Home / Roundups / Best telescopes under $500
Every scope here costs under $500 — ranked from cheapest to priciest, because I know that’s how you’re reading it. This is the sweet spot for a first telescope: enough aperture for Saturn’s rings and real deep-sky objects, without the regret if you upgrade later. (You probably will. We all do.)
#1
The honest $150 start. A real refractor with zero collimation fuss — lovely on the Moon and planets, and cheap enough that it doesn't matter if the hobby doesn't stick.
The honest $150 start. No shame in starting here.
#2
The tabletop Dobsonian classic. More sky per dollar than cheap refractors — though you’ll need to put it on something sturdy, like the world’s most exciting side table.
On a table, observing in 60 seconds. Try the hobby on for size.
#3
A sharp 4-inch refractor — but heads up, it’s the tube only, so save room in the budget for a mount and tripod.
Old-school refractor. Razor-sharp Moon, zero maintenance.
#4
My sweet-spot pick, and I’ll defend it at family dinner: 6 inches of Dobsonian showing Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s bands, and hundreds of deep-sky objects.
Six inches of 'oh wow' that fits on a camping table.
#5
The full-size 6-inch Dobsonian — the one that’s been making beginners happy for decades. Classics are classics for a reason.
The 6-inch Dobsonian that raised a generation of stargazers.
#6
Your phone guides you to 100+ targets — training wheels that actually teach you the constellations instead of doing your homework for you.
Your phone teaches you the sky while you observe.
5 ranked picks
The binoculars I’d hand to family — from $40 sweepers to the buy-once upgrade.
See the ranking →2 ranked picks
The two star trackers worth buying first — ranked by price — and how to choose between them.
See the ranking →
Watch the Night