1. The list in brief
2. Best watch overall
3. Best budget
4. Best Garmin
5. Best Apple Watch
6. Best cheap Garmin
7. Best fitness band
8. How to choose
9. How we test
The best cheap running watches take the movement metrics of fitness trackers (which are perfectly capable devices when it comes to tracking steps, calories, and GPS location) a little further. This is thanks to a more dedicated set of sensors and software that provides valuable information about the pace, time, and distance of your runs. You can use this info to help you shave seconds off of your PBs.
While the best cheap fitness trackers will be worth a look for more all-purpose fitness enthusiasts, if you’re looking specifically for running performance, you’ll want to check out one or more of the options on this list. That applies to building yourself on a couch to 5K program, or a keen marathon runner, and everything in between.
There will always be plenty of options, with the best Fitbit and best Garmin watches among the best, but the low financial barrier for entry on the best cheap running watches can make them an ideal choice for relative newcomers who don’t want to spend hundreds while finding their feet.
Naturally, we’ll keep updating this list regularly, meaning you’ll always have plenty of the best cheap running watches to choose from.
Matt is TechRadar's fitness, wellbeing and wearables editor, which means he’s an expert on all things fitness tech, and how it can be used to support your training and performance. He’s personally tested many of the watches below.
The quick list
Short on time? Then browse this quick list for a whistle-stop tour of the best cheap running watches on the market.
The best overall cheap running watch
If it’s good enough for sub-two-hour marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, it’s good enough for the rest of us. The Coros Pace 3 has route creation tools, tons of running metrics and fits like a dream.
The best budget option
An Apple Watch doppelganger for under $70 sounds too good to be true, but the Amazfit Bip 3 Pro outperforms its meager price tag. It has full GPS for phone-free run tracking, and offers the usual standard performance metrics.
The best Garmin
The Forerunner 165 delivers an impressive package including many of the brand’s signature premium training features, ample battery life and an easy-to-read AMOLED touchscreen.
The best Apple Watch
The second-generation Apple Watch SE does almost everything you could expect of a standard Apple Watch (excellent health and workout metrics, seamless iOS integration) with a few cost-cutting corners like nylon backing rather than stainless steel.
The best cheap Garmin
An excellent running watch for beginners, with a well thought-through design, plenty of exercise-tracking potential and Garmin’s usual exemplary GPS. However, there’s no touchscreen and it’s getting old.
The best fitness band
If you don’t want a round watch face, the Fitbit Charge 6 offers a more subtle band design. You still get a small touchscreen and an impressive serving of features, including full GPS and an ECG heart rate reader.
The best cheap running watches for 2024
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The best cheap running watch overall
You wouldn’t expect to find a wearable worn by one of the greatest distance runners of all time in a cheap running watches roundup, but that’s exactly what’s happened with the Coros Pace 3, which delivers a lot for a relatively low price point.
The lightweight device competes with heavyweight rivals from Garmin and Apple by offering in-depth running metrics such as cadence, elevation, heart rate zones, stride length and much more. Better yet, it presents this information in a clear, digestible way, making it a good fit for recreational runners and race day heroes alike.
Owners will also enjoy impressive battery life of up to 20 days, full GPS and route generation options. Despite this impressive portfolio, it still only retails for $229 / £219 / AU$399, undercutting premium competitors to provide an enticing option to passionate athletes on a budget.
Admittedly, the tighter budget means there are some noticeable differences in quality between the Coros Pace 3 and the likes of the best Garmin watches and best Apple Watches. The plastic build doesn’t feel as resilient, and it doesn’t have the same offering of lifestyle features. For example, Apple and Garmin both offer third-party app interfaces, on-wrist payments and far more user-friendly notifications. But if you just want a watch for light trails, road running and races, it has everything a keen runner needs.
Read our full Coros Pace 3 review
The best budget option
The Amazfit Bip 3 Pro is perhaps the best cheap Amazfit watch with onboard GPS. It's a capable run-tracker, aided by an app that provides plenty of post-run stats. The Amazfit Bip U and non-Pro Bip 3 models do not have GPS, while the Bip 3 Pro model does, so this is the one to go for if running is your thing, as route tracking information opens a whole new world of speed and time statistics.
But the Amazfit Bip 3 Pro also has brilliant battery life in addition to GPS, with up to two weeks, although in practice our tests found moderate use with regular GPS runs set it at around 10 days of life, which is still impressive.
Add to that stylish, square watch face, and it’s easy to see why we’re such big fans, especially at this price. However, some heart rate and interface frustrations stop it from scoring higher, and the screen could certainly be brighter.
Read our full Amazfit Bip 3 Pro review
The best Garmin
In our guide to the best running watches, Garmin occupies half of the top 10, a clear indication Garmin makes great running watches, and the Forerunner 165 is no exception. The only difference is that it’s a bit more affordable ($249.99/£249.99/AU$489.99) than most of its Garmin compatriots.
