6,7)
- Onboard 8MB flash memory for Blackbox logging
- 9V 1.5A BEC
- 5V 2.0A BEC
- 3.3V 0.5A BEC
- Onboard RGB LED: WS2812*4 (can be programmed in Betaflight)
- Mounting Holes: Standard 25.5/26.5mm mounting pattern
- Dimensions: 33.5×33.5mm
- Weight: 8.5g
Built-in ESC Specs:
- Input Voltage: 2-6S Lipo
- BLHELI_32 ESC
- Continuous Current: 40A per motor
- Support PWM, Oneshot125, Oneshot42, Multishot, Dshot150, Dshot300, Dshot600,Dshot1200
Rush F7 Mini Stack – Great 20x20mm Stack
Product Page:
If you have a frame that requires 20x20mm stack, or you just want a compact FC solution to go in your build, the Rush F7 Mini stack is a good option.
Most of the flight controllers we have talked about are “full size” 30x30mm boards. The Rush F7 Mini Stack has a 20x20mm mounting pattern, which is considerably smaller.
Don’t let the compact form factor fools you, it has the exact same performance and capability as any full size stack. They even offers a 800mW VTX board that plugs straight onto the FC without wiring, making this a complete package you can just install in your drone without even thinking about it.
The Rush F7 FC uses JST connectors for FPV camera and receivers, this makes building and repairing much easier if you use the right components. But I wouldn’t recommend this stack if you prefer soldering.
Edit History
- March 2017 – Article created
- July 2017 – Separated the list by FC firmware: BF, RF and KISS; added DYS F4, Kakute F4, Matek F4; retired Lux V2 and DRC Soul
- Jan 2018 – Updated the list
- Aug 2018 – List updated – Kakute F7, Fireworks V2
- Dec 2018 – Updated CL Racing F4S with F7
- Sep 2019 – Updated
- July 2020 – Updated, added options for DJI FPV system
- Jan 2022 – Updated products
- Nov 2022 – Updated products
48 comments
Hi,
What do you think about cubepilot controllers?
I kinda disagree with your selection of “Top of the line”. It has a F7 processor with a MPU6000 (a 12 y/o IMU) known for terrible sensitivity to temperature changes.
There are many new flight controllers with the latest H7 processor and the latest IMUs.
The Mateksys H743 SLIM V3 has newer 2019 IMUs, much less noisy than the MPU6000 and and are more tolerant to temperature changes.
It has dual camera inputs, with onboard relay, OSD, MicroSD card blackbox, 7x UARTS, CAN, I2C, even a barometer. All on a 30x30mm board.
I know it’s overkill for most, but surely this has a better shot at “Top of the line” than the Rush Blade.
You don’t know what you are talking about, mpu6000 is one of the best gyro due to its low noise property. But it’s being replaced by BMI270 recently because it’s no longer being made. ICM gyros are noisier in my experience.
Hi, I need your help to recommend me an F4 or F7 FC that have built in OSD, Baro and digital compass on Betaflight. I can’t seem to find any FC with all 3 components (especially the digital compass).
This article is very educational for a UAV beginner. Thanks.
The f722 has only 512k b of flash I think. It will end up having features turned off before the f405 with 1mb of flash will. This has already been an issue for a while now.
Hi,
I’m in the process of building a Bi-rotor (Avatar Scorpion gunship)
Im looking for a decent flight controller to facilitate this. Do you please have any recommendations
Hey Guys,
I want to build a new FPV drone from scratch with all advance features in it andd it is budget friendly. Can you please guide me which parts I need to purchase because I don’t get any proper idea about this.
Thanks in advance.
There is a great article from Oscar here on this site how to build a 5inch FPV drone, check it out.
