The Best SD Cards For GoPRO In 2023

Last updated: Today

Erin Carpenter

Top 5 Best SD Cards For GoPro 2023:

  1. SanDisk Extreme 64GB microSDXC
  2. Samsung EVO Plus MicroSDHC
  3. SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC Card
  4. Lexar Professional 64GB Card
  5. Patriot LX Series microSDXC Card

There’s no greater tragedy than filming an amazing stunt with a GoPro and realizing that you’d run out of memory space.

What a disaster!

You deserve to have all your courageous feats recorded and safely stored so that everyone can view your videos and see what a badass you are!

Ok, maybe you just want to film nature and stuff. That’s cool too.

Either way, you need to have a quality memory card that won’t fail you under any circumstances. We want to help you, and that’s why we wrote an article about some of the best SD cards for GoPro

Scroll down and check them out!

See Also: The Best Backup Camera With Night Vision


5 Best SD Cards For GoPro In 2023: Detailed Reviews

The great thing about reviewing tech products is that the information about them is abundant and reliable. 

When it comes to SD cards, techy folks are more than happy to share their opinion and experience with a certain model, so you can find out all about it relatively easily.

So, to save you from digging through the piles of internet comments and product specs, we compacted all the essentials into our reviews.

You’re welcome.

1. SanDisk Extreme 64GB microSDXC – Best Overall

Image Credit: Amazon.com

There’s no dilemma that SanDisk Extreme is one of the top SD cards on the market right now. Everywhere you go, you hear people praising it and yapping on about it. Since we couldn’t ignore it, we gave it a closer look and were pleasantly surprised.

This is a high-performance card that’s ideal for recording 4K footage, as well as video with a lower quality. 

Just how fast is it? It’s a U3 model with a read speed of 160 Mbps, and a writing speed of 60 Mbps. In case this information doesn’t tell you much, all you need to know is that it’s like, really fast!

Another great thing about this model is it’s high durability and resilience to elements, so you can rest assured knowing that your precious footage is safe. The card is water-proof, resistant to shock as well as X-rays.

As for the capacity, 64GB is probably more than enough for the “average” GoPro” user, because it should provide you with 4+ hours of 4K filming. 

However, if you’d like more storage space, be ready to pay a higher price, as the cost jumps exponentially with capacity. This is probably the biggest downside of SanDisk’s cards, but hey, at least you know the quality is there.

Pros

  • Reasonable price
  • Very durable and resistant
  • Suitable for 4K
  • Adapter is included

Cons

  • Price goes up a lot with capacity

2. Samsung EVO Plus MicroSDHC – Best Budget SD Card

Image Credit: Amazon.com

If your budget is your main concern, then maybe Samsung can help. Their EVO Plus micro SD card is an affordable yet high-quality option for GoPro users who need a reliable memory card for just a few bucks. Let’s see what it can do!

Evo Plus comes in sizes that range from 32GB to 256GB, which means that it encompasses both SDHC and SDXC types. Of course, the price rises with gigabytes, but it still remains lower than other popular brands.

The card’s speed is U1, and the manufacturer claims that its read speed can reach up to 80 Mbps. As of yet, EVO Plus doesn’t offer speeds higher than U1, so you’ll have to settle with it.

One of the complaints with this product that we often ran into is that the card worked great for a year or so, and then died. However, this is probably an exception rather than the rule, and if it happens, Samsung’s excellent customer service will help you get a replacement.

This card is water-proof, temperature-resistant, magnetic-proof, and X-ray-proof. Did we forget any “proofs”? No, that should be it, and it’s more than enough! All in all, EVO Plus is a more-than-decent SD card, and you won’t find anything as good for the price.

Pros

  • Very affordable 
  • Water, temperature, X-ray, magnet -proof
  • Fast enough for 4K
  • Red color – easy to spot

Cons

  • Complaints that it died after a year
  • No higher speeds than U1

3. SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC Card – Best High Performance SD Card

Image Credit: Amazon.com

You’ve seen SanDisk Extreme. Now, get ready for SanDisk Extreme PRO! Do those three little letters really make a difference? How is Extreme PRO different than Extreme? Let’s find out.

When it comes to performance, there’s not much difference between this model and the first one on the list. However, not every GoPro camera can fit both of them, and here’s where the PRO comes into play.

The main benefit of this SD card is its incredible speed. Its class is U3, and its reading speed is around 200 Mbps, while the writing speed can exceed 100 Mbps! 4K videos don’t stand a chance against such a beast.

The card comes in various capacities, which range from 64GB to 400GB. It’s important to note that Extreme PRO doesn’t come cheap, so be ready to pay if you want to have it.

A problem that arises with this particular card is that it doesn’t work equally well with different GoPro models, even if it is compatible with them. We advise you to look for users who have the same GoPro as you and see what they had to say about this card.

Other than that, there were no other issues to be found with this product. 

Pros

  • Very fast 
  • Available in different capacities
  • Durable 
  • Resistant to extreme conditions

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Performance varies with different GoPro models

4. Lexar Professional 64GB Card – Best SD Card with an adapter

Image Credit: Amazon.com

Transfer times are a factor that’s often overlooked when considering which SD card to buy. Moving a video from your GoPro to your laptop doesn’t have to be a slow and tedious process, and Lexar Professional is here to prove it.

What makes this memory card so great is the micro SD reader that comes with it. It is in the form of a small USB stick, which allows you to transfer the data to any computer that you use. 

Unfortunately, we’ve come across a great deal of complaints about the card reader, which said that it couldn’t get recognized by both PC and Mac devices. So yeah, we’d suggest you read more about this feature before making the purchase.

The write and read speeds are around 60Mbps and 140Mbps, respectively, which is average for U3 class. This also means that you won’t have any issues capturing 4K videos.

