With the heavyweight electric skateboard company a thing of the past, many companies are scrambling to fill the wide-open gap left in the market with their own cheap Boosted board alternatives. One of the benefits of this increased competition is that companies are forced to vie for a lower price point, trying to outdo each other with better specs at more affordable prices, overall benefitting you, the consumer.
However, on-paper specs and real-world usability are two different things, and it’s important to make sure that companies aren’t catering to only the spec sheet and not the on-street performance.
Best Cheap Boosted Board Alternatives
Down below is our handpicked handful of the best, cheap Boosted board alternatives on the market right now. Each one caters to a much lower price point than the OG electric skateboard, so it’s important to remember that some concessions are necessarily made in terms of materials and power as the price drops lower and lower. That said, there are some highly competitive boards on this list and a couple of super budget-friendly ones.
If you still haven’t found the board for you by the end of this article, let us know what you’re looking for in the comments below and we’ll get back to you with a few more recommendations.
1. Meepo v3
- Price: $449-$599
- Range: 11-20 miles
- Max Speed: 28 mph
- Recharge Time: 2 hours
- Weight Capacity: 300 lbs
The Meepo V3 is one of the most popular and reliable Boosted board alternatives on the market with one of the lowest incident rates of any electric skateboard. Originally invented by Meepo’s founder, Kieran Mao, as a personal DIY electric skateboard, after posting his creation to YouTube, Kieren found himself inundated with requests to buy the board.
The Meepo V3 might just be the best Boosted board alternative considering it offers highly competitive specs for electric skateboards that run for twice its price (and beyond). The v3 comes in two variants, the Standard and the Extended Range, offering up to 11 and 20 miles per ride respectively.
2. Backfire G2
- Price: $429
- Range: 11-12.5 miles
- Max Speed: 24 mph
- Recharge Time: 3.5 hours
- Weight Capacity: 260 Pounds
The Backfire G2 gives some ground to the Meepo in overall specs, but makes a proportionate reduction in price and boasts a highly satisfied customer base. At just over $400, the Backfire G2 offers a 12-ish mile range and a very respectable 24mph top speed.
The recharge time is a wee bit longer than Boosted or Meepo but still a very manageable 3.5 hours. Overall, when it comes to a cheap Boosted board alternative, you can do a lot worse than the Backfire G2 with its competitive specs and sturdy, water-resistant build quality.
3. Apsuboard X1
- Price: $459
- Range: 15.5-18 miles
- Max Speed: 26 mph
- Recharge Time: 3 hours
- Weight Capacity: 330 lbs
The Apsuboard sits right between the Meepo and Backfire in terms of specs and price, but with two key advantages over them: first, a substantially improved range for the sub-$500 price range and — opinion incoming — an arguably better look for a longboard with a softer, curvilinear silhouette and a subdued logo rather than bold text on the griptape.
Otherwise, in most other respects, the Apsuboard X1 fits right in with other cheap Boosted board alternatives in value for money. The best reasons to opt for the X1 are its range and its overall aesthetic more than anything else.
4. Lycaon GR
- Price: $399
- Range: 15-25 miles
- Max Speed: 26 mph
- Recharge Time: 5-6 hours with default charger, 2-4 hours with a fast charger.
- Weight Capacity: 220 lbs
If you’re really hankering for a dirt-cheap boosted board alternative that can, generally speaking, hang with the real McCoy but are stuck with a shoestring budget, the Lycaon GR may be just the board for you. It offers up an attractive range of 15-25 miles on a single charge and competitive max speed, but does necessarily give up a few concessions where it can to squeeze into the sub-$400 price range.
The charging time with the standard-issue charger is considerably longer at 5-6 hours, and the board offers a much lower maximum weight capacity than the other boards on this list. It is also on the lower range of waterproof at IP54, though that should be relatively okay for light showers, moisture, and general debris).
Because of the lower weight capacity, the on-paper max speed will probably be lower for anybody heavier than a high-school kid. That said, the Lycaon is a powerful option for the ridiculously low price of $400.
5. Hiboy S22
- Price: $359
- Range: 12.5 miles
- Max Speed: 18.6 mph
- Recharge Time: 2 hours
- Weight Capacity: 220 lbs
The Hiboy S22 is, for its price, a high-value board. Price notwithstanding, however, the S22’s power and performance are on a lower tier than other Boosted board alternatives on this list. The only salient advantage the Hiboy s22 provides over other cheap electric skateboards, besides price, is its lower recharge time. Otherwise, it gives ground in overall power, with a max speed of 18.6 mph — which, when coupled with the relatively lower weight capacity, can be expected to fall with larger individuals.
It’s also not clear how water resistant the board is based on any of their sales copy or specs. But, again, if you’re trying to buy a decent-ish Boosted board alternative for as close to nothing as you can reasonably expect, the Hiboy S22 might be what you’re looking for.
6. Skatebolt Tornado
- Price: $549
- Range: 22 miles
- Max Speed: 22 mph
- Recharge Time: 3 hours
- Weight Capacity: 264 lbs
The Skatebolt Tornado II is, well, a cheap Boosted board alternative but not as cheap as some of the others on this list. That said, it delivers up exactly the sort of specs you’d hope to see in a board in the $500-600 range with a delicious 22-mile range coupled with a decent top speed and respectable charging time.
The weight limit is also slightly more forgiving than the dirt-cheap boosted board alternatives like the Hiboy S22 and Lycaon GR and has the added distinction of not looking like a toy skateboard from Walmart. All in all, you can’t really go wrong with the Skatebolt Tornado II — the only real catch is its unpublished waterproofing performance.
Hopefully, you found the right board to fill that Boosted-shaped hole in your heart — but if you haven’t, do let us know the kind of board you’re looking for and we’ll hit you up with a few more tailor-made recommendations. Happy riding!
