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When you're on a budget, every dollar counts. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to skip out on owning a fitness tracker, though. With a bit of time and research, you'll be well on your way to finding a tracker that's reasonably priced and still does what you need it to do. We've gathered up some of our favorite cheap fitness trackers to help you decide. The Fitbit Inspire HR continues to hold a special place in our heart. Although, there are some pretty close contenders.
Best Overall: Fitbit Inspire HR
The Fitbit Inspire HR might be the most expensive option on the list, but it also has the most to offer. You'll be able to navigate the basics right from your wrist thanks to the touchscreen that allows you to swipe and select. Due to its compact size, there are still a number of tasks that require you to use the app. We wish it had more than five days of battery life, but it's not a dealbreaker, especially when more expensive smartwatches get less.
The "HR" in the name stands for heart rate, and you get a 24/7 heart rate monitor here. This might be overkill for some, but for people who need to manage stress or who want more detailed readings.
You can't beat the fact that you're scoring an affordable fitness tracker with so many features. You'll have access to a cardio fitness score based on how fit you are and tips for improving, 15+ goal-based exercise modes, and sleep tracking with detailed sleep stages: light, deep and REM sleep. Plus, the comfortable bands can easily be swapped out for other options and the stylish design allows for all-day wear.
Pros:
- 24/7 Heart rate monitor
- Connected GPS
- Comfy and stylish
Cons:
- No color screen
- Mediocre battery life
- Have to use app for a lot of features
Best Overall
Fitbit Inspire HR
Do more for less
This tiny but mighty tracker does a lot for what it costs and it's so comfortable and inconspicuous, you'll forget you're wearing it.
Best for Basic Tracking: Fitbit Inspire
This fitness tracker follows closely behind the Fitbit Inspire HR — just without the heart rate monitor component. For some users, this might not be a huge loss. After all, it still handles most of the basics, including all-day activity tracking, calories burned, reminders to move, notifications, menstuation and fertility tracking, and so on.
If you're a fan of the reduced price tag and don't think you'll miss heart rate monitoring, this is a fabulous choice. However, it's important to note you won't have detailed sleep stages, guided breathing sessions, or any of the extra perks that the HR model offers.
Pros:
- Reliable activity tracking
- Fully swimproof
- Female health tracking
Cons:
- No heart rate monitor
- No connected GPS
- No sleep stage tracking
Best for Basic Tracking
Fitbit Inspire
Less can be more
If you simply want a basic fitness tracker, this is a fine choice. More serious athletes will likely want to spring for the HR, though.
Best Value: Xiaomi Mi Band 3
The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is the latest fitness tracker from the Chinese company, which is famous for delivering quality products at fair prices. This tracker is bursting at the seams with premium features: it's water resistant up to 50 meters, promises 20 days of battery life, and it will track your daily exercise and sleep. It also provides you with message and call notifications on its OLED display, which is rare at this price point.
When you're buying a fitness tracker this cheap, there's bound to be some drawbacks. Most notably is the fact that the display can be difficult to read in direct sunlight. You may find yourself having to use your hand to cover it for a clear reading. The strap might not be the best quality given the cost but you can easily switch this out for something more comfortable. There's also the question of tracking accuracy in comparison to some other options on the market.
There's something else worth noting: the Mi Band 4, the next iteration of the budget tracker, is on the horizon. However, we don't know when it'll be available to buy outside of China.
Pros:
- Generous OLED display
- Heart rate monitoring
- Water resistance up to 50m
- Great battery life
Cons:
- Lackluster design
- Spotty tracking accuracy
- Poor screen visibility outdoors
Best Value
Xiaomi Mi Band 3
As cheap as it gets
This tracker is the definition of a value pick. You'll have trouble finding another device with this price tag and the same impressive features.
