Top Budget Fitness Trackers for 2025: Stay Active Affordably

Whether you're embarking on a new health journey or seeking to enhance your workout experience, a fitness tracker is an excellent way to gamify your exercise and gather valuable data. Fortunately, many of these wearables, often resembling smartwatches, are affordable. From advanced models that compete with the best smartwatches to basic ones that track steps and monitor heart rates, there's a wide range of budget-friendly fitness trackers suitable for all wrist sizes.

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

1. 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 testament to that. With a price tag under $100, it features a vibrant AMOLED display and a durable, sleek band that's comfortable enough to wear while sleeping. Thanks to its impressive 10-day battery life, you won't need to charge it often, although using the always-on display will reduce this duration. Navigation is intuitive with touch technology and two haptic buttons.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 excels in fitness tracking, offering continuous heart rate monitoring, step counting, blood oxygen level measurement, and movement reminders. It automatically detects your workouts, which is perfect if you often forget to start tracking manually. Sleep monitoring provides insights into sleep quality, and it also includes basic smartwatch features like phone notifications and a find my phone function via Bluetooth, though it lacks music storage and contactless payment capabilities.

2. Xiaomi Smart Band 9

Best Ultra Cheap Fitness Tracker

### Xiaomi Smart Band 9

0For less than $50, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 offers an affordable yet feature-rich fitness tracking experience. It boasts a 1.62-inch AMOLED display and an exceptional 21-day battery life, covering basic tracking and over 150 sports modes. See it at Amazon

This band includes essentials like a pedometer, heart rate monitor, blood oxygen saturation, and sleep tracking. Its extensive sports modes cater to activities like running, HIIT, kickboxing, and swimming, providing data on calories burned, average heart rate, and workout duration. While the accuracy might not match that of high-end smartwatches with GPS, it still offers valuable workout insights.

The latest Xiaomi Smart Band model enhances battery life and screen brightness, reaching 1,200 nits for easy viewing in sunlight. The touch-responsive, colorful display lacks physical buttons but allows quick access to fitness metrics and basic smartwatch features like call and message notifications and music playback control. However, pairing with your phone might be finicky at times.

3. Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro

Best Budget Fitness Tracker with GPS

### Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro

0The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro elevates the standard model with built-in GPS for precise workout mapping, along with 24/7 heart rate and SPO2 monitoring, sleep and stress tracking, and numerous sports modes. See it at Amazon

The Pro version features a larger, 1.74-inch AMOLED display that echoes the style of an Apple Watch. It retains the impressive 21-day battery life and adds over 150 sports modes, though some offer only basic metrics like heart rate and time.

While it's not a full smartwatch, it includes music playback and notification display when connected to your phone. Unfortunately, it lacks NFC and the ability to respond to notifications. Priced under $100, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro delivers a stylish, feature-packed fitness tracker with a bright, responsive screen and a user-friendly interface.

4. Amazfit Band 7

Best Budget Fitness Tracker With Health Monitoring

### Amazfit Band 7

0The Amazfit Band 7 packs a punch at just $50, offering a long battery life, comprehensive health monitoring, and sleep tracking. See it at Amazon

With a large 1.47-inch always-on AMOLED display, it's easy to view your health and workout data while maintaining a slim, comfortable design. The battery lasts up to 18 days with typical use and can stretch to 28 days in battery-saver mode.

The Band 7 supports over 120 sports modes with automatic recognition of four and is water-resistant up to 50m, making it suitable for swimming. Health features include heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress monitoring, while sleep tracking offers insights into sleep quality. It also integrates Amazon Alexa for added smartwatch functionality and notifications.

5. Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)

Best Budget Apple Watch

### Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)

0The 2nd-gen Apple Watch SE offers a budget-friendly option powered by the same S8 SiP chipset as the Apple Watch Series 8, ensuring fast performance at a lower cost. See it at Amazon

This model includes an optical heart rate sensor and built-in GPS, perfect for tracking hikes and other outdoor activities. It automatically detects various workouts, including swimming, and comes with 32GB of storage for additional apps from the App Store.

As a full-featured smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE allows you to make calls, respond to messages, make contactless payments, and stream music. It also features crash detection, which can automatically call emergency services in the event of an accident. With a slim design and impressive battery life for an Apple Watch, it's a versatile and capable choice.

6. Garmin Venu 3

Best Budget Fitness Tracker for Workouts

### Garmin Venu 3

0The Garmin Venu 3 goes beyond basic exercise tracking with a GPS, heart rate monitor, and animated workout guides, along with phone notifications and contactless payment capabilities. See it at Amazon

Designed for serious fitness enthusiasts, the Venu 3 tracks various exercises like swimming, cycling, and golf with over 30 preloaded sports apps. Its highly accurate GPS and heart rate monitor work alongside ECG, blood oxygen, and temperature sensors. The standout Body Battery feature provides insights into your body's energy levels based on activity, stress, and sleep.

As a smartwatch, the Venu 3 features a bright AMOLED touchscreen and can last up to 14 days on a single charge, though this decreases with continuous use of 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 you need.

As prices increase, so do features like heart rate monitoring, GPS, and OLED displays. However, even basic trackers can provide a wealth of health data at a low cost.

What kind of fitness tracker do I need?

Your choice depends on your usage. For simple step tracking, heart rate monitoring, and timekeeping, an ultra-cheap model like the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 might suffice. These affordable options often come with color displays, long battery life, and additional features like sports modes, sleep tracking, and phone notifications.

If you're into running, biking, or hiking, consider spending a bit more for GPS functionality. For comprehensive fitness and health tracking plus full smartwatch features, a more advanced model or smartwatch might be the best fit, offering larger screens, app access, and the ability to handle calls and notifications.

For active runners or gym enthusiasts, pairing your fitness tracker with a great pair of earbuds can enhance your workout experience.