Best Cheap Fitness Trackers (2022): Comparing Affordable Wearables from Fitbit, Samsung, and More

Fitness trackers get smarter every day, and at the same time, they keep getting cheaper to boot. Sure, most people would opt for a smartwatch instead because they’re typically more feature-packed, but activity-tracking bands still have a couple of advantages. For starters, they’re usually more affordable, and on top of that, they’re simpler to use.

We compile a few of the least expensive fitness trackers around that don’t skimp on features despite their low price points. The list includes picks from Fitbit such as the Inspire 2 and Charge 4, the Xiaomi Mi Band 5, Honor Band 5, and Samsung Galaxy Fit 2.

Best Cheap Fitness Trackers Comparison Chart

Model	Fitbit Inspire 2	Fitbit Charge 4	Xiaomi Mi Band 5	Honor Band 5	Samsung Galaxy Fit 2
	Amazon product	Amazon product	Amazon product	Amazon product	Amazon product
Price	Amazon product	Amazon product	Amazon product	Amazon product	Amazon product
Automatic Activity Detection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Heart Rate Monitoring	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SpO2	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Sleep Tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Temperature Tracking	No	Yes	No	No	No
Swim Tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Stress Tracking	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Built-In GPS	No	Yes	No	No	No
Music Controls	No	Spotify controls	Yes	Yes	Yes
Notifications	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery Life	Up to 10 days	Up to 7 days or up to 5 hours with GPS on	Up to 14 days	Up to 14 days	Up to 21 days or up to 15 days with typical usage
Water Resistance	Up to 50 meters	Up to 50 meters	Up to 50 meters	Up to 50 meters	Up to 50 meters

Fitbit Inspire 2

The affordable Fitbit.

Putting aside its predecessors, the Inspire 2 is the most basic fitness tracker in Fitbit’s lineup—in a good way, that is. It does just about anything fitness related, from the basics such as counting steps and calories burned to automatically detecting workouts.

It might seem like it’s lacking in health tracking since there’s no stress tracking or an SpO2 sensor, but it does have sleep tracking and a 24/7 heart rate monitor. On top of that, it can last up to 10 days on a single charge, and it’s also smart enough to receive notifications.

Amazon product

Fitbit Charge 4

The souped-up fitness tracker.

Considering it’s the most expensive device on this list, it isn’t a surprise that the Fitbit Charge 4 has a huge lead on the others. For one thing, it’s the only one here that has built-in GPS, which is perfect for runners to record speed, distance, and elevation. Moreover, it has temperature tracking that adds an extra layer of insight into your sleep quality and an SpO2 sensor that can help identify symptoms of sleep disorders like sleep apnea.

In a word, it pretty much has everything to keep tabs on your health and fitness levels, but it doesn’t have stress tracking. It does have a guided breathing feature, so there’s that. 

While it isn’t as smart as the likes of the Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense, it can receive notifications and control Spotify playback. It even supports Fitbit Pay for contactless payments.

Amazon product

Xiaomi Mi Band 5

Cheap in price but not in features.

For a fitness tracker below $50, the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 can deliver where it counts. To begin with, it has a heart rate monitor for all-day tracking, sleep tracking, and stress monitoring. It even has a Personal Activity Intelligence vitality index assessment, which basically gives you a score based on activities you’ve done in a week.

However, it doesn’t have built-in GPS, and in terms of sleep tracking, its performance falls behind compared to the likes of the Fitbit Charge 4 and Inspire 2. Still, you can get a lot out of it for its price.

Amazon product

Honor Band 5

One of the best budget contenders.

Arguably, the Honor Band 5 is the best fitness tracker for those who want to spend as little as possible. It has the basics such as step counting, sleep tracking, and heart rate monitoring, but beyond those, it even has an SpO2 sensor.

Sure, you’ll need to connect it to your smartphone if you want GPS, but it does have a crisp AMOLED display and plenty of exercise modes, among which is swimming.

Amazon product

Samsung Galaxy Fit 2

Big features in a small and affordable package.

Samsung has launched a couple of fitness-tracking bands and smartwatches for years now, and the Galaxy Fit 2 doesn’t disappoint. It goes without saying that it’s perfect for those who are already invested in the company’s ecosystem.

Now it can do just about anything you’d expect from any fitness tracker worth its salt. It can track steps and activities, monitor your heart rate and sleep, and stay on top of your stress levels, among other things. In addition, it can last up to 21 days or up to 15 days with typical usage.

On the Galaxy Fit 2, you can also receive notifications and control music, and if you’re on Android, you can send quick replies as well. In short, its price point puts it in the budget fitness tracker category, but even so, it’s pretty feature-packed.

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Verdict

The Fitbit Charge 4 is hard to beat.

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Right off the bat, our recommended pick here is the Fitbit Charge 4. It has a ton of useful features like built-in GPS, SpO2 sensor, and temperature tracking, but all of those come at a price, making it the most expensive one on the list. Coming in at a close second is the Samsung Galaxy Fit 2. Put simply, it strikes the perfect balance between price and features.

Needless to say, all are viable choices, but it really depends on what you’re looking for and how big your budget is. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 and Honor Band 5 have the lowest price tags here. Meanwhile, the Inspire 2 is perfect if you want Fitbit’s apps and features while paying less than the Charge 4 or the company’s smartwatches.

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