Best cheap fitness trackers of 2024

A photo of the Ftibit Inspire 3, the best cheap fitness trackers in 2024.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the best cheap fitness tracker you can buy. (Image credit: Future)

Getting fit in 2024 doesn't have to cost a fortune. The best cheap fitness trackers can help you get in shape without breaking the bank, whatever your workout goals are. In fact, for around $100, many of the best cheap fitness trackers monitor sleep, heart rate, physical activity and more. 

Most of these affordable trackers have companion apps for diving deep into metrics, and some even boast social features for challenging friends, which is a great way to get (or stay) active. The best cheap fitness trackers are smaller and lighter than more advanced models and are ideal for casual users wishing to keep tabs on things like step counts, minutes active, workout routines, restfulness and the like.

To find out more, we've put the best cheap fitness trackers through their paces by running, cycling, swimming, working out and sleeping with them on our wrists. While testing, we looked at how easy they are to operate, how comfortable and fashionable they are to rock, and how well they monitor movement. Read on to see our top picks for the best cheap fitness trackers in 2024.

The quick list

Here’s the best cheap fitness trackers you can buy right now based on our testing and reviews. Scroll on for our full in-depth analysis of each. 

The best cheap fitness trackers you can buy right now

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Best cheap fitness tracker for most people

a photo of the Fitbit Inspire 3

(Image credit: Future/Tom's Guide)
The best cheap fitness tracker

Specifications

Size: 1.5 x 0.7 x 0.5 inches
Weight: 3.5 ounces
Display: AMOLED
Water resistance: 50 meters
Heart rate monitor: Yes
GPS: No
Sleep tracking: Yes
Smartphone notifications: Yes
Battery life: 10 days

Reasons to buy

+
Bright AMOLED screen
+
Lightweight
+
Excellent battery life
+
6 months of Fitbit Premium included

Reasons to avoid

-
Small screen won’t be for everyone
-
No on-board GPS

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the best cheap fitness tracker because it nails the basics: heart rate monitoring, accurate workout tracking and logging sleep stages. The fact that it doesn't have built-in GPS is slightly disappointing — you can connect it to your phone's GPS — but the Inspire 3 makes up for it with other features, such as Fitbit's inspiring (get it?) community of people trying to get and stay in shape. You can enter workout challenges against friends, family and also strangers.

For $100, you'll get Fitbit's Active Zone Minutes metric, 10 days of battery life, touch controls, and, in the biggest update from the Fitbit Inspire 2, a bright, beautiful AMOLED screen. The Fitbit unit itself is only available in black, but is sold with three different band colors — black, lilac, and morning glow. The wristband comes in two sizes: small, and large. 

During testing, we loved how comfortable and easy-wearing this diminutive tracker was, even at night. We also appreciated how much more premium the tracker felt with a color screen. It won't be for everyone, but if you're looking for an affordable fitness tracker, you can't go wrong with the Inspire 3. 

Read our full Fitbit Inspire 3 review here. 

Best cheap fitness tracker with GPS

A photo of the Fitbit Charge 5

The cheap fitness tracker with built-in GPS

Specifications

Screen size: 0.86 X 0.58 inches
Water resistance: 50 meters
Heart rate monitor: Yes
GPS: Yes
Sleep tracking: Yes
Smartphone notifications: Yes
Battery life: 7 days

Reasons to buy

+
Bright, always-on display
+
Fast connecting GPS
+
Addition of an ECG monitor

Reasons to avoid

-
Lack of buttons on the Fitbit makes usability frustrating
-
No Spotify compatibility

The Fitbit Charge 5 has now been replaced by the Fitbit Charge 6, so you're likely to find it at a discount right now. It might not have the same Google Apps as the newest version of this fitness tracker, but it does have several exciting features, usually reserved for more expensive devices, such as an ECG heart rate monitor. 

During testing, we found that the bright, always-on color touch screen is a massive improvement to that of the Fitbit Charge 4 — it is easy to read in bright sunlight and is great to use during a HIIT workout or on a hike, although we found the lack of physical buttons made it a little fiddly to navigate around when running. 

The Fitbit Charge 5 also has Fitbit's 'Daily Readiness Score' feature, which gives you an idea of how ready you are for a big workout, based on three different metrics — fitness fatigue (activity), heart rate variability (HRV), and recent sleep. 

If you're looking for a tracker that looks beautiful against your wrist, is easy to read in the bright sunlight and has some impressive features for the price tag, this is a good buy.

