Embarking on a health journey or seeking deeper insights into your workouts? A fitness tracker can transform exercise into an engaging game while providing valuable data. Fortunately, many of these devices, often resembling smartwatches, are affordable. From feature-packed options that rival the best smartwatches to basic models focusing on step counting and heart rate monitoring, there's a budget-friendly fitness tracker for every wrist size.
TL;DR – The Best Budget Fitness Trackers:
Our Top Pick### Fitbit Inspire 3
0See it at Amazon
### Xiaomi Smart Band 9
0See it at Amazon
### Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro
0See it at Amazon
### Amazfit Band 7
0See it at Amazon
### Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)
0See it at Amazon
### Garmin Venu 3
0See it at AmazonContributions by Kevin Lee
Fitbit Inspire 3
Best Budget Fitness Tracker
Our Top Pick### Fitbit Inspire 3
0Smartwatches and fitness trackers don't have to break the bank, and the Fitbit Inspire 3 is a prime example. See it at Amazon
Product Specifications
Size: 39.3mm x 18.6mm
Thickness: 11.75mm
Battery life: 10 days
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Sensors: Heart rate monitor, SpO2
Tracking: Swim, sleep, steps
Water resistance: Up to 50m
PROS
- Bright AMOLED touchscreen
- Long battery life
CONS
- Some advanced features require a subscription
Fitbit continues to dominate the budget fitness tracker market with the Inspire 3. Priced under $100, it features a vibrant AMOLED display and a durable, sleek band that's comfortable enough to wear while sleeping. Its impressive 10-day battery life means you won't need to charge it frequently, although this duration may decrease with the always-on display enabled. Navigation is intuitive with touch technology and two haptic buttons.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 excels in fitness tracking with 24/7 heart rate monitoring, step counting, blood oxygen level measurement, and movement reminders. It also offers automatic exercise tracking, which is perfect if you often forget to start a workout, and sleep monitoring to help you understand your sleep quality. Additionally, it includes basic smartwatch features like phone notifications and a find-my-phone function via Bluetooth, though it doesn't support music storage or contactless payments.
Xiaomi Smart Band 9
Best Ultra Cheap Fitness Tracker
### Xiaomi Smart Band 9
0An affordable fitness tracker with a 1.62-inch AMOLED display and epic battery life, offering basic tracking and 150 sports modes. See it at Amazon
Product Specifications
Size: 46.53mm x 21.63mm
Thickness: 10.95mm
Battery life: 21 days
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Sensors: Heart rate monitor, SpO2
Tracking: Swim, sleep, steps
Water resistance: Up to 50m
PROS
- Over 150 sports modes
- Impressive 21-day battery life
CONS
- Tracking isn't always 100% accurate
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9, priced under $50, is a budget-friendly option that doesn't skimp on features. It offers a host of health monitoring options and a sleek, slim design, challenging even Fitbit's offerings.
Basic features include a pedometer, heart rate monitor, blood oxygen saturation, and sleep monitoring. The band supports over 150 fitness modes, covering activities like running, HIIT, kickboxing, and swimming, providing detailed workout metrics such as calories burned and average heart rate. While not as precise as high-end smartwatches with GPS, it still offers valuable insights.
The latest model boasts a significant battery life improvement, lasting up to three weeks with moderate use. The screen's brightness has also been enhanced, reaching 1,200 nits for easy viewing in direct sunlight. The 1.62-inch AMOLED display is responsive and colorful, ideal for quick access to fitness data and basic smartwatch features like call and message notifications and music playback control. However, some users may find phone pairing a bit challenging.
Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro
Best Budget Fitness Tracker with GPS
### Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro
0Get a built-in GPS to map out your workouts along with 24/7 heart rate and SpO2 monitoring, sleep and stress tracking, and various sports modes with this tracker. See it at Amazon
Product Specifications
Size: 43.27mm x 32.49mm
Thickness: 10.8mm
Battery life: 21 days
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Sensors: Heart rate monitor, GPS, SpO2
Tracking: Swim, sleep, stress
Water resistance: Up to 50m
PROS
- Accurate built-in GPS
- Large, full-color AMOLED display
CONS
- No NFC
If you're interested in the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 but desire more features, consider the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro. This model features a larger, 1.74-inch rectangular AMOLED display reminiscent of an Apple Watch and includes a highly accurate GPS for tracking runs, bike rides, hikes, and more.
In addition to 24/7 heart rate and SpO2 monitoring, sleep tracking, and stress monitoring, it supports over 150 sports modes, ensuring comprehensive tracking for various activities. However, some of the more unique modes may only measure heart rate and time, offering less detailed insights.
Though not a full smartwatch, it provides limited smartwatch functionality like music playback and notification display when connected to your phone. Unfortunately, it doesn't support responding to notifications or NFC payments. Despite these limitations, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro offers a stylish design, responsive screen, and impressive battery life, all for under $100.
