by Emily Mar 16,2025
Whether you're starting a fitness journey or seeking deeper workout insights, a fitness tracker can gamify exercise and provide valuable data. Fortunately, many affordable wearables—often smartwatch alternatives—offer excellent value. From feature-rich options rivaling top smartwatches to basic step counters and heart rate monitors, budget-friendly fitness trackers cater to various needs and wrist sizes.
TL;DR – The Best Budget Fitness Trackers:
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Our Top Pick
Contributions by Kevin Lee
Our Top Pick
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 more advanced features require a subscription
Fitbit continues its dominance in budget fitness trackers with the Inspire 3. For under $100, it boasts a bright AMOLED display and a durable, sleek, and comfortable band suitable for sleep. The 10-day battery life (reduced with the always-on display) minimizes charging needs. Navigation is easy via touchscreen and two haptic buttons.
Fitness tracking features include 24/7 heart rate monitoring, step counting, blood oxygen level measurement, and movement reminders. Automatic exercise tracking and sleep monitoring provide valuable insights. Basic smartwatch features like phone notifications and a find-my-phone function are included (via Bluetooth), but music storage and contactless payments are absent.
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 sub-$50 Xiaomi Smart Band 9 packs features expected in a fitness tracker. It offers health monitoring, a sleek design, and rivals Fitbit's offerings. It includes a pedometer, heart rate monitor, blood oxygen saturation monitor, and sleep monitoring. Over 150 fitness modes (running, HIIT, etc.) provide detailed workout data (though accuracy may be less precise than higher-end devices with GPS).
The Smart Band 9 boasts a three-week battery life (with moderate use), and a brighter (1200 nits) 1.62-inch AMOLED display. Touchscreen controls are responsive. Smartwatch features include call and message notifications and music playback control, though phone pairing can be finicky.
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
An upgrade to the Smart Band 9, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro features a larger (1.74-inch) rectangular AMOLED display and a surprisingly accurate built-in GPS. It retains 24/7 heart rate and SpO2 monitoring, sleep and stress tracking, and support for over 150 sports modes (though some modes offer limited data).
Limited smartwatch features include music playback and notifications (no replies), but lacks NFC. Despite this, the sub-$100 price point makes it a stylish option with a bright screen, user-friendly interface, and impressive battery life.
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
The $50 Amazfit Band 7 offers a large (1.47-inch) always-on AMOLED display, a slim and comfortable band, and impressive battery life (18 days typical use, 28 days battery saver). It supports over 120 sports modes (with automatic recognition of four), 50m water resistance, and health monitoring (heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, sleep).
Smartwatch features include on-watch notifications and Amazon Alexa integration.
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
The Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) offers an optical heart rate sensor and built-in GPS at a fraction of the cost of higher-end models. It automatically detects workouts (including swimming) and offers app downloads (32GB storage). It functions as a full smartwatch, enabling calls, messages, contactless payments, and music streaming.
Crash detection is included. It's slim, comfortable, and offers decent battery life (for an Apple Watch).
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 offers extensive fitness tracking (swimming, cycling, golf, etc.) with a highly accurate GPS and heart rate monitor. Over 30 preloaded sports apps, animated workouts, and sensors (blood oxygen, temperature, etc.) provide detailed data. The Body Battery feature tracks your body's energy levels.
Smartwatch features include calls, smart assistants, and text replies. However, app selection is limited compared to Apple and Google smartwatches. Battery life is up to 14 days (reduced with always-on display and automatic workout detection).
Fitness trackers aren't just step counters; consider hardware quality, comfort, software, and tracking accuracy. Higher prices often mean more features (heart rate monitoring, GPS, OLED displays). However, affordable trackers can still provide substantial health data.
Your needs determine the tracker type. Ultra-cheap bands like the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 suffice for basic step counting, heart rate monitoring, and timekeeping. Many offer color displays, long battery life, sports modes, sleep tracking, blood oxygen sensors, and phone notifications.
For runners and hikers, GPS support is beneficial. For broader functionality beyond fitness and health, a smartwatch offers a larger screen, storage, app access, and call/text capabilities. Active individuals may also want to consider a good pair of earbuds.
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