I’m Wirecutter’s editor-at-large, a travel writer, and a photographer. In addition to reviewing cameras and other gear, I’m on Instagram, where I often feature photos and videos from the cameras in this guide. I also have a YouTube channel, and I’m the author of Budget Travel For Dummies.

For this guide:

• I spent multiple days testing each camera, assessing video and photo quality in a variety of situations. As a longtime action camera owner and user, I’ve found that their strengths and weaknesses become readily apparent in the wild.
• I often travel with the picks, both before and after they’re chosen, on hikes and adventures in the US and abroad. For the most recent round of testing, I took several cameras to explore national parks as far apart as Arches and Everglades and to dive with sharks off the Florida Keys.
• In accordance with Wirecutter standards, I return or donate all products I’ve tested once my assessment of them is complete, which may involve longer-term testing by my colleagues and me. I never hang on to “freebies” once testing is done.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

If you spend a lot of time outdoors and want to be able to relive memorable or particularly exhilarating moments, an action camera is essential. It can also be an excellent option for vlogging, if you don’t want to invest in a more complicated or expensive rig.

Action cameras’ diminutive size, ruggedness, and wealth of mounting options set them apart from point-and-shoot, mirrorless, and video cameras. As a result, action cameras are uniquely suited to capturing footage from a first-person (or first-animal, as in this video) perspective.

An action camera has an especially wide-angle lens for capturing as much of the slopes or racetrack as possible. Cheap mounts allow you to attach the camera to a helmet, fasten it to the tip of a surfboard, strap it to a hockey stick, or put it on a tripod that’s super close to the action.

However, unlike a rugged point-and-shoot camera, an action camera doesn’t have an optical-zoom lens, so it limits you to a single point of view, with crop settings to simulate various focal lengths.

On the flip side, rugged traditional cameras lack the mounting abilities, wide-angle lenses, and compact nature of action cameras. Those models are also typically designed to capture stills first and foremost, while video is where action cameras shine.

Our ideal action camera has the following attributes:

• Excellent video quality: A top-tier action camera records crisp, smooth, vibrant video and offers multiple resolutions and frame rates. We prefer a minimum of 4K resolution at a rate of at least 60 frames per second. With more resolution, not only is the image sharper, but you can also crop in for better framing, a slight zoom, and so on, without the resulting image looking overly soft. The best cameras offer up to 8x slow motion (240 fps) with at least 1080p resolution.
• Effective video stabilization: What good is 4K resolution if your footage is a shaky mess? The best action cameras use either optical or electronic image stabilization to counteract bumpy trails and running pups for almost gimbal-like smoothness.
• Rugged design: Action cameras thrive in extreme environments, so they need to be able to handle conditions that would knock out other cameras, including sand, dust, water, and even serious impacts. We prefer cameras with integrated waterproofing, reinforced glass for the lenses and screens, and other ruggedized features.
• Easy-to-use controls: The last thing you want to worry about while skiing a black diamond slope, cliff jumping, or rafting the Rio Grande is fiddling with camera settings. An action camera should make adjusting settings and framing shots as easy as possible, so you can enjoy yourself while still getting great footage to share later. An easy-to-use touchscreen is a must. And having a live-view front screen so you can easily get yourself in the frame is ideal. We don’t require voice control, but a truly great action camera has that feature.
• Removable battery: Most action cameras have similar battery life—about an hour at their maximum resolution and frame rate, and a bit longer at 1080p. Being able to swap in a fresh battery is essential.
• A bevy of mounting options: The ideal action camera is compatible with a wide range of mounts, including both manufacturer-branded mounts and cheaper third-party options. These mounts should be as easy to use as the cameras themselves. Most action cameras now feature the standard GoPro-style mount.
• Reliable wireless and a good app: Because you’ll rarely use your action camera in front of a computer, it should easily pair with your phone so that you can off-load and edit footage. The camera’s dedicated mobile app should be well designed and easy to use, should function as a remote control for the camera, and should allow you to edit clips on the fly. Ideally, it also lets you cut and create interesting videos without relying on third-party software.
• Live-streaming and webcam capability: The option to live-stream adventures to popular social media platforms is key for vloggers and a nice option to have for everyone else. Being able to use the camera as a webcam is also handy.

