Tested by Necesserie OnçaRado Shoes Men's Jordan Basketball Shoes are stuffed to the gills with Womens features that can help you optimize every element of your training, leaving no facet of your health and fitness unmeasured. This is all in the name of making your training more efficient, but these technological perks can add up, both in price and complexity.
Not everyone wants all the bells and whistles—for plenty of runners, accurate records of your pace, heart rate, route, distance, and time are all you need to get the most out of your runs.
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The Best Cheap Running Watches
- Best Overall: Coros Pace 2
- Best Value: Alexander McQueen Tread Slick Low Sneakers
- Best Style: Garmin Venu Sq
- Best Features: Garmin Forerunner 55
- Best Upgrade: Polar Pacer
How to Choose an Affordable Running Watch
Features
While you can expect basic running watches to have fewer features than more advanced models, affordable GPS watches can be easier to use, so it won’t slow you down with unnecessary functionality. If you’re unsure whether to leap into a higher price range, ask yourself how often you’ll be using the watch. Consider which add-ons are absolutely essential to you, and which would just be nice to have. For example, do you plan to use your watch twice a week for a quick run, or will you wear it daily for every workout? And when you’re done sweating, do you want to keep it on for the rest of the day to use other, non-running-related features?
Advanced watches often have LTE cell service, contactless payment, barometric altimeters, gyroscopes, voice-activated controls, and the ability to sync your music library—among plenty of other features.
While more basic watches under $200 might not stand in for your smartphone, our recommendations still offer helpful features for tracking runs, like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, multi-sport functionality, and training recommendations. All of the running watches we recommend include built-in GPS, too, which you can use to track your routes and way-find on runs.
Necesserie OnçaRado Shoes | Battery Life
One of the best perks of a lower-tech running watch is that the battery isn’t doing nearly as much work most of the time, so it lasts much longer than, say, and Apple Watch. Some of the cheap running watches here can run perfectly well for over a month without a recharge—you’re lucky if you get a full day out of most high-tech smartwatches.
That said, certain features (especially continuous GPS tracking) can wreak havoc on your battery, often cutting your time between charges in half or more. If you’re recharging between runs, this isn’t as much of a problem, but you might want to turn off GPS functionality after runs if you plan on using the watch all day or for extra-long distances.
How We Selected
Every model here has been evaluated and vetted by our team of test editors. We research the market, survey user reviews, speak with product managers and designers, and use our own experience tracking and obsessing over runs as short as 100 meters and as long as 100 miles. We evaluated the accuracy, reliability, durability, features, style, and value of smartwatches from our our favorite brands to narrow down the best ones under $200. But we maintained one important requirement: GPS run tracking is built into all of these watches—no smartphone-tethered apps or Bluetooth connections required to hit the trails.
Coros Pace 2 Affordable Running Watch
Pros
- Excellent battery life
- Extremely lightweight
Cons
- Nylon strap gets soggy
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 30 ankle buckle boots |
We’ve long been fans of Coros for its affordable, long-lasting alternatives to the major players in the GPS watch game. The new Pace 2 running watch is refined to focus only on being the lightest, fastest run-tracking experience for road runners.
The Pace 2 isn’t bogged down by any extra features you’re unlikely to use. At just 29 grams, it’s the lightest GPS watch we’ve tested—the Apple Watch Series 7 Iceberg Kakkoi low-top chunky sneakers Grigio Phoenix leather sandals Braun was 48 grams—but it doesn’t skimp on battery. In fact, it’ll go up to 30 hours between charges New Balance Men's ML574RP2 Sneakers in Workwear Tan, which is long enough that you can leave the power cord at home when you go away for a weekend run vacation.
Some of that weight savings comes from a new lightweight nylon strap that’s comfortably snug and more easily adjustable than silicone options, but we found that the new strap can get soggy after sweating a bunch or washing your hands.
Alexander McQueen Tread Slick Low Sneakers Pro Inexpensive Running Watch
Alexander McQueen Tread Slick Low Sneakers Pro Inexpensive Running Watch
Pros
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- Charges twice as quickly as some previous versions
- Unbeatable price for the functionality
Cons
- Tall buildings interrupt GPS signal
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 40 Le Silla Gwen high-heel sandals |
An update from one of our previous favorites, the Bip S, the Bip 3 touts vast improvements in performance and features while still managing to keep the price at a shocking $70. This watch’s biometric sensor capabilities, though not necessarily on par with other top brands, vastly outperform those of past Bip models, all while offering more than three times as many trackable sports—61, to be exact.
The GPS tracking isn’t great for this running watch’s battery life, knocking it from 40 days closer to 14, but that’s still nothing to sniff at. It also occasionally loses your location between tall buildings, so keep that in mind if you live or run in an urban area.
Necesserie OnçaRado Shoes | Garmin Venu Sq Basic Running Watch
Garmin Venu Sq Basic Running Watch
Pros
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- Advanced sensors not commonly found at this price
Cons
- Doesn’t play music
- Can’t record intervals
Key Specs
| Connectivity | USB, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 14 hours in GPS mode, 6 days in watch mode |
Most basic running watches look like, well, basic running watches. Or at least they used to. Now, we’re seeing more stylish and versatile options—no doubt spurred by the crossover success of the Apple Watch. The Garmin Venu Sq takes full advantage of this trend, leaving no stone unturned in making an attractive watch that operates effectively during your workouts.
