GoPros are amazing, durable cameras for sports and action. It's fair to say that the best GoPro is the latest edition – the GoPro Hero 13 Black – after a shockingly poor previous generation (the Hero 12, which actually removed one of our favourite features, onboard GPS, without cutting the price).
Choosing a GoPro is more difficult for a couple of reasons though. Firstly – and this is addressed in our best action camera guide – there are alternatives. GoPro is capable of making serious missteps, and it's important not to confuse the brand and the camera type (as many people confuse Xerox and photocopier).
Secondly, GoPro offers a range of cameras – different sizes and, arguably, better value for slightly older models, as this guide reveals.
Finally I'll also add that GoPro has also totally failed to keep pace with the best 360-degree cameras, so check that guide – but know that 2025 is the year GoPro has said it will re-conquor that market. That should be interesting.
But GoPro, as a company, still created the action camera market, and has some of the greatest the best waterproof and underwater cameras you can buy – the most powerful, the most compact OR the best value. Not to mention an ecosystem of the best GoPro accessories, so there are a lot of reasons just to look for the right GoPro for you, and that's what this guide is all about!
Adam has been obsessed with looking at cameras and gadgets for his whole life, and has written several bestselling books including The Drone Pilot's Handbook (he is our resident drone expert too). He owns and travels with action cameras, and tests as many as he can get his hands on.
Top Picks
GoPro finally brings a magnetic mount system for added versatility, plus a brilliant new swappable lens and filter system and a more reliable power system. Oh, and GPS is back. Horray!
A bit older, but with the same imaging sensor and GPS functionality as the latest Hero 13 Black, this represents great value unless you need timecodes or long record times.
A compact body with cut-down features and cut-down price light enough to wear on a cycle helmet without it slipping.
The 360-degree choice that keeps it in the GoPro family isn't a bad camera even though it's not as well known as some. The square body means the display is a friendly shape.
A compact body with no screens to crack saves a little weight (and worry) for dangerous sports fans; think dirt bike helmets or FPV drones.
Even though we're back a few generations, this camera still boasts 5K and a front-facing LCD, making it a great choice for vlogging. The processor is pleasingly nippy too.
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The best GoPro camera
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Best overall
Last year's GoPro Hero 12 was almost insulting to the company's customers. Sure, timecodes and bluetooth microphone compatibility with Apple's AirPods arrived, but the world's most famous action cam took away its ability to measure the speed of the action – the GPS – and did nothing to improve the camera's performance in low light. That made us (and a lot of other people) recommend the previous generation as the better GoPro, or DJI's Action 4 as the better camera.
If it's performance in lower light you're looking for, GoPro still isn't playing ball – check out the (cheaper and better) DJI Action 5 Pro. But if it's great video in daylight and all the good stuff GoPro is known for – including GPS – then there have been really big changes – for the better – to this device.
GoPro has added a super high frame rate burst (up to 15 seconds, presumably, before the processor/buffer can't cope any more) which can give you up to 400fps, though it's only 720P so it doesn't look amazing; great in a social media post though.
More importantly for most situations, the re-designed GoPro doesn't just look cooler – it is literally cooler, not overheating so soon so it can record longer at 4K. Previous GoPros often overheated and switched off much sooner, so 'continuous' record times are significant (but thus does come at the cost of a new Enduro battery – the 10% larger 1900mAh which isn't compatible with the old one.
On the base the fold-out mount grips are still there which makes the GoPro easy to mount in traditional systems, but they are now magnetic. GoPro – admittedly late to the magnetic mount party – has cleverly created one that's easier to line up because it works both ways around.
The party piece, though, is that GoPro's clip-in filter/lens mod system has been upgraded to sense the attachment (again, not backwards compatible), so the software seamlessly adapts to a wide-angle lens, a ND filter, or even an anamorphic adapter. Now that's cinematic!
Best value GoPro
The GoPro Hero 11 was still our recommendation for best GoPro for most people when the 12 was, theoretically, top of the line. Now the 13 has come along it is, finally, better – technically – but only if the things that matter to you are battery life, the magnetic mount, some more obscure frame rates, timecodes, microphones, and the swappable lenses.
The actual image sensor is the same size, so it performs as "well" as the Hero 13 in low light. That isn't especially well, so you'll need to ask yourself whether you do your action in the daylight, or whether you should be looking at the other best action camera guide!
You still get top-notch image stabilization, great-looking video (until things do get dimly lit or dark), and some fun modes like light painting. The Hero 11 Black remains an excellent addition to the line, and the Hero 11 Black's 8:7 aspect ratio image sensor is also a standout highlight for content creators. Able to shoot in 5.3K resolution, 8:7 video at up to 30fps, its footage can be losslessly cropped to create new 4K portrait, landscape, and square clips from a single video.
On top of 8:7 video, the Hero 11 Black captures 5.3K resolution video at 60 fps, 4K resolution video at 120 fps, or 2.7K resolution at 240 fps. You can also grab 27MP stills from 5.3K video. Overall this is particularly appealing to folks who use multiple social platforms.
Read our full GoPro Hero 11 Black review for more details and GoPro Subscription explained: what you get, and is it worth it?
Small GoPro
OK, I'll be straight, this is a tough GoPro to like if you're used to the strengths of the main 'Hero Black' models – but that's not exactly what it's for, so you have to decide what you need.