Using the above criteria, we’ve tested the most promising models. Over the years, we’ve put our test models through as many challenges as possible to gauge their toughness, video quality, and usability in real-world situations.

We’ve mounted cameras to cars and sped up and down mountains at sunset. We’ve carried them on hikes through national parks. They’ve documented our around-the-world trips and weekend adventures. We’ve dunked them in cold mountain streams and strapped them to dogs and to our heads.

In addition, we’ve spent many hours playing with each camera’s user interface, checking how well each model works as a webcam, and running down the battery to gauge real-world longevity at different resolutions.

One of our picks is a 360 camera. This type of camera is relatively new to the camera world and often misunderstood.

When introduced, they offered the unique ability to create spherical images that showed everything around them in all directions. These images could be viewed on Facebook, YouTube, and a few other sites, as well as with a VR headset, as though you were standing where the camera was, looking all around you. Here’s a 360 video that I took during a dive in Barbados.

These days, however, most folks who use 360 cameras put them to work as next-level action cameras. Using the camera’s app, either on your phone or computer, you can edit down the ultra-high-resolution spherical footage into video of just what you want to highlight, with angles, pans, and zooms. The result is a highly stabilized, professional-looking video, with results that are impossible to achieve with a traditional action camera. As an example, here’s the edited version of the same dive video I shared above.

Because 360 cameras require an additional editing step, they aren’t quite as easy to use as traditional action cameras, which let you record and upload video directly to social media. If you don’t mind spending a few extra minutes to get more interesting footage, you have far more creative opportunities with a 360 camera, which is why we’re recommending one in this guide. I’ve had one in my kit for years, and I wouldn’t leave for any adventure without it.

You can learn more about the differences between the two types of cameras in my “Should You Get a 360 Camera or an Action Camera?” YouTube video.

The GoPro Hero13 Black is the ultimate action camera, offering the highest-quality video we’ve seen in the category. Its tall image sensor lets you easily create vertical videos for Instagram Stories and TikTok, but with its high resolution, it can still capture horizontal videos for YouTube.

The standard 0.25-inch mount lets you attach the Hero13 Black to any traditional camera mount or tripod, and it’s compatible with new easy-release magnetic mounts. The Hero13 Black has longer run times than its predecessor thanks to its larger battery, yet it also includes GPS, which previous cameras lacked. Optional lenses, including an ultra wide-angle, a macro, multiple neutral density filters, and (soon) an anamorphic lens, greatly increase the types of videos you can capture.

It offers the best image quality we’ve seen from an action camera. The Hero13 Black can record 5.3K video at a smooth 60 frames per second. Footage looks razor-sharp and vibrant, with smooth transitions between colors and no banding. Thanks to its extremely high bit rate of 120 Mbps, it minimizes video noise and keeps the detail high during fast motion.

If you don’t need that level of detail, the Hero13 Black also offers 4K recording at 120 fps, and for ultra-smooth slow motion, 2.7K-resolution video at up to 240 fps is possible. A burst slo-mo mode even allows you to capture several minutes of 720p video at 400 fps or 20 seconds of 5.3K video at 120 fps.

In addition, the Hero13 Black accommodates HDR video shooting up to 5.3K at 30 fps for high dynamic range situations, such as at sunset or in canyons. It even has HLG (hybrid log–gamma) support for professionals.

It’s rugged. The Hero13 Black is waterproof to a depth of 10 meters (33 feet). The lens cover is 2-millimeter-thick Gorilla Glass (the same material used for many phone screens) with a hydrophobic coating to reduce the chance of water beading on it when the camera is splashed. And if you manage to scratch this lens, it’s replaceable.

It has the longest run time we’ve seen from a GoPro camera. Thanks to a new, larger battery, GoPro claims, the Hero13 Black is good for up to 79 minutes of continuous recording at 5.3K 60 fps—13% longer than what the company claimed for the Hero12 Black.

That roughly aligned with our testing results, though many variables will affect real-world run times. You might get more, or less, depending on factors such as ambient temperature and ventilation. Lower resolutions and frame rates can greatly increase run times, while direct sun can reduce them. And if you’re recording at max settings, your Hero13 Black is likely to overheat long before its battery runs out.

