Insta360 ONE X2 vs GoPro Max: Detailed Comparison 

I know this is almost 2 years old now but still feel its relevant since both 360's are still current sellers for both manufacturers. You're 100% correct with both have pro's and con's. I have both cameras, my biggest complaint with both is the stitching. Here we are several years in with both cameras and zero improvement on the stitching software on both. Which if you're shooting city scape, tiny planet type shots, both suck immensely, you always have a horrible stitch line that you're trying to hide. In landscape or wooded shots it's not bad because the stitch line is camouflaged in the foliage. As for editing and down loading, Insta is far superior in my opinion, and reliable connectivity Insta blows GoPro out of the water. I have never experience more frustration and just want to throw my camera in the trash as with GoPro. I do a lot of shots where I need to hide and be out of the shot and getting any GoPro to connect consistently and in a timely manner is almost impossible. If I use The Remote with the Max, I have to uninstall it and reinstall it almost every time, Same with the Fusion and Hero 9 and 10 and down load on any of the sucks to a level that I just want to smash it on a rock. I honestly like the Fusion better, other than the dual sims and downloads, I like that it has RAW with makes for better editing and I like the fact it has night with the MAX has neither. Insta is a much smoother camera to operate but hate the stupid ass round screen that locks up all the time but the download and software are so much better than GoPro. One last thing, both my Fusion and the MAX overheat pretty consistently, never once have I had the Insta over heat.

Great comparison of these two 360 camera's. Both of them have own strengths and weakness, I still not sure which one to get, but you probably couldn't go wrong with either one. Thanks for sharing.

I’m favoring the One X2. I think the app sealed the deal for me. They were so close in every other aspect. Thanks for your time. This video was helpful ✌️😎

Great comparison and very helpful, thanks !! Subscribed.

Such a thorough look at both I really appreciate the depth you went into from image quality video/photo to actual handling and how is it to use either screen! Ten months later which do you prefer over the other?

I'm so glad you made this as I have the MAX and was considering an upgrade.

Great video! Thanks a lot I was waiting for this. I have a question. If you want to edit and reframe on the desktop, how long is it to transfer the videos to the computer comparing the two cameras? And according to you, using the Insta x2, for vlogging where I want to keep myself in the frame, is it better to edit on the phone using the automatic tracking technology or is it still more comfortable to edit on Desktop? What about the Insta360 desktop app, does it also have this automatic tracking tool? Many many thanks and keep on going :)

I've been looking forward to someone comparing last years GoPro Max to new Insta360 One X2. The X2 might have the edge now, but Max really holds up well for a year old product. And you were to focus on the editing process, which almost the important piece to these 360 cameras. Great review.

Excellent video: clear and well-worded presentation, fair comparison, informative, great examples. It actually really helped to decide which one would be the right for my working environment. Thank you.

Thanks for reviewing this, been waiting. Now I can decide better. Agree with you that transferring footage in GoPro takes time and obviously 360 footage will take longer time as the bigger file size...

Best review I have seen on these two cameras 👍

Thank you for your helpful videos. I love them!

wow dude.... i wish i had run into this sooner. ive been stressing af trying to decide which of the two to buy. ive watched many videos for the past 2 days and i think you are the one that finally convinced me. ok so i am going to get...... the insta360 one x2.

Bought the X2. Glad with the purchase after viewing your comparison video. I was once a GoPro fan. Now I’m a fan of easy editing. X2 wins.

Thanks for the great video! If possible, can you make a video reviewing the cold weather performance of the One X2? Using the camera for snow sports was one of One X’s biggest problems

I'm gonna have the insta360 one x2 soon, I am learning from this video.

Love the insta 360 x2 but I went for the Max because I have already invested so much in the GoPro ecosystem and plan on using the Max to compliment my Hero 9.

Dziękuję za porównanie tych kamer. Pozdrawiam :)

Great video buddy! You helped me decide quickly!

Thanks for the video! Nice comparison. For your future videos, please include more recordings of street scenes with cars. My litmus test of video quality is to see how clearly a camera records a license plate number. In my personal experience, the hero 8 is leaps and bounds better than the Insta360 OneR 4K lense on this test.

