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The 7 Best Fitness Trackers Under $100 - Great Technology On a Budget
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What if we told you that you don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for a decent tracker? In fact, the vast majority of models can help you track your travelled distance, steps, the quality of your sleep, and many other parameters while not being so dastardly expensive?
We’ve compiled a list of the best budget fitness trackers, so if you’ve always wanted one, you’ve come to a right place. Let’s get to the reviews.
Top 7 Best Fitness Trackers Under $100:
Our first budget fitness tracker comes from DKSport. These guys have proven they have great technology and a good sense for what the market wants, as the tracker boasts a great waterproof rating, a long-lasting battery, and an excellent, clearly visible display.
This fella also a record of travelled steps, burnt calories, active minutes, and automatically enters the ‘sleep tracking’ mode to monitor the quality of your sleep and heart rate.
A single battery charge can last up to five days, but it’s pretty great that it only takes about 90 minutes to fully recharge again. You can also choose between four color options, including black, black & red, purple, and red. Overall, its performance perfectly mirrors its value for the cash.
Pros
- Versatile tracking modes
- Automatic sleep mode
- Available in several color variations
- Long-lasting and fast charging battery
- Clearly visible display
Cons
- Potential problems with step tracking accuracy when the battery is at its limit
Here we are looking at Chereeki’s tracker model. Let’s begin by saying that this is one of the best fitness trackers for running because it packs all the features you’d see in an average model plus the music control feature. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that it’s generally perfect for any kind of physical activity or sport.
This model sports a huge 1.3-inch display which features slightly oversized icons. This means that you’ll be able to track the readings even as you run, jog, or hike without stopping. There are fourteen selectable modes, eight of which are already integrated in the watch while you’ll have to install the other 6 via the Chereeki application.
Aesthetic wise, this fitness tracker looks absolutely amazing and comes available in four style options, including two black variants, blue, and red. Furthermore, the long-lasting battery of this tracker can survive up to 10 full days. Moreover, it only needs two and half hours to recharge back to full.
Pros
- Very fast recharge, up to 10 days of battery lifetime
- Available in four color options
- Fourteen sport modes
- Music control
- Universal compatibility
Cons
- Slightly more difficult to use due to the multitude of modes
Let’sfit’s fitness tracker is a go-to model for people that want a well-rounded tracker watch. It’s very versatile, it doesn’t cost a fortune, and it’s possibly one of the best fitness trackers with HRM you could get in the budget section.
Speaking of which, its HR sensor is incredibly accurate for a low-cost fitness tracker. Among other notable features we can include the all-day activity monitoring, sleep monitoring, a breathing guide, music control, message reminded, as well as a convenient sedentary reminder.
On top of that, it supports fourteen sports modes and rocks a 10-day battery lifetime. It gets even better, the battery needs only a couple of hours to charge back to full.
Last, but certainly not least, this fitness tracker is also absolutely ideal for women as it features specialized monitoring modes for menstrual periods, safe periods, and such. Even though it’s not completely waterproof, it’s capable of resisting rain, water splashes, or sweat.
Pros
- Large 1.3-inch display
- Battery lifetime of 10 days, needs only 3 hours to recharge back to full
- Supports fourteen sports modes
- Female-oriented tracking features based on menstrual cycles and safe days
- Water resistant fitness tracker
Cons
- Not overly comfortable to wear for longer periods of time
Here we are looking at one of the Amazon’s choices in the ‘HR monitor’ department called the HalfSun’s fitness tracker. It packs a big display, it’s available in several vivid color variations, and it packs a wide array of premium quality features.
First of all, let’s quickly go over the features. There are several sport modes, step and calorie counter, a sedentary alert, as well as an automatic sleep mode function. You can also connect it with your smartphone by using the H-band application. However, it doesn’t feature any version of Bluetooth technology.
On the plus side, HalfSun’s tracker packs a highly accurate HR sensor which provides real-time blood pressure data automatically and continuously. Basically, it’s a perfect budget tracker for people who are getting familiar with this type of gadgets.
Pros
- Available in four colors
- Big 1.3-inch HD display
- Equipped with an accurate HR sensor
- Several tracking features and modes
Cons
- Doesn’t support Bluetooth-based connection
The first thing you’ll notice about AOE’s fitness tracker is that it’s incredibly stylish. With a moderately sized screen and a beautifully looking band, this model is a perfect example that there are exceptional trackers in the budget price point category.
Firstly, while we’re still on the topic of aesthetics, you’ll be able to choose between seven color options, including black & gold, black & blue, black & gun-silver, black & silver, blue, rosy & gold, and yellow & gun-silver.
