8 Best GoPro Alternatives (For ALL Budgets)

Still, if you want to rival the electronic image stabilization and video recording quality of a GoPro Hero, you still need to spend a lot.

In this guide, we’ll introduce the best GoPro alternative action cameras, as well as some cheaper action cameras if you’re on a budget.

Let’s take a closer look at the recommendations.

What are the Best GoPro Alternatives?

Insta360 Ace Pro 2

If you’re looking for the best GoPro alternative this year, the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 must be at the top of your wishlist.

Sporting a similar box-like aesthetic to the popular GoPro Hero action cameras, the Ace Pro 2 one-ups them in several specific ways.

The Ace Pro 2 offers 8k resolution at 30fps, resulting in razor-sharp visuals and the ability to digitally crop into your footage with the new Clarity Zoom feature.

Intsta360’s Clarity Zoom effectively gives you two focal lengths in one lens, making a quick zoom-in simple and effective in-camera. The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 offers a 2x video and a 2.5 photo digital zoom function.

The Insta360 Ace Pro features a glorious 2.4-inch rear flip touchscreen and a 0.7″ front-facing non-touchscreen LCD for key settings data.

If you’re looking for an alternative to the GoPro Hero 12 with its front-facing camera, the Ace Pro 2 is the top option.

Another standout feature is the ultra-wide 13mm full-frame equivalent f/2.6 Leica co-engineered lens and a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor. As a result, the Ace Pro 2 delivers even better performance in low light than the latest GoPro models.

In daylight, the GoPro Hero 12 pips the Ace Pro 2 in terms of overall contrast and detail, but the difference is negligible.

The image stabilization is excellent, as with all Insta360 cameras with Flowstate technology. In testing, I found it even smoother than the already incredible GoPro stabilization.

Much like the AI editing features in the GoPro app, the Insta360 app makes it a breeze to edit your footage quickly.

The clip above of my family on holiday only took 5 minutes to create – the app did an impressive job of choosing and piecing together the best moments from over an hour of video footage.

The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 features dual-chip processing, combining a 5nm AI chip for enhanced image quality and performance with a dedicated image processing chip.

Overall, the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is one of the best action cameras of the year and a genuine GoPro replacement.

It’s better than the GoPro for low-light shooting, the flip screen provides better viewing, it offers 8k 30p, and the Clarity Zoom feature is genuinely beneficial.

The only thing I miss is the Hero 12’s built-in mounting fingers. The Ace Pro requires a magnetic mount to be attached before you can fix it to any other mount, which is slightly fiddly.

Insta360 X4

Imagine being able to mount your action cam anywhere and grab footage in 360 degrees. You’d never even have to worry about which direction the lens was pointing.

Pretty neat, huh?

That’s just one of the major upsides of the Insta360 One X4, which we’re calling the best GoPro alternative available right now.

Insta360’s latest flagship consumer offering is an action and 360-degree camera in one. It’s tiny, so you can carry it around easily and/or clip it to your body, a car, or a motorbike using one of their accessories.

In true-action camera style, it’s weather-resistant and waterproof up to 33ft (10m).

The standout feature of the Insta360 X4 is the 8K image resolution, which is 78% more pixels than the 5.7K resolution of the Insta360 X3.

Boasting dual ½ inch 48-megapixel sensors, the Insta360 X4 can record 360-degree footage at a staggering 8K and still photos at an impressive 72-megapixel resolution!

Just for reference, 72MP is significantly higher than most flagship digital mirrorless cameras!

While the 360-degree field of view is brilliant, it’s not always the only way to record hyper-smooth footage of your next adventure. By using a single forward-facing lens, you can shoot a 170º wide-angle perspective at 4K 60.

The X4 also boasts the Invisible Selfie Stick mode. Both X4 cameras capture sweeping ultra-wide views and stitch the footage in a way that overlaps and conceals the selfie stick and camera when held at a distance from the user.

Another excellent feature is the Me Mode, which uses AI learning to detect you while holding the Insta360 X4 at a distance and keep you in the center of the frame.

