The best cheap fitness trackers in 2023

Gone are the times of fundamental pedometers being the one choice for cheap fitness trackers. These days, even budget-friendly trackers supply superior coaching and data-gathering performance that will help you monitor and push towards your fitness and well being objectives. Most even supply a plethora of smartwatch options to maintain you related if you’re on the transfer. While these finances choices received’t provide the identical degree of efficiency as costly fitness watches, you don’t have to drop a fortune to get a succesful machine. The best cheap fitness trackers will present loads of perception to maintain you motivated and transferring. 

How we selected the best cheap fitness trackers

As a fitness fanatic and frequent watch reviewer, I’ve used numerous fitness trackers and smartwatches. When choosing the fitness trackers included in this information, worth was, in fact, some of the essential elements. Beyond that, we thought-about sensors and monitoring skills, battery life, match, and sturdiness. Although cheap fitness trackers are inherently extra fundamental than costly fitness watches, we additionally checked out superior options, reminiscent of sleep monitoring, efficiency metrics, and extra. We made our choices on a mixture of hands-on expertise, editorial opinions, and person suggestions. 

The best cheap fitness trackers: Reviews & Recommendations

The best cheap fitness tracker for every particular person will fluctuate, as your particular person wants and objectives will dictate which options are vital. Despite their budget-friendly costs, the choices under are extremely succesful and supply a spread of capabilities and designs in an effort to discover the best machine to your way of life.

Best total: Garmin vívosmart 5

Specs

• Built-in GPS: No
• Heart charge monitor: Yes
• Water resistance: 164 toes 
• Battery life: 7 days
• Display dimension: 0.41 x 0.73 inches
• Weight: 0.86 ounces (small/medium), 0.93 ounces (giant)

Pros

• Free entry to all of your information
• Available in two sizes
• Lightweight, minimal design
• Accurate coronary heart charge and sleep monitoring
• Activity monitoring for a spread of actions

Cons

Garmin’s smartwatches are among the best fitness watches obtainable, although most include steep worth tags. The vívosmart 5 comes at a a lot cheaper price level with extra beginner-friendly options. Plus, Garmin doesn’t cost additional to entry all your information and coaching help options, which is why it earns our high spot. 

Despite being a cheap fitness tracker, the vívosmart 5 nonetheless will get loads of Garmin’s superior expertise and correct information assortment in an effort to maximize your coaching with out spending an excessive amount of. The built-in coronary heart charge monitor consistently screens and may provide you with a warning in case your rhythm is simply too excessive or low whereas at relaxation. And it helps you perceive how arduous you’re working throughout an exercise. It additionally incorporates a pulse ox sensor to examine your blood oxygen saturation, although you’ll have to try this through the day manually.

As is typical of cheap fitness trackers, this machine doesn’t supply built-in GPS. Instead, it depends on related GPS together with your telephone. It additionally presents restricted sports activities apps for exercise monitoring in comparison with Garmin’s dearer fashions. But it tracks your sleep, stress, and respiration, and you may log your fluid consumption, offering a well-rounded image of your well being. And you may get notifications out of your smartphone, which provides loads of comfort. 

Best for sleep: Fitbit Inspire 3

Specs

• Built-in GPS: No
• Heart charge monitor: Yes
• Water resistance: 164 toes
• Battery life: 10 days
• Display dimension: 1.5 x 0.7 x 0.5 inches
• Weight: 3.5 ounces

Pros

• Lightweight and slim
• Long battery life
• Bright AMOLED show
• Provides useful sleep perception

Cons

• Requires a subscription for superior insights and exercise strategies

While monitoring your sleep could appear pointless, it might present numerous perception and advantages that will help you enhance your well being and fitness. The Fitbit Inspire 3 routinely tracks your sleep at evening, offering data on how lengthy you spent in gentle, deep, and REM sleep levels. It offers a Sleep Score on the evening’s finish so you may get the large image. Plus, you may set a vibrating alarm to wake you up through the optimum sleep stage so that you just really really feel refreshed if you get up.

To maintain issues enjoyable, the Inspire 3 pairs you with a sleep animal and shares a month-to-month personalised evaluation of your sleep. However, you’ll have to pay for a Fitbit Premium subscription to get this function. In truth, you have to pay for the Premium subscription for fairly a number of insights—together with detailed sleep information, wellness studies, and a Daily Readiness Score—which retains the Inspire 3 from incomes the highest spot. 