In exchange for the (gorgeous, in my view) very small and light form factor, GoPro have thrown out all the usual functionality except simple 4K video (4K 30 at that), stills, and slow-mo. No timelapse, no hyperlapse, no night modes or any such usefulness. Even more significantly, no in-body image stabilization. If you want the video made smooth, you need to do it in post (in the Quik app).
That is a terrible experience if you're in a rush with a lot of footage and are used to the premium that comes with the Hero Black and, I promise, you'll hate it.
In exchange, though, you get a camera so small and light you can put it on your cycle helmet and the helmet doesn't want to slide sideways from your head or require you do it up unnaturally tight. That's a big deal for me.
Also, unlike some tiny cameras, there is still a color screen.
It really hammered it home to me how light the feature set was when GoPro announced they'd added 4:3 video mode to this camera as a firmware update, thereby offering more immersion, but – if you are in the market for a small GoPro and don't want to pay the full price – then this will often do the job (just don't expect good EIS).
Read our full GoPro Hero 2024 review for more details
Best for 360
Unfortunately for GoPro, the Hero Max has been slightly eclipsed by the options from Insta360, despite the fact it's actually a really good bit of kit. The GoPro Fusion was the original GoPro 360 camera but the Max benefits from some significant improvements such as 5.6K video in all directions making it a professional movie-making tool. It has four digital focal lengths, horizon levelling, HyperSmooth stabilization, and ProTune video editing software.
If you've never tried 360-degree video, it isn't just for VR; you can drag on screen, or track subjects, to re-point your camera after the fact, meaning nothing is ever missed again.
I can't tell you that this is the best camera to do this with though because, right now, the Insta360 X4 offers 8K and better software so tops our best 360-degree camera guide, but – spoiler – GoPro are still working on another camera and it might well be a 360-degree one. They have, after all, already invested a fair bit in the software. In fact they've also got plans to re-release this GoPro Max (1) camera later in February 2025 (I'm wondering if it'll get cheaper).
It doesn't have the same raw resolution as the Hero 8 – let alone more recent models – but since it has so many other things going for it, we can let it slide. The GoPro Hero Max could even change how people Vlog and create YouTube videos – we just need more people to know about it first. And at least we know from GoPro's 2025 statements and software updates that the company cares a lot about 360-degree tools – users of this device and any future Max 2 will both be able to take advantage of the added post-production features.
Read our full GoPro MAX review for more details
Best Value Small GoPro
Like the GoPro Hero11 Black, but smaller. So, just as the Hero11 is still on this list because it is arguably better value than the 13, this camera is almost certainly better value than the new Hero 2024 – it certainly has more features and better resolution. It only got cheaper because it's older, and that's hardly fair!
This camera has the same optical components and processing as its bigger, heavier cousin but in a casing which should be easier to pick up for extreme action sports fans and FPV drones. If you're a long-time GoPro fan, this is the successor of the Hero Session, but with better attachments.
The sacrifice you make is that there are no on-device displays. Settings are instead operated using the phone-based Quick app, so if you're doing something "fire and forget" like mountain biking, why not? You still get excellent image stabilization of the action (I mean, is it really 'action' if you have time to watch the screen of your camera?)
There is still a start/stop shutter button – it is only other settings you'll need the app for granular control over. We think you're unlikely – certainly unwise – to be partaking of the action sport you're attempting to document and tweaking settings on any camera! The tiny housing also has brackets for the usual GoPro / sports camera accessories, so for many this might be the better choice.
Read our full GoPro Hero 11 Black mini review for more details
Cheaper Vlogging
We like it as a vlogging camera because even though it's not the latest model it still has a front-facing screen to line up shots with. It features the G2 processor which makes the interface super responsive compared to its predecessor, doubles the frame rates, and fuels the best image stabilization tech available in action cameras.
The stand-out feature is its ability to record 5.3K 60p using GoPro's new HyperSmooth 4.0 video stabilization. It also has the ability to shoot 23-megapixel photos. There is, of course, a wealth of accessories separately so as well as mounting it on your helmet, you could attach it to your chest, your head, or even onto one of the best selfie sticks.
The GoPro Hero 10 might still be a little more than you need if you just want a helmet cam for safety purposes, but if you're looking for a camera that's going to record super-smooth high-quality video it's a good choice at the right discount.
Read more: GoPro Hero 10 Black review for more details
FAQs
Are there any alternatives to GoPro?
Yes! GoPro, like Walkman before it, has become the de facto name for a product category, but others offer good alternatives. GoPro is especially vulnerable in the area of 360 cameras (see our 360-degree cameras guide), while DJI has interesting premium action cameras. Check our whole best action camera guide to see comparisons. I'd say that the DJI Osmo Action 4 Pro is now the best action camera because it has a bigger sensor which is better in low light (if you're surfing in the sun, however, that advantage might be moot).
What is the point of having GPS in a GoPro?
By including a GPS sensor in a GoPro (or any) camera, it can record its exact location all the time while it records video. This can be used to work out how quickly the camera is moving and even to create cool animated effects you can add to your videos like speedometers, which are an easy for viewers to understand your speed.
How do you test GoPros and other action cameras
Since testing an action camera is a lot more about the action than measuring lens specifics, we like to take them out and try some activities. Using them while cycling, on location for capturing video (in varying lighting), and even on drones. We think it is important to use the device in real world scenarios to experience how easy the GoPro is to use and see how features like image stabilization cope with different tasks. Our expert reviewers include Jamie Carter and Adam Juniper who both have many years of experience with these devices (Adam once owned a GoPro Hero 2, and has experimented with a lot of GoPro alternative action cameras too).