This tracker comes equipped with a wide array of features, such as GPS, calorie and steps tracker, message reminder, call alert, sedentary alert, and many more. It supports five sports modes, including basketball, cycling, running, football, and mountaineering. There’s also a rather unique feature onboard called the ‘phone finder’. If it’s connected to your smart phone, this tracker will also be able to send a remote signal which will help you find it.
Pros
- Looks great, available in seven color options
- Supports five sport modes
- Plenty of utility features (phone tracker, sedentary alert, timer, etc.)
- Heart rate and sleep monitoring
Cons
- Slightly flimsier than average
The main reason why we recommend that you give L8star’s tracker model a shot is because it has one of the strongest batteries out there. Namely, after charging it for only two hours you can use it for up to 30 days.
It packs automated, as well as manual tracking features (steps, burnt calories and travelled distance), and it supports six sport modes. The only thing that’s not as fun about it is the fact that it’s slightly more difficult to use (you’ll have to combine timed button pressing with counting to enter certain modes), but it easily compensates for it with its huge versatility.
To top it all, this fitness tracker features an onboard storage which can save up to 10 messages, making it a pseudo miniature smart phone of sorts, given that you can also manage your calls with it. Though it might be a complex gadget, this tracker is certainly among the best you can find for the money.
Pros
- Huge level of versatility
- Automatic and manual tracking features
- Supports six sport modes
- Onboard message storage
- Big 1.3-inch display
Cons
- Quite difficult to use
The last item on our list of the best budget fitness trackers is Nuhiwiy’s model. Basically, it’s the most affordable high-value model we could dig up, but even so its performance is pretty formidable.
Among the most notable features we can include the pedometer, sleep monitor, blood oxygen monitor, sedentary reminder, HR monitor, as well as the ‘target achievement system’. It’s extremely easy to use, so it’s also one of the best fitness trackers for kids.
This fitness tracker will also allow you to remotely take pictures if you connect it with your smart phone. It’s compatible with most Android and iOS-based systems and supports Bluetooth devices, which is not exactly all too common for budget fitness trackers. All things considered, it’s more than worth the buck due to its attractive affordability and premium quality performance.
Pros
- Suitable for men, women, and kids
- Compatible with most modern smart phones
- Lightweight build
- Equipped with Bluetooth version 4.0
- Plenty of tracking features
Cons
- Flimsy construction
What to look for in budget fitness trackers
Accurate tracking
Comfort rating
Even though we just mentioned that a tracker’s accuracy is more important than its comfort rating, that doesn’t mean that you should neglect this quality altogether, it’s quite the opposite. Knowing that most fitness trackers are actually made from relatively rigid materials (TPE, plastic, and such), you shouldn’t get your expectations up too high.
Features/Versatility
It’s a given that boutique fitness trackers are the most versatile ones, but there are a couple of models that boast the same qualities within the budget section as well. For example, Letsfit’s tracker supports up to fourteen sports modes and comes with automatic heart and sleep monitoring features.
Aesthetics
For some reason, budget trackers generally look a bit better than most mid-priced models. The reason might be that the brands which manufacture budget fitness trackers want to compensate for low versatility/durability by beautifying their models, although this is just an educated guess. Be it as it may, you shouldn’t completely neglect the aesthetic component of a model for the sake of performance as most models in this price range are capable of providing both benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I expect from a budget fitness tracker?
In truth, the budget price point category is rather broad. There are models that barely cost $15 (such as, for example Nuhiwiy’s model), but there are also models that right at the border with a price tag of $99. You could find a decent model, but there’s also a big chance that you might stumble upon a huge-value pick, such as Letsfit’s activity tracker.
Are budget fitness trackers reliable?
There are highly reliable budget models, but there is also a huge number of completely unreliable ones. This basically refers to a set of specific features, such as the step or calorie counter, but oftentimes the reliability of a tracker refers to one of the most valuable features – the Heart Rate Monitor (HRM).
Essentially, the HM sensors are considered as advanced technology simply because all of the other features operate on a mechanical level, whereas the heart-rate monitor functions with a bit more ‘virtual touch’, so to speak. This particular feature is usually highly reliable if it’s equipped on a more expensive model. Better said, boutique fitness trackers made by companies with a bit higher budget are usually more reliable than budget models.
The Verdict!
After thoughtful consideration of all the benefits each model in our review has to offer, Letsfit’s HR tracker is superior in terms of performance to the other six tracker models, if by a bit.
With a strong 10-day battery lifespan and low recharge time, fourteen supported sport modes, and a decently high water resistance rating, it’s more than obvious that this is a highly versatile fitness tracker. What’s more, it’s incredibly well suited for women as well as it comes equipped with features like menstrual period cycle tracking.
Additionally, it rocks a multitude of utility features, such as an alarm clock, a stopwatch, a timing function, music control, a breathing guide, and so on. It holds a huge value for the money even if we’re to forget that it’s a highly affordable tracker.