The best action cameras can record high-resolution photos and videos just about anywhere. Waterproof, rugged and easily portable, they’re the best way to capture memories without putting your phone at risk. For many years, GoPro has dominated the market, but both DJI and Insta360 offer some impressive cameras of their own. All our picks record at least 4K video, have impressive image stabilization and are small enough to fit in a pocket. We’ve tested all the top options in a variety of situations to help you find the best camera for whatever adventure you have in store.
The best action camera for 2025
The best action camera overall is the GoPro Hero 13 Black. It can record 5.7K-resolution video, high-speed or high-resolution slow-mo videos and has an app that makes editing it all together quite easy. With a GoPro subscription (not required but useful), you can have your videos edited automatically in the cloud, ready for you to post a short time later. While not as good in low-light as some cameras or as capable of the creative options of a 360 camera, for most people, the Hero 13 Black will be all the action camera they’ll need.
Pros
- Excellent video and photo quality
- Interchangeable lens options
- Big, useful, front-facing screen
Cons
- Low-light performance is quite poor
The GoPro Hero 13 Black is the best action camera for most people because of its excellent image quality, breadth of features, smooth stabilization and ease of use.
Why I like it
With 5.7K resolution up to 60 frames per second, the Hero 13 can record extremely detailed videos. Pair that with impressive image stabilization, and the result is great-looking videos in just about every situation. The Hero 13 also has the ability to swap in different lenses for wider fields of view, better background blurs, anamorphic lens flares and more.
Who should get it
If you’re looking to capture your next adventure, the Hero 13 will do a great job no matter what it is. It’s easy to use and very rugged.
Who should skip it
Low-light performance has never been a strength for action cams, and it is pretty mediocre with the Hero 13 Black. If you want to record anything at night, it’s not going to look great. In my testing, the best option for shooting in low-light conditions is the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.
Pros
- Excellent image quality
- Front-facing screen
- Cheaper than the Hero13 for nearly-identical performance
Cons
- Not that much cheaper than the Hero 13
- Low-light performance is poor
The GoPro Hero 12 Black, released in 2023, is nearly identical to our top pick, the Hero 13 Black. It has the same image sensor and video resolutions, but a smaller battery, and it doesn’t have as many aftermarket lens options.
Why I like it:
The Hero 12 Black performs just about the same as the Hero 13 for a little less money, which is a great value.
Who it’s for
Anyone who likes the idea of Hero 13 Black but doesn’t want to spend as much. Compared to the competing last-gen cameras from Insta360 and DJI, the GoPro Hero 12 Black offers more for your money.
Who should skip it
However, the price difference, as of this writing, isn’t a lot unless it’s on sale. The larger battery and lens options on the Hero 13 are likely worth the about 10% difference in cost for most people. Also, if you’re main concern is capturing good high-res video from a waterproof camera, you won’t go wrong with older options like the DJI Osmo Action 4 or the first-gen Insta360 Ace Pro, which can also be found for less.
Pros
- Large image sensors do a decent job in low light
- Large rear screen and a great app make it easy to use
- Waterproof and fairly rugged design
Cons
- Rather pricey
- Requires more editing than non-360 action cameras
The Insta360 X5 is a 360 camera, with lenses on each side, that captures everything in a sphere around the camera. You can edit this video or photo to just show the most interesting parts. By always recording everything you’ll never miss a moment nor will you be distracted by having to aim a camera to make sure it’s pointing at something interesting.
Why I like it
The X5 is the best 360 camera because it has big image sensors, a compact size and is easy to use. User-replaceable lenses minimize one of the biggest drawbacks of a 360 camera: camera lenses that stick out from the body.
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants something a little different than a traditional action cam, or wants to create photos and videos with more creative options than a typical action camera.
Who should skip it
While new features like InstaFrame make using the camera even easier, basically all 360 videos and photos require some editing before posting to social media. This isn’t particularly difficult, but it does take more time than regular action cameras.
