Here are the best LiPo chargers that I would recommend to FPV drone pilots. There are single channel chargers that are used with parallel charging boards, as well as multi-channel chargers that can charge different batteries simultaneously.
It’s important that you do your research first on LiPo battery, chargers and power supply before making your purchase. Here are some good reads to get your started:
Some people worry about parallel charging, in which case you probably want to get a “dual channel” or even “four-channel” charger, otherwise charging battery one by one can be pretty slow.
If you don’t mind using a parallel charging board, you can charge multiple batteries simultaneously with a single port charger. But make sure you read up on how to do parallel charging safely first.
Table of Contents
Best Value and Versatility
HOTA D6 Pro 650W Dual-Output AC/DC
Product Page
- Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-gj71
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-xyjj
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/31lFuAd
The HOTA D6 Pro Dual AC/DC charger is a very well balanced charger for the bench and can be most people’s primary charger.
It has dual output channels, which is basically equivalent to having two independent changers, so you can charge two different voltage or types of batteries at the same time. If you have two parallel boards (with 6 outputs), then you could easily charge 12 batteries at a time.
It has built in AC power supply so you don’t have to invest in an external power supply right off the bat. But it only gives you 100W per channel, you can use a more powerful external power supply (650W or higher) through the DC input if you want use it to its maximum potential. This is basically like a more powerful version of the iSDT 608AC. 800W or 1000W Server PSU are pretty cheap on eBay, only around $30 :)
Best Field Charging Charger
iSDT Q6 Nano
Product Page:
- GetFPV – https://oscarliang.com/product-8hh2
- Banggood – https://bit.ly/q6-nano
- AliExpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DdpLP9f
- Amazon – https://bit.ly/q6-nano-amz
The ISDT Q6 Nano (full review) is an extremely portable and affordable charger. At 200W, it’s totally capable of charging up to 6 (4S 1500mAh) batteries at the same time under an hour using parallel charging. The specs of this charger is just outstanding at this price point.
The main downsides however, are that it’s only a single port charger and DC only. But it’s so light, it makes it great for field charging.
Best Beginner Charger
iSDT 608AC 200W AC/DC
Product Page:
- Banggood: http://bit.ly/isdt-608ac
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/38YgRuY
- GetFPV: http://bit.ly/2Sf4Hax
- RaceDayQuad: http://bit.ly/390muJ1
Getting a power supply is too complicated? Check out the iSDT 608AC (Full Review).
It’s a basic charger that comes with a detachable power supply that plugs into the wall. Power is not as high as the other iSDT chargers with AC, at only 60W, but it’s enough for someone who is just starting or doesn’t fly a lot. As you progress and want to charge more batteries, you can get a better power supply and get the full 200W power.
Great Quality with Powerful Output
iSDT D2 200W Two-Channel AC
Product page: http://bit.ly/2yq4tlg.
The ISDT D2 is a popular indoor charger for FPV. It has built-in power supply, and dual-channel output, 200w each. It even comes with a USB output to charge your cameras and phones, as well as a beautiful color LCD screen. The two buttons and scroll wheel makes it really easy to use. The only drawback I find is the lack of DC input, and it’s considerably heavier than the Q8 so it’s not ideal for field charging.
A two-channel charger allows you to charge two different batteries at the same time, or handle two parallel boards at once. It’s like having 2 separate chargers essentially.
Mid-range Two-Channel Charger
ToolkitRC M6D 500W Two-Channel
Product Page:
- Bnaggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-igur
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/34eyhEp
- GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-qsh5
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-d1ji
At $65 you get a for 500W and 25A charging current, which is a pretty sweet deal. The specs of the ToolkitRC M6D (review) is actually quite similar to the iSDT Q8, but the M6D has dual channels as well as a 5V output to charge your phone and GoPro on the go.
1S LiPo Charger for Tiny Whoops
Vifly WhoopStor V2
Product Pages:
- RaceDayQuads: https://oscarliang.com/product-2rst
- Newbeedrone: https://oscarliang.com/product-52uz
Possibly one of the most feature-rich 1S chargers out there right now. It has both BT2.0 and PH2.0 connectors, and can charge up to 6 batteries at the same time. It can discharge and storage-charge batteries, charging current up to 0.9A per port! See my detail review of the WhoopStor V2 charger here.
Hope you find these suggestions useful. We will continue to look for good LiPo chargers and keep this list up to date. Please leave us a comment if you have any questions.
Edit History
- July 2017 – article created
- July 2018 – Removed SC608, SC620 (discontinued), added SkyRC E4Q and iSDT D2
- Jan 2019 – Added iSDT T6 and T8
- Jan 2021 – Updated products
35 comments
Toolkitrc M7AC can be a good option for a beginner?
Yea, it’s a good charger too!
What do you mean with “650W or higher” for the Hota D6 Pro? Is there a certain advantage if the PSU is more powerful than 650W?
Thanks for all the helpful posts!
No advantage in performance, but higher rated PSU can be more robust, and sometimes if you are lucky there are some good deals that make them cheaper.
Hi Oscar, I was searching for a charger for my 1s lipos and I have lipos with GNB27 connector.
Found this one
banggood.com/Eachine-US65-DE65-PRO-or-AE65-or-Nanohawk-ET2_0-DC-7V-22V-1S-Lipo-or-LIHV-Battery-Charger-for-GNB27-PH2_0-Whoop-FPV-Racing-Drone-p-1732813.html
It’s probably an update from the one you have on this list so maybe you could update this page with it.
Thank you for all your work!
