Best selfie sticks for your smartphone, GoPro or camera

This may surprise you, but there is a right way and a wrong way to buy a selfie stick. The wrong way is to buy a cheap piece of plastic off the street while on your holidays, ending up paying 20 bucks for a flimsy and badly designed piece of garbage that’ll drop your camera phone into the Danube River the first chance it gets. If you've gone to all the trouble of getting the best action camera, DON'T fix it to the end of a wobbly selfie stick.

So what’s the right way to choose? Simply put, it’s to do your research and pick up one of the many well-regarded and affordable models on the market. You don’t have to spend any more than you might at a market for something really great if you shop online, and whether you want to take selfies with your smartphone or vlog with your mirrorless camera, there will absolutely be a selfie stick out there for you.

Right now, we reckon the best selfie stick on the market is the Fugetek FT-568 Professional Selfie Stick. Despite the title, it’s not by any means overpriced, and it’s compatible not only with smartphones by also small cameras, and it is built with a solid aluminum construction that calls to mind a professional monopod.

Still, there are lots of other selfie sticks to choose from as well, and it’s worth taking a closer look to figure out which selfie stick is right for you. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

The best selfie stick overall

1. Fugetek FT-568 Professional Selfie Stick

Compatibility: Smartphones, small DSLRs (GoPro adapter sold separately) | Extended length: 124.4cm | Retracted length: 41.9cm | Bluetooth: Yes

Constructed from aluminum, and extendable to a hugely impressive 124cm, the Fugetek Professional Selfie Stick more closely resembles a photographer’s monopod than the kind of cheap plastic device you might pick up at a market while on holiday. It’s loaded with features too, coming with a Bluetooth remote and two swappable mounts, one a grip for a phone, the other a standard tripod mount for attaching a small DSLR or CSC (you can also separately purchase a GoPro mount if you want one). Whether you want to take travel snaps or shoot great vlogs, you can be confident this well-built, versatile stick will keep your devices safe and give you fantastic results, all for what we reckon is a very reasonable price.

2. Yoozon Upgraded Selfie Stick

Compatibility: Smartphones, action cameras | Extended length: 67.5cm | Retracted length: 20cm | Bluetooth: Yes

While the Yoozon Upgraded Selfie Stick is small enough when retracted to fit into a jacket pocket, the makers have packed an impressive amount of functionality into it, and its telescopic aluminum extendable sections are lightweight but strong. The Bluetooth remote, which attaches to the stick when not in use, can be used at distances of up to 10m, and once it’s been detached, the stick can convert into a mini tripod in a matter of seconds. This gives you real versatility for your travel snaps, and the fact that the stick also packs down so small makes the Yoozon Upgraded Selfie Stick a really fantastic option for holidays.

Best cheap selfie sticks

3. MPOW iSnap X

Compatibility: Smartphones | Extended length: 80cm | Retracted length: 18cm | Bluetooth: Yes

Stowing down to just 18cm, the MPOW iSnap X works with pretty much any iOS or Android phone you’d care to name, and comes with its own Bluetooth remote that has a built-in Li-Ion battery for quick charging and long-lasting operation. A useful wrist strap on the end of the handle makes the stick more secure when you’re on the move, and the 270-degree adjustable head means you’re sure to always find the best angle for your shots. For the price, MPOW is offering a lot of selfie stick here, and it’s a really solid pick for budget-conscious travellers.

4. JTWEB Bluetooth Selfie Stick Mini

Compatibility: Smartphones | Extended length: 50.8cm | Retracted length: 12.7cm | Bluetooth: Yes

Retracting down to just 5 inches (12.5cm), the JTWEB Bluetooth Selfie Stick Mini can easily be carried in a pocket or handbag. Thankfully that doesn’t mean that the makers have skimped on quality – the construction of this stick is all-metal, with treated surface that means it doesn’t have the plasticky feel of so many cheap sticks on the market. As you might expect, the short retracted form factor of this stick means it’s also not one of the longest-extending on this list, but its maximum length of 50cm is still decent enough for most purposes. Bluetooth control is a welcome addition as well, and it’ll pair easily and quickly with most iOS and Android smartphones.

