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Choosing the right action camera used to be simple: Go with GoPro. It’s still good advice. The GoPro ranks high on our list and would be our top pick for most people. But finally, we’ve found a few worthy competitors.
To figure out which camera is the best, we tried them all. We dove with them, climbed with them, biked with them, and handed them to reckless 4-year-olds on scooters. We found a number of great options that will record, and survive, your future adventures.
If an action cam isn’t your speed, be sure to check out our Best Compact Camera, Best Mirrorless Camera, and Best Instant Camera guides as well.
Updated for October 2020: We’ve added the GoPro Hero 9 Black, dropped the Hero 7, noted some major firmware updates for the Insta360 One R, and updated the prices on everything.