Lexar Professional is definitely not the cheapest SD card out there, and its price throws off many potential customers. You can get cards with the same speed and capacity for less money, so unless you want to buy this product for some other reason, go for another one.

Pros

  • Includes a USB card reader
  • Great speed
  • Limited lifetime product support

Cons

  • Pricey
  • USB reader doesn’t work very well

5. Patriot LX Series microSDXC Card – Best Bang For the Buck

Image Credit: Amazon.com

In case you’re after a lot of storage space, then you’ll want to take a look at the Patriot LX Series SD card. It’s got plenty of gigabytes, but that’s not its only quality. Interested? Learn more in the paragraphs below.

Since we got you hyped up with the whole capacity story, Patriot LX has 128GB. It might not sound like much, but mind you, this baby can store close to 4 hours of footage. Not bad at all.

The part where this model lacks is the speed, which is Class 10. Don’t get us wrong, Class 10 is fast enough for 4K recording, but its ability might decline as the card gets older. The latter is what some previous users complained about; the card was getting slower after several months of use.

Patriot’s cost is one of its pros, as it’ll be hard to find such high capacity for a price this low. When it comes to the “proofs,” the LX can handle almost anything from water and X-rays to high temperatures and impact.

To sum up, this card would be an excellent pick for folks who need a large capacity for as cheap as possible, and who don’t mind sacrificing some speed to get it. If you’re that person, then go ahead, get yourself a Patriot LX!

Pros

  • Large capacity (128 GB)
  • Great price 
  • Water, X-ray, temperature, shock -proof

Cons

  • Not very fast (Class 10)
  • Performance declines after a few months

What Is An SD Card?

For those who are not technologically literate, an SD card is a small plastic thingy that your GoPro stores all the videos on. The cards come in various capacities, which means they’re able to hold different amounts of footage. 

However, capacity is not the only factor where these things differ. To find out more about this, read the following section.


What To Know Before Buying An SD Card For GoPro?

Like we just said, not all SD cards are made equal. That’s why you need to know a few key elements so that you buy the right one for your GoPro camera.

In the paragraphs below, you can check out all the essential factors that you need to think about when choosing an SD card for your needs.

Let’s get to it.

1. Compatibility

The very first aspect of the SD card that you need to consider is its compatibility with your GoPro camera. You see, different GoPro models sometimes require different memory cards, so be sure to check out which ones can be used with your specific camera.

Here’s a nice little chart from GoPro’s official website that can help you with this.

2. Physical Size

The size of your SD card matters a great deal, as it is the main factor in determining the compatibility with the camera. There are two main size categories of cards: standard and micro. 

As far as we know, all GoPro models use micro SD cards, which are significantly smaller than their “standard” counterparts. Such compactness gives a lot of freedom to camera designers, and it is one of the reasons they’re able to make such tiny cameras.

So yes, only buy micro cards for your GoPro. 

A small heads-up before you move on – micro SD’s are sometimes not compatible with other devices like laptops, so you’ll need an adapter for transferring data from the card to a computer. 

You probably won’t have to worry much about this as most micro cards come with an adapter in the package, but check anyway.

3. Storage Capacity

After you’ve figured out the size, it’s time to think about the storage capacity. In other words, do you need 32 GB, 64GB, or more? 

If you don’t film very frequently, or don’t plan on making long footage, then smaller capacities will do. On the contrary, folks who record a lot of long format videos should go for more storage space.

A 32GB card will be able to hold a 4K video of around 2 hours and 15 minutes, so take this as a reference point. Of course, if you’re recording with lower resolution, say 1080p, you’ll be able to film longer.

4. SDHC vs. SDXC

Once you start browsing through all the SD cards, you’ll notice that some of them have a label SDHC and others SDXC. These abbreviations shouldn’t scare you, as they’re simply used to describe how many gigabytes the card holds. 

MicroSDHC cards are the ones with the larger capacity, and they usually range from 64GB to 2TB. SDXC cards, on the other hand, have a capacity that goes from 4GB to 32GB.

5. Speed Class

An SD card’s speed determines whether or not you’re able to make HD resolution videos. Older SD cards have speed ratings like Class 4 and Class 6, but all of them are too slow for most GoPro cameras, especially the newer ones.

With that being said, your safest bet is to look for cards with ratings Class 10, U1, U3, or even better, V30, V60, and V90. The three last ones are the fastest, so you can rest assured that they’ll meet the highest video quality recording needs.

A thing that confuses a lot of people is that the cards usually have more than one speed class written on them. For example, you can find a card with Class 10, U3, and V60 on it. 

What in the world does that mean!? Don’t fret, just look at the last one, in this case, V60, and that’s all that you need to know. 


Conclusion

The end is near! 

The end of this article, of course. We hope that what you read here was helpful and that you’ll walk away from our website with a new SD card in your hands, filming whatever it is you like to film. Before we go, let’s take a look at our top picks for today!

It’s no secret that we’re SanDisk fans, so don’t be surprised that SanDisk Extreme is our favorite model from the list. We believe that this card has the full package or the optimal balance of price, speed, and capacity. For most folks, this will do!

The second place is reserved for Samsung Evo Plus, an SD card for the shopper on a budget. The low price doesn’t compromise the quality, so be sure that this product will serve you well.

Last but not least, there is the SanDisk Extreme PRO. This card is simply a beast. It’s freakishly fast, and it comes in several different capacities. If you don’t mind the high price, then feel free to buy it.

Well, that’s all for today, peeps. Now grab that GoPro and go make some memories!

About Erin Carpenter

Erin Carpenter has over 15 years experience in the diamond industry working with Artic Canadian Diamonds, Anglo-American Diamonds. She is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as USA Today, Forbes, The New York Times and more.