Tech for Less: The Best Budget Fitness Trackers (2024)

If you’re interested in a fitness tracker without spending hundreds of dollars, we’ve got you covered. Your friends at Garage Gym Reviews have tested dozens of the best fitness trackers (including smartwatches and rings) to see which ones are worth your time and money. 

Because fitness tracking tech has developed and popularized over the past decade, we’ve found most fitness trackers on the market can track your heart rate, count steps, and monitor sleep. Each device has its own bells and whistles, but most trackers offer those basic health metrics. 

In this roundup of the best budget fitness trackers, we’re going to highlight the most affordable fitness trackers we’ve had our hands on to date. 

RELATED: Smartwatch Black Friday Deals

Best Budget Fitness Tracker 

• Best Budget Fitness Tracker Overall: Xiaomi Mi Smart Band
• Best Budget Fitness Tracker Under $100: FitBit Inspire 3
• Best Budget Garmin Fitness Tracker: Garmin Vivoactive 5
• Best Budget Fitness Tracker with GPS: FitBit Charge 6
• Best Budget Ring Fitness Tracker: RingConn Smart Ring

Best Budget Fitness Tracker Overall: Xiaomi Mi Smart Band

Good for: Folks looking for the best deal on a smart fitness watch 

Best Budget Overall

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 7

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Fitness tracker band
• Tracks heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and menstrual health
• Over 110 workout modes
• Water resistant to 50 m

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Budget-friendly
• 110+ workout profiles
• Color touchscreen
• Water resistant to 50 m
• Long battery life

Cons

• Website and customer service is difficult to navigate
• Metrics aren't as accurate as other competitors

Bottom Line

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 7 is a fitness tracker that boasts over 110 workout modes. This fitness tracker tracks basic metrics, and at a competitive price of under $50. While the tracker isn't as accurate as other trackers (according to customer reviews), this is a solid option for beginners new to tracking their fitness.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band is our No. 1 pick for the best budget fitness tracker. It’s priced under $50 and has all the features you’d expect from a wearable fitness tracker, like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and pedometer capabilities. We think it’s one of the best buys on the market for affordable fitness trackers and earns a 5-star rating for value. 

GGR Expert Tester Frieda Jonhson thought the Mi Smart Band was pretty sleek-looking, too. Frieda is not only an expert tester, she’s also a GGR editor, a certified nutrition coach, and an ISSA-Certified Specialist in Exercise Therapy. 

The watch face has a durable AMOLED display that you can customize with digital widgets. “I think it looks nice; it’s simple and sleek and has a ton of options to customize the way the watch face looks. It’s also a good size that doesn’t feel too bulky,” says Frieda. She scored the general wear category 5 out of 5 stars, which considers overall fit, comfort, adjustability, and aesthetics.

With a price tag under $50 you may think you’ll be missing out on the best health metrics, but it turns out you’ll be able to track blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rate, and sleep patterns. The watch will even vibrate when your SpO2 or heart rate falls out of the optimal safe zone. 

You’ll also have over 110 sports modes to choose from for workout tracking. Plus, the Mi Smart Band is water resistant up to 50 meters (16 feet) and can track swimming workouts. 

“I’m honestly shocked that the Mi Smart Band is under $50. It has so many features and options. I actually prefer it to my Fitbit in a lot of ways,” says Frieda. “The touchscreen can be a bit slower than my Fitbit to respond at times, but this is a very minor complaint.”

For more details on this brand, check out the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 review, featuring a previous iteration of this fitness tracker. 