It’s important to note that Me Mode supports 2.7K 30 in-camera stitching and up to 4K 30 and 2.7K 120 slow-motion modes with external stitching in the dedicated app.

Thanks to AI learning, the Insta360 X4 supports silent gesture control to start and stop recording or take a photo with one camera. Alternatively, the camera supports Voice Control 2.0 for quick voice command outcomes.

If you’re keen to capture cinematic slow-motion footage, the X4 features a “Bullet Time” slow-motion video mode that captures rich, resolution-dense 5.7K 120.

The latest generation of the flagship Insta360 fleet also supports the capture of wide 360º time-lapse footage in 11K Time-Lapse mode. It also supports an 8K TimeShift to record ultra-high resolution footage while walking with the camera.

Regarding physical features, the new Insta360 X4 boasts a rugged exterior, removable lens guards, and a larger 2.5″ Gorilla Glas touch screen.

The X4 measures 1.81 × 4.86 × 1.48″ (46 × 123.6 × 37.6mm) and weighs 7.16oz (203g) – it’s incredibly powerful and portable!

While the X4 can record ultra-high-resolution images and video content, it does so at the cost of power consumption. Fortunately, the team at Insta360 improved battery life in the X4 by 67% with its removable 2290mAh battery.

As a result, the Insta360 X4 can record 5.7K 30 360° video for up to 135 minutes and in 8K 30 mode for up to 71 minutes.

DJI Osmo Action

This very worthy GoPro alternative offers the kind of durability every dare-devil wants from their action camera.

Dive with it up to 11 meters (36 feet) deep and do gnarly ski jumps with it in temperatures of -10°C (14°F).

Video resolution is highly commendable, with 4K footage at up to 60fps and 1080p slow motion at up to 240fps.

The DJI Osmo Action also allows for HDR video recording – a feature your GoPro camera may well not have. (Note, though, that HDR footage doesn’t feature image stabilization.)

Want to use your action cam to shoot vlogs or selfies? With full-colour screens on both front and back, the DJI Osmo Action ensures your compositions are always on point.

The 1.4-inch front screen doesn’t include touch functionality, while the 2.25-inch rear screen is touch-sensitive and has a waterproof, fingerprint-resistant, hydrophobic coating.

For moments when you’re too busy gripping the handlebars (or, you know, chasing your kids around) you can use the voice control function. Shout out “Start Recording,” “Stop Recording,” “Screen Switch,” “Take Photo” or “Shut Down” to operate the camera.

Download the DJI Mimo app (available for both Android and iOS) and you can even use your smartphone as a remote control, making it easy to change shooting modes and settings from afar.

Unlike the Insta360, this action camera doesn’t capture a spherical view – but the 145-degree wide-angle lens does a good job of fitting both an action hero and plenty of scenery into the footage.

It’s also super easy to add and swap out filters for the lens, allowing you to use an ND filter to take advantage of 24fps even in very bright conditions.

DJI’s RockSteady electronic image stabilization makes for super smooth videos, and video quality doesn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, you can’t live stream video with it – but that’s one nitpick against a long list of positives.

In all, the DJI Osmo Action deserves its place high on our list of best GoPro alternatives.

Insta360 Go 3S

Pros

• Lightweight and wearable
• Waterproof to 33′ (10m)
• UHD 4K video and photos
• 2 hours of battery life
• Action pod extends the usability

Cons

• Poor low-light performance
• Lacks external mic port
• Magnetic mounts may slip

Here is the best Insta360 Go 2 or 3 alternative if you want updated features and performance.

The Insta360 Go 3S is one of the smallest action cameras available. Without the action pod, the camera measures 2.1 x 1.o x 0.9″ (54.4 x 25.6 x 24.8mm) and weighs just 1.4oz (37g).

The action pod is also compact and lightweight, measuring 1.9 x 2.5 x 1.2″ (48.3 x 63.5 x 30.5mm) and weighing 3.4oz (96.4g).