Bear in mind that this new battery is physically larger than the Hero12 Black’s battery, so if you have an older camera and you’re upgrading, your existing batteries won’t fit.

Creating videos for social media is a snap. The Hero13 Black’s image sensor has a nearly square 8:7 aspect ratio instead of the typical rectangular 16:9. This makes creating a mix of vertical (for TikTok or Instagram Stories) and horizontal (for YouTube) content easier, since you can record using the full sensor area and then crop the footage in the GoPro Quik app to vertical or horizontal as you desire without reducing the resolution and quality.

Other cameras sacrifice the quality of one orientation for the other or require you to physically rotate the camera to maintain quality, which is not always possible depending on your mount or situation.

Beginners will find it easy to use. This camera’s optional simplified menus help novices figure out the various modes better than those of other cameras we’ve tried. Experienced users can switch to menus that are more in-depth but still easy to navigate. Like most new action cameras, the Hero13 Black also offers optional voice control, in this case supporting 11 languages and six accents.

Its stabilization is impressively effective. GoPro’s latest stabilization processing, which it calls HyperSmooth 6.0, is capable of locking the horizon to level even if you rotate the camera 360 degrees. Videos remain smooth even during strong vibrations.

Most action cameras, regardless of brand, have solid stabilization these days, but in our testing the Hero13 Black seemed a little better than competitors and previous GoPro models in this regard.

GoPro is everywhere. One of the main reasons we like GoPro cameras is their near-ubiquity. Just about every dive shop, surf shop, and electronics store is likely to have GoPro accessories. If you lose, forget, or suddenly find a need for a new kind of mount or an additional battery for an unexpected adventure, they’re easier to find than add-ons for action cameras from other companies.

GoPro’s app is really good. The GoPro Quik app (iOS and Mac, Android) lets you control the camera, organize your recorded content, and edit photos and videos. That last function is especially powerful, as it allows you to crop, zoom, combine clips, and even add music. You need a fairly new phone with lots of storage space to get the most out of it, though.

The camera offers clever shooting modes. In addition to the standard Time Lapse (for when the camera is stationary) and TimeWarp (for when the camera is moving) modes that you can find on most action cameras, the Hero13 Black has a variety of other modes that help you easily capture unique-looking videos.

For instance, action cameras typically aren’t great in low light, but GoPro’s Star Trails (you can see an example in this video, recorded with the Hero12 Black) and Vehicle Light Trails modes both create stylized videos with cool lines of light that look great on social media.

It takes decent pictures, too. GoPro cameras are primarily intended for video, but they can take still photos, as well. The Hero13 Black can capture 27-megapixel (5568-by-4872-pixel) images in several modes.

Though the image quality can’t match the results of a high-end phone’s camera or a traditional camera, it’s very good for an action camera, and it works well for posting on social media. GoPro’s SuperPhoto mode, which stacks several exposures to create an image with better dynamic range, is an especially big plus.

Optional lenses offer new video possibilities. GoPro has long offered an ultra-wide lens option, but the Hero13 Black is compatible with a broader range of new optional lenses. They include a macro lens for better close-up videos and multiple ND (neutral density) filters, which are useful when you’re shooting in bright light. For me, the most interesting is an anamorphic lens that creates cinematic, 2.35:1 ultra-widescreen videos. However, that one won’t arrive until 2025.

GoPro’s subscription is a solid deal. For $25 for the first year and $50 after that, the GoPro Premium subscription offers unlimited cloud storage for GoPro content, 25 GB for footage from other cameras, camera replacement, discounts on GoPro’s website (including on cameras), and—most interesting—automatically edited videos.

The simplicity of that last feature is unique to GoPro. Just plug your camera into power and connect it to Wi-Fi, and it automatically backs up its footage to the cloud. A short time later, you get a highlight video that’s either okay to post as is or suitable as a convenient base for making your own video.

Two additional tiers are available as well, though they are less useful for most people. The budget Quik Subscription costs $10 a year and provides full access to the Quik app’s features while dropping cloud storage, cloud editing, and camera replacement. (We like some free app options better.)