Read our full Fitbit Charge 5 review

Best cheap fitness tracker subscription

A photo of the Whoop 4.0 with a blue band on the wrist

(Image credit: Future)
The best fitness tracker subscription

Specifications

Size: 1.5 inches x 1 inch x 0.5 inches
Battery life: 4-5 days
GPS: No
Sleep tracking: Yes
Swim-proof: Yes
Heart rate monitor: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Sleep tracking is better than most other trackers on the market 
+
Heart rate, skin temperature, SpO2 sensors
+
Smaller than the Whoop 3.0
+
Interchangeable bands
+
Compatible with Whoop Body

Reasons to avoid

-
It does require a monthly subscription 
-
No screen
-
No GPS

Ok, so technically this is less than $100, because you pay a monthly subscription of $30 per month instead of buying the tracker (there are 6-month and 12-month subscriptions that work out to be a little cheaper — $288 and $324 respectively). 

It's not for everyone — there's no screen, and no built-in GPS, so if you're looking for a tracker to just track your daily runs or bike rides, you'll probably want to keep scrolling. That said, if you're hoping to gain real insight into your heart rate and recovery data, the Whoop ticks the right boxes. 

Like all items of fitness tech, the Whoop 4.0 is only worth it if you use it, but if you’re looking to enhance your training with in-depth data, or learn to work out more intuitively after a string of overtraining injuries, it’s one of the most advanced trackers on the market. 

Read our full Whoop 4.0 review here. 

Best cheap fitness tracker with Alexa

best cheap fitness trackers: Wyze Band

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
A dirt-cheap fitness tracker with Alexa built in

Specifications

Size: 4.4 x 3.3 x 1.3 inches
Weight: 2.6 ounces
Display: 0.95-inch AMOLED touchscreen
Water resistance: 50 meters
Heart rate monitor: Yes
GPS: No
Sleep tracking: Yes
Smartphone notifications: Yes
Battery life: 7 days

Reasons to buy

+
Very affordable
+
Alexa built-in for smart home control
+
Bright display

Reasons to avoid

-
Alexa connectivity issues
-
Limited fitness features

The $25 Wyze Band is perhaps the most affordable, yet capable, fitness tracker you'll find in stores or online. The compact wearable has a bright, easy-to-read AMOLED display, lasts a full week on a single charge and provides excellent running metrics. With the companion Wyze app, Wyze Band wearers can view a record of average pace data, calories burned, running heart beats per minute (BPM) and total miles ran. There aren't metrics for other kinds of work outs, but its a good choice if you walk, jog or run regularly. 

Of all the best cheap fitness trackers, the Wyze Band is the only one that has Alexa built in. When you speak into the Wyze Band, you can ask Alexa to control your connected smart home devices. We had a few connectivity issues in our review, but enjoyed the ability to turn our smart lights on, James Bond-style. 

Read our full Wyze Band review.

Best cheap Garmin

a photo of the Garmin Vivosmart 5 in walk mode

Garmin Vivosmart 5 (Image credit: Future/Tom's Guide)
This best cheap Garmin tracker

Specifications

Size: 0.75 x 0.37 inches. Circumference: 5.83 to 8.46 inches (large), 4.80 to 7.40 inches (regular).
Weight: 0.96 ounces
Display: 0.43 x 0.43 inches, 88 x 88 pixels
Water resistance: 50 meters
Heart rate monitor: No
GPS: No
Sleep tracking: Yes
Smartphone notifications: No
Battery life: 7 days

Reasons to buy

+
Good sleep tracking
+
Lightweight design
+
Comprehensive app

Reasons to avoid

-
No built-in GPS
-
A little fiddly to use

It's not just huge adventure watches that Garmin make, they also have smaller fitness trackers, that won't cost the earth. The best of these is the Garmin Vivosmart 5 — a little tracker, that does a lot more than just counting your steps. 

The Vivosmart 5 has a monochrome OLED display, that is 66% larger than the display on its predecessor. This does make it easier to read messages on the watch, and unlike the Vivosmart 4, text can now scroll across the screen, which prevents messages from being cut off. Additionally, you can see at least three stats on the screen at one time.

The Vivosmart 5 gives you GPS tracking through your phone, blood oxygen monitoring, and continuous heart rate monitoring. Like a lot of the other best Garmin watches, the Vivosmart 5 is pretty good on a sleep-tracking front. It’s lightweight and comfortable enough to wear when you’re sleeping (compared to the Garmin Fenix 7, it’s quite literally, a dream), and gives you a good picture of your sleep patterns. Like a lot of the more premium Garmin watches, the watch will also give you a body battery score when you wake up, which takes into account your previous day’s activity levels, and your sleep quality.

The body battery tool is similar to Fitbit’s daily readiness score, but Garmin has one huge benefit over Fitbit in this category — unlike Fitbit, it doesn’t put its premium tracking features behind a paywall. All of Garmin’s data is free of charge and available in the Garmin Connect App, which is intuitive and easy to use.