Best Budget Fitness Tracker Under $100: FitBit Inspire 3

Good for: Health tracking and step counting with a slim and durable design 

Best Under $100

Fitbit Inspire 3

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Product Highlights

• Affordable fitness tracker
• 3 colorways 
• Additional bands available for purchase
• Up to 10 days battery life
• Water resistant up to 50 m
• Tracks heart rate, steps, blood oxygen, and more
• Provides sleep and stress scores 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Under $100
• 10 days of battery life
• Water resistant
• Color touchscreen
• Multiple colorways

Cons

• Small screen
• Needs to be connected to your phone for GPS
• Syncing to phone requires internet connection

Bottom Line

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is an affordable fitness tracker that still tracks a variety of activities and metrics—although the data is more basic than some more robust trackers. The Inspire 3 improves upon the design and aesthetic of the Inspire 2 with a streamlined look and color touchscreen. Additionally, it’s added a blood oxygen measurement feature, something that the Inspire line didn’t have up to this point.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is another excellent budget-conscious fitness tracker, priced at $99. It won’t have as many smartwatch features as the Apple Watch Series, but it still offers text, call, app notifications, and GPS when connected to (and in range of) your smartphone. 

Nicole Davis, GGR head of content and certified personal trainer, scored the value of the Fitbit Inspire 5 out of 5 stars. “For $99, the Inspire pretty much does anything the Fitbit Sense 2 smartwatch can do for about half the price. You definitely get your money’s worth on this. 

“The touchscreen is smaller than something like an Apple or Garmin watch,” says Nicole, who scored the general wear category 4.5 out of 5 stars. “But I actually really like the slim look of this tracker. It’s also less cumbersome to wear overnight to track sleep,” she adds. 

With a budget price tag, rest assured you won’t be short on tech capabilities. Nicole says you can track all of your important health metrics like heart rate (resting, while working out, and heart rate variability), blood oxygen, breathing rate, stress levels, and steps. The best Fitbit devices (including this one) also have automatic workout tracking features. 

The one thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that this Fitbit comes with a six-month trial of the Fitbit premium membership. You won’t need to pay for the premium membership to access your basic metrics in the Fitbit app, but if you want more details about sleep scores, stress management, and a workout library, the Fitbit membership is $10 per month.

Best Budget Garmin Fitness Tracker: Garmin Vivoactive 5

Good for: Anyone looking for a robust smartwatch from a reputable brand 

Best Budget Garmin

Garmin Vivoactive 5

GGR Score: 4.5

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Product Highlights

* Fitness tracker with up to 11 days of battery life * Available in 4 colors * Over 30 sports apps and workouts * Tracks pushes and built-in workouts for wheelchair users

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Available in 4 colors
• Over 30 sports apps and workouts
• Tracks pushes and built-in workouts for wheelchair users
• 11 days of battery life

Cons

• Affordable, but more expensive than other fitness trackers
• Can have a learning curve to new users

Bottom Line

Available in four different colors, the Garmin vivoactive 5 is one of their more affordable fitness trackers, costing just under $300. With a variety of sports apps and workouts available, the vivoactive 5 sets itself apart with built-in workouts and a push tracker for wheelchair users.

As far as Garmin watches go, the Garmin Vivoactive 5 is one of the most affordable. It’s priced at $299 on the Garmin website, but we’ve seen the price drop as low as $199 during holiday sales. You may be able to find it on Amazon for less, too. 

For overall value, GGR Senior Editor Erin Chancer scored the Garmin Vivoactive 4 out of 5 stars. “It’s less expensive than other Garmin models, but it’s similar to smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch, Google Pixel Watch, and some Apple Watch models,” she says. 

The Garmin Vivoactive 5 was our overall top pick for our best fitness tracker roundup. It’s an excellent choice for anyone, especially folks interested in Garmin’s high-tech features (including a built-in GPS) and long battery life. Some Garmin devices, like the one we tested for our Garmin Forerunner 965 review, are priced over $500. 

It’s also worth noting the Garmin Vivosmart is also an excellent budget-conscious choice, with a price tag under $200. We didn’t choose it for this roundup because we haven’t tested the latest iteration and the one we have tested is discontinued. We have more details in our Garmin Vivosmart 4 review. 

You’ll have a ton of workout tracking features, with 30 different workout and activity profiles to choose from including strength training, which is why this earns 4.5 out 5 stars for activity tracking. 

