Past Season Cheap Snowboard Bindings Lists

BEST CHEAP FREESTYLE BINDINGS

Binding: Burton Mission

Price: $229

Snowboarding Profiles' Freestyle Rating Score : 84.7/100

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

Burton's Mission bindings take the best cheap freestyle bindings retain their spot this year, and for good reason. They were number in 3 in our Top 5 Freestyle Bindings list and the average price of the other bindings in the top 5 was $292.

The Mission is $63 cheaper than the average of the top 5 and $14 cheaper than the average of the whole category, but scored a good bit above the average score. 

The Mission remained the same price as they were last year and the year before. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went down by $15 compared to last year.
• The average price for the top half (top 7) was $266, making the Mission $37 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list.
• Of the 5 freestyle bindings costing $229 or less, not named the mission, the average score was 78.3.

Alternatives

Some honorable mentions: 

Union Flite Pro ($179 | 80.5 points)

Arbor Hemlock ($249 | 81.1 points)

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN BINDINGS

Binding: Union Strata

Price: $259

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mountain Rating Score : 90.9/100

>>See Full Review

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

The Strata has had a firm grip on this spot for the last few years and once again they were a no brainer. The Strata is $39 cheaper than the average price of this whole category, and were the #1 bindings in our Top 10 All-Mountain bindings, which doesn't take price into account. 

And in that top 10, the average price was $323, putting the Strata $64 cheaper than the average of those that featured in the top 10, the highest of which cost $120 more than the Strata. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category stayed pretty steady, going up by just $1 compared to last year.
• The average price for this category is $55 higher than the freestyle category (see above).
• The Strata was the lowest priced binding in the top half of this list (top 12 scorers).
• Of the 7 bindings costing $259 or less, not named the Strata, the average score was 75.5. This is compared to the Strata at 90.9 points!

Alternatives

Burton Cartel EST ($279 | 88.2 points)

Burton Cartel Re:Flex ($279 | 86.0 points)

Union Force Classic ($279 | 82.8 points)

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN-FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Burton Cartel X

Price: $329

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mtn-Freeride Rating Score : 87.8/100

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

I know, $329 isn't necessarily what some would call cheap for snowboard bindings. But in the case of this category, it really is. 

Snowboard bindings (like boards and boots), tend to get more expensive as they get stiffer. This category is for bindings between 6.5/10 to 7.5/10 flex - stiffer than the previous 2 categories, so naturally each binding is more expensive and the average is more expensive. And brands don't tend to use cheaper parts for stiffer bindings, they tend to be more high-end. 

The Cartel X are $20 less than the average price in this category and only $30 more than the cheapest option, yet they score well above the average score. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went down by $11 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is $51 higher than the all-mountain category and $106 higher than the freestyle category (see above).
• The Cartel X are the lowest equal priced bindings in our top 10 all-mountain freeride bindings list. 
• Of the 5 bindings, not named the Cartel X, costing $329 or less, the average score was 82.2. This compares to the Cartel X Re:Flex's score of 87.8. 

Alternatives

Rome 390 Boss ($329 | 85.1 points)

Cartel X EST ($329 | 88.8 points) - technically the better value for money than the Cartel X Re:Flex, but can only be used on boards with the channel.

Flow NX-2 ($299 | 83.0 points)

Salomon District Pro ($299 | 82.4 points)

Arbor Cypress ($299 | 81.9 points)

BEST CHEAP FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Bataleon Astro Fullwrap

Price: $399

Snowboarding Profiles' Freeride Rating Score : 89.0/100

>>See Full Review

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

Now if you thought the all-mountain freeride bindings cheap pick was expensive (🤔) you might want to look away now!

You could argue that there's no such thing as a good cheap freeride binding. Like I mentioned above for the all-mountain freeride category, the stiffer the bindings the higher the price, typically speaking.

And while you may not see $399 as a low price, when you're looking at this category it really is stand out value.  

The average price of this whole list is a whopping $153 more than the average price of the all-mountain freeride list (which is the next highest). And with bindings in that 8/10 to 10/10 flex range, there's not much "cheap" to look at here. 

