Best budget action camera 2026: Feature-packed cams with bargain price tags
A round-up of the best budget action cameras to help you capture your adventures without breaking the bank
Jamie Carter
You don’t need to spend premium money to film your next big adventure. The best cheap action cameras now deliver performance and features once reserved for the top-tier models, making it easier than ever to record your rides, hikes, and holidays in stunning clarity.
Advances in imaging sensors and stabilisation tech have filtered down, so even budget-friendly options can shoot crisp 4K footage, capture smooth motion, and handle rough conditions without complaint.
Akaso’s latest releases offer impressive stabilisation, waterproof housings, and creative shooting modes, making them serious contenders for everyday adventurers. Older GoPro models, such as the HERO 10 and HERO 11, also remain fantastic buys, especially when discounts appear around shopping events.
The best cheap action camera to buy now
I was genuinely impressed by what Akaso packed into the Brave 7 LE, considering its budget price. The first thing that stood out was the dual-screen setup, a rear touchscreen and a front-facing display that made framing myself for vlog-style shots so much easier. For the price tag, that alone felt like a big win compared with most rivals.
Out in the real world, the footage I captured at 4K30fps looked solid for everyday adventures, even though you don’t get the 4K60fps options that more expensive models offer. The 6-axis image stabilisation helped keep clips watchable on rough terrain, though it wasn’t on par with premium systems.
I also appreciated that Akaso included two batteries, a remote and loads of mounts in the box, real value for casual shooters who don’t want to buy extras. The Akaso Go app didn’t always feel totally reliable when previewing clips, but that felt like a software issue that could improve over time.
Overall, this is a rugged, versatile action cam that gives you a lot for your money, especially if you’re into vlogging or capturing POV adventures on a budget.
Read our full Akaso Brave 7 LE action camera review.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much the AKASO Brave 7 delivers for the price. Right from unboxing, it feels more capable than most ultra-budget action cams, thanks to its fully waterproof body, which many cheaper rivals still can’t match.
In everyday use, I found the dual screens incredibly handy. The rear touchscreen is clear and intuitive for navigating settings, while the front screen makes framing shots and selfies way easier, especially if you’re vlogging or capturing group moments.
For video, this cam shoots 4K30fps and 20MP stills, and the quality is respectable for casual adventure clips and social posts. The electronic image stabilisation helps keep footage watchable when you’re on the move, though it doesn’t match the smoothness of premium rivals.
On the downside, the touchscreen isn’t super responsive, and the stabilisation and battery life are just okay rather than great. If you want a feature-rich action camera without a big price tag, this feels like real value for travel, outdoor fun, and vlog-style shooting
Read our full Akaso Brave 7 review
This second generation Olfi one.five Black gives you a big, bulging bag of bangs for a relatively small number of bucks. It can shoot in 4K, can take 15 megapixel photos, is waterproof to 30 meters, can record slow motion at 120fps and has a wealth of other features you’d expect to find on a camera costing a whole lot more. The package also includes a carry case, an array of mounts and accessories, an ultra-fast 64GB MicroSD memory card and even free accidental damage cover. The in-built image stabilisation might not match GoPro's Hypersmooth, but it does a decent job of smoothing out the roughest aspects of our footage. You may expect Olfi to have cut some corners to hit such a competitive price point with the One.Five Black, but the camera is solidly built and the Sony branded sensor is excellent. Our only real niggle is that the rear touchscreen, although very responsive, is annoyingly small. Head to our Olfi one.five Black action camera review to find out more.
There's not many cameras around costing less than £100 that can boast fully-fledged 4K video at 60FPS, never mind at the Crosstour CT9900's current sub-£80 price bracket. But as well as it's mightily impressive video resolution, the camera also has in-built image stabilisation, a 2-inch rear touchscreen, is waterproof to 40 metres and can take 20MP stills.
As well as the camera, waterproof housing and a wide range of mounts, the CT9900's standard package pretty much includes every accessory you'll ever need, with two removable batteries, a shutter remote and a clip-on external USB microphone. A couple of minor corners have been cut to hit the CT9900's extremely wallet-friendly price though – recorded sound is almost inaudible during in-camera playback and you don't get a plug for the charging cable.
At full price, the OCLU wouldn't fall into the category of 'cheap' but for its more usual cost of around the US$200 mark (this one's only currently available in the US), you get a lot of camera for your cash. The USP is an usual, top-mounted screen, which will work better for some than others – it's great for capturing action on a skateboard or bike, though. While it can't compete with GoPro on shooting modes and features, this action camera is well-made and easy to operate, and the ability to get rid of unwanted footage on the fly is a useful feature. It's shame that video stabilisation is only available in HD mode, but there's plenty to like about the OCLU nonetheless. Head to our OCLU action camera review to find out more.
While it may look remarkably similar to aging GoPro models, Akaso’s V50 X camera is bang up to date. Top billing goes to its ability to shoot 4K video at 30fps, which is mightily impressive for a camera costing less than a £100/$100, but its list of well-appointed features doesn’t end there. While you don't get the front-facing camera included in the slightly pricier Akasko Brave 7 LE, the V50 X can take 12MP stills, has in-built image stabilisation software and comes with an adjustable wide-angle lens that has a maximum field of view of 170 degrees. It also boasts slow-motion video at 1080P90 or 720P120, time-lapse video, a stills timer and a host of metering and exposure options.