Best selfie sticks for phones and cameras

5. MPOW Selfie Stick Tripod 3 in 1

Compatibility: Smartphones, action cameras, small cameras | Extended length: 74.9cm | Retracted length: 16.5cm | Bluetooth: Yes

Any photographer knows how useful a little fill light can be in a pinch, and this is just as true for travel selfies and vlogs as it is for studio portraits. Meet the MPOW Selfie Stick Tripod 3 in 1, which is well as being a useful selfie stick is also a handy portrait aid, sporting a handy built-in fill light to help keep your exposures clean and pretty. Control for the light is built into the handle (short press to adjust brightness, long press to switch modes), while the stick also comes with a Bluetooth remote, which is extra handy if you choose to convert it into a mini tripod. Very much a “do everything” tool, this stick even offers a screw mount that will take lighter cameras.

6. Selfie World 10-in-1

Compatibility: Smartphones, action cameras, small cameras | Extended length: 119.3cm | Retracted length: 39.8cm | Bluetooth: Yes

Selfie sticks are outdoorsy things by nature, and if you’re going to head off travelling with one, it make sense to get one that can stand up to the elements. Selfie World’s weatherproof, lengthy stick is just the thing, compatible as it is with smartphones, GoPros and regular cameras via its multiple mounts. The quick release clips allow you to get it from full retracted to full extension in seconds, with a secure hold that protects your photographic devices from being dropped. A Bluetooth remote is also thrown in for good measure, and there’s even a nylon carry-bag.

Best selfie sticks for smartphones only

7. Anker Bluetooth Selfie Stick

Compatibility: Smartphones | Extended length: 73.6cm | Retracted length: 17.7cm | Bluetooth: Yes

According to Anker, the long-lasting battery inside the Bluetooth Selfie Stick will give you up to 20 hours of Bluetooth shooting, meaning you can keep on snapping selfies and vlogging for longer without worrying about running out of power. One of the more straightforward options on our list, this stick doesn’t offer many extras like a Bluetooth remote or a screw mount for cameras, but it does what it does with efficiency and style, thanks to a sturdy aluminum alloy build and black finish. It measures just 7 inches when retracted but extends to an impressive 29, giving you the best of both worlds.

8. Blitzwolf Selfie Stick Tripod with Remote

Compatibility: Smartphones | Extended length: 67.9cm | Retracted length: 19.9cm | Bluetooth: Yes

Given that they’ve managed to jam a 65mAh lithium-ion battery in there, it should come as no surprise that the Blitzwolf Selfie Stick Tripod can power its Bluetooth functionality for a long time. The makers claim you could theoretically get 50,000 selfies out of it before needing to recharge, which should be enough to satisfy even the vainest amongst us. It also offers complete 360° rotation of the phone, ensuring you can always get the perfect angle. With an aluminum construction and the ability to convert into a mini-tripod with non-slip legs, Blitzwolf’s selfie stick does almost everything you could want from a selfie stick – the only thing it’s missing is a camera mount.

Best selfie sticks for GoPros

9. GoPro Black 3-Way Arm

Compatibility: GoPro | Extended length: 50.8cm | Retracted length: 19cm | Bluetooth: No

While you may not have been expecting GoPro themselves to get into the selfie stick game, in truth the 3-Way Arm is more than that. It also functions as a simple handheld grip and as a static tripod, and when it’s in selfie stick mode, the fact that its arm folds rather than collapses straight down means that it’s possible to arrange the stick at such an angle where you can capture your selfie without getting any of the shaft in the shot, even with the wide-angle lens characteristic to GoPro Hero cameras. If you don’t mind spending a little more, this waterproof arm is one of the best GoPro tools to augment your GoPro shooting.

10. MyArmor Rubberized Aluminum Hand Grip

Compatibility: GoPro | Extended length: 48.2cm | Retracted length: 17.7cm | Bluetooth: No

Alternatively, if you don’t want to spend a chunk of cash on a selfie stick for a GoPro, there’s this more affordable option from MyArmor. As you’d hope from a GoPro selfie stick, it’s fully waterproof, and it also comes with a useful wrist strap to prevent you from losing it to an unexpected wave. The rubber grip is both comfortable and secure,though it’s worth noting that this is one of the shorter sticks in this round-up, and lacks any kind of Bluetooth functionality for remote triggering. Still, it has its one job, and it does it well. A solid choice for budget-conscious GoPro owners.

Read more: 

The best camera phone in 2019 

The 10 best action cameras right now 

The best iPhone tripods

The best gimbals for your iPhone, GoPro and camera