Everyone seems to be into fitness trackers now because they’re great for staying active and helping you reach your fitness goals. Because of their popularity, there are a lot of different activity trackers available on the market now at a variety of price points. While usually, only fitness fanatics are interested in the more expensive exercise trackers on the market, many shoppers want more affordable trackers that only have the essential features. There are many cheap fitness trackers available for tight budgets, but if you can afford to spend a little more you can get better features and better quality. For this article, we’ve searched for the best fitness tracker under $100 and found five fantastic candidates to help you meet your fitness goals.
Check out our comparison chart to find the best fitness tracker under $100 and then read the reviews below. Note: At the time of writing all of these activity monitors were under $100. Since online prices are volatile, they may go over that threshold. We do our best to keep this article up to date.
Fitness Trackers Under $100 Comparison Chart
Check out our comparison chart for the best fitness trackers under $100. If you want to read our in-depth review of each tracker, scroll down to the next section.
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Want to compare all of the fitness trackers we’ve reviewed? Check out our Fitness Tracker Comparison Chart.
Best Fitness Tracker Under $100
Fitbit Flex 2 Activity Tracker
Fitbit’s are still one of the most popular bands of fitness trackers, and luckily they have a model available for every budget (check out our reviews of all of the Fitbit Trackers). For a fitness tracker under $100, the Fitbit Flex 2 is your best bet. Besides the quality of the product, all Fitbit trackers come with their free smartphone app, which allows you to track steps and sleep, but also has the SmartTrack auto exercise recognition to track any activity to you do all day long. Automatic move reminders plus call and text notifications are great bonus features.
The Flex 2 stands out from the other Fitbit offerings because (at the time of writing) it is the only waterproof Fitbit available. This makes it the best model for swimmers or forgetful types who forget to take their activity tracker off before they shower. As far as its design goes, this is one of the most versatile trackers Fitbit offers. While it comes to you in the waterproof band, the tracker itself is a small pill that can be removed and used with third party bands or dressed up and worn as an attractive necklace or bracelet.
Like other trackers in the under $100 price range, the Flex 2 does not feature GPS or heart rate tracking, but if those features aren’t essential to you, this is a great option for an affordable activity tracker.
Available colors: black, lavender, magenta, navy
Good for: swimmers, fashion conscious users, tracking a variety of exercise types
Tracks: steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, sleep quality and quantity
Notable features: silent alarm, swappable wristband, automatic sleep monitoring, 5-day rechargeable battery, syncs wirelessly to computers and smartphones, waterproof, SmartTrack auto exercise tracking, waterproof, move reminders
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Garmin Vivofit 3 Activity Tracker
Garmin offers plenty of activity trackers for a variety of lifestyles and budgets. We’ve found the Vivofit 3 is the best choice out of their fitness trackers under $100. This tracker is great for monitoring a variety of activity types, which makes it good for people who like variety in their workouts. The Garmin Connect mobile app includes Move IQ which automatically detects different types of fitness activity and records it. The Vivofit 3 also offers the standard step and sleep tracking. If you’re an office worker who needs to be reminded to take breaks, the move bar on the display gives you a quick update on how you’re doing with your daily step goal. The band also features an move alarm to remind you to get up periodically.
If you hate charging your band, the Vivofit 3 has a one-year battery life, so you can just wear your band 24/7 without worrying about battery levels. It’s also waterproof so you don’t have to take it off when you shower. This fitness band also has a built-in display that shows your current step count, calories burned, and the time of day. Garmin’s Vivofit is an excellent option if you’re looking for a quality tracker at an affordable price. The only big features it’s missing are GPS and heart rate monitoring.
Available colors: black, white (additional colored accessory bands available)
Good for: People who do a variety of activities, if you hate charging your band
Tracks: steps, calories, distance, intensity minutes, sleep, inactivity
Notable features: 1 year battery life, silicone band, water proof 5 ATM, auto activity detection, move bar and move reminders, displays time of day & steps, personalized daily goals, Garmin Connect app
Misfit Shine 2 Fitness Tracker
If you’re looking for a minimalist tracker at an affordable price, check out the Misfit Shine 2. This tracker is a smooth aluminum disc that has no traditional display. Instead it features a ring of lights that can show your up-to-the-minute stats, or you can sync it with your smartphone for the full details on your steps, activity, and sleep. Like the Fitbit Flex 2, the tracker disc can be worn in a variety of ways: as a wristband, as a clip, or even as jewelry. This flexibility means it can be worn on various parts of your body for more acurate tracking of activities like cycling where your wrist doesn’t move.