Great video, congrats. Question: both can be carry in drones? And more important, can I convert the 360 real images in a virtual reality images? For example capture a real house and transformed in VR images? Thanks!

I have had the Max for ~6 months. Plenty of “tough on the camera” kite foiling and wing foiling footage. No issues at all. The work flow isn’t too bad since you can trim out the clips you want to save right on the camera before transferring them to the app for rendering. I might have just 3 min of video worth using out of 30 min. No sense having to transfer 30 min of video into the app. The one thing I really miss with GoPro are all the great special effects you can do with the Insta 360. I’d love to do some easy “trailing clone” shots. Looks super easy with the Insta 360 app. Much more cumbersome work flow to do it with external editors on Max footage. Hopefully GoPro will up their game and add some “Shot Lab” features to their app

Thanks SO much for your GREAT work. Helped me decide with no hype.

Love these reviews mate really helpful. How do you get the blue colour from your light in the background??

Appreciate the detail comparison

Tks for the great comparison. I have been looking at replacing my Garmin Virb as it just doesn’t provide the quality at high speed action on motorbikes. It would be good to show comparison with high speed action, as you highlighted that both are action cameras. This seems to be an area where cameras can let you down, especially on audio too. I’m going to give the 1X2 a go, mainly because of the slim size, editing capability, and the slicker app features when on route and away from base. Thanks for comp and helping me with a decision

Thank you for the comparison. I just purchased the GoPro Max 360 but I am not amazed by its performance. Had a session this weekend on a flight simulator and only the first 15 min were filmed. The camera froze after that and all further video files are just still with the sound only. I found threads online 4 or 5 years old with similar bugs on much older GoPros. I called support and they recommended I install the firmware again.

thanks for this! truly helpful.

Great comparaison 😀I have the same impression that Insta360 was inspired by some features of the MAX : Hero mode, Steadycam, panoshoot, battery capacity : now cameras are very close with indeed some advantages for the One X2 considering the mobile workflow. Regards FAabien

Thanks for this.

Any thoughts on One X2 desktop software?

I sort of have the One X2 (it has been back in Hong Kong for a month being repaired). Something to know, if your Insta360 One X2 has problems, you have to send it back to Hong Kong and wait. As there are no local suppliers in any country they have to go back to Hong Kong. Mine is back there now and they were about to send it back with just a new screen on the back. Mine has many faults and they have finally accepted it is not repairable. I only managed to get about 3 hours filming before it went faulty. I am going to get a refund from them and buy a GoPro as at least they have local suppliers where any issues can be deal with. I did find that most of the effects in the Insta360 app I never used. Mainly used the changing direction while filming as I have the motorcycle kit. A lot of the effects are just gimmicks that never get used.

Great video, although I have found that the MAX does shoot at 25fps if you change the Hz from 60 to 50. Not obvious, but I found that out whilst trying to prevent LED light flicker when filming Christmas lights in the UK :)

Thank u for the great comparison, very helpful video

Thanks for the video. Just one quick question. As an architect we use a certain render software that uses "skybox" or "environment map". Do you have any idea that I can use any of these cameras for this purpose?

Great video ! Thank you

Great videos....im a new subscriber. I have my X2 coming on friday. Cant wait for it. I am taking it to my trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro on Jan. 4th 2021.

Hey there. I have a question that I can’t seem to find an answer to. I have had many gopros, and I currently have the Insta360 one R and the GoPro 7 black. While they are different cameras, the GoPro gives me continuous shooting until the battery dies. Generally 3 30 minutes videos and dead. The Insta360 is completely different and decides to turn off when it wants. I never get more than 30 minutes without it shutting down. My question is, is there a 360 camera that will run continuous until it dies? Have you tested this? I race paddle boards and like to get my entire race. I can stop and restart the camera as I am Paddling. Thanks so much!