Pros
- Absolutely tiny
- Fits in places other action cameras can’t
- When docked and charging it can double as a traditional action camera
Cons
- Image quality is good, but larger cameras are better
- How often do you lose small things?
The Insta360 Go 3S is an incredibly tiny action cam you can easily wear to capture POV videos and more. It records 4K video and has a magnetic back, letting it mount on any ferrous metal. It also comes with some excellent accessories for wearing it or turning it into a more traditional-looking action cam.
Why I like it
The camera is about the size of a thumb yet records 4K video. The variety of unobtrusive mounts is great. When docked with its charging case, which has a big, flip-up screen for selfies, it works like any other action camera.
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants a really tiny camera or wants to take POV videos without the «bulk» of a larger action camera.
Who should skip it
Anyone who loses small things easily. The image quality in the larger cameras is better, too.
Pros
- Good low-light performance for an action camera
- Waterproof to 65 feet without a case
Cons
- Maxes out at 4K120
- App isn’t friendly with Android
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro does a few things better than the GoPro Hero 13 Black, including better low-light performance. While its 4K120 video resolution is lower than the GoPro’s, the overall image quality is great.
Why I like it
The large image sensor (for an action camera, anyway) lets the Action 5 Pro capture more light, so at night or indoors it can usually look better than the Hero 13 Black. During the day the image quality between the two are quite similar.
Who it’s for
If your action cam activities tend to happen in lower light, like indoors or at night, you’ll have a better chance of getting usable footage with the Action 5 Pro.
Who should skip it
You’ll be able to crop your videos more with the Hero 13’s 5.7K video, if that’s something you regularly do. Also, DJI’s Play App, required to use the camera, isn’t available on Google’s Play Store. Instead, you have to manually download an .apk file from DJI directly. To install this, you’ll need to disable security protections on your phone. This is not ideal if you’re not particularly tech-savvy. Apple users won’t have this issue.
Pros
- Flip-up screen makes framing selfies easy
- 8K video resolution the highest among action cameras
Cons
- Front screen only shows info, not video
- Do you really need 8K?
The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is an action camera with two clever tricks. The first is that the rear screen flips up 180 degrees so you can easily frame yourself in the shot when the camera is facing you. This makes selfies far easier than trying to see the small front-facing screens of other action cameras. The other trick is extremely high-resolution video: 8K.
Why I like it
8K is 4 times the resolution of 4K. That’s a lot of pixels. The main advantage is being able to crop/zoom into the image even more than the 5.7K video of the GoPro Hero 13.
Who it’s for
If you regularly find the field of view of most action cameras to be too wide, this lets you crop in closer to the action.
Who should skip it
If you don’t flip the screen up, it’s a little harder to use as the front screen only shows info, not video. The image quality is good, but arguably not better than the DJI or Hero 13 on this list,and those are easier to use, too.
Top action camera specs compared
Price as listed at the time of publishing.
* The X5 is a 360-degree camera, so this resolution captures everything around the camera. Resolution per side (single-lens mode) is roughly half.
| Brand | Model | Price | Video resolution | Photo resolution | Waterproof (feet) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJI | Osmo Action 5 Pro | $350 | 4K120 | 7,296×5,472 | 65 |
| GoPro | Hero | $180 | 4K30 | 4,000×3,000 | 16 |
| GoPro | Hero12 Black | $300 | 5.7K60 | 5,568×4,872 | 33 |
| GoPro | Hero13 Black | $330 | 5.7K60 | 5,568×4,872 | 33 |
| Insta360 | Ace Pro 2 | $340 | 8K30 | 8,192×6,144 | 39 |
| Insta360 | Go 3S | $340 | 4K30 | 4,000×2,250 | 33 |
| Insta360 | X5 | $550 | 8K30* | 11,904×5,952* | 49 |
Action camera FAQs
What we updated: June 2025
Added multiple all-new picks, including the GoPro Hero 13 Black as the top overall pick.
