Top Budget Fitness Trackers for 2025: Stay Active Affordably

Embarking on a health journey or seeking deeper insights into your workouts? A fitness tracker can transform exercise into an engaging game while delivering valuable data. Fortunately, these devices, often resembling smartwatches, come in various price ranges. From advanced models that compete with the best smartwatches to simple ones focused on essentials like step counting and heart rate monitoring, there's a budget-friendly fitness tracker for every wrist size and need.

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 need to break the bank, and the Fitbit Inspire 3 is a prime example. With a price tag under $100, it features a vibrant AMOLED display and a durable, sleek band that's comfortable enough to wear to bed. Its 10-day battery life means less frequent charging, though using the always-on display mode will shorten this duration. Navigation is user-friendly with touch technology and two haptic buttons.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 excels in fitness tracking, offering 24/7 heart rate monitoring, step counting, blood oxygen level measurements, and movement reminders. It also includes automatic exercise tracking, which is perfect for those who often forget to start their workout sessions, and sleep monitoring to enhance your understanding of sleep quality. While it provides some basic smartwatch functions like phone notifications and a find-my-phone feature via Bluetooth, it does not support music storage or contactless payments.

2. Xiaomi Smart Band 9

Best Ultra Cheap Fitness Tracker

### Xiaomi Smart Band 9

0Priced under $50, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is an affordable option that doesn't skimp on features. It boasts a 1.62-inch AMOLED display and an impressive 21-day battery life, alongside basic tracking and over 150 sports modes.

This band covers the essentials with a pedometer, heart rate monitor, blood oxygen saturation, and sleep tracking. It goes beyond the basics with extensive fitness modes for activities like running, HIIT, kickboxing, and swimming, providing insights into calories burned, average heart rate, and workout duration. While not as precise as high-end smartwatches with GPS, it offers valuable workout data.

The latest Xiaomi Smart Band model enhances battery life to last up to three weeks with moderate use and increases screen brightness to 1,200 nits for visibility in sunlight. The touch-responsive 1.62-inch AMOLED display is easy to navigate and supports basic smartwatch features such as call and message notifications and music playback control, though phone pairing might be a bit finicky.

3. Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro

Best Budget Fitness Tracker with GPS

### Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro

0The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro steps up the game with built-in GPS for tracking your outdoor workouts, along with 24/7 heart rate and SpO2 monitoring, sleep and stress tracking, and numerous sports modes.

The Pro version features a larger 1.74-inch rectangular AMOLED display, reminiscent of an Apple Watch, and offers accurate GPS tracking for runs, bike rides, and hikes. It retains the comprehensive health metrics of its predecessor, including over 150 sports modes. However, some of these modes provide only basic heart rate and time tracking.

Although it lacks NFC, the Smart Band 9 Pro offers limited smartwatch features like music playback and notification display when connected to a phone. At under $100, it provides a stylish design, a bright and responsive screen, an intuitive user interface, and long battery life.

4. Amazfit Band 7

Best Budget Fitness Tracker With Health Monitoring

### Amazfit Band 7

0The Amazfit Band 7 offers a robust set of features at just $50, including long battery life, comprehensive health monitoring, and sleep tracking.

It features a large 1.47-inch always-on AMOLED display, ensuring easy readability while maintaining a slim and comfortable design. Battery life lasts up to eight days with typical use, extending to 28 days in battery-saver mode.

The Amazfit Band 7 supports over 120 sports modes with smart recognition for four, and is water-resistant up to 50m, making it suitable for swimming. Health monitoring includes heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and stress, with detailed sleep tracking. It also integrates with Amazon Alexa and offers basic smartwatch functionalities like on-watch notifications.

5. Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)

Best Budget Apple Watch

### Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)

0The 2nd-generation Apple Watch SE, running on the same S8 SiP chipset as the Apple Watch Series 8, offers powerful performance at a more affordable price.

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

As a full-fledged smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE allows you to answer calls, respond to messages, make contactless payments, and stream music directly from your wrist. It also features crash detection for added safety. Despite its advanced features, it maintains a slim profile and offers solid battery life for an Apple Watch.

6. Garmin Venu 3

Best Budget Fitness Tracker for Workouts

### Garmin Venu 3

0The Garmin Venu 3 goes beyond basic exercise tracking with GPS, heart rate monitoring, and animated workout guides, plus phone notifications and contactless payments.

Designed for serious fitness enthusiasts, the Venu 3 offers over 30 preloaded sports apps, highly accurate GPS, and a variety of sensors including ECG, blood oxygen, and temperature. Its standout feature, the Body Battery, 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 a 14-day battery life, though this decreases with the always-on display and automatic workout detection. It supports basic smartwatch functions like call and text responses when paired with Android phones, although its app selection is more limited compared to Apple or Google smartwatches.

What to Look for in a Budget Fitness Tracker

When choosing a fitness tracker, consider not only the tracking capabilities but also the device's overall quality, comfort, and software features. As prices increase, so do the features, such as heart rate monitoring, GPS, and advanced display technologies. However, even basic, affordable trackers can provide a wealth of health data.

What kind of fitness tracker do I need?

Your choice of fitness tracker depends on your intended use. For simple needs like step tracking, heart rate monitoring, and timekeeping, an ultra-affordable option like the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 could suffice, offering a color display, long battery life, and additional sports modes, sleep tracking, and phone notifications.

For activities like running, biking, or hiking, consider a tracker with GPS, such as the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro. If you're after more than just fitness tracking, a smartwatch like the Apple Watch SE or Garmin Venu 3 will offer a larger screen, more storage, access to a broader range of apps, and the ability to manage calls, texts, and other notifications.

For active runners or gym enthusiasts, pairing your fitness tracker with a great pair of earbuds can enhance your exercise experience, ensuring you find the perfect fit for your lifestyle.