7 Best Cheap Telescopes for a Budget in 2023

Want to know what the best cheapest telescope to buy is? This ultimate telescope guide describes the 7 best cheap telescopes so that you can buy the cheapest telescope that is also high quality. A good cost for a telescope is under $50 because they have most of the functions that you need. Therefore, all the telescopes we reviewed are under $50 and are as low as $35.

Additionally, because of their low cost, you can use these telescopes as gifts. Almost anyone can use telescopes to look at something in the distance closely or watch the stars and planets in the night sky.

This article lists the description, key specs, pros, cons, and price of the best cheap telescopes on the market so that you can save money.

After reading this article, you will undoubtedly decide which of the following inexpensive telescopes suits your needs and budget restraints.

For your convenience, we have listed the telescopes in order from lowest to highest price. We have also included a link directly to the official product page so that you do not have to search for the product.

What Are the Best Cheap Telescopes to Save Money?

The best cheapest telescope costs anywhere between $35 to $50. The best cheap telescopes to buy under $50 are:

1. Astronomical Telescope – Professional Stargazing HD Refractor Telescope 400 mm Focal Length, High Magnification Astronomical Telescope ($35.99 on Amazon)

This is the cheapest telescope on the market that has all the features you need for a pleasant stargazing experience.

Key Technical Details and Specs

1. Focus type: manual focus
2. Finderscope: reflex
3. Lens coating: fully multi coated
4. Focal length: 400 millimeters
5. Product dimensions: 15.35 x 3.74 x 7.87 inches
6. Item weight: 1.81 pounds

Pros

1. Has 2 eyepieces (20 mm and 12.5 mm)
2. Includes a 1.5x erect image lens
3. Includes a viewfinder lens
4. You can view a complete erect image
5. Clearer images
6. Includes an aluminum tripod

Cons

1. Maximum magnification of 32x
2. Its tripod’s height is not adjustable
3. The images are not colored

Summary

Ultimately, this is the cheapest telescope that you can buy that has everything you need to view deep-sky objects.

What makes this product stand out the most is that it includes 2 eyepieces and 2 lenses. The eyepieces are 20 mm and 12.5 mm while the lenses are 1.5x erect image lens and viewfinder lens. We loved this because it adds customization to the product and gives you more options to view the night sky in.

Moreover, the telescope produces clearer, sharper images. The telescope does this because it has multilayer broadband coating, which reduces optical loss and light loss and increases transparency. Therefore, you can view the sky in good quality.

Nevertheless, we did find a few drawbacks associated with this telescope. The primary disadvantage is that the images are not colored. Black, white, and silver images may prevent you from viewing certain celestial objects with as much detail and reality.

Additionally, the maximum magnifying power is 32x, meaning that you cannot zoom in as much on far space objects. This is especially disadvantageous because you will not be able to view images with as much detail.

However, if these two drawbacks do not concern you and you primarily want a telescope for beginners, kids, or a gift, then this is a really good option.

To buy this best low cost telescope for just $35.99 on Amazon, click here.

2. Timisea Portable Refractor Telescope 90x Magnification with Tripod and Two Eyepieces to Explore the Solar System, Wildlife, & Night Sky – Best Cheap Telescopes ($38.99 on Amazon)

We put this telescope on our list because its magnification stands out. Despite its price point being around $40, it offers as much magnifying power as many higher end models do. It also has many other pros that make it worth it.

Keep reading to learn why this is one of the best cheap telescopes on the market.

Key Technical Details and Specs

1. Eyepiece lens: barlow
2. Objective lens diameter: 50 millimeters
3. Focus type: manual focus
4. Finderscope: reflex
5. Fully coated lenses
6. Focal length: 360 millimeters
7. Optical aperture: 50 mm
8. Theory resolution: 2000 arcseconds
9. Product weight: 1.59 pounds
10. Product dimensions: 16.02 x 8.46 x 3.62 inches

Pros

1. 2 eyepieces (20 mm and 6 mm)
2. Maximum magnification of 90x
3. Includes a 90 degree zenith mirror
4. Includes a 1.5x positive mirror
5. Features fully coated glass optics and high transmission coatings for brighter image quality
6. You can rotate the 360 degrees to attain any field of view
7. Easy setup

Cons

1. Its tripod is really small (only 14.17 inches tall)
2. The tripod’s height is not adjustable.

Summary

Ultimately, this budget telescope is great for stargazing, viewing wildlife, and watching planets in the solar system, such as Mars and Venus.