Hi Oscar. I know you can’t cover every charger out there but I ran into HTRC T240 charger and if I understood correctly it can change everything with dual channel. Would you consider it in comparison with the chargers in the review?
what about hota D6?
Hi Oscar,
Purchased the iSDT 608AC based on your recommendation. I’m having problems understanding exactly how to set up the menus for my Rotor Riot HyPo 1300mAh 4s 95c Lipo Battery with HyPo Checker. When I plug it in, along with the balance port plug, I’m not certain that it is charging correctly. Once I hit Start, I get a screen with the message ‘Perform unbalancing task? LiPo-4S. What is the correct setting?
New at all this with racing and whoop drones.
Thanks for your help.
I am not very lucky with the Reaktor Charger. A Total waste of money. It conked out on its first use (it just “died” and I triple–checked the connections and verified all to be 100% correct), the bad thing is I couldnt ship it back to Hobby King because of some stupid bureaucratic restriction in my country. And I read about many others who encountered the same problem as me. I suspect HK just recycles returned defective units (and there are many of them out there), testament that Turnigy chargers are just absolute JUNK. I just threw away the Turnigy and replaced it with a Venom Pro Quad which is a way better charger.
My mate got a isdt D2 charger and found that the max amps across the two channels is only 12amps.. not 12amps per channel.
Oscar,
I have a question…
I have a Turnigy Accucell 50 watt charger and I put 14.5 volts in via a 4.5 amp plug in power supply and i can charge up to a 6S the input rating for it is 11 to 17 volts. My new all the rage ToolkitRC M8 input is like 7-30 volts however there is no upconvert from what I can tell. even 14.5 volts in, there is no charging of a 3s due to an input too low message. I supplied it with a 24 volt 6 amp switching power supply and the Toolkit drew more than 7 amps to test internal resistance of a 6s battery. Nothing is mentioned about upconverting on any of the dc input chargers, what am I missing? Did I fall behind the 8 ball? I have a 300 watt supply on order so now the ToolkitRC isn’t a “pocket” charger if you can’t connect it to a car battery to charge your batteries :-(
Thoughts?
Retraction. Please remove my prior comment if possible. Due to a grossly inaccurate input voltage limit flaw the charger seemed to lack upconvert capability. I had to change it as low as 11 volts before it accepted a 12 volt input. It amazingly did charge a 6s battery so I am very happy!
Sorry I am not being much help here as I don’t have the Toolkit charger, nor know anything about it.
Maybe get in touch with the reseller?
All the mentioned chargers need to have + and – connected. Damaged accus can be recovered with charging direct on balancerstick. Du you know any that don’t demand + and – connected?
Have you ever tried the HOTA D6 Pro, that’s a new product, and I think it is the perfect one for mini quads! It get two channel, with AC 200W in total or DC 325W/15A each channel.
It’s now 6/18, would you still recommend the ISDT SC 608? If yes, also get the isdt Linker for firmware? I understand they are no longer updating, but can you and do I need to get the latest version?
Yes still a solid charger :) But the Q6 is a better value charger for the similar price.
And yea get the linker too, always good to keep it updated for bugs and improvements.
Believe me in this market segment, chargers + power supplies are some of the LEAST reliable products you can buy. Buy from a trusted vendor so you know that you are covered.
Icharger are known for their cell balancing accuracy.
Hitec is mostly rebadged skyrc.
ALWAYS power up your charger BEFORE connecting the battery to it.
ALWAYS switch off PSU when done charging (and disconnect battery first)
And so on and so on…
Paul @ ewm
I noticed you mentioned several battery chargers, but one thing joshua bardwell touches on, is cell balancing capability. Why isn’t that mentioned on any of these chargers?
All these chargers mentioned here have “balance charge” which will balance all the cells during charging.
Is it also true if I connect parallel board? Or I can only charge 2 batteries at the same time if I want to charge them by using balance feature?
Thanks.
Yes, cells are still being balance charged when using parallel board if the Balance cable is connected. If you are not sure, just unplug the balance cable and see if the charger gives you a warning, if it does then balance charging is working.
Just a simple question. If I buy PSU 300W 12V may I charge a LIPO 4s to 6s with the iSDT Q6 Plus 300W?
I am no really sure since this PSU can not provide the voltage required for more than 3s Lipo…
that should be fine, the charger can step up voltage and charge 6S.
I stilling like” Cellpro 10s” charger because it provide fast balancing.
It’s balance by charge ,it’s not balance by discharge .
The SkyRC Q200 looks like the same product as the Hitec X4 AC Pro
Is it a rebrand?
They do have the same spec and same appearance so i think they are…
Is the SkyRC Q200 same as the “Hitec X4 Pro AC/DC 4-Port Multicharger” ?
They do have the same spec and same appearance so i think they are…
Get a Junsi iCharger, for example, the 4010 Duo and forget the rest, most Lipo chargers are garbage compared to Junsi. The balancer in the Junsi is probably the best, at the moment, on the market. The items shown in the article in my opinion are only useful for charging children’s toys, but not really for expensive Lipo batteries. A Junsi costs more, but makes itself paid, in view of the life of the batteries.
Nah, the best pilots uses isdt and turnigy
I see, you compare cheap stuff with High-end? I think you never use a good charger and know the difference, it¨s like driving a bicycle or a Maybach. And serious, Turnigy? C’mon…
Prop, you spent over £300 on a battery charger.
I’ll just leave that there.
lol.
what about the Reaktor QuadCore charger
It didn’t have many votes… I guess the reason is because it’s “too powerful” for most of us mini quad pilots. :)