This page will tell you what you need to know about getting the cheapest GoPro cameras out there. Rule #1 of the Buyers Club is this: usually, the best thing to do is get a refurbished one. This action cam is a hot commodity, and honestly, you won’t find them at significantly reduced price points anywhere.
However, you can definitely save some cash by looking at used or refurbished offerings from websites like Amazon. Here are updated listings for used and refurbished GoPros (updated August 2014):
>>>>>>>>>>HERO 3+ Black from 329.00 Used (365 Refurbished)<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>HERO3+ Silver Edition<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>HERO3 in Black Best Refurbished <<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>HERO3 in Silver Best Refurbished <<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>HERO3 in White Best Refurbished <<<<<<<<<<
Creative Ideas for GoPro Replacements
While finding cheap or discounted GoPros is one option you have, another is going with another model of action cam altogether. To be sure, GoPro is the undisputed industry leader, but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t some alternatives that might fit you even better. The brand name GoPro has become synonymous with the action cam category (similar to Kleenex and tissue paper) but there is a surprising amount of options out there, and some of them are even better than the GoPro in certain ways (hard to believe I know). I aim to introduce some of these alternatives on this page as I discover them. The first one I want to share with you is the the Hitcase Pro.
Hitcase Pro
This is probably the cheapest alternative to a GoPro that you are going to find. And it is actually not an action cam at all. Instead, the Hitcase Pro is a durable, waterproof case that can house an iphone.
Of course, this product simply isn’t going to compare to a GoPro in a lot of ways, but those on a serious budget might find that the 100 price point is worth sacrificing some functionality for. The Hitcase pro is waterproof to depths of 10 meters (30 feet) and comes equipped with a glass lens that offers a 170 field of view (FOV).
Check out the Hitcase Pro on Amazon!!
Contour +2
If you are price sensitive, instead of trying to find a discounted product from GoPro, you might also consider going with a different line of action cam altogether. We compiled a list of GoPro alternatives that you can view here, and will continue to add brief write-ups of some of our alternatives to this page here.
First among these alternatives is the most recent release from Contour, the +2. While it may not have the diverse set of functions that the HERO3 comes with, the +2 is absolutely a better looking camera.
For under 200 on Amazon, the +2 is definitely a camera to look at if you are looking for an action cam but don’t want to splurge. Check out our full review here to make your decision.
Other Thoughts
If you search Google, you might find offers for discounted cameras. Just be sure to compare with the prices offered on a retailer like Ebay or Amazon, as oftentimes websites will claim to offer “coupons” for low-cost products even though the prices aren’t actually reduced at all.
The truth is that there is not a great deal of variance in price, and if you want the least expensive option, you should go with a refurbished one. The prices I post on my site are the lowest prices offered on Amazon at the time of posting, and I try to update once a month.
You won’t find a great variance in prices of GoPros, so my recommendation is that you don’t buy based on price. If you have an Amazon account, buy from there. If you prefer Walmart (though I hope you don’t!), they offer them as well. Consider the value of your time as well- is it worth it to spend an extra two hours browsing the web for a ten dollar reduction? Maybe. But if cost isn’t a serious consideration, just make the purchase from your preferred provider.
If cost is a serious consideration, either get a refurbished version, as recommended above, or consider a cheaper alternative like the Contour Action Cam. They recently shut their doors so stock might not last long- hurry!
This page was updated on August 8th, 2014.