With all the obligations and distractions that come with modern life, ensuring our bodies stay moving can be a daunting task. However, the effort is worth it, both for your mental and physical well-being. The tech world has responded with various wellness and fitness-related devices or wearables that can help you stay motivated.
Fitness trackers are a great boon for both devout athletes and couch potatoes alike, often offering in-depth activity metrics along with step counting, so you can feel like you’re making progress whether you’re at the beginning of your fitness journey or years into it. Fitness trackers are often more affordable than their smartwatch counterparts, making them a great option for those on a tight budget.
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There’s a wealth of budget-friendly trackers available that are more than capable of tracking steps and supercharging your training. While not the newest or fastest trackers on the market, our recommendations are still capable of keeping you moving, and often offer features that are useful to everyone.
After testing a lot of fitness trackers, these are our tried-and-true picks for the best ones on the market, starting with our top pick overall, the capable, lightweight, and accurate Fitbit Inspire 3.
Best budget fitness trackers: Our top picks
Fitbit Inspire 3
1. Best budget fitness tracker overall
Fitbit finesse for less
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is a great fitness tracker that pairs excellent software with a range of accurate sensors. The whole package should satisfy both enthusiasts and those who just want to know how many steps they take per day.
- Great software
- Excellent battery life
- Accurate and detailed tracking
- Subtle form factor
- Small display
- Touchscreen could be more responsive
Fitbit is one of the longest-running (pun intended) and most well-known wearable brands. The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the result of years of refinement on both the software and hardware sides. It looks sleek, understated and easily blends in with most outfits, which is always welcome for a fitness tracker that you might want to wear 24/7.
Fitbit Inspire 3: Great entry-level fitness tracker
Should you buy the Fitbit Inspire 3, or would you be better off spending a little bit more and buying the Luxe or Charge? Here’s our review.
The Inspire 3 has all the features you’d expect from a budget tracker. You’ll find the standard activity, step, and sleep tracking software. Additionally, the band comes equipped with a heart rate sensor and offers SpO2 monitoring and 21 different workout modes. However, the Inspire 3’s main standout and focus is on accuracy.
Be it tracking your running, starting a workout mode automatically, or measuring your sleep, the Inspire 3 rarely misses the mark and is probably the most accurate tracker you’ll get for the price. What’s more, Fitbit didn’t sacrifice battery life, and you can expect to get 10 days on a full charge. Finally, one of the other reasons for choosing the Fitbit Inspire 3 over the competition is its user-friendly mobile app. You get your usual steps, calories and heart rate scores there, but Fitbit goes into quite a lot of other details as well.
Xiaomi Band 8
2. Best Xiaomi budget fitness tracker
A newcomer, but a front-runner
Xiaomi Band 8 continues Xiaomi’s tradition of offering a lot in their budget fitness trackers. The new band has a refreshed look and even better sensors, and still maintains a reasonable price.
- Incredible battery life
- Support for 200+ activities
- Great performance and screen
- Some surface level tracking modes
- Lackluster software
When most people think about Xiaomi, one of the first things that comes to mind is the legendary price-to-performance ratio of its products. This might have changed for the company’s flagship phones over the years, but some Xiaomi accessories still punch well above their price. The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is undoubtedly one of those products.
Xiaomi Smart Band 8: Comprehensive fitness tracking on a budget
The latest Xiaomi fitness tracker gives you lots of customisation options, faster performance and retains an affordable price tag.
The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 came to the market with customization in mind, making changing straps easier than ever. Besides that, it’s the standard Xiaomi pill, this time with a faux-metallic finish, a stellar 60Hz AMOLED screen, vibrant colors and hundreds of fun themes and wallpapers to choose from.
Xiaomi Band 8 is not just for show. It comes equipped with an optical heart rate sensor and SpO2 tracking, six-axis motion sensor, and sleep tracking. The last one might not be as accurate as the Fitbit at the top of the list, but remember that the Xiaomi Band 8 is half the price.
What’s more, it comes with one of the longest-lasting batteries on the market. The device charges fully in an hour, and you get around 16 days of tracking on a single charge. With how lovely the screen is and how many tracking options there are, it’s almost a miracle.