Best Lightweight Design: Samsung Galaxy Fit
The Galaxy Fit is the newest fitness tracker from Samsung. It only just hit the market, but there's already a lot of buzz surrounding this ultra-lightweight device. In addition to enjoying a bright and beautiful screen, you'll also get a week's worth of battery life plus heart rate, activity, and sleep tracking. Fortunately, it won't bother you while you sleep because it weighs a mere 23g. It's definitely a steal for the price.
While it does provide support for running and cycling, that doesn't include the luxury of GPS. Unlike some of the high-end fitness trackers from Samsung, the Fit runs on realtime OS. You'll have to sacrifice the more robust Tizen OS found on the company's other devices, but you'll receive stellar battery life in exchange.
Pros:
- 7-day battery life
- Bright screen
- Water resistance up to 50m
- Tracks heart rate, activity, sleep
Cons:
- No Connected GPS
- Limited watch faces
Best Lightweight Design
Samsung Galaxy Fit
Light as a feather
The Galaxy Fit is great when you're looking for a tracker that won't distract you from your active lifestyle. Put it on, track, and forget about it.
Best Heart Rate Tracker: Wahoo TICKR FIT
You won't find a more precise heart rate tracker than the Wahoo TICKR FIT. This device utilizes the latest optical heart rate technology to provide you with accurate heart rate and calorie burn data for up to 30 hours. Plus, it's integrated with Bluetooth and ANT+, so it can easily connect to smartphones and other compatible devices. You'll always be comfortable when you wear it thanks to the performance materials that are designed to withstand intense activity.
Use the LED lights to see if your device is connected and functioning. The TICKR FIT works with several popular fitness apps, including Wahoo Fitness, Strava, Nike+ Running, Apple Health, and more. View your workout data while you exercise, including all the essential metrics.
Pros:
- No need for chest strap
- Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity
- Works with multiple apps
Cons:
- Propietary charger
- Velcro strap snags
Best Heart Rate Tracker
Wahoo TICKR FIT
Follow your heart
When you're looking for a comfortable and convenient way to track heart rate and calorie burn data, the Wahoo TICKR FIT is the answer.
Best Fitness Features: Huawei Band 3 Pro
There's a lot to be said about fitness trackers that offer a bit of everything, like the Huawei Band 3 Pro. You'll enjoy a number of fitness features, including heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, swim tracking, and a convenient built-in GPS. We dare you to find another tracker in this price range that offers all of these.
The downside is that you don't have the option of swapping out the straps for something you like better, which can be frustrating. It's not the most comfortable design out there and it might feel a bit buliky for users with dainty wrists. The GPS can also be slow at times, but you'll be thanking your lucky stars you have this feature conveniently built into your tracker to begin with.
Pros:
- AMOLED color touchscreen
- Heat rate monitoring
- Built-in GPS
Cons:
- Straps aren't interchangeable
- Limited third-party app support
- GPS can be slow
Best Fitness Features
Huawei Band 3 Pro
A bit of everything
You'll get a little bit of everything that matters with the Huawei Band 3 Pro, like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and swim tracking.
Best Fashionable Tracker: Withings Move
Sometimes, you want the look and feel of a fashionable smartwatch without having to spend top dollar for it. That's where the Withings Move comes in. You can even customize it with different color schemes to match your personal style. More importantly, it offers an array of features that are sure to enhance your workout experience. It comes with a replaceable battery that should last up to 18 months, so you don't even have to worry about charging.
You'll love having connected GPS, multisport activity and sleep tracking, and water resistance up to 50m. Keep in mind that because this tracker has an analog watchface, you'll have to refer to the Health Mate app to review your data. This is but a small price to pay for a stylish tracker you can wear on any occasion.
Pros:
- Multisport tracking
- Various color choices
- Amazing battery life
Cons:
- No heart rate monitor
- No altimeter
- Analog watchface
Best Fashionable Tracker
Withings Move
Fashion-forward
You don't have to break the bank for a stylish fitness tracker, or watch, in this case. The Withings Move has everything you need and it looks good, too.