The $100-per-year GoPro Premium+ subscription is for “advanced creators,” adding 500 GB of storage for non-GoPro cameras and HyperSmooth Pro video stabilization on top of everything you get with the regular Premium sub. For most people, we think the HyperSmooth 6.0 stabilization that comes with the Hero13 Black is plenty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• The Hero13 Black is a relatively small upgrade over the Hero12 Black. There isn’t a huge difference between this year’s and last year’s models. They share the vast majority of important features and image-quality specs. For most people, if your budget is tight, the Hero12 Black with a GoPro Premium subscription is likely to offer more than the Hero13 Black without the subscription.
• It gets really hot when recording at max quality. How long the camera can record and whether it will shut off to protect itself depends on the ambient temperature and other factors, but reducing the resolution and frame rate greatly increases the run time. After the camera cools, you can continue recording. We were able to shoot for roughly 45 minutes at 5.3K 60, slightly longer than what GoPro claims for an unventilated environment (in our case, with the camera sitting on a desk). That’s far longer than we’ve been able to go with previous GoPro models.
• The low-light performance is pretty bad. This has always been the case with action cameras, but several new competitors, including the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, have made big strides in creating useful low-light footage. If you regularly record at night, one of those models might be a better option.
• I hope you don’t have triskaidekaphobia.

If you don’t think you’d use an action camera often enough to justify the cost of the Hero13 Black, or if you want to get something even smaller and more portable, the GoPro Hero offers solid image quality in a tiny package. It’s roughly 35% smaller than the Hero13 Black and about 45% lighter, and it’s still waterproof to 16 feet.

However, it maxes out at 4K and 30 fps for regular video and 2.7K at 60 fps for slow motion. It also doesn’t offer in-camera stabilization—you need to export your footage via the GoPro Quik app if you want smooth clips.

It can fit just about anywhere. Although no action camera is large, the Hero is noticeably smaller than most. That means it’s even easier to fit in a pocket, and at 86 grams, it’s so light that you might forget it’s there. It isn’t as tiny as the Insta360 Go 3S, but it has a screen and is easier to mount.

The video quality is okay. The Hero’s 4K video isn’t as smooth or as detailed as what you can get from other current GoPro models or top 4K action cameras from other brands, such as the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. It still has the vibrant color and contrast that GoPro cameras are known for, however, so its videos and photos will look fine on social media.

It has no built-in stabilization. Unlike most action cameras, the Hero doesn’t offer in-camera stabilization. Instead, you need to download your footage to the Quik app and then export it from there.

Most people would do that anyway in order to post videos and photos online, so it isn’t a dealbreaker. The stabilization is adequate, but the resulting footage is not as smooth as what you can get from other action cameras.

The battery isn’t removable. The Hero’s claimed 60 minutes of recording time is on a par with that of other GoPro models, the Hero13 Black aside. In our testing it managed to last for more than 80 minutes at 4K 30 fps. Its Battery Saver mode should result in even longer recording times, though the resolution in that mode is limited to 1080p 30 fps.

However, the battery is integrated, so you can’t swap in a fresh one if it runs out mid-adventure. GoPro claims that charging the battery from 0% to 80% takes about 30 minutes; a full charge takes between 60 and 90 minutes.

The shooting modes and adjustable settings are limited. Unlike other GoPro models and most other high-end action cameras, the Hero doesn’t offer time-lapse, looping videos, Star Trails mode, or other special shooting modes. It doesn’t really have any settings to adjust, either, and it doesn’t even give you an obvious way to change the video resolution (you have to switch to Battery Saver mode).

It’s compatible with the Quik app and cloud editing. Aside from its low price and compact design, the Hero’s biggest upside is that it is part of GoPro’s ecosystem. It uses the same Quik app as the Hero13 Black does, and if you pay for the Premium subscription (as mentioned above), you can get automatically edited videos shortly after connecting the camera to Wi-Fi.

It’s compatible with older GoPro mounts. Any traditional GoPro mount will work with the Hero. It has the same foldable “fingers” on the bottom as the Hero13 Black does and can use many of the same accessories.

If you want to create videos that offer unusual views and angles—or simply want to capture everything, everywhere, all at once—the Insta360 X4 is the way to go. Thanks to its dual lenses and sensors, this unusual device can record spherical 360-degree footage and photos but also doubles as a traditional action camera.

