With one of the best GoPro gimbals, you'll be able to shoot smooth and shake-free videos on your GoPro camera. While modern GoPro cameras have excelletn stabilization systems, the best gimbals allow you to take them to another level with effective optical compensation, consistently producing super-smooth footage.
One of the strengths of the best GoPro cameras is that they are built for filming dynamic movement, sports and on-the-go content. Their small form factor and intuitive controls make it easy for even inexperienced users to pick them up and start shooting. A gimbal is designed for someone who wants to take things to the next level — go further than the built-in stabilization system in smoothing out erratic movements, making video look professional. This is particularly important if you're using an older GoPro, many of which don't have built-in stabilization at all.
If you also want a gimbal that works with other cameras you have, or the phone in your pockets then you should check out our guides to the best smartphone gimbal and the best gimbal for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. See the bottom of this page for some helpful pointers on choosing a gimbal for your GoPro — and let's get to the list!
Lauren Scott
Lauren is a writer, reviewer, and photographer with ten years of experience in the camera industry. She's the former Managing Editor of Digital Camera World, and previously served as Editor of Digital Photographer magazine, Technique editor for PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, and Deputy Editor of our sister publication, Digital Camera Magazine.
Designed specifically for action cameras, and pretty cheap to boot, the Hohem iSteady Pro 4 is going to be the best starter gimbal for the majority of GoPro users.
With a number of cinematic movement modes, the Zhiyun Crane M2S Combo Kit is an ideal gimbal for filmmakers who want to introduce some drama and motion to their shots.
With a hardy water-resistant build, the Feiyutech G6 is an ideal gimbal for action cameras. It's controllable via an app and can be used with most models (though app compatibility varies).
Sleek and well-made, the Zhiyun Crane-M 3S is designed for mirrorless cameras, but can easily be adapted to take a GoPro. An especially good investment if you have multiple cameras.
Folding up nicely, the Zhiyun Crane M3 is a great GoPro gimbal to take away with you. It's an older model, but as a GoPro user, you don't need the increased capacity of its successor.
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Best budget gimbal
(Image credit: Hohem)
1. Hohem iSteady Pro 4
A splashproof, 3-axis gimbal with up to 12 hour battery life
Specifications
Compatible cameras: GoPro Hero 12/11/10/9/8/7/6/5, DJI OSMO Action, Insta360 ONE R (4K & 1-Inch), SONY RX0 and other action cameras with similar size and weight.
Stabilization: 3-axis
Weight: 365g
Battery life (approx): 14 hours
Reasons to buy
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Very affordable
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Widely compatible with GoPro generations
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Splashproof IPX4
Reasons to avoid
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The design reflects its cheap price
The biggest thing the Hohem iSteady Pro 4 has going for it is its budget price, no other gimbal on this list can touch it in this department. Although you still get a surprising amount of bang for your buck with a 3-axis stabilized gimbal that is widely compatible with several generations of GoPro's Hero range, as well other popular action cameras from DJI and Sony. A long battery life too means you won't be running to look for a charger in the middle of a day of shooting.
The Zhiyun Crane M2S enables you to perform a combination of tilts, pans, and even rolls with your GoPro action camera. It has an adjustable light with five levels of power, and four color filters to give you plenty of creative possibilities when it comes to content creation. Its quick-release plate enables you to detach a camera and remount a different one with a minimum of fuss and effort. Operated by a joystick, it features several different modes, depending on the subjects you're filming.
Compatible cameras: GoPro Hero 12/11/10/9/8/7/6/5, DJI OSMO Action, Insta360 ONE R (4K & 1-Inch), SONY RX0 and other action cameras with similar size and weight.
Stabilization: 3-axis
Weight: 551g
Battery life (approx): 18 hours
Reasons to buy
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Superb auto-tracking
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Smooth pans and tilts
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Plenty of physical control buttons
Reasons to avoid
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Requires separate adapter
While it's principally designed for phones, the Hohem iSteady M6 can be bought with a cheap adapter that makes it suited for use with most action cameras of conventional dimensions. Its topline feature is its clever 'AI Sensor' — essentially an extra camera that attaches magnetically on top and can track movement of subjects on screen, allowing the camera to flawlessly follow them. It also provides a handy fill-light at the same time. Stabilisation is smooth and feels effortless, while the comfortable grip makes the Steady M6 easy to hold for long periods.
