Today’s market offers a wide range of fish finders for different prices, starting below the price mark of $100, and going up to more than $9,000. However, not all of them offer a great price/quality ratio. When looking for a fish finder, each one of us is on a certain budget and we would most definitely want to get the best possible within that budget. Therefore, here are some of the best fish finders by price range available in 2021.
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Price Range: Under $150
Humminbird PiranhaMax 4 DI  | Garmin Striker Cast  | Lowrance HOOK2-4x GPS Bullet  |
Humminbird PiranhaMax 4 DI
The PiranhaMax 4 DI is one of the oldest and most basic Humminbird fish finders available at the moment. 
However, even after 5 years since its release, it still stands at an almost clean 5-star user rating. It’s also one of the best fish finders for the money with down scanning sonar that you can get under the price mark of $150.
The PiranhaMax 4 DI does not have navigation features. It does not have a GPS plotter, nor it supports maps. It’s a sonar-only fish finder, offering standard DualBeam sonar and Down Imaging sonar. It supports two frequencies, these being 200 kHz and 455 kHz. It does not have CHIRP technology.
The transducer included with the unit is the Humminbird XNT 9 DI T. This is a plastic transducer featuring a transom mount with 20 ft. (6 m) of cable. It also has an internal temperature sensor. For the DualBeam sonar, the transducer casts two beams with a coverage of 28° @ 200 kHz and 16° @ 455 kHz. For the Down Imaging sonar, it can only use the 455 kHz channel with a thin, oval beam of 75°. The maximum depth range is 600 ft. (183 m) for the standard sonar, and 320 ft. (97.5 m) for DI.
The unit does not have any networking features. It has a color display with a pixel resolution of 480H x 272V. It’s keypad-operated, IPX7 waterproof, and comes with a tilt-swivel mount.
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Garmin Striker Cast
The Striker Cast smart sonar is one of the Garmin fish finders released in 2020. It’s a castable fish finder that 
does not come with a conventional control unit. It uses your smartphone as the control unit. For reference, this is the Garmin fish finder part number 010-02246-00.
The Garmin Striker Cast fish finder is contained in a durable ABS casing with a white top cover and a bottom black cover. It has an internal battery, rechargeable via USB cable. A tether and a portable bag are also included with it.
This portable fishing sonar connects to your phone via Bluetooth and has a connectivity range of 200 ft. (61 m). In order to establish the connection between the fish finder and your phone, you will need to install the Garmin Striker Cast app. This app is free and available for both iOS and Android.
This fish finder offers a standard dual-beam sonar, without CHIRP technology. It operates at 260 kHz and 455 kHz. Its built-in transducer casts two oval beams with a coverage of 22° x 63° @ 260 kHz, and 9° x 14° @ 455 kHz. The maximum depth range is approx. 150 ft. (46 m).
The Garmin Striker Cast app offers several sonar functions including a Circular Flasher for ice fishing, Fish Symbols, A-Scope, AutoGain, and more. It does not have a split-view function. Also, this model does not have built-in GPS and cannot use the Quickdraw Contours feature.
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Lowrance HOOK2-4x GPS Bullet
The Lowrance HOOK2-4x GPS is one of the most affordable fish finders with a built-in GPS plotter. It’s one 
of the Lowrance fish finders released in 2017, but it hasn’t been discontinued yet, and still benefits from an almost clean 5-star user rating. For reference, this is the Lowrance part number 000-14014-001.
The unit features a 4-inch diagonal display with a pixel matrix of 480H x 272V, WVGA color, with LED backlight. It is keypad-operated. It does not have networking features or a microSD card slot. it comes with a standard tilt mount.
In terms of sonar, the HOOK2-4x GPS offers Wide-Angle Broadband Sonar (no CHIRP) and uses the 200 kHz channel. As the title suggests, the unit comes with the Lowrance Bullet transducer which supports this frequency. It uses a conical beam with a coverage of 40° and a depth range of 500 ft. (152 m). It offers several useful sonar features such as Fish ID, Circular Flasher, Shallow Alarm, and more.
The unit’s GPS plotter is pretty basic. It does not have any base charts, so your boat, points of interest, and the other navigation data, appear on a blank background. The system automatically tracks and draws your boat’s movement, and offers the possibility to mark waypoints.