Overall, the GoPro Hero13 Black and the GoPro Hero are easier to use, and GoPro’s image quality is a little better, but the Insta360 X4 offers far more creative options for people looking to elevate their videos beyond what GoPro cameras can create.

It’s better and easier to use than other 360 cameras. Two things make the X4 a notable improvement over older 360 cameras. The first is its larger image sensors, which improve the photo and video quality. Second, and more important, is its ease of use thanks to a huge screen and several physical buttons.

Previous 360 cameras (aside from the Insta360 X3, which this model replaces) were fun and useful but presented a bit of a learning curve. The X4’s huge screen, bigger even than that of the Hero13 Black, addresses that shortcoming by letting you better see exactly what the camera sees.

A physical button near the bottom of the back of the camera switches between 360 mode, with both sensors active, to just the front camera or just the back camera. In the latter two modes, the X4 works exactly like any other camera, and you don’t need to edit the resulting footage before you post it anywhere.

You can make selfie sticks disappear. Like most 360 cameras, the X4 can “delete” a selfie stick from its recorded footage, making it look as if you’re being closely followed by a drone or tracked by a camera operator who doesn’t respect your personal space.

The video quality is extremely high. The X4 offers an impressive 8K resolution at 30 fps. This greatly improves the detail and sharpness of videos that you edit down to social media size. In testing, we found that the 5.7K HDR video (also 30 fps) looked even better in most situations, thanks to its greater dynamic range. The 5.7K at 60 fps mode allows for some slow motion when you’re editing; if you’re looking for even slower slo-mo, the camera is also capable of 4K at 100 fps.

Keep in mind that although such resolutions seem extreme in comparison with what’s available on other cameras (or your phone or TV’s screen), they’re capturing everything around the camera—what you use for your final clips is usually a small portion of the overall resolution. This means that clips from GoPro cameras, which concentrate their resolution entirely in the 16:9 frame, produce a little better final detail and picture quality. However, those cameras can capture in only one direction at a time.

It can function as a single-camera action cam. With the press of a button, you can convert the X4 into a standard action camera with a field of view similar to that of a GoPro. In this mode the video maxes out at 4K and 60 fps. You can share the resulting videos to social media without going through the extra editing step required when you’re converting 360 videos.

Compared with footage from the Hero13 Black, which tops out at 5.7K and 60 fps, the X4’s “normal” clips look a little less detailed, and you can’t crop in as much while editing, but overall they still look sharp and colorful on social media.

It takes great still photos. Though most people use action cameras to take videos, they can also take still images. The X4 can capture up to 360-degree photos at up to 72 megapixels (11904×5952) or 16:9 images at 36 megapixels. You can also convert a 360-degree image into a short video to share on social media with a single tap in the Insta360 app.

The image quality is similar to what you can get from the best smartphone cameras available today, with the added benefit of no visible selfie stick and everything around you being captured at once.

Insta360’s app makes editing easy. You can quickly choose angles, camera panning and zooming directions, speeds, and more. Generally speaking, you can find more creative possibilities here than in the GoPro Quik app, but either one will give you TikTok or YouTube videos in a snap.

Still, while Insta360’s app offers some automatic editing features, it lacks an equivalent to GoPro’s cloud-based, fully automatic video editing. Although that hands-off editing doesn’t require your phone or any interaction on your part, it does require a GoPro subscription. In contrast, Insta360’s editing uses your phone and requires more input, but it’s free.

Included lens guards help protect the lenses. One of the main issues with all 360 cameras is that the lenses stick out from the camera body. This design is necessary to create an overlap between the two sensors so that their results can be stitched together seamlessly into one videosphere.

The X4 comes with removable and replaceable lens protectors. It also sells more optically clear glass options for a bit more money. Although you still need to be more careful with a 360 camera in comparison with a GoPro model, the lens protectors should help prevent damage from minor accidents.

The Me mode keeps you in focus. Best used with a selfie stick, this mode is ideal for capturing vlogging footage. You could accomplish the same thing via editing in the app, but recording this way again speeds up the process and makes the X4 easier to use.

In addition to testing new models, we have continued testing our previous picks, which share their overall design with the GoPro Hero13 Black and can indicate as to how the latest camera will hold up over time.