Speaking of tracking activities, the Band 8 can record over 200 different types of exercise. You have multiple types of running and cycling, as well as more exotic activities such as dancing, climbing, and everything in between.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
3. Best budget fitness tracker under $50
Tracking on the ultra-cheap
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is a great fitness tracker that offers various activity tracking options and a wide range of sensors for a fraction of a price of competitors.
- Great price
- Solid tracking and activity options
- A lot of sensors for the price
- Software is subpar
- A bit plasticky
The Mi Band 6 was the biggest leap in Xiaomi’s fitness tracker line when it was released. While its predecessor, the Band 5, looks dated today, the Band 6 is still sleek and modern, with a great, almost bezel-less AMOLED screen and the company’s iconic pill design. It also does what a good fitness tracker should do: blend in with almost any outfit.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6: Greatness on a budget?
Xiaomi has been making excellent cheap trackers for a while now — so how does the Mi Band 6 stack up?
It also offers a great variety of tracking sensors. Most cheap fitness trackers at the time stopped at a heart rate sensor. The Mi Band 6 offers that, but it also includes SpO2 tracking, allowing you to check your blood oxygen levels. Of course, it can also measure your sleep and stress levels. Overall, the Mi Band 6’s accuracy is pretty good, and great even when you consider the price.
You also get the Xiaomi trademark of cramming as many activity tracking options as you can into fitness trackers. This one offers over 100 activities to track, from multiple types of running, to more niche options like rock climbing. You’ll most likely find your favorite sport here. Moreover, the Mi Band 6 offers 14 days of battery life, so you can track tons of activities for long periods away from the socket.
Garmin Vivosmart 5
4. Best Garmin budget fitness tracker
Garmin quality without the hefty price tag
If you’re looking for that Garmin magic without hurting your wallet, the Vivosmart 5 is the way to go. It gets you into the Garmin ecosystem, and does so with a nice, minimalist design.
- Minimalist design
- Garmin Connect app
- Packed with tracking features
- No GPS tracking
- Pulse OX drains battery rapidly
Fitbit might be a household name when it comes to fitness trackers, but there’s one company that stands above the rest: Garmin. The company offers a slew of sports accessories, each one focused on providing the best, most accurate tracking possible.
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Usually, this comes at a steep price. However, if you want to ease yourself into the Garmin ecosystem, there is a way to do it without breaking the bank: the Garmin Vivosmart 5.
The cheapest fitness tracker from Garmin does not bother with the flashy colors that Xiaomi offers. It has a monochrome screen, it’s very slim and has one goal in mind — not to bring any attention to itself. With Garmin, however, it’s not about the looks, but rather the quality, and the Vivosmart 5 delivers, offering heart rate tracking and a PulseOx sensor. Additionally, the wearable offers sleep tracking and a slew of Garmin-specific metrics, like it’s staple Body Battery feature.
These are available in the stellar Garmin Connect app, which might even be a bit overwhelming at first, as it offers a much more detailed look into your activities than other apps. However, it’s one of the most highly regarded fitness apps — you’ll find every metric imaginable here, and the Garmin Vivosmart 5 is the cheapest way to get into such detailed tracking.
When it comes to tracking activities, the Vivosmart 5 cannot compete with the likes of the Xiaomi Band 8 or Band 6. You get just the basics: walking, running, cycling, strength training. There might not be anything fancy or niche here, but what there is, Garmin tracks with superb accuracy.
What’s more, it offers great battery life to boot: up to seven days on a single charge, provided you don’t use PulseOx 24/7. If you do, it reduces this number quite a bit.
Amazfit GTS 2e
5. Best budget fitness tracker with smartwatch design
A last-gen all-rounder
Amazfit GTS 2e is the fitness tracker to get if you want to look stylish when exercise, and still do it on a budget. Plus, you’re not losing out on all the tracking options while you’re at it.
- Great design
- Solid all-rounder
- Responsive offline assistant
- Heart rate tracking can be finnicky
- Battery life isn’t as good as advertised
A great thing about smart bands and fitness trackers is that they do not really go out of date as quickly as some other tech accessories. That’s why buying last-gen is a great idea — you still get almost every current feature, often for a fraction of the price. Amazfit GTS 2e is the device to buy, if you’re looking for an affordable all-rounder with a lot of tracking features and surprisingly decent software.