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Price Range: $150 – $300
Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv  | Lowrance Hook Reveal 5x SplitShot  | Deeper CHIRP Smart Sonar  |
Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv
The Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv is one of the fish finders released in 2020. As opposed to the older Striker Plus 5cv, 
this newer model features a slightly different design and comes with the Vivid color palette for the structure scanning sonar. For reference, this is the Garmin part number 010-02551-00.
The unit features a 5-inch color display with a pixel resolution of 800H x 480V and LED backlight. It is IPX7 waterproof, keypad-operated, and does not have any networking features. It also does not have wireless connectivity or a microSD card reader.
In terms of sonar, the unit offers standard CHIRP and ClearVü. It supports 50/77/200 kHz for standard and 260/455/800 kHz for ClearVü. It includes the classic GT20 transducer which casts conical beams for the standard CHIRP sonar, with a coverage of 5° @ 200 kHz, and 45° @ 77 kHz, and oval beams for CV, with a coverage of 2.5° x 53° @ 455 and 1.6° x 29° @ 800 kHz. The maximum depth range with the included transducer is 1,900 ft. (579 m) for the standard sonar and 750 ft. (228 m) for ClearVü.
The Striker Vivid 5cv is not a chartplotter but does have a basic GPS plotter. It offers the possibility to save up to 5,000 waypoints in its memory, 100 routes, and 50 tracks. Each track can have 50,000 points. Although it does not support charts, it does have the Quickdraw Contours feature for bathymetric mapping.
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Lowrance Hook Reveal 5x SplitShot
In terms of price and feature range, the Lowrance Hook Reveal 5x is pretty similar to the Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv.
It’s a fish finder with standard CHIRP sonar and DownScan sonar, featuring a basic plotter for navigation and a bathymetric mapping feature. For reference, this is the Lowrance fish finder part number 000-15503-001.
As the title suggests, this Hook Reveal unit comes with the SplitShot transducer which supports both DownScan and standard CHIRP. For the DownScan sonar, it can use two oval beams with a coverage of 35°/1.6° @ 800 kHz, and 55°/3° @ 455 kHz, and a maximum depth range of 300 ft. (91 m). For the standard CHIRP sonar, the transducer can only use the High CHIRP frequency with a 40° conical beam and a maximum depth range of 500 ft. (153 m).
The unit does not support charts but does have the Genesis Live feature which allows you to map your own lake and create charts with depth contours. However, without the Genesis Live feature in use, the unit’s GPS appears on a blank background on which you can save waypoints, routes, and record tracks.
The unit features a SolarMax display with a pixel resolution of 800H x 480V. It does not have touchscreen technology, just the side keypad. It also does not have any networking features but does have a microSD card slot so you can save the maps you create with the Genesis Live feature. It comes with a standard tilt mount, and a transom mount for the transducer.
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Deeper CHIRP Smart Sonar
The Deeper CHIRP Smart Sonar is the only castable fish finder with CHIRP technology at the moment. As 
opposed to the Garmin Striker Cast model, this one connects to your phone via WiFi, not Bluetooth; it basically creates its own WiFi hotspot to which you connect your phone. It has a simple, spherical construction with a durable ABS outer shell, a built-in rechargeable battery, sonar, and a transducer. It comes with two attachment bolts and a portable bag.
Evidently, the Deeper CHIRP fish finder does not come with a control unit. It connects to your smartphone via the Fish Deeper app. This app offers several useful standard sonar features including a Circular Flasher for ice fishing, a Fish ID feature, A-Scope, Bottom Hardness, Depth Scale, and more.
The built-in transducer is a triple-beam one. It can use three frequencies, these being 100 kHz, 240 kHz, and 675 kHz. The beams are oval with a coverage of 47°, 20°, and 7°. The maximum depth range is 330 ft. (100 m).
The Deeper CHIRP Smart Sonar does not have a built-in GPS receiver but it can work with the GPS in your phone so you can use the bathymetric feature provided by the Fish Deeper app. This offers the possibility to monitor the depth contours of your lake. You can also create waypoints for the best fishing spots or other points of interest. There is also a history feature so you can access unlimited data of the sonar imaging and recordings.
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Price Range: $300 – $700
Humminbird HELIX 5 CHIRP SI GPS G2  | Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv  | Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 TripleShot  |
Humminbird HELIX 5 CHIRP SI GPS G2
The Humminbird HELIX 5 CHIRP SI GPS G2 is one of the few 2nd generation HELIX units that are still available. 