I’ve used previous models with similar designs on a 75-day around-the-world trip through 10 countries, as well as a 9,000-mile road trip through nine national parks and more. Through numerous hikes and endless tosses into a backpack or pocket, the GoPro cameras have weathered it all.

The Insta360 cameras have also fared well, but they require more careful consideration. Because they have lenses that stick out on both sides, you can’t expect them to be near-indestructible, as GoPros are. They’re otherwise fairly rugged, but getting some extra lens guards is worthwhile. Insta360 offers two versions, an inexpensive plastic one that comes with the X4 and more optically clear but pricier glass. Having either one of these installed likely would have prevented me from scraping the lens across a rock face at Arches National Park, basically ruining the camera.

If you want a tiny camera that can fit anywhere and can do things larger action cameras can’t: Give the Insta360 Go 3S a look. Roughly the size of your thumb, this model is about as small a camera as you can get. It records good-looking 4K 30 fps video that isn’t quite as detailed as what you can get from our GoPro picks. However, it can fit in places GoPro cameras can’t.

For instance, it’s magnetic, so you can attach it to any ferrous-metal object, such as patio furniture or a go-kart roll bar. It also comes with a pendant that you can wear under your shirt, so the Go 3S can stick to it over the fabric. This lets you easily record hands-free, point-of-view videos.

Two additional mounts are included. One is a pivot mount with a sticky (but removable and reusable) bottom that lets you mount the camera to just about any flat surface. The other has a clip, ostensibly to attach to a hat brim or other thin object. Additional mounts, including those for pets, surfboards, scuba diving, and GoPro-style accessories, are also available.

The included charging dock, called the Action Pod, is roughly the size of a GoPro and transforms the Go 3S into a traditional action camera. Its touchscreen can pivot, and it can display video from the camera even when it’s detached. While the Action Pod is rated only IPX4 (so, splashes are okay), the camera itself is rated IPX8, which means it’s waterproof to 33 feet.

If you want better low-light performance, or if you just don’t like GoPro: The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is an alternative to the GoPro Hero13 Black that outperforms it in low-light shooting, has a front touchscreen, and offers even better battery life. However, the Hero13 Black’s daylight image quality is a little better, its best footage is higher-resolution, and it offers more possibilities to crop and zoom.

The main issue with the Action 5 Pro is its app, at least if you’re on Android. Due to a years-long standoff between DJI and Google, the app is unavailable on the Google Play store. Android users who want to install the app have to disable security features in their phone’s settings and download the app directly from DJI. This isn’t something we recommend for most people.

Worse, the camera renders itself completely inoperable if you don’t register it via the app within five uses, so if you buy the camera and the app doesn’t work with your phone, you can’t use the camera.

But if you have an iOS device and you’re looking for a GoPro alternative that can shoot better footage in low light, the Action 5 Pro is a well-made camera at a good price.

If you want higher resolution, a larger selfie screen, and better low-light performance, or you just don’t like GoPro: The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 has a lot of features that make it a compelling option over the GoPro Hero13 Black. The most notable is a rear display that flips up 180 degrees, letting you frame selfie videos with a much larger screen than the small one on the front of the Hero13 Black. The Ace Pro 2 is also capable of 8K resolution, more than double the pixels of Hero13 Black’s 5.3K, and it has most of the same shooting modes that the GoPro camera offers.

The Ace Pro 2’s low-light performance is better than what you can get from the GoPro model, though not quite as natural-looking as what the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro produces. Its app is easy to use and provides an impressive depth of features.

However, the Hero13 Black’s higher-than-4K resolution is at 60 frames per second, while the Ace Pro 2’s 8K mode is at a less-smooth 30 fps. Overall the Hero13 Black is a little easier to work with, and the GoPro Subscription’s auto-editing feature is a bit simpler to use. Consider the Ace Pro 2 a close runner-up, though, especially if you want footage you can zoom into more, or if you regularly shoot at night.

This is not a comprehensive list of the action cameras we’ve tested. We have removed models that are discontinued or that no longer meet our criteria.