Erin was also impressed with the ability to create workouts in the Garmin Connect App and send them to your watch. You’ll even be able to cue audio prompts for walking and running workouts and play music from your watch (although this feature will drain the battery more quickly). 

Erin says the Garmin Vivosmart 5 makes a great running watch with the built-in GPS that doesn’t require your smartphone to be nearby. That means you can hit the trails without your phone weighing you down. You’ll also be able to track sports like disc golf, swimming, paddle boarding, rowing, tennis, pickleball, ice hockey, boxing, and more. 

For general wear, Erin scored the Vivosmart 4.5 out of 5 stars. “I went with the light lavender color and love the way it looks. I have small wrists, so while the watch face takes up a lot of real estate, it doesn’t feel too bulky,” she says. 

Erin also appreciated the gentle nudges to move more throughout the day. “I get these periodical alerts to move or stretch. As someone who’s regularly anchored to my desk for work, this was a game-changer,” says Erin. 

Best Budget Fitness Tracker with GPS: Fitbit Charge 6 

Good for: Android and iPhone users looking for a smartwatch with GPS tracking 

Best Budget with GPS

Fitbit Charge 6

GGR Score: 4.3

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Product Highlights

• Fitbit’s No. 1 fitness tracker 
• Built-in GPS
• Tracks exercise, sleep, stress, and heart rate 
• 7-day battery life
• 3 colors available

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Built-in GPS for phone free workouts
• Features ECG app
• Tracks sleep
• 7 day battery life
• Heart rate appears on connected exercise equipment

Cons

• Google account required
• Reviews said watch disconnects sporadically
• Full functionality requires Fitbit premium
• Customer reviews frustrated with customer support
• Music controls only work with Youtube Music app

Bottom Line

The Fitbit Charge 6 is the newest version of Fitbit’s Charge series. It is an affordable fitness tracker with a lot of functionality like exercise, heart rate, and sleep tracking. It will work best if you are in the Google/Android ecosystem. Access to some data requires a Fitbit premium subscription. Customers generally liked the affordable watch, however, if they encountered an issue they were frustrated with the customer support.

The Fitbit Charge 6 is an excellent fitness tracker for anyone looking for built-in GPS. While you won’t be navigating your way home with a mini map on your wrist, the GPS tracking on the Fitbit Charge 6 will provide accurate pace and distance metrics for running, walking, cycling, and other distance workouts. 

The Fitbit Charge is also reasonably priced at $160. You’ll get a six-month trial of the Fitbit premium, but you won’t need it for basic metrics. The premium membership just has a few more features like personalized insights on stress and sleep scores. 

The Charge 6 has over 40 exercise modes to choose from and can track your target heart rate during exercise with the “active zone minutes” feature (which is on all Fitbit devices). We also like that Fitbit devices have automatic exercise tracking and reminders to move. 

GGR Editor Frieda Johnson tested the Fitbit Charge 6 and thought this budget-friendly tracker has everything you need, which is why she gave it a 5-star rating for activity tracking capabilities. “It tracks so many different things that I haven’t even used them all yet. I love that I can check my notifications, set a timer, and track a workout without having to pull out my phone,” says Frieda. 

“I really like the ‘smart wake’ feature—it works better for me than any alarm I’ve ever tried,” says Frieda.  “The daily readiness score is also really nice. It takes into account your recent activity levels, sleep, and heart rate variability to give you an idea of how ready you are to perform that day.” 

You’ll also have an ECG heart rate sensor for all-day heart rate monitoring.The ECG sensor is also used for tracking activity, sleep, and stress. 

With the built-in GPS and tons of activity tracking options, Frieda gave the Charge 6 a 5-star rating for value. “You get a lot for $160,” she says. 