A splashproof, 3-axis gimbal with up to 12 hour battery life
Specifications
Compatibility: GoPro Hero8 Black, Hero7 Black, Hero6 Black, Hero5 Black, Sony RX0 and other action cameras of similar dimensions (note that cameras other than those named above may not offer full app compatibility)
Stabilization: 3-axis
Weight: 336g
Dimensions: 271 x 119 x 38mm
Battery life (approx): 12 hours
Reasons to buy
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Useful status screen
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Extensive camera control
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Compatible with GoPro Hero8 Black
Reasons to avoid
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Loss of app functionality with some cameras
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Some noticeable motor noise
The FeiyuTech G6 is the best gimbal for action cameras for several reasons; it has 12 hours of battery life, it's splashproof, you can control it via an app, it has an OLED screen so you can quickly check settings and it can be used with anything from the GoPro Hero 13 to the Sony RX0 or even the DJI Osmo. It's designed so that no matter how you angle the gimbal, it will never obscure the camera screen so you can always see exactly what you're shooting. If you're planning on shooting a video using the sound from the onboard mic, you'll need to be careful as the gimbal motor sits rather close to the mic and sometimes picks up on the sound of it moving.
Best for vloggers
(Image credit: Gareth Bevan / Digital Camera World)
Touch screen registers a lot of accidental touches
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No black option
The Zhiyun Crane-M 3S isn't specifically designed for action cameras, instead focused on small mirrorless cameras and phones, but it can be adapted for the latest GoPro models and makes a fantastic gimbal for vloggers or content creators. The gimbal is light, yet powerful, and is a great and versatile investment if you also intend to shoot using a small-medium-sized mirrorless camera.
The controls are also intuitive, with plenty of buttons and dials for quick controls and a really useful mini touch screen for settings, it is a great gimbal to start with if you are not an experienced user. The footage is smooth and a huge step up from handheld shooting. The Crane-M 3S is very well built and looks very modern and stylish, although I do wish it was available in a darker option too.
The Zhiyun Crane M3 has now been succeeded by a slightly newer model that can handle more weight, but for action cameras, that is not really an issue, so you might be able to save a little with this older model. The standout feature of the Zhiyun Crane M3 is its compact design. When you first take it out of the matching carry case it comes in, the size of the gimbal is quite exciting. You'll be able to hold it for much longer without getting an aching wrist – a massive plus if you've ever had to use a gimbal for an extended period.
It's also able to take a mirrorless camera or camera phone, or an action camera, which makes it the perfect all-rounder if you only want to buy one gimbal for all your cameras. The display is a bright, 1.2-inch color touchscreen which makes it easy to navigate around the menu systems. Just make sure you get the Zhiyun Crane M3 Combo, which comes with a GoPro accessory mount.
Gimbals are mechanical stabilizers that use several axes of rotation to keep a camera steady and compensate for unwanted movements. Gimbals have become much more sophisticated in the last few years, with options from Zhiyun, FeiyuTech, and Moza enabling amateurs to achieve smooth, clean camera movements.
One of the first things to check when you're choosing a gimbal for a GoPro is compatibility. Not all gimbals will work with all GoPro models, and information from manufacturers can be frustratingly spotty. If you can't find an up-to-date compatibility list for a gimbal you're looking at, it's worth double-checking on YouTube and Reddit to see what experiences other users have had. We have specified compatibility information on this list where able, but of course, we haven't been able to personally test every single gimbal with every single model of GoPro.
Opinions differ in the GoPro community as to whether the later models even require a gimbal at all. Some users are steadfast in their belief that the HyperSmooth stabilisation system has become so good that it simply isn't necessary. For our money, we think that the HyperSmooth system is fine for day-to-day use, but anyone who's serious about producing professional-standard video with their GoPro needs to at least have a gimbal in their kit bag, even if they aren't always using it. In some situations, there's simply no substitute.
How we test gimbals
At Digital Camera World, we've assembled a team of expert reviewers who handle all of our product testing. When testing accessories like gimbals, we focus more on field testing than lab testing. We take them out into real shooting scenarios to see how they perform — in the case of gimbals, what kind of stabilized footage are we able to achieve? We also look at how easy they are to set up, pair and calibrate with their intended devices, and whether any app integration works as intended. Learn more about how we test and review at Digital Camera World.
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Lauren is a writer, reviewer, and photographer with ten years of experience in the camera industry. She's the former Managing Editor of Digital Camera World, and previously served as Editor of Digital Photographer magazine, Technique editor for PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, and Deputy Editor of our sister publication, Digital Camera Magazine. An experienced journalist and freelance photographer, Lauren also has bylines at Tech Radar, Space.com, Canon Europe, PCGamesN, T3, Stuff, and British Airways' in-flight magazine (among others). When she's not testing gear for DCW, she's probably in the kitchen testing yet another new curry recipe or walking in the Cotswolds with her Flat-coated Retriever.
