Best GoPro alternatives for less than $100
What better way to capture a thrilling exciting moment or a sport than to get an action camera. The problem with that might be that they can be expensive if you’re looking at high-end brands for example GoPro.
In this blog, I have collected information and chose 10 great GoPro alternatives for under $100, which will give you amazing results.
Before you buy an action camera, it’s necessary to consider some things. There are some very obvious factors that you probably already know, such as that the resolution is not everything and the accessories are very important. That’s why I recommend checking out our best accessories for action cameras.
Here are my 10 recommendations for cheap action cameras.
10. Campark ACT74
The Campark ACT 74 is a cheap 4k action camera with a Sony sensor with a 16MPx sensor. It uses AllWinner V3 chipset, we know for sure that they are using interpolated data because the maximum real quality that this chip would get would be 2k. Although for its price, the Campark ACT 74 maximum real video resolution is 1080p.
It is also capable of recording slow motion at 60fps, in 1080p and 90fps, at 720p, which is captured in.MP4 format and H.264 codec
Here are some specs of the Campark ACT74
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps (interpolated)
- 2K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 90fps / 60fps / 30fps
This camera is fine for its price but you should definitely consider checking some other action cameras first, for example, if you want a camera for the same price you can consider the Excelvan Q8 whose quality is a little better, or you should even consider paying a little more and buying the GitUp Git2p which is a great budget action camera with which you get fantastic results. (Check GitUP Git2p review here)
9. AKASO EK7000
This cheap action camera is becoming very popular these days, it’s called the AKASO EK7000, despite being a little known brand, it has caught our attention for being a great cheap GoPro alternative. It can record up to 4k in resolution but its strong point is certainly 1080p at 60 fps, something that is great if we later want to extract high resolution captures of the video or resize.
Here are some specs of the AKASO EK7000
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 25fps
- 2.7K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
The AKASO EK7000 is an ideal camera for someone who is just starting out with action cameras and wants to learn how to use them or just wants to record some awesome footage without having to spend a big amount of money, it’s also a pretty good camera for underwater since it’s waterproof and can be submerged up to 30m deep and record at high-quality underwater. The camera also comes with a charger to charge the 2 batteries that come with it at the same time.
But, remember that you are buying a mid-range camera, but if you are looking for a true alternative to GoPro because you plan to edit a higher quality video we recommend for you to check out our other blogs on better action cameras.
8. Dragon Touch 4K
This camera is wonderful for beginners, it brings everything you need to start recording with an action camera at a low price, videos, taking pictures or filming in slow motion. Although there are several things to highlight. The sound, as in most of these low-price cameras is quite poor especially if you have the housing to submerge it. The batteries are charged quite quickly and have good durability.
The relation quality price and components with the Dragon Touch 4K are fantastic and we recommend you give it a look if you’re looking for a decent low-price action camera.
Here are some specs of the Dragon Touch 4k
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps
- 2.7K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
The Dragon Touch 4K is very easy to use, the remote control that comes with it makes it very comfortable to use and also includes many accessories to be able to place it almost anywhere. It has two batteries, although they’re not that high quality they do pretty well and don’t run out too fast.
7. AKASO Brave 4 4K
Here is another GoPro alternative from the brand of AKASO with an affordable price and decent video quality. The AKASO Brave 4 lets you take photos up to 20MP with 4K recording, even tho I recommend doing it in 16Mp because they are sharper. It comes with a remote control that is used on the wrist, with which you can record and take photos without having to touch the camera – up to a distance of 10 meters.
Here are some specs of the AKASO Brave 4 4K
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps
- 2.7K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
It has a lot of settings you can manually control (36 in total) you to control almost all aspects of image and video, however, there are two that stand out; the Gyroscope, which helps you to stabilize the image when recording and make videos look smoother.
It works with wifi aswell and its waterproof case makes it waterproof up to 30m. It comes with a micro USB and micro HDMI input. Among the many accessories that it brings, it should be noted that it brings 2 batteries with it, a battery charger and a bracelet with which you can take photos or start recording at a distance.
6. Xiaomi Mijia 4K
The Xiaomi Mijia 4K comes with some great specifications that are really impressive, it has a 2.4-inch touch screen and uses the Ambarella A12S75 chip, a very powerful chip combined with a Sony IMX317 8 MP sensor.
This camera is for multipurpose beyond only for sports functions. It is able to record up to 4K resolution although this model only reaches 30 fps, unlike the Yi 4K+.
The battery on this camera is really good with 1450mAh, it is superior to other action cameras such as the Yi 4k and Yi 4k+ (1400mAh). The Mijia allows you to record at a 4K video with 30fps for 2 hours, and up to 3, if you opt for a resolution of 1080p Full HD.
Here are some specs of the Xiaomi Mijia 4K
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps
- 2.7K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 200fps / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
This camera can record at a 4K video with pretty good quality, with half a dozen video modes and several resolution options. The photography on the Xiaomi is pretty decent, it can capture with its f.2.2 sensor 8MP pictures with a 16: 9 format without reaching 4:3.
In bright sunlight, the colors look vivid with the whole picture showing more contrast than the GoPro.
5. Yi 4K
The Yi 4K, is a compact, lightweight square camera, very easy to use and dock on any surface. Unlike the previous model, very colorful, with its lime color, it now has two more austere models, such as the White, pink and black.
