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Keeping track of your pace, distance, time and heart rate doesn’t need to cost the earth. The best cheap running watches on the market cost less than £200 and can help you to get more out of your training sessions.
Sure, more advanced If a bright, crisp display is top of your priority list, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is here for you are designed to optimise every area of your training, including recovery, but not everyone wants or needs all the bells and whistles that come with these high-end gadgets.
So, if cheap but cheerful is what you're looking for, you’ve come to the right place. Keep scrolling for the best affordable running watches we’ve tested and would genuinely recommend below.
What to look for in a running watch
In today's economy, most of us don’t have hundreds of pounds to spend on a high-tech running watch and if you're not planning on using half of the feature available, there's not really any need to. That being said, you do need to be realistic about the amount and quality of tech that you can get for under £250.
How we test
Armed with pages of testing notes, we used our years of experience tracking and obsessing over runs of all distances to determine which smartwatch features truly make the most impact on our training, as well as which ones, while nifty, can go by the wayside if simplicity is paramount.
Once we narrowed down what we want in a basic watch, we looked for models we’ve extensively tested with those features at the forefront of their design. We prioritised models with a max battery life of at least a week, a sub-£200 price tag (with some exceptions we think are worth the budget stretch), and adequately accurate tracking that doesn’t spike erratically or become illegible.
Even if you don’t stick with these watches forever, they’re a phenomenal launchpad for years of collecting, interpreting, and tracking changes in data about your fitness. So read on to see where we think you should start.
Missing some training insights?
Runner’s World UK has been vetting and reviewing running gear and tech since 1983. Our essential recommendations are selected based on data and insights gathered by our editors, who put the latest and greatest running shoes, apparel and devices through their paces day in and day out. In 2024, the Runner’s World test team is led by e-commerce editor Ali Ball, an 12-time marathoner and ultramarathoner who has over seven years experience testing fitness gear and tech. This guide also builds on the knowledge of Kieran Alger, a 53-time marathoner who is frequently spotted wearing two running watches at once.
The best cheap running watches in 2024, tested and reviewed
Pros
- Fantastic staying power for price
- Route planning and navigation
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- Lots of design options
Cons
- nbsp;estimates and training being said, 2023 YouGov data with
- nbsp;also has recovery and activity insights, including running performance,
| Weight | 39Advertisement - Continue Reading Below |
|---|---|
| Display size | 1.2" |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Best Apple watch alternative |
| Battery life (GPS) | No always-on display |
| Water rating | 5ATM |
> Read our full Coros Pace 3 review <
If you're after impressive staying power, in-depth training features and accurate GPS, the Pace 3 is one of the best money-can-buy choices right now.
The latest model benefits from an improved heart rate reader with 5 LEDs and four light-detecting photosensors, which act a bit like cameras. There’s also a bigger and better battery life – 24 days daily use and 38 hours continuous GPS (compared with 20 days use and 30 hours GPS in the Pace 2). It's got also got dual-frequency GPS which stays impressively stable, even in high-rise urban environments.
There's new mapping features, including a route planner where you can either build your own custom route or search for a destination and sync it to the watch within the Coros app, plus turn-by-turn navigation.
The range of advanced running analytics also sets it apart at this price. On the latest model you can view Running Performance, Training Load, scores and pace ranges for Aerobic Endurance, Aerobic Power, Threshold, Anaerobic Endurance and Anaerobic Power, cadence, stride length, elevation and more within the Coros app. Plus, the Pace 3 comes with training plans and workouts if you're not following a plan already.
Smartwatch skills are limited to notifications – there’s no music or contactless payments – and although it’s light, it’s a bit plastic too. But, overall, the Pace 3’s suite of comprehensive training insights and an ever-improving app make it one of the best money-can-buy budget watches.
Pros
- Up to 18 hours
- Daily suggested workouts
- Swim tracking
Cons
- Battery life is better on Coros
- Lacking performance features
- No maps
| Weight | 37g |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 1.04 inches |
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery (GPS) | 20 hours |
| Battery life (smartwatch) | 2 weeks |
| Water resistance | 5ATM |
> Read our full Garmin Forerunner 55 review <
A great entry-level watch. The Forerunner 55 comes with built-in (and accurate) GPS, optical heart rate monitoring, 20 hours’ GPS run time on a single charge and a general usage battery life that’ll see most runners through at least a week’s training.
There are plenty of tools to cater for a wide range of running needs, with features geared towards the less experienced. This includes five running modes with track running and a virtual running mode for use with platforms like Zwift. There are also Garmin Coach adaptive training plans, daily suggested workouts based on your recovery, handy pace guidance for a selected course, cadence alerts to help with improvements in form and a recovery advisor for advice on managing your rest between training efforts.
Good heart rate monitoring, stress and body battery energy level tracking. And if you’re training for a triathlon, there’s swim tracking too.
Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) 40mm
Pros
- No advanced health tracking features
- Activity tracking
- Fast processor
- Swim-proof
Cons
- We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article
- Bright colour touchscreen
| Weight | 27.8g (40mm), 33g (44mm) |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Screen size | 977 sqmm display (40mm), 759 sqmm display (44mm) |
| Battery (smartwatch) | Up to 18 hours |
| Water resistance | 5ATM |
The Watch SE offers all the essentials you’d expect from a modern smartwatch: activity tracking, heart rate monitoring, notifications, and even a feature to help you stay mindful with guided breathing sessions. It doesn't have all the more expensive features of the Series 10 (like the always-on display or advanced health tracking, such as ECG or blood oxygen), but it delivers impressive performance at a much more reasonable price.