The GO 3S camera captures records up to UHD 4K video at up to 30p and 12MP still images. It also accommodates a super smooth 2.7K slow motion paired with Flow-State Image Stabilization.

Other recording modes include Time-Lapse, Time Shift, Loop Recording, and the unit supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity for quick sharing of content via the Insta360 app.

Regarding the Action Pod, the GO 3S connects magnetically and digitally to the case to expand the camera’s features and control while adding a flip-up touch screen for menu navigation and video preview.

It expands usability thanks to a 2.2-inch touch screen, USB-C charging port, a function mode button, and a start/stop recording control.

The Insta360 GO 3S’s beauty is its minuscule size and its ability to be worn with the included Magnet Pendant for around-the-neck mounting.

The GO 3S’s power management is supported by a 1270mAh battery that grants up to 38 minutes of action recording. However, if you pair the camera capsule with the Action Pod, the recording time jumps to 140 minutes.

Given its size, the GO 3S features built-in media storage and cannot be used with an external storage medium, even with the Action Pod.

When it comes to purchasing the Insta360 GO 3S, you have the option to grab it in Arctic White or Midnight Black with either 128GB or 64GB internal storage.

The Insta360 GO 3S is incredibly powerful and feature-packed for its size and portability.

Olympus TG-Tracker

The Olympus tough range prides itself on durability: these cameras are waterproof, shockproof, crushproof, freezeproof, and dustproof!

So what does that mean in practice?

With the Olympus TG-Tracker, it means you can take the Olympus underwater camera
diving to 30 meters (98 feet), drop it from a height of 2.1 meters (7 feet) without it smashing to bits, crush it under 100 kg (220 lbs) of weight (don’t ask us how you’d do that), and use it in freezing conditions of -10°C (14°F).

If extreme adventures are your bag… your bag will welcome this little action cam.

The camera features a fixed ultra-wide-angle lens with an aperture of f/2.0, which makes for some nice bright shots. As you’d expect from a 204° angle, the lens gives quite a fisheye effect to your images and footage.

It also results in some distortion and vignetting in the far corners.

The TG-Tracker lets you record videos in Ultra HD 4K, but it’s limited to 30fps. That bumps up to 60fps if you shoot in FullHD video.

Regardless of how rough-and-tumble your adventures get, the commendable electronic image stabilization keeps your footage smooth and steady. Image stabilization isn’t available for shooting stills, however.

Two features that give the Olympus TG-Tracker an edge over the other best GoPro alternative cameras are the flip-out LCD screen and the built-in headlight – both handy for extending the possibilities of your action shots.

The 1.5-inch LCD monitor tilts out to 90°, which gives you more versatility in capturing difficult shots. Flip it out to better compose your frame or to quickly change your camera settings.

The headlight is another bonus not sported by many other GoPro competitors. When you find yourself in low-light or dark conditions, activate the front LED to light the scene. You get 60 lumens of brightness when you need a quick burst of light (up to 60 seconds), or 30 lumens for up to 30 minutes.

Depending on what you’re shooting, you may need a more complex or powerful lighting setup – but it’s comforting to know you always have the in-built light source handy if you need it.

Battery life is good, with the 1350mAh-rated battery offering 95 minutes of recording time. You can charge the battery with a standard MicroUSB cable.

Other features include built-in wi-fi and a range of sensors to track your activities – temperature sensor, accelerometer, barometric pressure sensor, GPS and e-Compass among them.

The Olympus TG-Tracker may not look like your standard action cam, but at the end of the day, it’s built for serious adventures. The biggest downside is the price.

If you’re not deterred by the expense, it makes for a very worthy GoPro alternative indeed.

Sony HDR-AS50R/B

The Sony cameras you most hear about these days are the superb mirrorless models, but let’s not forget that Sony also has its finger in the pie of the action camera industry too.

The HDR-AS50R/B may be an awkwardly named and fairly dull-looking action camera, but what Sony lacked in creativity, they made up for in features.