The Xiaomi Yi 4k, apart from its great price also has some great features, although the photography is quite acceptable, the Yi 4K is greater in performance in video recording. You can record up to 4K at 30fps and up to 120fps in magnificent Full HD 1080p, surpassing other similar cameras
Here are some specs of the Yi 4K
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps
- 2K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1440P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 240fps / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
The image quality of the Yi 4K is excellent, and the audio is good but could have been louder. The stabilization doesn’t work in 4k you have to drop to 2.5k but it still looks great. The battery lasts longer than most action cams it can record 120 Minutes 4K 30/fps video with a rechargeable battery.
4. Thieye E7
The Thieye E7 is an astonishing camera with a great price-quality. The quality of the image is very good and recording up to 4K 30fps, it also has electronic image stabilization (EIS) and the built-in anti-vibration function that has effective control on movement shake when using the E7 sports action camera. The sensors use a cross-border image compensation algorithm to compensate for the change and shooting of glass and stable images when the camera moves or shakes.
The battery life is pretty decent, the battery has a 3.7V 1100mAh lithium-ion battery that can record up to 70 minutes of 4K / 30fps video or 100 minutes of 1080P / 60fps video on a single charge.
Here are some specs of the Thieye E7
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps
- 2.7K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
It’s also waterproof and when recording in 4k it does not condense water in the box and blur the lens. The Thieye E7 performs pretty well, the image is well defined and it doesn’t produce vibrations that ruin the shot.
In short, if you are looking for a good cheap action camera, with native 4K video, stabilizer, WiFi, Bluetooth, and good autonomy and a good set of accessories, the Thieye E7 4K is for you.
3. SJCAM SJ8
This is another interesting action camera you should take a look at, the SJCAM SJ8, it can take photos and videos in great quality, double touch screen and Wi-Fi connection that guarantees the immediate diffusion of contents. The image stabilization functions make this action camera ideal for hiking, outdoor sports, and diving, of course, it is waterproof as well with the housing.
The SJCAM SJ8 has chosen the Sony IMX377 sensor and offers a wide variety of resolutions and frames per second that can be changed according to the needs of the moment. The most notable thing is that it can record in 4K video (3840 x 2160 pixels) at 60 fps, although it is also feasible to go down to 2.7K at 60 fps.
Here are some specs of the SJCAM SJ8
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 60fps
- 2.7K (2688 x 1520) / 60fps / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
Should you buy it? The new SJCAM camera does not offer any new functionality that we have not seen in other high-end sports cameras. Its price makes it a great quality-price camera which you definitely should check out.
2. Apeman TRAWO
The Apeman TRAWO. If you haven’t heard of Apeman you should know it’s one of the most sold actions brands in stores like Amazon, mainly due to its excellent quality/price ratio, with authentic sales success models and hundreds of opinions. The Apeman TRAWO brings us a much more modern and colorful design than its predecessor with quite good finishes, it uses a powerful Panasonic MA34120 16MP sensor.
It uses an EIS stabilizer which works up to 4K while recording. The video captured with the Apeman will be stored in .mp4 format under the h.264 codec.
Here are some specs of the Apeman TRAWO
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps
- 2.7K (2688 x 1520) / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
In our opinion, we definitely recommend you take a look at the Apeman Trawo, for its image stabilizer and its ability to dive to 40 meters deep, a positive point if you are looking for a diving camera. It competes directly in the mid-range of cheap sports cameras. A camera with a native 4K video, 4K stabilizer and an excellent accessory pack, which includes two batteries and a great price.
1. AKASO V50X Native 4K
Akaso is one of the leaders in the market for economic action cameras. The AKASO V50X Native is a suitable action camera to cover most outdoor adventures. If you have used brands that have let you down over time, expect good results from this one. It offers real 4k quality. The definition, focus, and detail is high quality. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can place it anywhere. But without a doubt, the best of the accessories is its remote control.
Another good detail is that it incorporates an extra battery, in addition to the charger, and it allows you to charge 2 batteries at a time. Regarding its duration, a single battery lasted 720P/About 180 mins, 1080P/About 90 mins, 4K/2.7K/About 60 mins.
Here are some specs of the AKASO V50X Native
- 4K (3840 x 2160) / 30fps
- 2.7K (2788 x 1520) / 30fps
- 2K (2688 x 1520) / 60fps / 30fps
- 1080P Full HD (1920 × 1080) / 60fps / 30fps
- 720P (1280 × 720) / 120fps / 60fps / 30fps
Designed to deliver videos of 16MP-20MP raw images and images, its quality is amazing. During your outdoor adventures, it will help you capture impressive details of your activities in high resolution. If you can spend a little more on your budget we recommend you check the AKASO V50 Elite wich is a little better and can record up to 4k/60fps.
Keep in mind that we are talking about cheap action cameras. They will always have some limitations, especially in the rate of fps that they will be able to record, but they are powerful enough to meet the needs of any user and especially beginner looking for a low budget action camera.
If you would like to be able to record at higher quality with a lot of more options and higher-end action cameras, in general, check out other blogs. We recommend the Yi 4K+, DJI Osmo Pocket, or the best action camera in the market at the moment, the GoPro Hero 9.
Hope this blog was helpful and you’ve found the answers you were looking for, we recommend you to check out our other blogs if you are looking for some awesome reviews and blogs about action cameras. Click here to check out our other blogs.