Read our full Garmin Vivosmart 5 review

Best cheap fitness tracker for running

a photo of the Garmin Forerunner 45

(Image credit: Future)
The best cheap fitness tracker for runners

Specifications

Size: 1.65 x 1.65 x 0.45 inches
Water resistance: 50 meters
Heart rate monitor: Yes
GPS: Yes
Sleep tracking: Yes
Smartphone notifications: Yes
Battery life GPS: 12-14 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Accurate GPS-tracking
+
Menstrual cycle-tracking
+
Circular display with 5-button navigation

Reasons to avoid

-
Older watch
-
No Garmin Pay 

The Garmin Forerunner 45 has been replaced by the Garmin Forerunner 55, but don't let this put you off. This is still an excellent running watch, jam-packed with features for beginners, and more serious runners alike. The 45 tracks your distance, pace, heart rate, heart rate zone, calories burned and more, though you can see only three metrics on-screen at a time, you'll have to scroll using the down button to see the rest.

The device does an adequate job tracking steps, heart rate and more on runs, providing gentle alerts when users reach various milestones. If you take your phone with you on your runs, you can use safety features such as incident detection, which sends your real-time location to selected emergency contacts. 

Like most Garmin running watches, a huge selling point with the Forerunner 45 is that it connects to Garmin's Garmin Connect app, where you get a huge amount of data, for free. You'll also be able to access the Garmin Coach training plans, which you can download onto the watch. 

This might not have the same advanced features as some of the more expensive, or more up-to-date watches on the market, but it's an excellent, affordable running watch. 

Read our full Garmin Forerunner 45 review.

If you're looking for an updated tracker, check out the Garmin Forerunner 55 review here.

How to pick the best cheap fitness tracker

When looking for an inexpensive fitness tracker, you're going to have to make some tradeoffs, but that doesn't mean you should have to accept any compromises. The best cheap fitness trackers come with many of the same features as more expensive models, so here's what you should look for:

Automatic workout tracking: Ever forget to press the Start button when you went out for a run? There's nothing more frustrated than not getting credit for your exercise, which is why a good fitness tracker can automatically detect when you start running or biking, and log that event accordingly.
Heart rate monitor: Unless you want to wear your fitness tracker as a pendant, this is a table-stakes feature that will give you not only much better insight into your fitness, but your health, too. That's because adding heart-rate data gives you a more holistic look into your body, both awake and sleeping.
Decent battery life: A fitness tracker needs to last at least two days on a charge. Otherwise, you won't be able to track things such as sleep and other metrics that require you to keep it on your wrist for extended periods of time. 

How we test the best cheap fitness trackers

Our testing methodology for cheap fitness trackers is pretty much the same as how we test pricier fitness trackers. We wear the device for a week or so, and explore its various features. For starters, how comfortable is the device to wear? Given that they're designed to be on your wrist 24/7, you want a fitness tracker that feels like it isn't even there.

If a fitness tracker has a heart rate monitor, we check its accuracy against other known trackers, as well as our own intuition. Generally, heart rate monitors are pretty accurate at this point, but the variance comes in how quickly they can respond to changes in your heart rate. 

When working out, we see how easy it is to read a tracker's display; if the numbers are too small, it's hard to make them out when your arm and body is moving. And, if the controls are too small, it's hard to do things such as change your music or switch screens. 

Lastly, we check the battery life claims of the manufacturer. For the most part, they're pretty accurate, but when using features such as GPS or streaming music, battery life can degrade much more quickly.

What is a good inexpensive Fitbit?

If you're looking for one of the best Fitbits but don't want to spend a lot of money, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is a fantastic fitness tracker. It has a bright AMOLED screen, an accurate battery life, and it's perfect for those looking to take their first steps into fitness, without a huge flashy gadget on their wrist, or a huge dent in their pocket. 

Is it worth buying a cheap fitness tracker?

If you're looking to get a better picture of your overall health then yes, a cheap fitness tracker is a decent investment. Most will count your steps, distance travelled, and calories burned, without spending a fortune. Of course, if you're looking for more advanced metrics, or you're training for a marathon, it might be worth spending a little bit more on a gadget that has built-in GPS and heart rate monitoring. 

Jane McGuire
Fitness editor

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy. 

  • moby_
    The author says about the Fitbit Inspire

    You can participate in challenges to out-pace friends, colleagues or even strangers.

    This used to be the case but Fitbit stripped all of the challenges from the app. I think the article could use a refresh to remove the misleading, out-of-date feature of this device.
    Reply