However, the Bataleon Astro Fullwrap are stiff and score really well - well above the average score and come in at #3 in our Top 5 Freeride bindings list, but are $103 than the average price of the category. And when you compare them to the rest of the top 5, they are $123 cheaper than the average price of the other bindings that make that list! 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $36 compared to last year.
• The average price for this category is the highest of all the categories and by a good margin - $153 higher than the next highest category (all-mountain-freeride), $204 higher than the all-mountain category and a whopping $259 higher than the freestyle category (see above).
• The Astro were the cheapest bindings in the whole list, yet ranked #3 and scored 89.0 vs the average of 86.1. 

Alternatives

Rome Cleaver ($489 | 92.1 points)

Union Atlas Pro ($469 86.9 points)

BEST CHEAP BEGINNER BINDINGS

Binding: Union Flite Pro

Price: $179

Snowboarding Profiles' Beginner Rating Score : 94.2/100

>>See Full Review

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

After that sticker shock from the freeride list, we now move on to the final category, which has the lowest average price of all the categories.

The results here are somewhat skewed, since the scores for beginner bindings take price into account, but none-the-less, the Flite Pro represents great value for money for those just starting out on their snowboarding journey. 

They are $62 cheaper than the average price in this category and get the #1 position in our top 10 beginner bindings list.  

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went down by $2 compared to last year.
• The average price for this category is the lowest of all the categories, naturally being a beginner list - and with those that are suited to this category being softer flexing bindings. 
• Price is taken into account for the scores for beginner bindings – so this is somewhat skewed for this category. 
• The average price for the top half (top 13) was $201, making the Flite Pro $22 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list. The bottom half of the list had a higher average price than the top half though - because price in this case influenced the scores. 
• The Flite Pro was the equal 3rd cheapest in the whole list .

BEST CHEAP FREESTYLE BINDINGS

Binding: Burton Mission

Price: $229

Snowboarding Profiles' Freestyle Rating Score : 84.7/100

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN BINDINGS

Binding: Union Strata

Price: $259

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mountain Rating Score : 90.9/100

>>See Full Review

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN-FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Burton Cartel X

Price: $329

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mtn-Freeride Rating Score : 87.8/100

BEST CHEAP FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Bataleon Astro

Price: $399

Snowboarding Profiles' Freeride Rating Score : 89.0/100

>>See Full Review

BEST CHEAP BEGINNER BINDINGS

Binding: Union Flite Pro

Price: $179

Snowboarding Profiles' Beginner Rating Score : 94.2/100

>>See Full Review

BEST CHEAP FREESTYLE BINDINGS

Binding: K2 Line Up

Price: $239

Snowboarding Profiles' Freestyle Rating Score : 84.2/100

>>See Full Review

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

K2's Line Up cost $11 less than the average, but scored a lot higher than the average. They were number in 3 in our Top 5 Freestyle Bindings list and the average price of that top 5 was $289. The Line Up is $60 cheaper than the average of the top 5.  

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $20 compared to last year
• The average price for the top half (top 8) was $270, making the Line Up $31 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list.
• Of those costing $239 or less, the average score was 76.4

Alternatives

Some honorable mentions: 

Burton Mission ($229 | 83.7 points)

Union Flite Pro ($169 | 78.9 points)

Arbor Hemlock ($249 | 80.0 points)

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN BINDINGS

Binding: Union Strata

Price: $249

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mountain Rating Score : 93.5/100

>>See Full Review

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

This one was a no brainer. The Strata is $42 cheaper than the average price of this whole category, and was the #1 bindings in my Top 5 All-Mountain bindings, which doesn't take price into account.

The '23 model of the Strata is $70 cheaper than the '22 model. It's a rare thing when the price of snowboard bindings, or anything in this world for that matter, actually goes down in price. 

Yes, there was a small downgrade in the ratchets (from magnesium to aluminum), which might ultimately affect the life of the bindings and might add a tiny bit of weight. But the size of the price drop isn't explained by that small change alone. 