You get a ZEISS Tessar lens with a f/2.8 maximum aperture, two viewing angles (wide and narrow), and a power combination of 1/2.3″ Exmor R sensor and BIONZ X processor.

Spec-wise, it’s not going to rival your DSLR or Sony mirrorless – but then again, no action camera is. The purpose of this device, as with all the very best GoPro alternatives, is to capture the action as it happens.

The sensor quality on the HDR-AS50R/B makes for better-than-average low-light performance, and Sony’s proprietary SteadyShot stabilization does a great job of minimising camera shake.

This action cam isn’t waterproof, but it does come bundled with a waterproof housing that allows you to submerge it to impressive depths of 60 meters (197 feet).

You can purchase it with or without the live view remote – a wristband accessory (called RM-LVR3) that allows you to change settings, start and stop video recording, take photos, and view a live video image.

The live view remote will set you back about an extra US$80, but it does add volumes to the experience of using the camera. If you’re going to make the investment in this Sony, we’d definitely recommend grabbing the remote as well.

Another feature of the HDR-AS50R/B is 4k timelapse capture. Use the Sony-supplied software tools (Action Cam Movie Creator or Action Cam App) to mash the images together into a timelapse film.

The camera body has no viewfinder – just a small LCD for displaying shooting modes and settings. This isn’t one of those action cameras where you can carefully compose shots or review footage on the go.

That means it’s more a case of setting it up, hitting record and hoping for the best! But if you’re after a tiny, unobtrusive camera where you don’t have to think too much, the Sony HDR-AS50R/B is well worth checking out.

Akaso Brave 4

If you’re after a cheap GoPro alternative, check out the Akaso Brave 4. Coming in at under US$100, this is an affordable action camera that’s perfect for beginners.

Akaso may not be a brand you’ve heard of before, but it’s fairly well known in the automotive industry for producing one of the best backup cameras for the money.

On the surface, it looks a lot like a GoPro camera: boxy design, rear IPS screen and small front LCD, and dimensions of 59 x 40 x 23.1 mm.

Under the hood, the specs are also impressive given the price point. You get a 20MP sensor, 4k video recording for HD video, and a built-in gyroscope.

While the electronic image stabilization and gyroscope are definitely helpful in smoothing out camera shake, they don’t rival the technology delivered by other GoPro alternatives (like the action cams from Insta360).

Still, you can definitely get some decent footage — and have plenty of fun — with this affordable device.

The Akaso Brave 2 comes with a number of shooting modes including Video, Photo, Burst, Time-lapse, Loop, and Underwater.

The view angle of the camera is adjustable: choose from 170°, 140°, 110°, and 70°.

One nice inclusion on the Akaso Brave 2 is the wireless remote control which is in the form of a wrist strap, so you can easily start and stop recording without having to touch the camera.

You can also use the smartphone app (available on Android and iOS) as another remote control option.

The camera itself isn’t waterproof, but snuggle it into its waterproof case, and you can go deep diving up to 30 meters (100 feet).

Note that the wrist strap isn’t waterproof.

Another benefit of the Akaso Brave 4 is the bounty of accessories it comes with. As well as two rechargeable batteries, you get a 19-piece kit with various mounts, stands and cleaning accessories.

The batteries themselves are 1050 mAh batteries that allow you to record one hour of footage at 4K – not a terrible battery life given the affordability of this little action camera.

One area you do have to compromise on if you choose this device is the audio quality. While it does the job, it’s average at best, and definitely not the best GoPro alternative if you need to record talking a lot in your videos.

Overall, the video quality and sound quality of the Akaso Brave 4 won’t rival that of many more costly action cameras, but it offers an impressive set of features for the price.

If you can’t find the Brave model in stock, you may also want to check out the Akaso EK7000 to0.

Dragon Touch 4K

Here’s another budget GoPro alternative that looks the part, acts the part and offers impressive value for money.

You can pick one up for around US$65, making it less than half the price of even the cheapest GoPro!