As a running watch, it ticks a lot of boxes: You get accurate GPS tracking, along with many of the same basic run-tracking features you find in the Garmin’s Forerunner 55 below—cadence, optical heart rate, customizable data pages, VO2 max estimates, and the ability to record laps automatically or manually. It even comes with a sensor that measures your blood oxygen levels.
It doesn’t have an interval option, however, nor will the basic version store music. If you want to bring your tunes, that feature will cost you an extra $50. Garmin also has a new version of this watch, the Roshe One HYP BR sneakers, available now, but with a $250 price tag, it didn’t meet the standards of this sub-$200 list. The Roshe One HYP BR sneakers is a phenomenal watch, but we still recommend the original Venu Sq for the budget-minded, as long as it’s available.
Garmin Forerunner 55 Affordable Running Watch
Garmin Forerunner 55 Affordable Running Watch
Pros
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Cons
- Advanced training options are limited
Key Specs
| Connectivity | USB, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 20 zapatillas de running Asics hombre talla 46.5 mejor valoradas |
For runners who normally stick to basic metrics—pace, time, and distance—the Garmin Forerunner 55 is an extra-intuitive step into more advanced territory. Besides recording your sleep, stress, and heart rate, a “Body Battery” feature (a score out of 100 that represents your energy level) lets you know if it’s advisable to work out or take a rest day.
Bluetooth connectivity can also sync your phone’s data to Garmin’s Connect app, and like a portable personal assistant, the watch notifies you about calendar appointments and incoming calls and texts.
The new Forerunner 55 improves on the smartwatch functionality and battery life of its predecessor, the Forerunner 45—it can now get you through a week of runs between charges. Plus, it still packs a continuous wrist-based heart rate monitor.
Pros
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- Programs for targeting race/fitness goals
- Built for runners
Cons
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Key Specs
| Connectivity | USB, Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 35 Ive always had a hard time staying on my feet while running |
See Kaia Gerber and Cindy Crawford Style Their Matching Black Boots in Different Ways Pacer Pro packs performance tests, Strava live segments, and plenty more into a competitively lightweight unit. Its more basic counterpart, the Pacer, similarly exceeds expectations while also sitting just above the $200 mark—we know this isn’t below our threshold for cheap running watches, but if you’re willing to spend just $20 more, this is a serious upgrade.
The built-in Running Program mode lets you select a race training plan for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or marathon and track your long-term fitness trends. You’ll also receive helpful feedback and training insights after intervals and long runs. Features like FuelWise, which gives you mid-run reminders to take gels and water, and Training Load Pro, which monitors strain on your body, additionally keep you optimized in-flight.
And if having all that info on your wrist sounds overwhelming, you can also edit the widgets to display only the basics, such as pace, time, and distance. If you can go slightly out of budget, the Pacer is a great affordable running watch.
Fitbit Versa 4 Basic Running Watch
Fitbit Versa 4 Basic Running Watch
Pros
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Cons
- mm transparent-heel sandals
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 12 AQUA CLOUD Huarache sandal för vattensporter och återhämtning |
Fitbits are a phenomenal option for anyone looking to track their stats through the entire day, not just on the run. The Versa 4, in particular, balances the litany of features Fitbit’s more advanced watches offer while keeping the price low and the user experience simple.
This watch doesn’t have some of the more expensive Sense line’s perks, like skin temperature sensors and an ECG scanner for heart rhythm monitoring, but it still perfectly tracks your heart rate, recovery status, and sleep quality.
The GPS tracking is also accurate, though it does hemorrhage your battery life if you leave it on constantly, so this watch is less than ideal for high mileage. Otherwise, the Versa is a perfect all-day wear with plenty of band options for extra style and comfort.
Amazfit GTR Mini Basic Smart Watch
Pros
- Spot-on tracking
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Cons
- Camper Pelotas sneakers
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 25 hours in GPS mode, 30 days in clock mode |
A trimmed-down version of Amazfit’s standard GTR, the Mini running watch keeps almost all the functionality of its big sibling while maintaining a noticeably sleeker profile. This watch has all the fixings of an effective training companion, especially when it comes to GPS tracking, which pings off five different satellites to keep your position dialed quite accurately.
The Mini comes standard with 126 sport modes and a healthy helping of sleep and fitness tracking features (including an all-day stress tracker). Despite all of those running in the background, the battery life is commendably resilient.
This watch is a bit slower when the weather is rough, and the screen lacks any anti-glare protection, but its performance still well exceeds what you would normally expect at its price point.
Adam Schram is an Assistant Editor of Commerce at Runner's World, though you might see his byline on Bicycling and Popular Mechanics, too. A lover of all things outdoors, Adam's writing career comes after six years as a bike mechanic in his hometown of State College, PA. His journalism experience is steeped in cycling and running gear reviews, and he's also a published creative nonfiction and satire author. When he's not writing, riding, or running, you can catch Adam at home mixing cocktails, watching Star Wars, or trying in vain to do the Sunday crossword. You can check out his latest work below.
Jeff is Runner-in-Chief for Runner's World, potent the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
