When we think of the word ‘action-camera’, GoPro always comes to mind. And they have an excellent reputation, after-all these cameras are used by the professionals because they deliver professional results.
However, quality comes with a price. GoPro might be one of the most successful brands in action cameras, but they are expensive and therefore people often choose to go for a cheap GoPro alternative.
So if you want to get into motovlogging and need a cheap GoPro camera alternative for your motorbike or travel vlogger who wants a GoPro alternative for diving. We’ll help find the right one for you.
Here is our list of the best cheaper alternatives to GoPro:
- YI 4K Action Camera
- AKASO EK7000 Pro
- APEMAN A79 4K
- Campark ACT74
- Crosstour Action Camera
You might have to compromise with the quality a little bit, but if you are wanting to satisfy your need to have an action camera, then these cheap GoPro alternatives are a good option and can save you quite a lot of money.
Below you’ll see a comparison chart. If you look at the specs of our top 2 cheap action cameras they get quite close to the GoPro Hero8 Black. This is quite amazing really when you consider they are almost a third of the price of the GoPro.
GoPro vs. Akaso EK7000 Pro vs. Yi 4K+
| GoPro HERO8 Black | Yi 4K+ Action Camera | Akaso EK7000 Pro | |
| LCD Display Size | 2-inch touchscreen | 2.2-inch touchscreen | 2-inch touchscreen |
| Max Video resolution | 4K/60 | 4K/60 | 4K/25 |
| Photo resolution | 12MP | 12MP | 16MP |
| Lens (Field of View) | 149.2-degree FOV | 155-degree FOV | 170-degree FOV |
| Stabilization | Yes (HyperSmooth 2.0) | Yes (EIS at 4K/30) | Yes (EIS at 1080/60) |
| Waterproof (without case) | Yes (33ft/10m) | No | No |
| Waterproof (with case) | 131ft/40m | 131ft/40m | 131ft/40m |
| Voice control | Yes | Yes | No |
| Check Price at Amazon: GOPRO HERO8 Black | Check Price at Amazon: Yi 4K+ Action Camera | Check Price at Amazon: Akaso EK7000 Pro |
5 Best Cheap GoPro Alternatives – Action Cameras
1. YI 4K+ Action Camera
The YI 4K+ Action Camera is known to give the best image quality among all of these action cameras. With its 12MP photo resolution and video resolution up to 4K / 60fps, you can’t get much better than that for the price.
It has a long battery life with up to 70 minutes of recording time at 4K/60fps on a single charge. It also has a high performing cooling system which helps the body to remain cool while recording high-resolution videos.
With its Ultra-responsive 2.2” Gorilla Glass retina touchscreen, the YI 4K+ Action camera gives better handling, ease of use and framing. It has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth which makes it very easy to transfer images to your smartphone. This camera also includes voice control which is a nice addition for hands-free operation.
The only slight downside with this action camera is it doesn’t come with the waterproof case, so you’ll need to buy that separately. Overall though the YI 4K+ Action Camera has amazing features and image quality which really makes it stand out from other action cameras in this price range.
Check the YI 4K+ Action Camera Reviews & Price at Amazon
2. AKASO EK7000 Pro
Akaso EK 7000 is one of the most popular action cameras on amazon.com with more than 2K reviews. This action cam is able to record 4K videos at 25fps and has a battery life of up to 70-80 minutes on a single charge.
It comes with a waterproof case that allows it to reach depths of up to 131ft / 40m. It also has a remote control which helps you to click the shutter and start/stop your video recording.
With inbuilt WiFi, you are able to record and shoot the images via the app itself and can easily share those images to your smartphone using the FinalCam app available on both Android and IOS.
This is a great quality action camera for the price, although the image quality isn’t quite as good as the Yi 4k+.
Check the AKASO EK7000 Pro Action Camera Reviews & Price at Amazon
3. APEMAN A79 4K Action Camera
The APEMAN A79 4K Action Camera comes with ultra HD at 4K 30FPS resolution and 170-degree wide-angle lens which gives you a wide-angle view for shooting awesome quality videos and photos.
The camera has a 2-inch LCD screen which will help you to see the wide-angle frame. The built-in WiFI will enable you to share images and also to control the frame of the action camera.
It comes with Electronic Image Stabilization which helps you to get more steady video when you are filming while moving.
Its waterproof case enables the Apeman A79 to reach depths of up to 131ft / 40metres. Included in the box you also get bicycle & helmet mounting kits, as well as, another carrying case for more convenience.
With such a low price at Amazon, the Apeman shows a decent performance and hence is worth mentioning on this list.
Check the APEMAN A79 4K Action Camera Reviews & Price at Amazon
4. Campark ACT74
The Campark ACT74 is a 4K action camera capable of recording real 4K at 30fps with ease, its 16-megapixel stills camera produces good quality images as well.
It has a 2 inch LCD HD screen which is very convenient to shoot and record video, it has a 170 Degree ultra-wide-angle lens which helps you to capture a super wide-angle view.
It comes with an inbuilt WiFi which you can connect to your smartphone and share images and videos really easily. There is a free app called FinalCam which enables you to control and see the same point of view as the action cam. It is available on both the Apple app store & Android play store.
It comes with a durable and waterproof case, that can be used up to depths of 100ft / 30m. All you need to do is put your Campark ACT74 inside the waterproof case, securely fasten it and you are ready to shoot all your underwater adventures.
With the rechargeable battery, you get 90 minutes of recording time on a single charge!
Check the Campark ACT74 Action Camera Reviews & Price at Amazon
5. Crosstour Action Camera
The Crosstour Action Camera is another pocket-friendly option, capable of recording video resolutions of up to 4K/30fps via a high-quality image sensor.
It comes with a 2.4G wireless remote, helping you to preserve your videos and photos with ease. The wireless remote is very convenient to control the camera framing, pressing the shutter and recording the video, and therefore you won’t need to check your action camera again and again.
That’s not it, besides wireless remote, the Crosstour Action Camera also has built-in WiFi with 10-meter range and you can easily connect it to your smartphone using the iSmart DV app to share of your images and videos.
The Crosstour has been designed for the outdoors and also has a waterproof case that can be used at depths of up to 98.4ft/30metres.
It might be a little unfair to compare the video and audio quality of the Crosstour with the GoPro models but for this price at amazon, the Crosstour Action Cam is a good deal.
Check the Crosstour Action Camera Reviews & Price at Amazon
Final Thoughts
There are a few final thoughts that I want to share with you guys:
All these action cameras produce good image quality and videos. However, in most cases, the CPU of these budget action cameras don’t support 4K videos, so you’re actually going to get a 2K recording that is interpolated to 4K recording.
Most of these action cameras come with waterproof cases which on paper reach depths of up to 30 meters, but I can’t really confirm this since I haven’t actually tried diving with them.
The LCD Screens in most of these cameras are difficult to use in the bright daylight since there aren’t really any options for setting the brightness.
Therefore these cameras might not be able to compete against professional-level cameras like GoPro, but with these cameras having such a low price there’s no harm in considering one of these cameras for your personal use.
If you’re looking for other cameras for Youtube or Vlogging, then you may be interested in our guide to the 9 Best Vlogging Cameras with Flip Screens.