Thoughts on these two stacks?
banggood.com/MAMBA-F405-Mini-MK2-Betaflight-F4-Flight-Controller-and-F30-30A-or-25A-3-4S-DSHOT600-FPV-Racing-Brushless-ESC-2020mm-for-RC-Drone-FPV-Racing-p-1345002.html?rmmds=detail-topright-recommendation&cur_warehouse=CN
Both would be used with a 4s/6s 5″
The CLRacing F7 V2 DAUL FC may be one of the best. But, I’m reluctant to purchase. Customer support has not been very responsive to emails.
Do you know if Kakute F7 AIO is compatible (in size) with Taycan MXC ?
Hello, could you please add some matek in this comparison? Thank you
Awesome article! I do have a question though. Do you have and recommendations for an aio fc with a pdb for individual escs that also has the dji plug?
Currently there is no AIO FC with DJI plug afaik. I think the industry is moving away from AIO FC now as 4in1 ESC is main stream.
I’ve been following you for long time so thanks for all your knowledge, I think I have damaged tx4 and rx4 on my f405-wing while soldering pins for my gps with build in compass, I don’t see any traces going to either port I wondering if I could use tx6 and rx6 instead and everything work ok I’m not sure if I need compass or not with this board on fixed wing drone. Thanks again
Oscar I have a martian 2, iflight suceex-e mini with 2205 2600 kv motors How can I mount this F.c. and not fry it. Mind you I’m a complete newb. Thanks
Hello Oscar,
Would you know which is the best FC to use with the DJI Ocusync FPV cam?
Thanks!
Hi i am a beginner. And I am not into fpv at the beginning. Actually i am having a major confusion in choosing the best flight controller for my 250mm quadcopter which will give me very stable controlled flight. Our competition are basically like we have obstacles at a distance of 1 ft and we have to pass through them. So basically flight board shoulf give us more control over the quadcopter. My friends recommended me omnibus f4 is more stable and does not require more changes in PID settings but which omnibus f4 they didn’t told and there are many versions of it. What do you recommend? Please do tell as fast as possible also it should not cost much.
My thoughts on best FC is simple and thats one that works. Every pilot should know their own skill level and what fc would suit their needs best. I think FC’s should come in simple , advanced and expert. Also it would be nice if the hobby supply chain actually knew what a recall is instead of knowing something is crap but just let it keep selling as was my recent experience when I purchased a CLRacing F4s being led to believe they were such a great board and what I recieved was obviously old stock V1.4 and got stuck with the roll of death. I then purchased the cheapest omnibus f4 from banggood and I now have a quad that actually flies without uncontrollably hitting the dirt. Product developers have to step up and recall their products when they know they have a problem or people will will simply not buy their product again. I know I personally will not buy another CL Racing product along with a couple other brand names I wont mention here. In Canada I paid 49 bucks for that FC, may as well have flushed it down the toilet.
Will you help me out in configuring mine?
HI Oscar, I really like ALL of your info, and am extremely grateful that you take the time to share it with the rest of the world.
The one thing I find very frustrating however, is that you do not put a date anywhere on any of your blog posts, so I have no idea if this article was written in 2019, 2018 or 2003 ?
Do you have any plans to perhaps put a date/time stamp somewhere on your entries so we can know if the information is current or not?
Thanks again sir.
Scroll down to the end, you will see the update history.
Hey Oscar,
i tried to build a QC myself with a MultiWii CRIUS 2.5, but still can’t get it to hover steady. As the errors are “unstable” and varying, i want to test with another FC.
Can you give me a recommendation for an “easy” FC that will work with an old 35MHz PWM-Receiver and 40A-SimonK-ESCs?
A 5V output for the Rx would be nice (no BEC on ESCs), but not mandatory.
Thank you very much in advance,
Marc
I am putting together (or purchasing a pre-built armattan) quad for freestyle. My question is regarding the FC choice armattan uses on their ready-to-fly builds, they use a CL Racing F4S AIO. Is there any reason not to use a CL “racing” FC for freestyle?
It’s not limited to Racing, it’s just how they decided to name the product.