Amazfit Band 7
Best Budget Fitness Tracker With Health Monitoring
### Amazfit Band 7
0The Amazfit Band 7 is ultra-affordable while still packing in features like a long battery life, health monitoring, and sleep tracking. See it at Amazon
Product Specifications
Size: 37.3mm
Thickness: 12.2mm
Battery life: 18 days
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Sensors: Heart rate monitor, SpO2
Tracking: Swim, period, sleep
Water resistance: Up to 50m
PROS
- Tons of tracking including stress and sleep
- Amazon Alexa and other smartwatch features built-in
CONS
- No built-in GPS
Amazfit's Band 7, priced at just $50, offers an impressive range of features. It features a large 1.47-inch always-on AMOLED display for easy viewing of health and workout data, yet remains slim and comfortable on the wrist. With a battery life of up to 18 days under typical use and 28 days in battery-saver mode, it's a reliable companion.
Supporting over 120 sports modes with automatic smart recognition of four, and with water resistance up to 50m, it's perfect for swimming. Health monitoring includes heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and stress, while sleep tracking provides insights into sleep quality. The Band 7 also integrates smartwatch features like on-watch notifications and Amazon Alexa.
Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)
Best Budget Apple Watch
### Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)
0A budget option that runs on the same S8 SiP chipset as the Apple Watch Series 8 for speedy processing at a fraction of the cost. See it at Amazon
Product Specifications
Size: 40mm x 34mm
Thickness: 10.7mm
Battery life: 18 hours
Connectivity: Cellular (optional), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3
Sensors: Heart rate monitor, GPS, accelerometer
Tracking: Swim, sleep, period
Water resistance: Up to 50m
PROS
- Huge selection of apps
- Special safety features, like crash detection and built-in GPS
CONS
- Fewer sensors than other Apple Watch options
Not every fitness tracker needs to be solely focused on fitness, and the 2nd-gen Apple Watch SE proves it. It features an optical heart rate sensor and built-in GPS, ensuring you never get lost during hikes. It automatically detects various workouts, including swimming, and offers 32GB of storage for additional fitness apps from the App Store.
As a full-fledged smartwatch, it allows you to answer calls, respond to messages, make contactless payments, and stream music directly from your wrist. This generation also includes crash detection, automatically calling emergency services if you're in an accident. All these features come in a slim, comfortable design with impressive battery life for an Apple Watch.
Garmin Venu 3
Best Budget Fitness Tracker for Workouts
### Garmin Venu 3
0Beyond tracking exercise, a GPS, and a heart rate monitor, the Venu 3 lets you follow along to animated workouts, receive phone notifications, and make contactless payments. See it at Amazon
Product Specifications
Size: 45mm
Thickness: 12mm
Battery life: 14 days
Connectivity: Bluetooth, 802.11n
Sensors: Heart rate monitor, GPS, temperature
Tracking: Swim, sleep, stress, energy
Water resistance: Up to 50m
PROS
- Highly accurate GPS and heart rate monitor
- Helpful Body Battery feature
CONS
- Limited app selection compared to other smartwatches
Garmin's Venu 3 is an excellent choice for serious health and fitness tracking, though it's the priciest of our budget picks. It tracks a variety of exercises, including swimming, cycling, and golf, with over 30 preloaded sports apps. Its highly accurate GPS, heart rate monitor, ECG, blood oxygen, and temperature sensors provide detailed data. The animated workout feature is a standout, offering routines for pilates, HIIT, and cardio.
The Venu 3's Body Battery feature is particularly useful, providing insights into your body's rest levels based on activity, stress, and sleep. As a smartwatch, it offers a bright AMOLED touchscreen display and up to 14 days of battery life, though this decreases with the always-on display and automatic workout detection. It supports calls, smart assistants, and text responses when paired with Android phones, though its app selection is more limited compared to Apple and Google smartwatches.
What to Look for in a Budget Fitness Tracker
When choosing a fitness tracker, consider more than just step counting and sleep tracking. The overall experience includes hardware quality, comfort, software capabilities, and the accuracy of the tracking features.
As prices increase, so do features like heart rate monitoring, GPS, and OLED displays. However, basic trackers can still offer a wealth of health data at a lower cost.
What kind of fitness tracker do I need?
Your choice depends on your intended use. For basic tracking like steps, heart rate, and time, an ultra-cheap, compact band like the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 may suffice. These often include color displays, long battery life, and additional features like sports modes, sleep tracking, and phone notifications.
For activities like running, biking, and hiking, consider a tracker with GPS support. If you're looking for comprehensive functionality beyond fitness and health, a smartwatch is ideal, offering a larger screen, storage, app access, and the ability to manage calls, texts, and notifications.
For active runners or gym-goers, pairing your fitness tracker with a great pair of earbuds can enhance your workout experience.
