Hi everyone,
I’m working on a custom drone project and I’ve noticed that picking the right flight controller is one of the trickiest steps. There are so many options out there — from Pixhawk to Betaflight-based boards — and each seems to fit a different style of flying.
For those who’ve built drones:
What’s the biggest factor you consider when choosing a flight controller (stability, GPS support, firmware, cost)?
Do you usually stick with open-source firmware like Ardupilot/PX4 or go for simpler boards?
Any specific recommendations for a good balance between performance and ease of setup?
Would love to learn from your experiences before I finalize my choice.
When picking a flight controller, the biggest factor is what you want the drone to do.
For FPV/racing/freestyle → Betaflight-based boards are light, fast, and easy to set up. Stability and responsiveness matter most here.
For autonomous flying/mapping/long missions → something like a Pixhawk running ArduPilot or PX4 is better since you get GPS, waypoint missions, return-to-home, etc.
I usually stick with open-source firmware (ArduPilot, PX4, Betaflight) since they’re well supported and have huge communities. Proprietary boards are simpler but can be limiting long-term.
Good balance suggestion: Holybro Pixhawk 6X (if you want GPS + autonomy) or a Matek F7 flight controller (if you just want solid performance without the extra complexity).