Miss here DYS F4 PRO V2, love 9 V BEC for VTX and video for crystal clear view.
Kakute F4 v2 “Furthermore, you cannot stick anything on top of the FC with things like a receiver or VTX.”
Why not? I have matek VTX mounted on top of the Kakute and it works fine and flies beautifully
i mean directly on top without standoffs.
Hey Oscar, I love you FC…. I bought the CL RACING F4S when it first came out and installed it in my quad but ever time I arm and disarm it won’t rearm unless I unplug the battery and replug…I’ve tried every remedy I could think of but nothing’s woring… I even swapped out the FC for another one of the same kind and still nothing…. I did notice that you mentioned that some esc’s weren’t compatible with it…. could that be my problem?…..please help!!
Check in Betaflight to see what the “Arming Disable Flag” is, and then look it up to see what the reason is?
I’m actually having the same problem with my CLR F4S as well~
Also, I’m not sure if I’ve got a burnt out M4 pad, but it looks like I’m not getting a motor 4 even when I’ve remapped it to another pad like cam-control. Any tips?
Hello I am a Newbie,
I want to built my first mini quad, which qualifies for races and lets me grow. I read your great articles but information from the manufacturer is low.
I want a 32khz Gyro, F4 Flight Control, OSD, DSHOT 1200, Voltage and Current monitor.
I want to use Betafly.
Does my proposed combination work and deliver just that?
– Omnibus F4 Corner Nano FC ICM20608
– Racerstar Tattoo_S Mini 25A 4 IN 1 ESC 2-4S Blheli_32bit Dshot1200
– FURIOUSFPV Innova V4 25/200mW OSD – VTX
Thanks for understanding!
sounds good to me.
But to be honest i think getting an FC with MPU6000 and run 8k is a much more reliable option.
helio spring v2
airbot typhoon v2 / tekko32
seems better to me
What about the JBARDWELL F4 AIO flight controller?
Not sure, our team haven’t tried it yet. But it looks like to have good layout.
I have really fallen in love with the layout of the JBF4, definitely worth the look! If my quad doesn’t have a Heliospring IMUF it has a JBF4.
DYS released a v2 fc with corner pads and a connector to esc, not pads.
My favorite is missing, SirinFPV FC/VTX/BF OSD is cleanest possible minimalist package. I run mine with 4in1Aikon ESC. Has all essentials as long as you think it makes better sense to do one’s current sensing on the bench under controlled conditions
Just a general complaint. To all FC makers. Instead the classic IT WORKS GET IT ON THE MARKET! Why don’t you fully developed these boards before running your greed to the bank? All anyone wants is a standardized FC that you don’t need a degree to operate! Thank you.
New to multicopters?
That’s been the culture of every drone vendor, even DJI, heck even X UFO (asctec), hell, even the military since the inception of commercial drones. For example, it took dji 4 versions (and lots of crashes) to get to mikrokopter flight quality…. or course at 1/2 the price.
It’s going to be a rush to sell features, and make it CHEAP. reliability/usability takes a back seat.
Why? That’s counter-intuitive. Can someone explain this? It would be like making cars that have bluetooth, built-in navigation, side and backup cameras, seat warmers, self-inflating tires, and transmissions that randomly seize.
Regarding F4 and smartport, you should be able to use softserial as uart for smartport and therefore you can inverted in software instead of modifying receiver og buying / making an inverter.
In doing this on my Airbot F4
Little disappointed that the BrainRE1 wasn’t on the list. It’s the best one I’ve used and I now have 2 of them!
unfortunately the list is based on a poll :( But for sure the BrainFPV RE1 is a great FC which we reviewed before: review link
Is anyone familiar with the fpvstyle f3 evo flight control board?? I got it for only 20 but did get any paper work or screws etc and was just wondering if anyone has any knowledge on this board?? Hope to hear back from someone, jeff g
I think it is a clone of the sp racing evo… just search for the documentation of that