Best Compact Tracker: Garmin Vivofit 4
This small tracker does a lot for its size. The Garmin Vivofit 4 features the integrated Move IQ system, which incudes automatic activity detection that syncs to Garmin Connect. Each activity type is classified once it's been synced. Additionaly, Garmin Connect allows you to save, plan, and share your activities with others.
The always-on customizable color display is a nice touch, not to mention the 1+ year battery life so you don't have to remember to charge it. The basics are covered, too. Your device will track steps, sleep, distance, and calories burned. It will also provide a personalized daily step goal. The screen is super small, so that might not be valuable to some, but that's what you pay for a tracker that's designed to be compact and unobtrusive.
Pros:
- Long battery life
- Color display
- Swim-friendly
Cons:
- No heart rate monitor
- Very small screen
Best Compact Tracker
Garmin Vivofit 4
Small but powerful
When you want a compact design but a tracker that still delivers, you'll have met your match with Garmin Vivofit 4. Best of all? No charging required!
Best for Beginners: Avatar Controls
Avatar Controls looks surprisingly nice for an insanely cheap fitness tracker — and it only gets better when you dive into the list of features. You get the basic step counter and stand up reminders, but you get other neat bonus features as well. You'll enjoy heart rate and sleep monitoring along with IP68 water resistance for daily showering and casual swimming. That's pretty stacked for a price this low!
The battery only lasts up to five days, which isn't all that bad for this price point but a little more juice would be nice. You can download the H app to receive notifications on your wrist, but you'll need your phone to reply to them. All things considered, it's still an amazing deal for the price. Beginners will love trying out a fitness tracker without having to spend so much money in the process.
Pros:
- Connected GPS
- Menstrual cycle tracking
- Blood pressure monitoring
- Notifications
- IP68 water resistance rating
Cons:
- No quick replies
- Mediocre battery life
Best for Beginners
Avatar Controls
Calling all newbies
This lesser known fitness tracker is excellent for beginners. Want to give fitness tracking a try but don't want to spend much? Try the Avatar Controls.
Best Battery: Amazfit Bip
If you're tired of forgetting to charge your tracker, you'll be pleased to meet the Amazfit Bip. This incredible battery life can last for more than 30 days on a single 2.5-hour charge. Not bad at all. You also get automatic activity tracking, heart rate monitoring, smartphone notifications, and a built-in GPS.
You can see your notifications on your wrist, but you'll need to whip our your smartphone to respond to any of them. It only offers four sport modes: running, treadmill, cycling, and walking. This might feel a bit restrictive for serious athletes, but it could also be more than enough for others who only need the basics.
Pros:
- Weeks of battery life
- GPS + GLONASS
- Ultra-lightweight
- Notifications
Cons:
- Limited app support
- No quick replies
- Only four sports modes
Best Battery
Amazfit Bip
Minimal charging
Take it in the pool, monitor your heart rate, and charge it sparingly. For this price and this many features, there isn't much to complain about.
Bottom line
Tracking on a budget doesn't mean you have to settle for a medicore fitness tracker. As you can see, there are quite a few affordable options that have so much to offer. We still love the Fitbit Inspire HR because not only does it cover the necessities, but it's comfortable and stylish as well. This is hard to come by when you're searching for a fitness tracker in a very specific price range, but Fitbit has pulled it off.
Of course, you can always browse the other trackers on this list and see if there's a better device that meets your needs. Everyone wants something a bit different from a tracker depending on their fitness level and personal preferences for other critical factors, like how it looks and feels. Fortunately, there's no shortage of options when you browse the wearable market, especially when you're looking for an affordable fitness tracker.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Marc Lagace is the Apps and Games Editor at Android Central. He's been a gamer for most of his life and actually took a university course on Video Game Theory — which he aced! You can reach out to him on Twitter @spacelagace.
Courtney Lynch is a freelance writer at Android Central. She's obsessed with all things health, fitness, and music. At any given time she can be found checking out the latest and greatest gadgets while simultaneously petting her dog and sipping iced coffee.
by Courtney Lynch