The Insta360 Ace costs less than the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 and GoPro Hero13 Black but more than the Hero. It has a flip-screen design similar to that of the Ace Pro 2 but a smaller image sensor. Although it can record 6K video, it’s limited to 30 frames per second at that resolution; it can also record 4K at 120 fps. Both the Ace Pro 2 and the Hero13 Black offer higher resolutions and better image quality.

In a previous version of this guide, we called out the Insta360 Ace Pro as an action camera worth considering. But the Ace Pro 2’s higher frame rates, wider field of view, and superior processor make it a much better option for people who prefer not to buy a GoPro camera.

The Insta360 X3 is the predecessor of the Insta360 X4 and a former pick. The X4 is better in every way, with higher resolution and frame rates, a larger battery, and more. So although the X3 is cheaper, the X4 is worth getting instead.

The DJI Osmo Action 4 is a good camera, but most of its best features are now also found in the GoPro Hero13 Black.

In performance and features, the DJI Osmo Action 3 has been surpassed by both the Action 4 and the Action 5. Although it’s relatively affordable, we’ve concluded that budget action camera shoppers would be better off with the GoPro Hero.

The DJI Action 2 is a tiny, modular, rugged action camera meant to fit where most action cameras can’t. However, the Insta360 Go 3S is even smaller, and the GoPro Hero is only slightly larger (though neither can match the Action 2’s smooth 4K 120 fps). Like other DJI models, this camera is difficult to use with Android.

The GoPro Hero12 Black is our former top pick and is very similar to its successor, the Hero13 Black. It features the same sensor and corresponding resolutions and frame rates. It lacks the newer model’s interchangeable lenses, magnetic mount option, and GPS. It also has a slightly smaller battery. Since it’s slightly cheaper, it could be a great option if you’re on a tighter budget, especially when paired with the GoPro Subscription.

The Insta360 One RS is a modular camera that gives you the choice between a 4K module capable of GoPro-like videos up to 60 fps and a 360 module capable of 5.7K 30 fps 360-degree videospheres as on the Insta360 X4. You can change between those modules according to the type of video that best suits the situation. The One RS was a previous pick, as it’s extremely versatile and capable of recording great video.

We’ve encountered two issues, however. First, it’s a bit fiddly. If you want to switch between the 4K camera module and the 360 module, the swap takes a few minutes and is hard to do in motion. Because you can’t make that change rapidly, you could get caught out with the wrong module attached. Second, its image quality isn’t as good as what you can get from a separate camera. The GoPro models offer better-looking traditional action camera videos, and the Insta360 X4’s vertical design works better for 360 images.

The Insta360 One RS 1-Inch 360 module is different enough for us to consider it a separate camera. It has two back-to-back 1-inch sensors that combine for 360 photo- and videospheres. The One RS core of this offering is the same as the core that comes with other module packages and is compatible with other RS modules as described above; it just mounts differently in this setup. Whereas the standard One RS is a horizontal, GoPro-like action camera, the One RS 1-Inch 360 is vertical. The 1-inch sensors and their correspondingly huge lenses take in a lot of light and can produce some excellent 360 photos and videos.

Those results look better than what you can get from just about any other 360 camera, despite only a slight difference in resolution. However, for most people the smaller, sleeker, and significantly cheaper Insta360 X4 is the better 360 camera option.

The Kandao QooCam 3 is a 360 camera that looks like a GoPro Max scaled up about 15% and includes two large-for-its-class 1/1.55-inch sensors. Its maximum video resolution is lower than that of the Insta360 X4, however, and we found its image quality to be decent but not different enough from the X4’s quality to offset that camera’s larger screen, ease of use, and more advanced app.

In comparison with the older QooCam 3, the Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra is a larger, and more capable, 360 camera. It has large image sensors capable of 96-megapixel still images and up to 8K video. It bests the Insta360 X4 in image quality—and in some aspects, it offers better results than what you can get from any consumer-level 360 camera. However, it isn’t as easy to use as the X4, and it’s bulkier and far heavier.

We opted not to test the pint-size Sony RX0 II. It has some exciting features, including a huge, 1-inch sensor, but it isn’t really a direct competitor to traditional action cameras. Though the RX0 II offers 4K recording and stabilization, reviews suggest that it’s plagued by battery-drain and overheating issues. It’s far more expensive than typical action cameras, too.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.