Amazfit GTS 2e: Affordability is its appeal
The more budget version of the GTS 2 cuts out Wi-Fi and on-board music storage, but also cuts the price to make this an appealing casual tracker.
It’s a popular fitness tracker-smartwatch combo, making it even more useful than a standard smart band. You also get a smartwatch-like design, so the device looks great on your wrist even when you’re not actively exercising.
The GTS 2e packs heaps of tech in its small and sleek body. You do get the now-standard heart rate and SpO2 sensors, but this tracker also includes a standalone GPS module, allowing you to accurately record your exercises outside without the need to take your phone with you as well. You also get a temperature sensor, as well as sleep tracking.
Matching its look, you can also expect some smartwatch functionality as the Amazfit GTS 2e allows you to control your music or set up reminders and receive your notifications. You also get a handy offline assistant, which is particularly handy for adjusting settings.
Battery life is also good, with 14 days in smartwatch mode (but seven days with heavy usage). Considering the inclusion of a GPS module, it’s a great score. You’ll be able to use that battery to track a wide range of activities. The more basic ones get much more detailed metrics, while niche activities usually just let you know the duration of your workout and your heart rate.
Fitbit Charge 6
6. Best budget fitness tracker with GPS
Navigation tracking as you track
Fitbit’s Charge 6 provides an excellent mix of features and tracking performance. It’s a bit pricier than the rest, but it easily outclasses the competition with what it has to offer.
- Great heart-rate monitoring and sleep tracking
- Built-in GPS
- Robust app and software
- Cramped screen
- Built-in GPS can be temperamental
Fitbit is a great, versatile brand with a lot of trackers to choose from. Even though the Fitbit Inspire 3 is our top choice for a budget-friendly option, the company also offers the excellent Charge 6. It is a bit more pricey than the Inspire 3, but you get quite a lot more features for your money.
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The design of the Charge 6 is great, but you can see that the lack of significant upgrades is slowly catching up to it. It features a vibrant AMOLED screen enclosed in a premium stainless steel case. That said, the screen is a bit too small for some of the preinstalled apps, making the experience feel quite cramped. Of course, you also get interchangeable straps, making it easier to match the device to your outfits.
However, where the Charge 6 shines is in its ability to track workouts and activities. This fitness tracker offers a lot of what the best devices of this kind can do: heart rate tracking with an ECG sensor, sleep tracking, great and accurate workout tracking, as well as built-in GPS to allow you to go out without your phone and still get accurate results.
Plus, to top all of these sensors and features off, Fitbit’s app is great and offers not only an easy-to-use UI but also in-depth information about your workouts and daily activities. It’s a great middle ground between detailed and usable, making it perfect for both casual users, and those more advanced fitness enthusiasts or dedicated athletes.
You also cannot go wrong with its predecessor. Although it’s a few years old now, the Fitbit Charge 5 offers a very similar experience, albeit a bit less smartwatch-like, to the new version. It does it all with the added benefit of costing significantly less. If you want to see all the differences between these two models, check out our comparison.
The bottom line: What is the best budget fitness tracker?
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the best cheap fitness tracker because it has a great feature set, an accessible app, and a decent price to boot. Fitbit’s Charge 6 is our premium pick because it offers the luxury of a built-in GPS and ECG sensor, while still maintaining great software and a reasonable price tag. The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 represents the best value, as it offers a plethora of sensors and activity tracking options for a fraction of the price of the competition.
Fitbit Inspire 3
Editor’s Choice
Which budget fitness tracker is best for you?
With many options on the market and different exercise preferences, it can be hard to choose which budget fitness tracker is best for you.
You’ll find both very cheap (and still capable) devices, as well as a bit more expensive trackers that should satisfy more experienced athletes. The only thing left for you to do is pick the price point that suits you and the device with the features you like most.
- Activity range: If all you want is a cheap device to track your daily steps and sleep cycles, you probably should be fine with even the more basic models on this list. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more accurate as a way to check up on your training, you might want to look into Fitbit or Garmin’s offerings, as their sensors tend to be a bit more finely tuned.
