The best cheap running watches for 2024

PRICE
VERDICT
REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID
VERDICT
REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID
Garmin Forerunner 55 on TR background
(Image credit: Future)

The best cheap running watches allow you to accurately monitor your runs, plan your routes and elevate your training to the next level, all in a great value-for-money package. A step beyond fitness trackers, running watches offer dedicated sensors and software that provide information about your runs, from gyroscopes to monitor your stride to GPS to track your position and speed.

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, a cheap running watch can be a great addition to your training. Whether you're a couch to 5K starter, a keen marathon runner or somewhere in between, we've got a watch for you.

There will always be plenty of options, with the best Fitbit and best Garmin watches among the top, 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. Coros, Apple, Amazfit, Fitbit and some of the cheaper Garmins all feature on this list.

Naturally, we’ll keep updating this list regularly, meaning you’ll always have plenty of the best cheap running watches to choose from.

Curated by
Matt Evans
Curated by
Matt Evans

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 cheap running watches for 2024

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The best cheap running watch overall

Coros Pace 3 on wrist

(Image credit: Future / Matt Evans)
A price-defying top-tier running watch with in-depth metrics

Specifications

GPS: Yes, GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Battery: 24 days, up to 38 hours GPS
Waterproof: 5ATM

Reasons to buy

+
Outstanding value
+
In-depth running metrics
+
Excellent battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Feels plasticky
-
Poor refresh rate 
-
Limited lifestyle features

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

Amazfit Bip 3 Pro

(Image credit: Andrew Williams)
One of the best cheap running watches with a long battery life

Specifications

GPS: Yes
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Battery: Up to 14 days
Waterproof: 5ATM

Reasons to buy

+
Premium design
+
Intuitive companion app
+
Very good value for money

Reasons to avoid

-
Interface frustrations
-
Issues with heart rate tracking

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

Garmin Forerunner 165 smartwatch worn on the wrist

(Image credit: Future)
The best Garmin you can buy on a tighter budget

Specifications

GPS: Yes, GPS, Glonass, Galileo
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+
Battery: 11 days
Waterproof: 5ATM

Reasons to buy

+
Premium training and fitness tracking features
+
Easy-to-read AMOLED touchscreen
+
11-day battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Mid, not low, price point
-
Lower storage
-
Less robust than other Garmins

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

Apple Watch SE 2022 on wrist

(Image credit: Future)
Excellent lifestyle features to complement impressive fitness tracking

Specifications

GPS: Yes
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, LTE
Battery: 18 hours, or eight hours with GPS
Waterproof: WR50

Reasons to buy

+
Slick design and responsive touchscreen
+
Balance of fitness and lifestyle features
+
watchOS is excellent 

Reasons to avoid

-
No always-on screen
-
No built-in ECG
-
Bad battery life (for a running 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

Garmin Forerunner 55 on stone

(Image credit: Future)
Thoughtfully designed for beginners

Specifications

GPS: Yes
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+
Battery: Up to two weeks
Waterproof: Yes, to 50 meters

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent suggested workouts
+
Intuitive controls
+
Good GPS accuracy

Reasons to avoid

-
No on-watch sleep widget
-
No touchscreen

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

Fitbit Charge 6

(Image credit: Future)
A discreet fitness band with much of the functionality of a running watch

Specifications

GPS: Yes
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Battery: Up to seven days
Waterproof: Yes, 5ATM

Reasons to buy

+
Feature-packed for a fitness band
+
Discreet design
+
On-wrist ECG

Reasons to avoid

-
Unreliable GPS
-
No altimeter for runners
-
Heart rate accuracy is questionable

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.

What's the best running watch for women / men?

Largely, there's not much difference in choosing the best running watch for women compared to the best running watch for men. Some differences to bear in mind are screen sizes better suited to smaller or larger wrists, and we've detailed the dimensions of each watch in our full reviews.

Many watches, like the Fitbit Charge 6 or Garmin Forerunner 165 offer "women's health tracking", showing the user information about their menstrual cycle based on heart health and skin temperature.

However, there are potential privacy concerns here for users (check out our list of ways to protect your period tracking data for more information), and it's worth bearing in mind watches with these features aren't exclusively aimed at women: they're just extra features users can turn on or off depending on their needs.

How we test the best cheap running watches

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.

Matt Evans
Fitness, Wellness, and Wearables Editor

Matt is TechRadar's expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech. A former staffer at Men's Health, he holds a Master's Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.

Matt's a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them.