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As you all know, GoPro is the face of action cameras which is packed up with so many features along with great quality.

But buying GoPro will cost you around $400 for GoPro HERO6 Black & around $300 for GoPro HERO5 Black 5 which is somewhat expensive if you don’t have that much budget.

However, If you don’t have $400 or $500 to spend on a GoPro, then you need something which is cheaper than that along with great quality & best features. So, it is better to look for other best GoPro alternatives.

If you search action camera’s on Amazon, you will find hundreds of camera and it becomes difficult to choose the right one.

So today I will help to choose the best cheap GoPro alternatives which are based on my experience for Vlogs or for normal use.

Now there are another whole bunch of action cameras as well which I haven’t tried. But I’m going to talk about the ones that I have tried & have trust based on quality.

I will start with the average one first and then, go down with the best one. So sit back and relax. Here are my top cheap best GoPro Alternatives which will save your chunks of money.

>>Read On: How to create a YouTube channel for Vlogging

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Top 5 Cheap Gopro Alternatives 2018

Now, these are some of the best cheap GoPro alternatives which you can buy if you can’t afford GoPro right now. Being cheap, it has some downside but nevertheless, they also have good features & quality.

So without any further ado, let’s get on with it.





5. SJ8000 Sports Action Camera

At no.5, we have the cheapest one out of the five action cameras. This one is called SJ 8000 Sports Action Camera.

Now, people think that this is manufactured by SJCam which is actually not. It is actually manufactured by Sansnail.

But again, it’s the cheapest out of the five. This one is using the Nova tech 96660 processor and the quality of the recordings is extremely good for its price.

So you get a whole bunch of accessories and great quality as well for such a cheap price. It comes with 12 megapixel HD wide lens along with waterproof casing up to 30m underwater. Photo resolution is available up to 16MP, which is interpolated from its 12 MP sensor size.

Like all the other action cameras which are having Nova tech 96660, this camera cannot record in a real 4k.

So all the 4k recordings that you’re gonna get are in fact 2k recordings that are interpolated to 4k recordings.

So this is another thing you need to consider. Apart from this, it offers great sound recording and that’s a big plus mostly considering the price of the camera.

Now, it doesn’t provide an external microphone support. So, if you are looking for such a thing in an action camera. then this is not for you.



Some Of The Features

Novatek 96660 Chip

12MP with 170 degrees, wide-angle HD lens

Built-in microphone and speaker

4K (4096 x 2160)/24fps, 2K(2560 x 1440)/30fps, 1080P (1920 x 1080)/60fps and 720P (1280 x 720)/60fps

1050mAh battery

Micro SD memory card slot recommended ultra fast memory cards

WIFI with up to 10 meters range

Micro USB and mini HDMI

Waterproof up to 30 meters with case

iOS and Android support

Pros

Great video recording

Offers great sound recording

Lightweight & small in size

Offers bunch of accessories

Cons

No external microphone support

Not real 4k recording

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4. Apeman A80 4K Action Camera

At no. 4, we have the Aperman A80. It has the exact same processor as discussed in previous one i.e Novatek 96660. This one comes with a whole bunch of accessories just like the previous one.

It offers a really good video and sound quality. It includes Gyro stabilization which prevents shaky recordings.

Unfortunately, it also doesn’t have an external microphone support like the previous one.

It has a power button & 20 MP lens at the front. At the top, it has a recording button & LED. At the side, it is packed with HDMI port, micro USB charging port, SSD card & microphone.

It is also integrated with a 2-inch display at the back. However, the display lacks good viewing angles.

It records videos in 1080p at 60 fps & has 20MP. However, It doesn’t provide the real 4k recording. Just like the previous one, the recordings are actually 2k which are interpolated to 4k.

It can record videos up to 90 minutes for 1080p at 60 fps on a full charge battery.

As per its price, this is one of the best action cameras to consider if you are budget conscious.



Some Of The Features

Novatek 96660 Chip

4K 25fps & 2K 30fps & 1080p 60fps recording

20MP with 170°ultra wide-angle lens

Double 1050 mAh battery

2-Inch HD LCD Display

Built-in WiFi

Waterproof up to 30m depth

Micro SD up to 128GB

Micro USB and micro HDMI

Pros

Great video recording

Adjustable zoom lens

Bonus battery included

Lots of accessories

No real 4k recording

Cons

LCD display doesn’t have good viewing angles

No external microphone support

Average low light recording

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3. SJCam SJ6 Legend

At no.3, we have the SJCAM SJ6 legend. It is more expensive than the previous two but it has a much better built-in quality.