We found this to be especially wonderful for these purposes because it has a 6 mm lens eyepiece, a 1.5x positive mirror, and fully-coated glass optics. Therefore, the telescope can zoom up to 90 times without disturbing image quality, allowing you to see deep sky objects.

In addition to its amazing magnifying ability, we also love it due to its portability. Its small, lightweight tripod make it really easy to travel with.

An accessory tray or backpack is not included. However, you can probably fit all of its accessories in any normal backpack.

The only drawbacks that we found with this product are associated with its tripod. The biggest issue is that its tripod is only about a foot and 2 inches tall. The height is not adjustable either.

This height is likely not sufficient for you to properly use the telescope while its on the ground outside. You can work around this by either investing in another tripod that’s bigger or placing a table or stool underneath the telescope.

To buy this affordable telescope for just $38.99 on Amazon, click here.

3. AW 50 mm Aperture 360 mm Astronomy Refractor Telescope – Best Cheap Telescopes with Smartphone Adapter, Carry Bag, Remote, and Constellation Map ($39.90 on Amazon)

This telescope is the best value telescope due to its many features and low cost. For a very low price, this product has everything you need whether you stargaze as a hobby or on a fun camp night.

Key Technical Details and Specs

1. Eye piece lens: barlow
2. Objective lens diameter: 50 millimeters
3. Focus type: manual focus
4. Finderscope: reflex
5. Lens coating: multi-coated
6. Focal length description: 360 millimeters
7. Item weight: 1.3 pounds
8. Product dimensions: 17.32 x 14.57 x 18.7 inches

Pros

1. Includes 2 eyepieces (20mm and 6mm)
2. Has a 3x barlow lens that you can use to triple the magnification
3. Magnifies from 18x to 180x
4. Incorporates a built-in phone adapter
5. You can control your phone via bluetooth using an included remote control when it is on the phone adapter
6. Comes with a constellation guiding map so beginners can recognize different constellations
7. Available in a bigger size: 70 x 400 mm

Cons

1. Very short tripod

Summary

Overall, from great image quality to convenience, this product has almost everything you need, making it one of the best cheap telescopes.

It’s especially unique due to its maximum magnification of 180x, allowing you to zoom into planets that are thousands of miles away. With the aid of this telescope, you can not only see Jupiter and the Moon, but also zoom in on its craters.

Moreover, its large aperture multi-coated glass lens with high transmittance provides a wider field of view and clearer picture. This allows you to better examine the night sky and take better pictures using the phone adapter.

The smartphone adapter holds your phone so that you can take clear, close-up pictures of anything you want. We found it much easier to take pictures with this particular telescope because it includes a remote control. The remote control can take pictures with your phone, when it is on the smartphone adapter, from far away.

However, even though the remote control adds convenience, its very short tripod does the opposite. Since its tripod is really short, you will have to place it on a stool or table to easily be able to look through the telescope.

To buy this best value telescope for just $39.90 on Amazon, click here.

4. OMZ 70mm Aperture Telescope, 300mm Portable Astronomical Refractor Telescope with Adjustable Tripod for Astronomy ($44.99 on Amazon)

This telescope is high-quality and provides premium features for a premium experience. Keep reading to learn more and whether its for you.

Key Technical Details and Specs

1. Objective lens diameter: 70 mm
2. Telescope mount: altazimuth mount
3. Focus type: manual focus
4. Finderscope: reflex
5. Fully coated lenses
6. Focal length: 300 mm
7. Item weight: 4.14 lbs
8. Item dimensions: 24 x 10 x 5 inches

Pros

1. Comes with 2 eyepieces (20mm and 6mm)
2. Has an adjustable tripod that can adjust the height from 16″ to 55″
3. Has a carbon fiber film to enhance its quality
4. Includes a moon filter
5. Fully coated optics glass lens with high transmission coatings creates brighter images
6. Easy-to-use focus knob
7. 2 year warranty

Cons

1. Does not have a smartphone adapter
2. Does not include a travel backpack to store its accessories

Summary

Ultimately, this is one of the best cheap telescopes because it has a high-quality build and stunning viewing ability even in the night sky.

Like most telescopes, this budget telescope also includes 2 eyepieces. You can use the 20 mm eyepiece for similar purposes as binoculars. This eyepiece does not have as much zoom so it is primarily intended to see things that are not as far away.

Meanwhile, you can use the 6 mm eyepiece to see things with a much more zoomed in appearance. This is because this eyepiece provides a maximum magnification of 90x.

Additionally, we found it really convenient that it includes an adjustable aluminum tripod. This tripod’s height ranges from 16 inches to 55 inches. Therefore, people with varying heights can use the telescope with ease.