It is the smallest Humminbird fish finder with Side Imaging sonar. It’s also a chartplotter offering a fairly decent range of navigation features. It’s a 5-inch unit, with a pixel resolution of 800H x 480V. It supports NMEA 0183, but not NMEA 2000. It does not have Ethernet or wireless connectivity.
The unit has three sonar technologies; these are DualBeam Plus (standard), Down Imaging, and Side Imaging. It uses CHIRP technology for all three. It supports multiple frequencies, including 50/83/200 kHz for standard, and 455 kHz for the structure scanning sonar.
The unit comes with the XNT 9 SI 180 T transducer which supports all the unit’s sonar technologies. For the standard sonar, it casts two conical beams of 60° @ 83 kHz, and 20° @ 200 kHz. For SI and DI, it only supports 455 kHz. The beams are oval, with a depth range of 350 ft. (106 m) for Down Imaging, and a side range of 240 ft. (73 m) for Side Imaging. The transducer also has a built-in temperature sensor.
The unit has a built-in GPS receiver that can provide fast and accurate locks, within 2.5 m. It offers the possibility to save tracks, record routes, and save waypoints. It is pre-loaded the Humminbird Basemap which covers more than 10,000 U.S lakes with 1-foot depth contours, and also provides coverage for the US coastal waters. It also has the AutoChart Live for bathymetric mapping.
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Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv
The Striker Vivid 7sv is one of the most affordable 7-inch fish finders with SideVü sonar from Garmin. It’s 
essentially the same as the older Striker Plus 7sv model but comes with the Vivid color palette for the structure scanning sonar. It’s a keypad-operated unit (without touchscreen technology). It has a pixel matrix of 800H x 480V and LED backlight.
The unit has three sonar technologies. These are standard CHIRP, ClearVü, and SideVü. It supports 50/77/200 kHz for the standard sonar and 260/455/800 kHz for Sv and Cv. It includes the GT52HW-TM transducer which supports all these sonar technologies.
For the standard CHIRP sonar, the transducer only supports the 200 kHz channel. It casts a conical beam with a coverage of 24°-16° and a depth range of 800 ft. (244 m). For SideVü and ClearVü, the beams are oval, with a coverage of 2°/50° @ 455 kHz, and 1°/30°@ 800 kHz. The maximum depth/side range of the structure scanning sonars is 500 ft. (152 m).
The unit is equipped with a basic GPS plotter. However, it is not a chartplotter. This means it does not support charts such as LakeMaster or BlueChart. The GPS data appears on a blank background, but you can save waypoints, record tracks, and create routes. It also has the Quickdraw Contours feature for bathymetric mapping.
The unit does not have NMEA or Ethernet connectivity but does have wireless connectivity. Therefore, you can install the ActiveCaptain app on your phone and sync your fish finder with it. This way, you can download software updates, already made Quickdraw Contours charts, and more.
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Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 TripleShot
The Hook Reveal 7 is one of the Lowrance units released in 2020. It comes in different bundles with several 
charts and transducers but one of the best fish finders for the money is the part number 000-15513-001, the standard one that comes with the TripleShot transducer and the basemap platform.
The unit supports multiple frequencies but the included TripleShot transducer only covers the 200 kHz channel for standard CHIRP. For this CHIRP frequency range, it casts a conical beam with a coverage of 44°, with a depth range of 500 ft. (152 m). For DownScan, it casts two oval beams with a coverage of 55/2.5° @ 455 kHz & 35/1.5° @ 800 kHz, and a depth range of 300 ft. (91 m). For SideScan, the beams offer a 600 ft. (183 m) side-to-side coverage @ 455 kHz, and 300 ft. (91 m) side-to-side coverage @ 800 kHz.
The unit is equipped with an internal GPS receiver. The unit’s GPS supports GLONASS, WAAS, MSAS, and EGNOS for position augmentation. It also has the GPS speed function so it can calculate the speed of your boat via the GPS input. It comes with the C-MAP US Inland Basemap which offers coverage for more than 4,000 US lakes. You can always update the unit’s charts to Navionics or C-MAP. Plus, the unit has Genesis Live mapping, so you can create your own bathymetric charts.