Beyond sleep, the Inspire 3 can observe your steps and actions. The built-in coronary heart charge sensor and SpO2 sensors present helpful data for monitoring your fitness, reminiscent of your VO₂ Max and coronary heart charge zone data. It depends on related GPS, so that you’ll want your telephone for correct distance and tempo data. But you may get all of your telephone notifications on the watch, which is at all times an added comfort layer. 

Best for minimalists: Whoop 4.0

Specs

• Built-in GPS: No
• Heart charge monitor: Yes
• Water resistance: 32 toes for two hours (IP68)
• Battery life: 4 to five days
• Display dimension: N/A
• Weight: 1 ounce

Pros

• Comfortable to put on for prolonged intervals
• Lots of restoration insights
• Minimal, screen-free design
• Can be worn in some ways with Whoop equipment

Cons

• Requires an expensive month-to-month subscription

The Whoop 4.0 comes throughout as fundamental due to its minimalist design that bucks the development of fitness trackers turned smartwatches. This distinctive machine doesn’t function a display screen of any type. You received’t be distracted by notifications popping up in your wrist or be preoccupied with keeping track of all these numbers throughout your exercise. However, though the Whoop is fundamental in appears, it isn’t fundamental in capabilities.

The Whoop 4.0 options blood oxygen, pores and skin temperature, and coronary heart charge sensors to supply loads of information. It can routinely detect a exercise, or you can begin one manually in the app. If you’re power coaching, the Whoop can observe weights, reps, and units. Then, the app takes all that information and offers numerous helpful restoration data that will help you get essentially the most out of your exercises. 

Another good thing about the Whoop is that you could buy a spread of clothes objects, together with swimsuits, underwear, shirts, and extra, that Whoop designed to carry the fitness tracker, permitting you to go wristband-free. That’s a great choice for lots of various sports activities and actions. Despite the dearth of a display screen, the Whoop 4.0 is the costliest choice on our record. Unfortunately, it additionally requires an expensive month-to-month subscription. But this can be a distinctive machine that many individuals desire over conventional smartwatch-style trackers. 

Best GPS: Fitbit Charge 5

Specs

• Built-in GPS: Yes
• Heart charge monitor: Yes
• Water resistance: 164 toes
• Battery life: 7 days
• Display dimension: 0.86 X 0.58 inches
• Weight: 1.02 ounces

Pros

• GPS is quick to attach
• Includes an ECG app for monitoring irregular coronary heart rhythms
• Sleek, slim design
• Bright touchscreen

Cons

• Lack of buttons will be irritating

Most cheap fitness trackers solely supply related GPS, which isn’t very correct and requires you to at all times maintain your telephone on you. But the Fitbit Charge 5 options built-in GPS, so you may get correct tempo and distance information even should you go away your telephone behind. And it’s fast to attach, so that you received’t be caught ready for it if you need to begin your run.

Another bonus with the Charge 5 is the ECG app for detecting coronary heart rhythm points. You may even share this data straight together with your physician to help in diagnosing issues. It additionally tracks your coronary heart charge all day, together with throughout train and at evening, in order to supply fitness and sleep insights. The computerized train monitoring is right for individuals who are likely to overlook to start out their watch when starting actions. And it presents a spread of train modes with dwell stats proper in your wrist throughout your exercise. 

The Charge 5 options the traditional fitness tracker design profile with a slim, minimal look. Fitbit opted for a button-free design on it, although, which suggests you’ll have to depend on the touchscreen for all the things. That can get a bit annoying at instances, however the touchscreen is sweet and vivid, so that you’ll simply have the ability to see it even in vivid daylight. 

Best worth: Xiaomi Band 7 Pro

Specs

• Built-in GPS: Yes
• Heart charge monitor: Yes 
• Water resistance: 164 toes
• Battery life: 12 days
• Display dimension: 1.64 inches
• Weight: 0.7 ounces

Pros

• Large, high-quality show
• Built-in GPS
• Affordable worth
• Lots of exercise and health-tracking options

Cons

• Sleep monitoring isn’t correct
• Mi Fitness app isn’t very user-friendly

Typically, if you need extra superior fitness monitoring options, reminiscent of built-in GPS, sleep monitoring, and a big show, you’ll have to spend effectively over $100. The Xiaomi Band 7 Pro presents a way more reasonably priced different whereas ticking these packing containers. 