Despite its many features, we did notice that it is missing a few things. Primarily, it does not have a phone adapter or a travel backpack.

A phone adapter allows you to effortlessly capture images of whatever you were looking at through the telescope, while a travel backpack makes it much easer to store all of the telescope’s accessories.

However, apart from these minor issues, this telescope has everything you need from great viewing quality to great build quality.

To buy this best cheap telescope for just $49.99 on Amazon, click here.

5. Moutec 70mm Aperture 400mm AZ Mount Astronomical Refractor Telescope for Beginners – Best Cheap Telescopes ($49.99 on Amazon)

This telescope is perfect for adults, kids, and beginners. It has easy setup and its controls are not too complicated. Despite the very low price, you can view deep sky objects, such as Jupiter and Mars.

Key Technical Details and Specs

1. Eyepiece lens: barlow lens
2. Objective lens diameter: 70 mm
3. Telescope mount: altazimuth mount
4. Focus type: manual focus
5. Power source: adapter
6. Finderscope: reflex
7. Fully coated lens
8. Focal length: 400 millimeters
9. Item weight: 1000 grams
10. Item dimensions: 17.2 x 11.38 x 5.63 inches

Pros

1. Its large 70 mm objective lens, 400 mm focal length telescope, and fully coated optical glass with high transmission coatings creates appealing images with great brightness and clarity.
2. Equipped with 2 replaceable eyepieces (10 mm and 20 mm) and one 2x barlow lens
3. High magnification: the barlow lens doubles the magnification of each eyepiece
4. Has a 5×24 finderscope with a mounting bracket
5. Includes a smartphone adapter to view the solar system through your smartphone screen
6. Includes an adjustable tripod
7. Includes a backpack that holds all the accessories for easy travel
8. 2-year warranty and unlimited technical support

Cons

1. Its images in the finder are upside down.

Summary

Overall, this telescope not only looks advanced but also is advanced. It has various features that make it perfect for astronomy and one of the best budget telescopes.

Due to its fantastic lens technology (described above), it can capture aesthetic images with high brightness and clarity. It can also capture images from really close due to its maximum magnifying power of 80x. This magnifying power is obtained when you use the barlow lens with the 10 mm eyepiece.

Talking about eyepieces, we also love that it includes 2 replaceable eyepieces: 10 mm and 20 mm eyepieces. The 10mm eyepiece has a 40x magnification while the 20 mm eyepiece has a 20x magnification.

Furthermore, its 5×24 finderscope expands the field of view and allows you to locate celestial objects in the sky. After finding the object you wish to see, you can proceed to use the main telescope to view it with more zoom.

Another aspect that enhances its viewing ability is its mounting bracket. Its mounting bracket can move around in all directions, making it much easier to look in direction without switching the position of the entire telescope.

Despite its numerous advantages, we did find a few disadvantages. Foremost, the images in the finder are upside down. While you can easily rotate the images, its merely more hassle to do so.

To buy this best budget telescope for just $49.99 on Amazon, click here.

6. Aomekie Beginner Telescopes with 2 Eyepieces, Smartphone Adapter & 3x Barlow Lens – 150x Magnification Telescope with Many Accessories – 70 mm Large Aperture Lens ($49.99 on Amazon)

This telescope is one of the best cheap telescopes because it has a maximum zoom ability of 150x. This incredibly high level zoom allows you to see almost anything in the night sky. Therefore, this is the best telescope for you if you want to see far things while stargazing.

Key Technical Details and Specs

1. Objective lens diameter: 70 millimeters
2. Focus type: manual focus
3. Power source: adapter
4. Finderscope: reflex and 5×24
5. Fully multi-coated lens
6. Focal length description: 300 millimeters
7. Item weight: 1.5 kilograms or 3.3 pounds
8. Item dimensions: 18.45 x 8.75 x 4.3 inches

Pros

1. Maximum magnification of 150x
2. Comes with a 1.5x erecting eyepiece to ensure that you view an upright image
3. Its 3x barlow lens triples the magnifying power of each eyepiece
4. Includes 2 eyepieces (20mm and 6mm)
5. Its large aperture and moon filter deliver brighter and clearer images
6. Its 5×24 finderscope allows you to have a wide field of view
7. Includes many accessories: telescope tube, metal moon filter, 90 degree diagonal mirror, and star target plainsphere
8. Has a phone adapter so you can view everything on your phone and take images/videos easily
9. Includes an adjustable tripod
10. The telescope can spin up and down 90 degrees and rotate 360 degrees to the left or right

Cons

1. Does not include a bag for storage or travel
2. Only available in blue

Summary

Overall, this is also one of the best cheap telescopes due to its amazing viewing ability. The eyepieces it offers are so advanced that you can closely see various deep sky objects, including star clusters.