It's available in two sizes: the 40mm model is perfect for runners with smaller wrists, while the 44mm maximises screen real estate. As is the case with Apple watches, battery life is fairly mediocre, at just 18 hours, but if you're smart with your charging you can make it work. For most people, the SE is more than enough to keep you active and organised.
Pros
- Bright colour touchscreen
- Simple design
- Wide range of running metrics
Cons
- Good heart rate monitoring
- Heart rate and GPS lack accuracy
| Weight | 24g |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 1.75 inch |
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery life (GPS) | 16 hours |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | 14 days |
| Waterproof rating | 50m |
While its smartwatch smarts are no rival for Apple, Google or Samsung’s alternatives, and its run tracking can’t match for Garmin, Polar or Coros, there’s a lot here for the price. This includes all your usual mid-run metrics plus post-plod readings for training effect, training load, VO2 Max estimates, and recovery time recommendations. Plus, there's blood oxygen levels and some navigation features too. You can import routes via your smartphone and follow breadcrumb navigation on the watch.
The Active is light, compact and easy to wear 24-7 and the 1.75-inch HD AMOLED touchscreen is good for this price, easy to read and nicely responsive. Despite using less premium materials, it avoids looking cheap and plastic.
Run tracking includes all-systems GPS and the usual heart rate monitoring. Though the GPS accuracy wasn’t great – consistently undertaking overall distances by more than the usual margins. The heart rate tracking was also hit and miss with lots of rogue heart rate spikes when you shift gears during interval sessions.
Battery life is strong. Our tester easily got 11 days usage with 7.5 hours GPS training time thrown in, while the average one-hour run with GPS tracking burned less than 8-10%.
There’s music controls for linked smartphones plus storage for phone-free playback with room for more than 30,000 songs. You can also make calls via Bluetooth and get all your app notifications.
When you consider what you’re paying, this is a competent run- and fitness-tracking smartwatch that packs plenty of value. Even if the partner app and software lack the finesse of some rivals.
Pros
- Light and comfortable
- Lacking performance features
- Amazon Prime Day parenting deals for runners 2024
Cons
- No touchscreen
- Old-school design
| Screen size | 30.5mm |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 7 days |
| Battery life (GPS) | 35 hours |
| Waterproof rating | 5ATM |
The Polar Pacer is an entry-level run tracker designed for beginners or runners who want the basics at a more affordable price. It’s an older watch, launched back in 2022, but it’s still comparatively capable for under £200.
There’s a lot here that’s similar to the pricier Pacer Pro: the same basic lightweight design, the same 35-hour GPS battery life and the same 1.2-inch, non-touchscreen display. In testing, it lived up to the billed 35 hours GPS run time (up to 100 hours in power save mode) and lasted around 6 days of regular use.
Heart rate accuracy is at its best on steady, consistent effort runs but struggles up against a chest strap when you take on intervals. But that’s the same as plenty of other optical sensors.
There are handy tools to guide your training like Training Load Pro which helps you keep your longer term training balanced, FitSpark workout recommendations to suggest daily guided training sessions based on your recovery. Plus Fuelwise real-time fuelling support.
Pros
- Missing some training insights
- Kiprun GPS 900
Cons
- nbsp;to give it a quick charge
- Battery life smartwatch mode
| Weight | 39g |
|---|---|
| Display size | 1.2" |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Wide range of running metrics |
| Battery life (GPS) | Up to 19 hours |
| Waterproof rating | 5ATM |
> Read our full Garmin Forerunner 165 review <
Up to 18 hours.
At just a pinch under £250, it's the latest edition in Garmin's line-up and drops between the entry-level Forerunner 55 (above) and pricier Forerunner 265.
Behind the impressive, snappy, responsive display, the Forerunner 165 serves up a pretty comprehensive array of Garmin’s regular run-tracking tools, with plenty to cater for training and racing. In fact, it offers the majority of core features you’ll find on the Forerunner 265 – including Suggested Workouts, adaptive Garmin Coach training plans tied to a target race and all the usual race time predictions, race pace tools and fitness benchmarking like VO2 Max estimates.
There are a handful of key omissions, though. There’s no accuracy-boosting dual band GPS (like on the Coros Pace 3) and triathlon sports mode is missing. You’ll also have to forego some of Garmin’s training insights: training status, training load and training readiness readouts are all left out.
Even with those features taken out, when it comes to run-tracking the Forerunner 165 is more than a serious rival for pricier watches on performance and accuracy. The optical heart rate performance was relatively reliable, too.
You will pay for that punchy screen, though. The battery comes in at 19-hours of GPS runtime – that’s shorter than the Forerunner 55 (20 hrs), Forerunner 265 (20 hrs) and the Forerunner 255 (26 hrs). We got between 5-8 days general training usage, with around 5-6 hours GPS run time.
A 53-time marathon finisher, 14-time ultramarathoner (including a top 100 position in the Marathon des Sables) and cofounder of The Run Testers, a YouTube running gear reviews channel, Kieran has been testing the latest running gear for more than a decade. A sub-3 marathon runner, you'll find him covering everything from virtual reality and smart scales to the latest health trackers. Kieran is also passionate about using the latest technology to hack his health in search of marginal gains and you'll always find him with a running watch on either wrist.