The most shocking function for a sub-$100 watch is the built-in GPS. It even helps BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS satellite tv for pc programs for extra correct location data. Plus, you may load your working course and observe your progress proper in your wrist. The Band 7 Pro presents 110 plus fitness modes for all ranges of athletes and presents all-day coronary heart charge monitoring with a blood oxygen sensor. 

Another function that makes this cheap fitness tracker stand out is the massive show. It presents a 1.64-inch AMOLED touchscreen show. It options an ambient gentle sensor to routinely modify brightness, which isn’t usually discovered in such budget-friendly units. The battery ought to final you 12 days, relying on how you utilize it, and also you’ll even have entry to Amazon Alexa voice assistant. Overall, the Band 7 packs loads of options into a gorgeous and reasonably priced watch. 

Best superior: Garmin Forerunner 55

Specs

• Built-in GPS: Yes
• Heart charge monitor: Yes
• Water resistance: 164 toes
• Battery life: Up to 2 weeks (smartwatch mode), or 20 hours (GPS mode)
• Display dimension: 1.04 inches
• Weight: 1.3 ounces

Pros

• Provides exercise and restoration time strategies
• Highly correct GPS and coronary heart charge
• Easy to make use of
• Lightweight

Cons

If you’re beginning to get extra severe together with your coaching, a step above a fitness tracker will be the strategy to go. The Garmin Forerunner 55 is a beginner-friendly working watch that also comes at a comparatively reasonably priced worth, particularly for what you’re getting. For starters, it’s light-weight and small, making it superb even for these with small wrists. 

Garmin packed the watch with extremely correct GPS (in addition to GLONASS and Galileo) so you may get detailed tempo, distance, and interval information. It additionally options Garmin’s built-in charge monitor for all-day coronary heart charge monitoring at relaxation and through actions. And it presents loads of built-in sports activities apps for monitoring your favourite actions. 

This watch is a perfect selection for runners for a number of causes. It presents cadence alerts that will help you maintain your cadence constant. The TempoPro expertise helps you propose a race technique for a particular course or distance, and also you’ll additionally get every day instructed exercises primarily based in your coaching historical past, fitness degree, and restoration time. 

You’ll miss out on among the extra superior options (sleep monitoring, multi-band GPS monitoring, and extra) of Garmin’s dearer watches, such because the Forerunner 955. But in case you are simply getting began in your working journey, you may’t go incorrect with the Forerunner 55. To learn extra about this extremely succesful cheap fitness tracker, take a look at our full assessment. 

Best finances: Amazfit Band 7

Specs

• Built-in GPS: No
• Heart charge monitor: Yes
• Water resistance: 164 toes
• Battery life: 18 days
• Display dimension: 1.47 inches
• Weight: 0.96 ounces

Pros

• Very light-weight
• Affordable
• Accurate coronary heart charge monitor
• Good battery life

Cons

• Touchscreen is somewhat finicky

If you’re trying to find one of many most cost-effective fitness trackers obtainable to get you began on the street to raised fitness and well being, the Amazfit Band 7 is your best guess. The Band 7 incorporates a traditional fitness tracker design with a slender rectangular form. It’s additionally very light-weight, which makes it extra snug to put on, even for days on finish. The AMOLED show is colourful and vivid, although there isn’t any ambient gentle sensor, so that you’ll have to regulate brightness by yourself. But it’s simple to see at full brightness even in full solar. 

The Amazfit Band 7 incorporates a coronary heart charge monitor and blood oxygen sensor wrapped up into one (BioTracker 3.0 PPG biometric sensor), offering correct information. It can calculate your VO2 Max, stress ranges, and sleep. I discovered these numbers to be on par with the dearer Garmin watches I’ve used, which is spectacular. And Amazfit offers numerous assist textual content to clarify what all these numbers really imply. It could be a useful gizmo for beginning a fitness journey. 

As with most cheap fitness trackers, the Band 7 depends on related GPS, so that you’ll have to maintain your telephone on you for any actions the place location, tempo, or distance are essential. And maintain in thoughts that even together with your telephone’s GPS, these numbers received’t be very correct. I discovered it to fluctuate fairly considerably from my watch with built-in, multi-band GPS. 