The camera comes complete with a host of accessories, including an underwater housing, spare battery, remote shutter and a selection of GoPro-compatible mounts. A smartphone app is also available allowing you to remotely operate the camera, view your content and share it directly on social media. All in all, this is a hugely competitive package that is outstanding value for its price.
Next up in our best budget action camera ranking is something a bit different: the Akaso Keychain is a tiny, 36g, 4K camera that can go everywhere with you. While GoPro might love wide-angle footage, the Keychain has a narrow field of view, which is actually much more helpful if you want to film something specific. Not only is this cheap action cam dinky, it's also magnetic, which means you can attach it to anything from your bike to your gym weights (and you can stash it on your fridge door when not in use).
The Keychain stands out by encouraging you to get creative and capture new perspectives, and it's got an excellent app to back that up. Use it to endlessly edit its portrait or landscape videos and photos with fades, wipes, subtitles and special effects. The six-axis image stabilisation system helps produce smooth-looking video, and features such as time-lapse, loop record and 20-megapixel photo options open the door to new possibilities. Read our full Akaso Keychain review for more of what we thought.
If size is the key consideration for you, you should also check out the (smaller) Insta360 GO, further down this list, and the Insta360 GO 2 (an excellent, but not particularly cheap, option).
The Xiaomi action camera could earn its place on this list for the stylish design alone, but thankfully there’s plenty happening under the hood to justify its inclusion in our best cheap action camera buyer’s guide. The 7-glass lens and Sony IMX317 sensor work in perfect harmony, whether you’re shooting under blue skies or grey clouds. Footage is electronically stabilised across 6-axes of movement, and 3D noise reduction technology helps smooth out your shots. Settings can be tweaked on the 2.4-inch touchscreen. In its standalone state, the Mijia Camera mini is best used as a lightweight, portable camera to documents your travels, but pair it with the array of mounts or 45m waterproof housing and it will be ready tackle anything.
While it may look more like a desktop webcam, the Insta360 Go is a fully functioning action camera that punches well above its gossamer 18.3g weight (it has since been replaced by the equally diminutive Insta360 GO 2, which improves on the GO considerably, but costs a fair whack more too.) At 5cm in length, the Go makes an ideal wearable camera and comes with a back clip and pendant as well as a selection of conventional base attachments. It also has a magnetic rear so it can be quickly fixed to any metal surface.
The Insta360 Go can record 1080p HD quality video at 25fps and is designed for shooting short video clips of up to 60 seconds at a time. In addition to conventional video, it can also record timelapse, moving hyperlapse sequences and slow motion video at 100fps. Incredibly for a camera of this size, the Go comes with in-built image stabilisation, which Insta360 has dubbed FlowState. While not fully waterproof, the tiny camera shrugs off wet conditions and is rugged enough to survive being fully submerged in water for up to 10 seconds at a time.
At its top resolution, AKASO’s budget shooter can deliver crisp footage at 4K25. Drop to 1080p and the EK7000 is capable of 60fps for those epic slow mo clips. There’s also a 16 megapixel sensor if stills are your bag. Built-in electronic image stabilisation takes care of smoothing your footage if the action gets a little unruly or your subject is moving fast, while the adjustable viewing angle enables power users to switch between narrow and super wide.
If most of your adventures take place in water, the EK7000 is definitely aimed at you; add the supplied waterproof case to enable shooting to a depth of 40 metres, while a dedicated Diving Mode compensates for the lack of red light underwater, ensuring that your sub-aquatic shots are just as good as those taken on dry land. The EK7000 also functions as a dash cam with Loop and Upside Down recording functionality, while control of settings, shooting modes and playback is handled smoothly via the 2-inch touchscreen.
How we test
At T3 we place a high value on the authenticity of the product advice we offer, and each of the budget action cameras featured here has been extensively tested by our outdoor-expert reviewers. The cameras have been taken out and tested on various outdoor adventures and subjected to a range of conditions to assess how easy they are to carry and operate, and to review the image and video quality of the material captured. Each has also been tested against a set of criteria, including design, functionality, features, material quality and robustness.
How to choose the best budget action camera
When choosing best budget action camera, there are certain details you need to keep an eye out for. Video quality is the most important. The highest quality currently available is 5K, but much more common is 4K. To really close in on the back spray from your snowboard as you carve across the slopes, you shouldn’t be looking for an action cam that shoots any lower than 1080p at 60fps.
Also look at the size, shape and weight of the camera. If you’re planning on attaching it to your helmet or equipment, you don’t want a hefty action cam throwing you off balance. You’ll also need to ensure you can get your hands on appropriate mounts for your chosen pursuit. On top of that, keep in mind whether you would rather view raw footage via your camera's companion app (if it has one), or whether you’d like to view it on an LCD screen for instant feedback.
While the best cheap action cameras are waterproof, that's not true of all the models in our list. However, there’s always the option to purchase a case to make them safe in torrential downpours or if you’re taking one surfing or SUPing. Other than that, consider photo resolution (especially if you’re looking to take the occasional selfie) and battery life as the essentials. Ready to discover the best cheap action camera for you? Read on...