When testing it, I found the watch was a really solid middle-ground option, cutting the cost slightly while keeping many of the premium features that make the Forerunner series a force to be reckoned with. The AMOLED touchscreen, Nap Detection and course creation via the Garmin Connect app, for example, as well as in-depth training metrics.
The cost cuts had to come from somewhere, and with the Forerunner 165 it’s evident in small sacrifices such as using chemically strengthened glass for the screen rather than the Forerunner 265’s stronger Gorilla Glass, and plastic for the case instead of the heavier, harder polymers used in other Garmin watches. The battery is good, not great, and the wearable has less storage (4gb) than pricier rivals.
I found the Body Battery feature was a solid way to monitor my recovery and readiness to tackle various exercise sessions, although it didn’t provide the same levels of insight as Garmin’s useful (and absent) Training Readiness and Hill and Endurance scores.
However, I still think what is on offer for the reasonable RRP still represents a very appealing package for runners. Garmin’s fantastic training and planning features recommend workouts to help you optimize your exercise time, the real-time running data covers everything most runners will need, and the AMOLED screen makes this a potential Coros-topper for the right customer.
Read our full Garmin Forerunner 165 review
The best Apple Watch
This wouldn’t be a roundup of the best wearables without an Apple Watch, and the SE 2 slips into the list with its starting price of $249/£259/AU$399. As the cheapest watch in Apple’s current lineup (by quite some way) we found it to be a “full-fat Apple Watch” with great mid-tier fitness tracking capabilities across a huge array of sports, a slick design and loads of lifestyle features via third-party apps.
As for running, you get full GPS functionality as well as live updates on your pace, heart rate, heart rate zones and elevation. You can also follow race routes from your wrist and create custom workouts – ideal for otherwise-finicky interval sessions. The lack of an on-wrist ECG is a big miss (particularly when the cheaper Fitbit Charge 6 below can muster one up), and you’ll also have to forego an always-on screen.
But if you want an Apple Watch for running (and life in general) this is still an excellent option and the best value choice you can make.
Read our full Apple Watch SE 2 review
The best cheap Garmin
The Garmin Forerunner 55 takes TechRadar's award for the best cheap Garmin running watch thanks to its smart, beginner-friendly design and thoughtful training features. Offering separate buttons for opening menus, navigating back, starting activities etc., means that there's no need for new runners to remember how to use multi-function controls, and the watch can be operated easily while wearing gloves.
The Forerunner 55 benefits from Garmin's signature GPS accuracy; in our tests, we were able to track our pre-measured route to within a couple of meters (a margin of error easily accounted for by running on footpaths rather than a track).Heart rate monitoring is also excellent. Like all of the best Garmin watches, the Forerunner 55 also has a 'body battery' feature that helps you manage your daily rest and exertion. It's a shame that it's not possible to see your nightly sleep score on the watch; it tracks sleep stages, but the data is only accessible in the Garmin Connect app.
We were particularly impressed by how the Forerunner 55 helps new runners structure their training, offering workout suggestions based on their past activities and fitness level, so they don't run the same distance and intensity every time. an excellent watch for new runners or anyone looking to make the step up from a Fitbit to something more specialized.
Read our full Garmin Forerunner 55 review
The best fitness band
Is it a running watch, or is it a fitness band? The Fitbit Charge 6 definitely treads a fine line between the two, but it’s earned its spot in this roundup thanks to its touchscreen and impressive range of features, the most notable inclusions being the on-wrist ECG, EDA stress sensor and full GPS. The last one in particular tends to distinguish “tracker” from “running watch”.
However, during our tests, we found the GPS encountered some issues when the strap was done up too tightly, but when they loosened it the heart rate readings were sent awry. The band performed far better when tracking workouts in the gym, but if you only want to run recreationally as part of a varied exercise routine, it should do the job just fine. Crucially, it’s well-priced at $159 / £139 / AU$229, with Fitbits historically subject to frequent discounts.
Read our full Fitbit Charge 6 review
How to choose the best cheap running watch for you
Choosing the best cheap running watch will often come down to a few factors. Thankfully, everything on this list is designed to fit as many budgets as possible, taking that consideration out of the equation.
You’ll want to consider where you’re at with your training, working out how long you’ll be running for, and how regularly you’ll be training. For newcomers that want to be contactable and are taking their phone with them for a brisk 30-minute jog, GPS is likely to be less important because the running watch can piggyback off of your phone’s location.
If you want to step up your running regimen, you’ll want plenty of battery life so you’re not constantly charging and draining the battery again. Thankfully, many of them offer a few days of battery at least, but it remains a consideration.
Finally, the size of the watch is important, not just for comfort (and style), but for having a screen that’s big enough to be read in all conditions.
How we test the best cheap running watch
We test cheap running watches the same way we review expensive running watches – by wearing them for running. Running on treadmills just won't do!
We often test cheap wearables alongside more expensive models to compare both heart rate and GPS tracking accuracy.
Fit is also essential; where applicable, we'll always mention if the watch is suitable for people with smaller wrists.
We also explore all the features cheap running watches offer, including smart notifications and anything else that comes included in the package.