Despite the low price, you can shoot 16MP still images and high-quality videos up to 4k (limited to 30fps).

The image quality isn’t as good as what you’ll get from high-end action cameras – sometimes pixelation is evident, and the lack of image stabilization definitely impacts the smoothness of video recording.

Of course, some compromises are inevitable given the price tag of this action cam!

Like other action cameras, the Dragon Touch 4k has multiple modes – driving mode, image rotation, time-lapse, loop recording, slow motion and drama-shot among them.

If you want to take it diving or on watersport adventures, you’ll need to pop it in the waterproof case (included). Once inside, you can go to depths of 30 meters (100 feet).

The camera body itself is made from a mix of rubber and plastic and features a 2-inch LCD display on the back. Unlike some action cams, this one doesn’t have a front display.

Like the Akaso Brave 4, the Dragon Touch 4k comes with its own wireless remote control wrist strap. It’s not waterproof, so don’t go scuba diving with it – but for easily activating the camera from dry land, it’s a nifty thing to have.

The wireless remote operates at 2.4GHZ and syncs with the camera to a distance of 10 meters/33 feet. You can use it to start video recording or to capture still images.

Another benefit of the Dragon Touch 4k is the bundle of accessories that comes with it.

Without having to fork out any extra, you’ll get a bunch of mounts, clips and tethers, as well as a bicycle stand, helmet mount, protective backdoor, a remote control and waterproof housing with the refreshingly affordable Dragon Touch 4k.

Battery life is decent: you get two 1050mAh rechargeable batteries that last up to 90 minutes each. The best part is that you can use them both at once for a combined 180 minutes of run time.

As far as action cameras go, this one won’t be suitable for pro-level movie-making and it certainly won’t nab you the smoothest footage or clearest images of bumpy action sports. The audio quality is also pretty iffy.

However, if you’re on a tight budget and looking for an action camera to shoot fun adventure videos with, to take on family beach holidays, or to use as a dashcam, webcam or surveillance camera, this little device is as bang-for-your-buck as they come.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GoPro still the best?

These days there are plenty of GoPro alternatives that rival – or even beat – the original in terms of features, quality, and reliability. Depending on your needs, there are several great action cameras on the market today that are better than GoPro.

Which GoPro is the best for the money?

Despite being launched in 2018, the GoPro Hero7 White is still an excellent budget option that offers great value for money. It’s rugged and reliable and available at a much lower price than other GoPro cameras.

Does GoPro take better pictures than iPhone?

It depends on what you’re shooting. For standard still photography, an iPhone is a better choice – GoPro’s wide-angle view is better suited to action scenes. However, if you’re shooting on the move, GoPro takes clearer pictures with less camera shake thanks to its image stabilization.

Which is better GoPro Black or Silver?

The GoPro Black includes all the same features as the Silver, plus some additions – like a higher frame rate, additional front LCD screen, HyperSmooth stabilization, Wake on Voice command, and removable battery. So feature-wise, the Black is better. The only downside is that it’s more expensive.

Final Words

So you’ve packed your supplies and your sense of adventure, and all that’s left is finding the right action camera for proving your courageous feats really happened. (And for sharing them on social media, of course!)

Odds are, you initially gravitated toward GoPro as the original and most well-known action camera brand. But, as we’ve just discovered, there’s a whole world out there with plenty of options to suit every need.

We hope this article has expanded your horizons and showed you a wider range of what’s available in the action cam market.

From here, think about what’s most important to you. Is it steady footage? Long battery life? Extreme durability? An affordable price?

Whatever your requirements and whatever type of adventures you want to shoot, we’re confident there’s a GoPro alternative above for you.

What type of adventure camera are you looking for? And what do you plan to shoot with it?

If you have any questions or comments, just leave them below – we’ll be sure to get back to you.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Insta360 X3

The ultimate waterproof 360° action camera provides endless creative possibilities. Fun, easy and incredibly addictive to use. Free companion app is also great.