Best GoPro 2024: Tried and Tested Models for You
Picking the right GoPro for your needs can be a challenge. Here's our guide to the best GoPro action cameras we’ve tested and reviewed
While the best GoPro action cameras are particularly popular with extreme sports enthusiasts, they’re just as useful for vloggers, commuters or vacationers. Offering high-quality video and audio along with numerous creative modes, it’s easy to see why they’re such a big hit.
However, the breadth of the GoPro range means that working out which model is right for you isn’t always straightforward. That’s why we’ve curated a list documenting the best GoPro action cameras we’ve tested. Each action camera featured in the roundup below has undergone our rigorous testing process, which involves experts using photo, video and usability tests to assess various factors including image stabilization, connectivity, audio quality, battery life and durability.
You can find out more information about our testing procedure in the “How we test” section of this page, while our buying guide details the key things to consider before splashing out on a new GoPro. Seasoned action camera veterans, meanwhile, may wish to jump straight into our roundup of the best GoPro action cameras on the market.
Best GoPro: At a glance
| Best GoPro action camera | GoPro Hero 12 Black (~$299) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best budget GoPro | GoPro Hero 9 Black (~$199) | Check price at Walmart |
| Best mid-range GoPro | GoPro Hero 11 Black (~$249) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best entry-level GoPro | GoPro Hero 10 Black (~$249) | Check price at Amazon |
How we test GoPros
In order to ensure we always provide you with the best advice, we extensively test every GoPro we recommend, putting each camera through its paces across a range of photo, video and general usability tests.
To assess image quality, we capture video and still photographs in various lighting and environmental conditions. We take cameras off the beaten track to check out their image stabilization efficacy. We also test their ability to record clear and usable audio. We perform battery tests to ensure the cameras can keep up with our demands, and we take care to look out for any potential overheating concerns, or practical limitations.
We also pit the latest GoPros against both their predecessors and their closest rivals, with these side-by-side comparisons available in our full reviews.
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The best GoPro cameras you can buy in 2024
1. GoPro Hero 12 Black: Best GoPro action camera
Price when reviewed: $299 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… image stabilization, excellent video quality
- Not so great for… those on a budget
The GoPro Hero 12 Black represents the best GoPro has to offer and is the best action camera we’ve tested to date.
Spec-wise the Hero 12 supports 5.3K video recording at up to 60fps, 4K at up to 120fps and both 2.7K and Full HD clips can be recorded at up to 240fps. Like its predecessor, the Hero 12 Black features a near-square 8:7 native aspect ratio, giving you the ability to crop landscape and portrait orientation clips from the same take. GoPro’s latest stabilization tech, HyperSmooth 6.0, is the most capable we’ve seen and 360-degree Horizon Lock ensures your recordings are always perfectly level.
Setting the Hero 12 apart from the flagship cameras which preceded it, GoPro has implemented some impressive efficiency improvements. During our testing, the Hero 12 Black managed to record continuously for nearly twice as long as the Hero 11 before the overheating warning kicked in. It also recorded for almost 50% longer before exhausting its battery.
The Hero 12 Black supports GoPro’s new Max Lens Mod 2.0 accessory, enabling an incredibly wide 177-degree recording mode and it’s also the first GoPro to support Bluetooth audio recording.
It may be the priciest Hero in GoPro’s lineup but if your budget can stretch to it, the Hero 12 Black is the current action camera king.
Read our full GoPro Hero 12 Black review for more details
Key specs – Sensor: 1/1.9in CMOS; Sensor pixels: 27MP; Max recording resolution: 5.3K (60fps); Size (WDH): 2.8 x 1.3 x 2in; Weight: 0.341lb; Warranty: One-year RTB
2. GoPro Hero 9 Black: Best budget GoPro
Price when reviewed: $199 | Check price at Walmart
- Great for… balance between price and performance
- Not so great for… blistering frame rates
Although no longer listed among GoPro’s current lineup of action cams, shop around and you can still find the older Hero 9 Black available online. Competitively priced and well-appointed, the Hero 9 Black is the ideal budget action camera. In fact, while it can’t match the blistering frame rates of GoPro’s flagship cameras, we think it will more than likely tick all the right boxes for most users.
The Hero 9 Black was the first Hero to benefit from GoPro’s latest redesign, which means it packs both front- and rear-facing color LCD displays, built-in mounting prongs and native 10m water resistance straight out of the box. It’s also compatible with GoPro’s full range of accessories, including the firm’s range of Mods for external microphones, lights and displays, along with the new Enduro battery.
As for performance, the Hero 9 Black supports high-resolution video recording at up to 30fps at 5.3K or 60fps in 4K. GoPro’s HyperSmooth 3.0 stabilization is on hand to keep your shots nice and steady and there’s even up to 27-degrees of horizon leveling to keep your clips level too.
Read our full GoPro Hero 9 Black review for more details
Key specs – Sensor: 1/2.3in CMOS; Sensor pixels: 20MP; Max recording resolution: 5K (30fps); Size (WDH): 2.75 x 1.6 x 1.9in; Weight: 0.348lb; Warranty: One-year RTB
3. GoPro Hero 11 Black: Best mid-range GoPro
Price when reviewed: $249 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… appealing pricing, full 360-degree horizon lock
- Not so great for… Bluetooth support, heat and power management efficiency
Sitting in the middle of GoPro’s current action cam lineup, the Hero 11 Black goes toe-to-toe with the Hero 12’s flagship specs at a slightly more palatable price point. When it comes to recording specifications, we found there’s little to separate the Hero 11 Black from the new Hero 12. Both feature 8:7 aspect ratio image sensors, maximizing cropping options during video editing. Both offer 5.3K60 and 4K120 video recording. And, while the Hero 11’s video stabilization is a generation old now, packing HyperSmooth 5.0, it still manages to support full 360-degree Horizon Lock.