The Mistfit Shine 2 uses a coin cell battery that lasts for 6 months, which means you can wear it all day, all week long, without worrying about charging. Since it’s waterproof, this is also a great tracker for swimmers. If you want more connectivity with your tracker so it’s closer to a smartwatch, the Shine 2 also can connect with and control your smartphone, Nest, Logitech Harmony and other smart devices. This is a stylish tracker with a ton of features at an affordable price. It is missing the GPS and heart rate monitoring that is hard to find at this price point.
Available colors: pure silver, carbon black, rose gold (other third party replacement bands are available)
Tracks: steps, calories burned, distance, activity types, sleep quality and duration
Good for: swimmers
Notable features: waterproof up to 50 meters, interchangeable bands, vibration alarm for text and call alerts, move reminders, 6 month replaceable battery
Garmin Forerunner 15
If you’re a runner and GPS tracking is essential for your daily jog, don’t dispair! There is a fitness tracker under $100 that has GPS tracking! The Garmin Forerunner line is loved by many runners, and their Forerunner 15 is priced under $100 and has the features runners need. What looks like a digital watch provides much more than the current time, this tracker uses GPS to track your distance and route, which can be easily viewed on a map if you sync with Garmin connect. In between runs, it also tracks general activity, tallying steps taken and alerting you of inactivity. Since it’s waterproof, this tracker is also great for running in the rain or taking a swim.
Features specifically designed for runners include an auto lap function that beeps whenever you complete a mile and instantly gives your mile time. The GPS is used to record your time, pace, and distance for outdoor runs. (If you train indoors during the winter, connecting a foot pod can provide the same info). It also tracks your stats to let you know when you set a personal record for run time or fastest mile.
If heart rate monitoring is essential for your tracking, this model is also available with an optional heart rate strap, though it does increase the price. Depending on current pricing and the color/size you select that may boost the price over $100. The big con we find with this model is it doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity, so it can’t sync automatically with your smartphone. Instead, after each run, you need to connect it to a PC or Mac to sync your data to Garmin Connect. If this is an issue for you, consider one of the other trackers in the article or one of the higher-priced Forerunners.
Available colors: black/blue, black/green, red/black, teal/white, violet/white
Good for: runners, people who run occasionally and want all day activity tracking
Tracks: steps, calories, distance, GPS route, auto mile time (optional heart rate)
Notable features: waterproof 5 ATM, auto-lap function, inactivity indicator, 8 hour battery life in training mode, 5 week battery life in watch/activity tracking mode, syncs with Garmin Connect, indoor training with optional foot pod
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Fitness Tracker
The Xiaomi Mi Band is priced a lot cheaper than the other trackers on this list. Xiaomi has consistently produced some of the best cheap fitness trackers on the market, and they’re worth considering if you’re searching for the best fitness tracker under $100.
While the Xiaomi Band doesn’t have some of the fancier features of higher-priced fitness bands, it has the features most users need. It covers all the basics like step counting, calories burned and sleep tracking, as well as the bonus of heart rate tracking (which is usually impossible to find in a tracker at this price point). All of this information is available in the free smartphone app, which helps you track your progress and set exercise targets to help you meet your fitness goals. The latest model also adds a few great features like a waterproof design and real-time display of exercise stats right on the band.
The Xiaomi Band is one of the few fitness trackers that displays steps on the band or the current time on its OLED display screen. It also has a touch button to switch between displays. Add in a smart alarm that wakes you during the best point in your sleep cycle and the 20 day battery life, this is an excellent choice for an affordable fitness band.
Available colors: black (but replacement bands in a variety of colors are available)
Good for: Office workers who want to be more active, runners who want to monitor speed and heart rate
Tracks: steps, heart rate, running speed, sleep duration and quality
Notable features: LED display, real-time exercise stats on band, time, heart rate monitor, move reminders, auto-work out tracking, auto sleep tracking, waterproof, Bluetooth syncing, compatible with Android 4.4+ and iOS 7+, Android only: phone text and call alerts, 20 day battery life
On a budget? Check out the best cheap fitness trackers.
Still searching for the perfect activity tracker? Check out our fitness tracker comparison chart or discover options through activity tracker features or best trackers by activity type.