The Hook Reveal 7 head unit features a 7-inch display, with a pixel resolution of 800H x 480V, keypad-operated. It does not have any networking features (no NMEA, no Ethernet, no wireless). It does have a microSD card slot, though, for chart upgrades or data backup. It comes with the standard tilt mount.
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Price Range: $700 – $1,000
Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv 010-02519-01  | Raymarine Element 7 HV E70532-05-NAG  | Simrad GO7 XSE 000-14838-001  |
Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv 010-02519-01
The ECHOMAP UHD73sv 010-02519-01 is one of the Garmin fish finders released in 2020. As opposed to
the older version (010-02338-01), this one comes with the newer GT56UHD transducer and supports 1000 kHz. It also has the vivid color palette for ClearVü and SideVü.
In terms of sonar, the unit supports standard CHIRP, and of course, SideVü and ClearVü. It also supports Panoptix sonar, but in order to use this sonar technology, you will need a Panoptix transducer.
The included GT56UHD transducer casts oval beams for Cv and Sv. Their coverage is 1.1° x 52° @ 455 kHz, 0.64° x 35° @ 800 kHz, and 0.52° x 52° @ 1000 kHz. The maximum depth range is 400 ft. (122 m) for the ClearVü sonar, and the maximum side range for the SideVü sonar is 500 ft. (152 m). For standard CHIRP, it can only use the high-frequency channel (150-240 kHz). The beam is conical, with a coverage of 24°-16° and a maximum depth range of 800 ft. (244 m).
The unit is equipped with a 5 Hz internal GPS. It can hold up to 5,000 waypoints in its memory, and also up to 50 tracks, and 100 routes. It is pre-loaded with the LakeVü g3 charts which cover more than 17,000 lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. They’re enhanced with Navionics data and provide more information than the previous LakeVü g2. Plus, the Quickdraw Contours feature is available so you can create your own bathymetric maps.
The unit features a 7-inch color display with a pixel resolution of 800H x 400V, and LED backlight. It combines touchscreen technology with keypad technology. It supports both NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000. It also has wireless connectivity and you can pair it with your phone via the ActiveCaptain app. It comes with the standard quick-release mount, a flush mount, and a unit cover.
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Raymarine Element 7 HV E70532-05-NAG
The Element 7 HV is one of the fish finders released by Raymarine in 2019. This particular unit is available in
different bundles, with various transducers and maps. This is the E70532-05-NAG, the one that includes the HV-100 transducer and is pre-loaded with the Navionics+ charts. It’s currently one of the best fish finders for the money that has 3D sonar.
The unit offers four sonar technologies. These are standard CHIRP, DownVision, SideVision, and RealVision 3D. For the three structure scanning sonar types, it supports HyperVision which is basically the 1.2 MHz frequency for higher detail.
The HV-100 transducer uses a High-CHIRP conical beam for the unit’s 2D sonar. For SideVision, DownVision, and RealVision 3D, the beams are thin, with an oval shape. Their exact coverage is not specified. Its depth capabilities are 900 ft. (274 m) for 2D CHIRP, 600 ft. (183 m( for DownVision, 300 ft. (91 m) for SideVision, and 300 ft. (91 m) for RealVision 3D. For all the Hyper modes, the transducer’s maximum depth capability is 100 ft. (30 m).
The unit has a 1574 MHz internal GPS receiver with 28 channels. It can hold up to 5,000 waypoints in its memory, 15 tracks, and 50 routes. It includes the Navionics+ charts which offer 1-foot contours for more than 22,000 inland lakes and a lot of information for each listed point of interest. However, the unit also supports other charts from Navionics, C-MAP Essentials, C-MAP 4D MAX+, and LightHouse NC2 charts. It also has the RealBathy feature for bathymetric mapping.
The unit has a 7-inch display, with a pixel matrix of 800H x 480V. It is keypad-operated. It supports NMEA 2000 and SeaTalk and also has wireless connectivity. It comes with the standard trunnion bracket, a surface mounting kit, a sun cover, and a transom mount for the transducer.
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Simrad GO7 XSE 000-14838-001
The Simrad GO7 XSE 000-14838-001 is one of the fish finders released in 2018, but it’s still available at the 
moment. As opposed to the older model, it has Active Imaging 3-in-1 sonar and comes with the 3-in-1 transducer. It is also pre-loaded with the C-MAP Pro charts.