The quality of the recordings is similar to the previous ones because they have the exact same Novatek 96660 processor.

It has a small display on the front and a touchscreen at the back and that’s something we don’t see on other action cameras having the same budget.

It also has an external microphone which is very helpful due to the fact if you want to have more quality audio recording.

But there is one problem which I encountered, the controlling in underwater was not quite swift which you need to consider if you are taking images and videos under water.

Have you Thought about updates?

Well, it also receives software updates from SJCAM and that’s very important because if you’re trying to use the camera for a couple of years. You may encounter bugs that can be fixed with software updates.



Some Of The Features

Chipset: Novatek 96660

4K 24fps; 2K 30fps; 1080p 60/50/30/25fps

16MP with 166 ° wide-angle lens

External Microphone support

2 x 1000mAh Battery

Built-in WiFi

LCD touchscreen screen

Digital Image Stabilization

Waterproof

2-inch touchscreen

MicroSD with Class 10 and SDXC cards, up to 128GB

Micro USB and micro HDMI

Pros

Good build quality

Lots of accessories

2-inch touchscreen

External Microphone support

Cons

Controlling problem when the camera is in a waterproof case

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2. SJCam SJ7 Star

Moving on to no.2, We have SJCAM SJ7 Star. This is the most expensive on the list. Actually, I am currently using this action camera and this is my personal favorite.

Talking about the build-up, it is made out of metal which is integrated with a touchscreen. Being honest, this is the best action camera I would suggest if you are looking for a GoPro alternative as it has a very good build quality.

It actually records in real 4k and also has an external microphone support. You can control this cam from a remote control as well.

Due to its metal body, it sometimes feels hotter than other action cameras while recording in 4k. However, it never gets too hot that you may feel to turn it off.

It also has a Gyro image stabilizer which prevents shaky recordings.

As I said earlier, I have used this but I haven’t placed it at no.1 spot due to its high price (cheaper than GoPro).

I will recommend this out of all the other GoPro alternatives because I have a much better experience with this one. But in the end, it’s up to you to decide the best for you.



Some Of The Features

Chipset Ambarella A12S75

4K 30/25fps; 2.7K 30fps; 2.5K 60/30fps; 1440p 60/30fps; 1080p 120/60/30fps

The sensor is 12MP but it can shoot 16 and 14MP photos

External Microphone support

1050mAh Battery

Built-in WiFi

2″ Touch Screen Metal Body

Gyro image stabilizer

Waterproof

Pros

Best build quality

Better video quality

Built-in Stabilization

External Microphone support

Cons

Heating problem while recording 4k videos

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1. ThiEYE T5e Action Camera

At no. 1, we have ThiEYE T5e action camera which shares the exact same quality as SJCAM SJ7 STAR. But, it is quite cheaper than the previous one. This is one of the best options as a cheap GoPro alternative.

It is packed up with the 12MP IMX117 image sensor which helps to enhance the picture quality and light sensitivity. The result will be noise free videos and photos. Photo Resolution is available up to 16MP, which is interpolated from its 12 MP sensor size.

It also has electronic image stabilization, which helps you to minimize the blurriness and shakiness while capturing photos and recording videos. So the end product will be sharp, stable and precise images and videos.

Aside from real 4k recording, this one also has an external microphone support. Now, the only downfall I encountered with this camera is that it doesn’t come up with a lot of accessories, unlike the other 4 action cameras.

You may need to spend an extra $20-$30 to get all the accessories. It also doesn’t have a touchscreen which SJ7 & S6 have.

Apart from that, this one is also the best alternative to GoPro which you can consider due to its cheap price, reliability & not to mention great video quality.

Some Of The Features

Ambarella A12 Processor and IMX117 Sensor

4k 30fps Ultra-HD video

12MP with 170 ° super wide-angle lens

External Microphone support

1100mAh battery

Built-in WiFi

Waterproof

2.0 inch TFT LCD Screen

Pros

Clear & crisp video

Image stabilization

Comes with two batteries

Value for money

Cons

Low-resolution LCD display

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Wrapping Up – Best Alternative To Gopro 2018

This is my top 5 best GoPro alternatives list. There are so many other action cameras which I haven’t tried and I don’t recommend something that I haven’t used.

You also have to keep in mind one thing that the battery life on all of them kind of sucks. So, I do recommend to buy an extra battery or two because it’s definitely going to be useful.

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