RELATED: Fitbit Charge 4 Review

Best Budget Ring Fitness Tracker: RingConn Smart Ring

Good for: Folks who prefer passive health tracking with a screenless device 

Best Budget Ring

Ringconn Smart Ring

GGR Score: 3.8

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Product Highlights

• Smart ring that tracks sleep and activity 
• Included: Smart ring, USB-C cable, quick guide, manual, and portable charging case  
• Available in 3 colors

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 7 day battery life
• No subscription fee
• 24/7 monitoring with 7 days of offline storage
• Portable charging case with capacity for 18 full recharges
• Compatible with Apple Health and Google Fit

Cons

• Expensive
• Only 1-year warranty
• Customer reviews had issues with linking to Google Fit

Bottom Line

The RingConn Smart Ring is a ring-style fitness tracker that tracks sleep and activity. The initial price is expensive but the RingConn does not require a monthly subscription to use the device. Customers liked the ring and found the information useful. Some customers had issues with connectivity, particularly linking with Google Fit.

The RingConn Smart Ring is our budget pick for our best fitness tracker rings roundup. While it’s not exactly cheap at $270, it’s less than the Ultrahuman Ring and about the same price as the Oura Ring (minus the monthly subscription fee). 

GGR Senior Editor Amanda Dvorak scored the value of RingConn 4 out of 5 stars. Amanda doesn’t think fitness rings offer quite as much value as some of the best smartwatches, which is why she docked a point. 

“If you train with a barbell, you’ll have to take the ring off for every workout, which means you’re not tracking your workout,” says Amanda. “RingConn doesn’t offer a way to record strength training workouts, so any and all movement is tracked but not categorized.”  

RingConn may not be able to detect lifting workouts from other forms of exercise, but it does track steps, distance, calories, blood oxygen, heart rate, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and stress. 

Amanda notes the RingConn is comfortable to wear (especially overnight for sleep tracking) which is why it earns a 4 out of 5 stars for general wear. It looks like jewelry and comes in three colors and sizes 6 through 14. 

Your sleep data will show cycles and how long you spent in REM, deep, and light sleep stages. Plus, you can track menstrual cycles in the app, get period predictions, and measure body temperature to optimize fertility tracking. 

Unlike the Oura Ring, the RingConn app is 100% free, which means you won’t have to spend money every month to access health stats. Amanda also liked that the smart ring could sync with Apple Health and Google Fit. 

RingConn smart ring is also water resistant up to 100 meters (328 feet), offers low electromagnetic field (EMF) settings, and has a 7-day battery life. 

Other Budget Fitness Trackers We Researched

• Evie Ring: I personally tested this smart ring and thought it was pretty decent. In my full Evie Ring review I discuss how some metrics aren’t personalized enough, but overall it does the job for activity and sleep tracking. It’s priced at $269 and does not have a monthly subscription fee. 
• Bellabeat Leaf Fitness Tracker: The Leaf Urban fitness tracker is stylish and offers a reasonable price at $99, but GGR Expert Tester and Senior Editor Erin Chancer had a ton of trouble getting it to function. We have a saga of her experience in our Bellabeat Leaf Fitness Tracker review. 
• Garmin Vivosmart 4: This iteration has been discontinued to make way for the Vivosmart 5. We haven’t tested the latest iteration, which is why we didn’t add it to this list. However, we enjoyed our experience with the Vivosmart 4 and believe the $160 price point will be reasonable for many Garmin enthusiasts.  

How We Picked and Tested

Garage Gym Reviews is made up of strength, conditioning, and nutrition professionals who hold some of the industry’s top credentials. That means our team not only assesses products to see if they work, we’re also testing products to find out how they work and who they’re suitable for. 