It has a 6 mm and a 20 mm eyepiece with which you can use either a 1.5x erecting eyepiece or a 3x barlow lens. We found it really beneficial that it includes an erecting eyepiece and a barlow lens because of their unique and useful functions.

The 1.5x erecting eyepiece ensures that everything you view is right side up and it also multiplies the zoom of the 6mm or 20mm eyepiece by 1.5.

Meanwhile, the 3x barlow lens simply multiplies the zoom of the 6mm or 20mm eyepiece by 3. Therefore, when coupled with the 3x barlow lens, the 6mm eyepiece has a maximum magnifying power of 150x.

In addition, its 5×24 finderscope expands the field of view, allowing you to locate deep-sky objects easily. After locating them, you can zoom in on them and examine them closely using the eyepieces. The finderscope also has a mounting bracket.

What we found to be the one of the best aspects of this telescope is that it includes many accessories. It includes a telescope tube, metal moon filter, 90 degree diagonal mirror, adjustable tripod, phone adapter, and star target plainsphere (constellation information).

The benefit of a metal moon filter is that it allows you to view the moon with drastically increased detail. The quality is also much better, so it is easier for you to clearly see features of the lunar surface such as its craters.

The only minor disadvantages with this product are that it does not include a bag for storage or travel and it is only available in blue. Most telescopes in this price range do not include a bag, however, so we did not find this con as excessively disadvantageous.

To buy one of the best budget telescopes for just $49.99 on Amazon, click here.

7. Discover with Dr. Cool NASA Lunar Telescope for Astronomers – 90x Magnification – with 2 Eyepieces, Tripod, Finder Scope, and Learning Guide for Beginners ($49.99 on Amazon)

This is one of the best affordable telescopes because of its unique features that are specifically designed for viewing the moon.

Key Technical Details and Specs

1. Optical tube length: 1 inch
2. Eye piece lens description: Galilean eyepieces
3. Focus type: manual
4. Finderscope: straight-through
5. Objective lens diameter: 1 KB
6. Telescope mount: equatorial mount
7. Product dimensions: 7.09 x 4.13 x 17 inches

Pros

1. Includes eyepieces with different magnification: 18x and 90x
2. Smooth mounting system
3. Includes a finder scope to easily locate objects before zooming in for a close-up view
4. Comes with a lens dust cap
5. Its detailed learning guide will teach you more about the moon and features to look for
6. Easy to setup

Cons

1. It comes with a tabletop tripod
2. Does not include many accessories

Summary

Ultimately, this is a great budget telescope with the perfect features to view the moon and its craters. If you happen to come across something that you do not know much about, you can use its detailed learning guide to learn more.

The learning guide serves as a moon map because it lets you know what to look for on the moon. Therefore, if you are new to astronomy, this learning guide will definitely be really useful for you.

Moreover, due to its 2 eyepieces and finderscope, it has varying levels of zoom levels. You can use the finderscope if you do not want much zoom and are simply trying to locate something in the telescope. Meanwhile, you can use the 90x eyepiece to zoom in on something and closely examine it.

Unlike most low cost telescopes, this telescope includes a lens dust cap to protect your lenses from harm. This allows you to extend the life of the telescope and use it for a longer period of time.

The biggest disadvantage that we found was that the telescope is situated on a tabletop tripod rather than an adjustable tripod. Looking through a tabletop tripod is inconvenient and involves greater hassle. As a result, we prefer products that come with a taller tripod so that you can use the telescope without placing it on something first.

To buy one of the best affordable telescopes for just $49.99 on Amazon, click here.

Conclusion – Best Cheap Telescopes

These 7 best cheap telescopes offer beneficial features that allow even beginners to learn a lot about astronomy. From fantastic aperture to high magnification, these best budget telescopes allow you to see various objects in the night sky, including plants like Saturn.

if you already have a telescope but it is not functioning as well anymore, then any of the telescopes on this list will be a worthwhile upgrade.

Machines and electronics are becoming increasingly expensive. Therefore, we found and reviewed various cheap machines and electronics, such as the best cheap mouse with side buttons so you can save money.

We hope that this ultimate review guide provided you with your “best cheap telescope” and you are pleased with your purchase.

If you found this article to be helpful, check out related articles for more money saving reviews. Remember: the key to financial success is saving money, especially on expensive purchases such as electronics and machines. As a result, always remember to browse our collection of reviews to find a cheaper alternative first.

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