Despite the budget-friendly worth, the Band 7 guarantees as much as 18 hours of battery life. I received roughly 16 days at a time in my testing, which is spectacular for such a cheap fitness tracker. The watch’s touchscreen is sort of too delicate, and there are not any bodily buttons, so that you’ll be caught counting on that. But regardless of its shortcomings, I used to be very impressed with the Band 7. To be taught extra, take a look at our full assessment. 

Things to contemplate earlier than shopping for a cheap fitness tracker

Just like several fitness tracker or watch, cheap fitness trackers come in a spread of kinds with numerous options. Which is best for you is determined by your objectives and the way you propose to make use of the watch. But the next classes will assist information your choice in choosing the best cheap fitness tracker for you. 

Steps & coronary heart charge

If you’re in search of a fitness tracker, you doubtless need to seize information out of your exercises and every day life. Fitness trackers include a variety of data-collecting sensors. However, that is the one space the place corporations make sacrifices in order to supply lower-priced fashions. The result’s that you will note fewer choices on cheap fitness trackers when in comparison with dearer units. Nevertheless, there are two key sensors to search for if you wish to use your tracker for fitness objectives. 

The most simple factor to search for is an accelerometer. The accelerometer consistently senses the actions of the physique in order to rely your steps. All fitness trackers will no less than have the ability to rely your steps (identical to the great outdated days). It gives you fundamental perception into your exercise on a selected day.  

Most can even function a built-in coronary heart charge monitor. Some will supply extra sensors throughout the coronary heart charge monitor array, together with a pulse ox. This mixture permits the machine to seize extra information, reminiscent of blood oxygen ranges, coronary heart charge variability, sleep perception, coaching standing, and extra. That’s why a coronary heart charge monitor is such a significant part of a well-rounded fitness tracker, because it offers you a significantly better thought of your fitness and development to objectives. 

GPS

Beyond step counting and coronary heart charge monitoring, you’ll be restricted in what the cheap fitness tracker offers. That consists of GPS performance. GPS connectivity helps present correct distance and tempo data and may also map your actions to point out the place you ran or biked. 

Most cheap fitness trackers will depend on your telephone for GPS, additionally known as tethered or related GPS. This methodology isn’t as correct as built-in GPS, and it implies that you must maintain your telephone on you. That’s not an issue for some since you’ll have it on you anyway. And you might not be involved about tremendous exact tempo and distance data both.

Others could get irritated by the prospect of at all times carrying round a telephone. Or maybe you need correct insights. If that’s prone to be you, you’ll want to go for a fitness tracker that incorporates a built-in GPS unit.

Activity monitoring

These days, most fitness trackers can even have the ability to observe particular kinds of exercises. The kinds of exercises {that a} watch can file fluctuate throughout manufacturers and fashions, with some solely supporting a small handful and others offering a strong record of actions. 

If all you participate in is the commonest exercises—reminiscent of working, biking, or strolling—then a fundamental fitness tracker with restricted monitoring skills will get the job executed. However, should you prefer to take part in racquet sports activities, swimming, weight lifting, or some other of the much less widespread actions, you’ll need to go for a fitness tracker with an extended record of choices. 

Battery life

Like with any expertise, you’ll be on the whim of your cheap fitness tracker’s battery life. The vary of battery life throughout these units is important, although. Look rigorously at promised battery life numbers, particularly should you don’t need to be caught charging your watch every day. 

Smartwatch skills

As expertise has progressed, the road between fitness tracker and smartwatch has turn out to be blurred to the purpose of practically being indistinguishable. The result’s that even cheap fitness trackers act as related smartwatches. They received’t supply cell service just like the Apple Watch, however they’ll inform the time and mean you can obtain notifications out of your telephone when you may have it close by. 

Beyond these fundamental features, some will even mean you can choose from fast responses to reply to textual content messages. Certain watches could present climate data or different fundamental insights that they pull out of your telephone. If you desire a absolutely related wearable, search for a tool with a protracted record of smartwatch features. And you’ll additionally need to confirm that it’ll work together with your telephone.  

FAQs

Final ideas on the best cheap fitness trackers

Though the flowery, costly fitness watches are actually cool, they’re, fairly frankly, overkill for most individuals. If you’re merely centered on getting or staying energetic, a cheap fitness tracker will probably be greater than sufficient. The best choice for you’ll rely upon what kind of actions you prefer to take part in, what data you need out of your watch, and your model preferences. No matter what you’re in search of, one of many watches included right here ought to meet your wants.

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