The Hero 11 Black misses out on GoPro’s latest heat and power management efficiency upgrades, lacks Bluetooth support and Max Lens Mod 2.0 compatibility. But, unlike its successor, it retains GPS support and comes in notably cheaper. If you can live without the latest flagship refinements, we believe that the Hero 11 Black is a great way to score top-flight specs on a mid-range budget.
Read our full GoPro Hero 11 Black review for more details
Key specs – Sensor: 1/1.9in CMOS; Sensor pixels: 27MP; Max recording resolution: 5.3K (60fps); Size (WDH): 2.8 x 1.3 x 2in; Weight: 0.279lb; Warranty: One-year RTB
4. GoPro Hero 10 Black: Best entry-level GoPro
Price when reviewed: $249 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… action camera beginners
- Not so great for… advanced features, battery life
It may occupy the entry-level position in GoPro’s current action camera range, but based on our testing we found that the Hero 10 Black is still one of the most capable action cameras on the market today.
Utilizing GoPro’s latest GP2 processor, the Hero 10 is able to offer double the frame rates of the older Hero 9 Black, supporting 5.3K video recording at up to 60fps and 4K video at up to 120fps. GoPro’s HyperSmooth 4.0 stabilization tech kept our recordings exceptionally stable when tested and there’s 45-degrees of horizon leveling available too.
The camera sports both front and rear-facing color LCD displays, is waterproof to 10m without the need for an additional housing and is compatible with GoPro’s latest Mod accessories, including the Max Lens Mod.
Read our full GoPro Hero 10 Black review for more details
Key specs – Sensor: 1/2.3in CMOS; Sensor pixels: 23MP; Max recording resolution: 5.3K (60fps); Size (WDH): 2.8 x 1.3 x 2in; Weight: 0.348lb; Warranty: One-year RTB
5. GoPro Max: Best GoPro 360 action camera
Price when reviewed: $400 | Check price at Best Buy
- Great for… versatility, image quality
- Not so great for… true 4K video
The GoPro Max is an action camera but not as you know it. With fisheye lenses mounted on the front and the back, it can shoot in all directions at once, including up and down.
We were pleased to discover that the Max makes capturing superb-quality video and sharing the footage a breeze. 360 videos are stitched automatically in-camera, you can then opt to upload the files to YouTube as interactive videos that users can pan and zoom around in, or “reframe” the footage using GoPro’s smartphone or desktop app. Reframing allows you to take your favorite angles from within the 360 clip and export them as standard video files – essentially, it’s like filming with multiple cameras at once.
For more traditional videos, you also have the option of using a single lens and engaging GoPro’s incredible Max HyperSmooth stabilization. We found that Max HyperSmooth is not only capable of keeping your footage incredibly stable but it also offers a full 360 degrees of Horizon Leveling correction, ensuring your videos remain perfectly level too.
With six onboard microphones and a large built-in touch screen, the GoPro Max is one of the most flexible action cameras we’ve tested. Originally released back in 2019, the GoPro Max is, however, getting a little long in the tooth now. While still a solid camera, unless you’re already deeply invested in the GoPro ecosystem, the more recent Insta360 X3 may represent better value for most users.
Read our full GoPro Max review for more details
Key specs – Sensor pixels: 18MP; Max recording resolution: 5.6K (30fps) 360-degree video; Size (WDH): 2.7 x 0.98 x 2.5in; Weight: 0.359lb; Warranty: One-year RTB
How to choose the best GoPro for you
GoPro’s current lineup consists of the flagship Hero 12 Black, mid-range Hero 11 Black, entry-level Hero 10 Black and the dual-lens GoPro Max 360 camera. GoPro also produces a compact, stripped-back Hero 11 Black Mini and, if you shop around, you can find the budget-friendly Hero 9 Black.
When shopping for your ideal camera it can be worth bearing in mind that the best GoPro for you may not be the most expensive model or the one capable of recording at the highest resolutions or frame rates. The ability to film high bit-rate, high refresh-rate 4K and 5K footage might sound appealing but remember you have to have plenty of disk space to store the files and your laptop or PC needs plenty of power to process and edit the footage once you’re back at base.
Good-quality 1080p or 1440p footage still holds up well for sharing to social media and it’s a lot easier to edit, move around and upload than 4K or 5K. The good news is that even the cheapest GoPro cameras can do that, with even the old budget Hero 7 Silver models capable of recording all the way up to 4K30.
What the more expensive models do offer, however, is GoPro’s impressively effective HyperSmooth stabilization. While older models still offer basic stabilization, they’re unable to match the impressively steady results of the HyperSmooth stabilization found in the newer Hero Black models. The latest flagship models even pack a handy ‘Horizon Leveling’ feature, ensuring that your footage remains both smooth and level.
These days all of GoPro’s cameras are natively waterproof right out of the box and come with built-in mounting prongs for quick and easy set-up with GoPro’s near endless range of compatible mods, mounts, and accessories.