The main reason it dropped so much in price was that the Contact Pro exited Union's line and the Ultra came in. The Ultra was seen as a higher price point to the Strata and the Strata slotted into the pricing heirachy where the Contact Pro had left vacant. That's a win for the consumer, because nothing has changed with the performance of this binding. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $17 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is $41 higher than the freestyle category (see above)
• The average price for the top half (top 12) was $322, making the Strata $73 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list. And the Strata topped that list!
• The Strata was the lowest priced binding in the Top 12
• Of those costing $249 or less, not named the Strata, the average score was 73.8

Alternatives

K2 Lien AT ($279 | 88.7 points)

Burton Cartel EST ($289 | 89.2 points)

Burton Cartel Re:Flex ($289 | 87.1 points)

Ride C-6 ($279 | 81.2 points)

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN-FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Burton Cartel X

Price: $329

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mtn-Freeride Rating Score : 87.8/100

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

Now I know, $329 isn't necessarily what some would call cheap for snowboard bindings. But in the case of this category, it really is. 

Snowboard bindings (like boards and boots), tend to get more expensive as they get stiffer. This category is for bindings between 6.5/10 to 7.5/10 flex - stiffer than the previous 2 categories, so naturally each binding is more expensive and the average is more expensive. 

The Cartel X are only $30 more than the cheapest option in this category and $24 less than the average price in this category, yet they score a good bit above the average score. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $30 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is $62 higher than the all-mountain category and $103 higher than the freestyle category (see above)
• The Cartel X was the lowest priced binding in the Top half (top 8) and, naturally, the lowest priced in our top 6 all-mountain freeride bindings list. 
• Of the 3 bindings, not named the Cartel X, costing $329 or less, the average score was 81.4

Alternatives

Cartel X EST ($329 | 90.4 points) - technically the better value for money than the Cartel X Re:Flex, but can only be used on boards with the channel

Arbor Cypress ($299 | 83.0 points)

Flux XF ($349 | 93.1 points)

Union Atlas ($349 | 85.1 points)

Salomon Highlander ($349 | 85.1 points)

BEST CHEAP FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Flux XV

Price: $449

Snowboarding Profiles' Freeride Rating Score : 92.3/100

>>See Full Review

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

You could argue that there's no such thing as a good cheap freeride binding. Like I mentioned above for the all-mountain freeride category, the stiffer the bindings the higher the price, typically speaking. 

The average price of this whole list is a whopping $103 more than the average price of the all-mountain freeride list. And with bindings in that 8/10 to 10/10 flex range, there's not much "cheap" to look at here. 

But the XV does sneak in under the average price - and it's the #1 freeride binding in our top 5 freeride bindings, so naturally scores way above the average score. So if you are looking for a truly stiff, take no prisoners freeride binding, the XV does offer really good value for money, with bindings costing up to $599 in this category. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $22 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is the highest of all the categories and by a good margin - $103 higher than the next highest category (all-mountain-freeride), $165 higher than the all-mountain category and $206 higher than the freestyle category (see above)
• The average price for the top half (top 7) was $499, making the XV $50 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list. 
• Of the 8 bindings not named the XV and that were $449 or under, the average score was 83.4

Alternatives

Rome Cleaver ($449 | 91.8 points)

Salomon Quantum ($449 | 86.6 points) 

BEST CHEAP BEGINNER BINDINGS

Binding: Union Flite Pro

Price: $169

Snowboarding Profiles' Beginner Rating Score : 93.5/100

>>See Full Review

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

After that sticker shock from the freeride list, we now move on to the final category, which has the lowest average price of all the categories.

The results here are somewhat skewed, since the scores for beginner bindings take price into account, but none-the-less, the Flite Pro represents great value for money for those just starting out on their snowboarding journey. 

They are $72 cheaper than the average price in this category and top our top 10 beginner bindings list.  

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $14 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is the lowest of all the categories, naturally being a beginner list - and with those that are suited to this category being softer flexing bindings. They are $9 cheaper than the next closest (freestyle category) and a whopping $215 cheaper on average vs the highest priced category (freeride). 
• Price is taken into account for the scores for beginner bindings – so this is somewhat skewed for this category. 
• The average price for the top half (top 15) was $212, making the Flite Pro $43 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list. The bottom half of the list had a higher average price than the top half though - because price in this case influenced the scores. 
• The Flite Pro was the equal 2nd cheapest in the whole list