- Sensors: Even the most basic trackers come equipped not only with heart rate sensors, but they can also measure your blood oxygen, track your sleep and stress levels, and can even keep tabs on menstrual cycles. Sometimes you need something a bit more specialized — for example, a built-in GPS, or maybe an ECG sensor. If that’s the case, you can easily find a great device under $150 which will feature these sensors.
- Aesthetic: You can wear your fitness tracker only when doing sports, and then its looks do not really matter. However, more often than not, these devices stay on our wrists for the whole day and night to measure heart rate and track our sleep. If that’s the case, you should decide whether to go for a minimal, understated look of a thin and slick band or go all out and choose something styled more like a smartwatch to make it one of your cool-looking tech accessories.
What are the most important features on a cheap fitness tracker?
What are the features in your future fitness tracker that you should look for? Here are some of the most important ones:
Activity tracking
Each device will track different activities, but you should expect all of these wearables to do the basic walking, running and cycling, with a few (or a lot, in some cases) more thrown in for good measure. Note that it’s not only about how many activities a tracker can record, but also how accurately it does that, and with what level of detail.
Heart rate sensors
The most basic sensor (after the gyroscope that measures your steps) for fitness trackers is the heart rate sensor. That’s the stuff that measures your heart rate, and allows the device to estimate how many calories you’re burning and how intensive your training is. All our recommendations include one, but some are more reliable than others.
Blood oxygen sensor
These sensors, called SpO2 sensor or PulseOx for Garmin devices, allow you to see how much oxygen is being moved through your veins. This is a great marker to measure how intensive training was, making it necessary for all the more advanced tracking, but it also plays a great role in your sleep tracking. Keep in mind that fitness trackers can offer 24/7 blood oxygen tracking, but some only do it on request or once every few minutes, and can’t track your blood oxygen 24/7.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Fitness trackers have two ways of recording the route of your workout. They either use tethered GPS — that is, they connect to your phone’s GPS – or have their own GPS module. The first option is much cheaper, but requires you to have your phone on you while working out. The second is more costly and drains your device’s battery faster, but allows you to work out without your phone, with just the tracker on your wrist.
Sometimes you need a tracker that has some specialized tracking capabilities. Some of them offer temperature sensors that might help with tracking your health and menstrual cycles. Some have an ECG sensor that allows you to keep track of the health of your heart. These might drive the price of the device up a bit, but you can still find them even in some cheaper fitness trackers.
Screen and design considerations
The design and the screen of your tracker are important to some, while almost pointless for others. If you care about your tracker aesthetics and want to wear it as an accessory, you should look for something that looks good and has a great selection of wallpapers to make it pop. If you just want it to track your activities accurately — the looks of the tracker will probably be the last thing you’ll be looking for.
Remember that it’s not really necessary to have all of them, but you should choose the ones that are important to you, your lifestyle and the activities that you’re doing.
How much should I pay for a budget fitness tracker?
Of course, “cheap” is a relative word, and depending on the person, it can mean quite a lot of different price points. Additionally, something can be cheap for what it is but still cost quite a lot, or expensive for what it is, but still cost just around $10.
That’s why, when it comes to cheap fitness trackers, we’ve decided to stick to a solid price point of under $200, with most being under $150. That way, we can include budget options that provide great bang for your buck, but also some a bit more expensive devices that instead offer more specialized sensors or a much better software experience.
You’ll find both very cheap (and still capable) devices, as well as a bit more expensive trackers that should satisfy more experienced athletes. The only thing left for you to do is pick the price point that suits you and the device with the features you like most.
Should I get a fitness tracker with a built-in GPS module?
Built-in GPS is a nice feature if you don’t want to take your phone with you when exercising, but it’s not necessary at all. Most trackers that don’t have a GPS use GPS tethering — they connect to your phone and get GPS data straight from it. That way, you can get accurate routes without a built-in GPS module.
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This implementation also has its upsides, and built-in GPS often dramatically shortens the battery life of a tracker, so if you pick up one without a GPS module, you can count on it lasting much longer on a charge.
What is the cheapest Garmin watch?
The most budget-friendly Garmin we’ve tested is the Garmin Vivomove 5, which delivers pretty standard and reliable performance despite its lower-end price tag. Additionally, there are some Forerunner models also below the $300 mark that are often on sale for even less. With that being said, the best Garmin smartwatches do cost a bit more than what you’d consider a “budget” price point.
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