For this roundup of the best budget fitness trackers, each tester was tasked with consistently wearing the fitness tracking device for several weeks before giving a final review. We use an in-depth fitness equipment testing methodology to score categories on a scale of 1 to 5 and tally for a total score. Categories include: 

• Activity tracking: The highest scores were reserved for devices with automatic movement detection and the ability to track strength training and cardio exercise. 
• Heart rate tracking: Heart rate accuracy was tested based on manual BPM tests. 
• General wear: High scores were reserved for wearable devices that offered the most comfort, aesthetically pleasing design, and felt practical to wear for sleep tracking. 
• Connectivity: High scores were given to devices with the ability to connect to third-party apps, that offer Bluetooth, and have built-in GPS. 
• Battery life: Low scores were given to devices that needed to be charged daily, while high scores were reserved for multi-day wearability. 
• Ease of use: Our testers judged the user interface of both the app and wearable device and how intuitive each was to use. 
• Customer service: Brands that are challenging to reach or have limiting customer service policies are given low scores. 
• Customer reviews: The average rating from customer reviews is calculated into our total score.

Benefits of Budget Fitness Trackers 

If you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to start tracking health and wellness metrics, that’s an even bigger win than tracking alone. Regardless of how much you spend, here are some general benefits to fitness trackers: 

Fitness Goal Setting

Depending on the device, you’ll likely be able to set up goals or at least see patterns in your activity, sleep, and stress, which may help you make healthier choices in the future. Plus, a recent study from the Journal of Medical Internet Research¹ found that fitness trackers may help offer accountability to move more throughout the week and shift people’s mindset around health and wellness.

Heart Rate Zones

Unless you’re tracking with a screenless device (like a smart ring) you’ll be able to glance down at your watch face and check your heart rate. This can be especially helpful for athletes who want to exercise in a certain heart rate zone for a predetermined amount of time. 

It can also be helpful for folks new to exercise because you can track your heart rate and determine what types of exercise elevate your pulse and how long it takes to return to your resting heart rate. With more physical activity, your heart rate can return to normal faster and the same exercise that once had you winded may feel like a total breeze. 

Menstrual Cycles 

While your smartphone likely has a feature to track menstrual cycles, a fitness tracker may allow you to track more metrics like your body temperature, which is an especially helpful feature for cis women and people assigned female at birth who are trying to conceive. 

Budget Fitness Tracker Buying Guide

Below are few things to consider when buying a budget-conscious fitness tracker: 

Price 

There are two things to consider when shopping for a budget fitness tracker: the upfront cost and monthly subscription fees. While you may consider a fitness tracker priced under $200 affordable for your budget, you may not appreciate adding in a $10 recurring fee line to your monthly budget. The most budget-friendly devices are the ones you don’t have to continue to pay for each month. 

Battery Life

Purchasing a budget fitness tracker is an excellent way to form new habits, but you’ll want to consider how long you’ll be able to wear it between charges. If the proposed battery life doesn’t last a full week, you’ll want to consider how likely you are to stay on top of charging throughout the week. 

Tracking Capabilities 

When buying a budget-conscious fitness tracker, consider what metrics it can track. Consider what type of exercise it can detect. Many trackers only detect walking and running. Poke around to find out if the tracker you want can detect sports activity or lifting weights. 

In addition to the types of activity a tracker can detect, you’ll also want to know what kind of metrics it can read and display. For example, some folks may be interested in tracking basal body temperature for cycle and fertility tracking. Other folks may be more interested in heart rate tracking for target heart rate training (or monitoring heart health and blood pressure). 

Best Budget Fitness Tracker: FAQs

References 

1. Zahrt, O. H., Evans, K., Murnane, E., Santoro, E., Baiocchi, M., Landay, J., Delp, S., & Crum, A. (2023). Effects of Wearable Fitness Trackers and Activity Adequacy Mindsets on Affect, Behavior, and Health: Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e40529. https://doi.org/10.2196/40529 

Lauren Strong, CPT

Lauren is an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer working with clients of all ages and skill levels. She specializes in coaching the squat, bench, and deadlift and enjoys introducing beginners to barbell training. Before becoming certified, she worked in marketing roles after graduating from the University of Maine with a BA in Journalism. Writing for Garage Gym Reviews blends her two passions: writing and lifting. Lauren spends her leisure time in the kitchen, reading fiction, and taking nature walks. She's also an avid downhill skier, learning how to ski when she was just two years old. She lives in Maine with her husband and two cats.

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