The unit’s Active Imaging 3-in-1 sonar includes standard CHIRP sonar, DownScan sonar, and SideScan sonar. The included transducer supports all these three sonar technologies. For the standard CHIRP sonar, it uses the 83 kHz and 200 kHz channels. It casts oval beams but their coverage and the exact CHIRP intervals are not specified. The maximum depth for the standard sonar is 1,000 ft. (305 m). For SideScan and DownScan, the transducer uses oval beams. The supported frequencies are 455/800 kHz. The maximum depth and side range is 300 ft. (91 m).
In terms of navigation, the unit is equipped with a 32-channel 10 Hz internal GPS receiver. It supports EGNOS, MSAS, and WAAS for position augmentation. You can save up to 6,000 waypoints in its memory, it can record up to 40 tracks, and hold up to 500 saved routes. It is pre-loaded with the C-MAP Pro charts which cover more than 9,000 US lakes with 1-foot to 3-foot contouring. It does not have the Genesis Live feature like the newer Lowrance units. However, it supports Halo, Broadband, and HD Radars, as well as AC12N, AC42N, SG05, or a NAC-1 autopilot.
The Simrad GO7 XSE Active Imaging 3-in-1 features a 7-inch display with a pixel resolution of 800H x 480V and LED backlight (1,200 nits). Its interface is full-touchscreen, without any side keypad. It can also be controlled via an OP40 or OP50 controller.
Ethernet and NMEA 2000 connectivity is available with this Simrad fish finder as well. Plus, it has wireless connectivity so you can connect it to a WiFi hotspot for software or map downloads. You can also mirror it on a tablet or smartphone.
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A Few Things To Know Before Buying Your Fish Finder
Even though in the sections above we’ve covered some of the best fish finders for the money, you may still want to look what other models are available. Therefore, if none of the above fit your budget and needs, here are a few things to look for when choosing your fish finder.
Brand Name
Currently, there aren’t too many top fish finder brands out there. The most popular are Humminbird, Lowrance, Garmin, Simrad, Raymarine, and Furuno. There’s also Vexilar and MarCum, but their offers consist mostly of ice fish finders. There’s also Deeper, which offers some of the best castable fish finders available at the moment. We’ve already covered at least one model from each one of these brands. But nonetheless, they offer many other models, and some of them have also gathered an almost clean 5-start rating from users. Thus, if you want to check out other models, these are the names to look for
Sonar Technologies
There have been quite some innovations over the past few years in terms of sonar technology for fishing. For example, even though CHIRP sonar technology has been developed in the 1950’s, most CHIRP sonar fish finders have become available for the average consumer only after 2010. Also, in 2018, Garmin has introduced the first Panoptix Live sonar, while Lowrance has developed a similar live sonar technology, which is called Active Target.
Of course, fish finders with the newest, most advanced sonar technologies are the most expensive. The ones with structure scanning sonar also cost an extra buck. The most affordable models are the ones with standard or CHIRP standard sonar.
Type of Transducer
A transducer is not always included with a fish finder, so it’s pretty important to make sure that the unit you want comes with one. It’s definitely a plus to have a full fish finding system out of the box and not have to look for a compatible transducer once you’ve got your unit. Also, you can be sure that the transducer included with your fish finder is compatible with it. All the fish finders on this page include a transducer.
GPS, charts, bathymetric map creation, engine data, or trip planning are features that will always increase the cost of a fish finder. Now, depending on where you’re going to be fishing, you may or may not need these. But especially if you’ll be fishing out at sea, or even on a large lake, extra navigational awareness and the ability to mark waypoints for the best fishing spots are always a plus. The list above covers some of the best fish finders for the money with and without navigation features.
Connectivity
Similar to navigation features, networking features like NMEA or Ethernet ports will also increase the price of a fish finder. But then again, these are features great to have if you want to easily connect your new unit to an already existing boat grid. Also, WiFi and Bluetooth are great features to have as they usually offer the possibility to easily download software updates for your unit, chart downloads, or data upload on the web, or on your mobile device. Fish finders with features of this sort usually start at approx. $500.
Bottom Line
All the fish finders that we’ve coverd here have a user rating of at least 4.5 on most retailer and manufacturer websites. They’re most definitely the best fish finders for the money that you can get at the moment. We’ve covered here, models for all budgets, starting as low as $150. Also, each one comes with a transducer, so you’ll have a complete fishing sonar system right out of the box, without having to purchase additional accessories.