One VERY important detail (and maybe a deal-breaker for some users like me that want to shoot very long videos) is that the Insta360 creates a new clip every 30min BUT stops recording for 15 seconds before continuing on so, if you are trying to record an event that is 45 minutes, you will end up with a 15 second gap around minute 30.

great GREAT video! this video helped me to make decision so thanks!!!

Amazing video. Thank you!

I've just got the max and is amazing when I paramotor its great to mix my gopros up as I've got 5 . But why doent they just put upgrades in the max , do you think they will .

Great review - a few things I would like to know , where does the SD cars go , what kind of connector , USB C ? , how does it fix to stick ?

Thanks, what's a good budget 360 camera for city tours?

Excellent comparison video.

Great review! I think I will go with one x2 on my motorbike.

i got the insta 360 one x2 and still just learning how to use it ..... thanks for the video

had og one x , the app is amazing, I can edit and output video while taking chair lift right after finishing a lap on mountain.

Do you have any recommendations on 360 cameras for motorcycle riding? Not for the traditional moto vlog, but for scenery rides?

I would like to use the 360 camera for vlogging and the MAX seems to have much better onboard microphone so I think it'll suit my needs better.

Thanks loads. Really useful. So purely in terms of 360 vid. quality. It looked as though the max fared better in low ish light. Is the Log option noticible? Great review btw. Thanks again. Dave

Great video. Thank you

Most important i sold my max to order a x2. Will stitch lines be much better on x2. ? It was terrible on my max

Good review

What do you mean both One X2 and GoPro Max have similar video outputs in Single Lens mode? Clearly the video seems smoother with the GoPro max, a lot less frames missing in the video from One X2.. What is up with that ?

Enjoyed the Video man, appreciate all your input and time you put in to test the two. I'm leaning more towards the insta 360 after watching this, thank you.

Great info! Thanks so much. Think I'm sold on the Insta360, after about 7 GoPro's I've had now. Do you know of any plans for new releases from either company?

Great review, but as you said this is an action camera which means I need it mounted. What options exist for say filming skiing videos in single and 360 modes? Ideally a backpack pole mount?

When editing normal GoPro (with the GoPro 8 for example) videos with the QUIK app it lowers the video to a low bit rate which sucks especially if you want to do extra editing with more professional software. Does it do that with the GoPro max after you use the app to reframe your video? Thanks 🙏🏻

Some bordy can help wich one i have to buy ???? I want to buy one week before x 2

Thanks for the comparison vid! It should be mentioned that the MAX only shoots in 1440p in 4:3 aspect ratio which will be useless to many creators (myself included) so it's pretty much maxed out at 1080p60 for standard flat 16:9.

That was a Stella review .Thankyou very good can you give advice on the horizon lock on both . I’m a long time user of the Garmin 360 VIRB . I’m looking to upgrade from that . In Australia looks pretty good value at $650 A$ . I’m a surf guy the Garmin has been so tough never an issue . How tough is the X2 compared to the Max .

Hey 360 Guy, thanks a lot for this video. It is really helpful. I want to buy the Insta360, but my phone is certainly too weak to edit the images. Can't I just do the editing on my PC?

Can I save the raw 360 video footages from One X2 into my harddrive, for future repeated extract? If so, how do I access that file in the future? Do I have to move it back into the unit, or can the phone app somehow connect to my harddrive?

Are there option do decided the level of digital sharpening like in the normal GoPro Heros: low, medium, high. Or are their in general any Portune or Protune like Options while in 360 mode?

My Max shoots in 25 and 50 FPS. Think it becomes available when you select 50hz in anti flicker settings.

hey ,great video,whats about the software on pc ,wich is the better one?

Great video, thanks. I have the goPro, I like using overcapture with the iPhone app just by moving the phone. Does the Insta360 app have something similar?

which do you recommend for making OneWheel videos?

How's the battery life in freezing temps and normal temps? Are there extended battery options available?

This video is awesome! How about editing in desktop?

I bought a praktica z360 recently, thought it would not be so good , that impressed gonna buy another soon , cheers shaneweightman

How about the gopro max, does have something like viewfinder mode wich insta have ?

3:12 3:22 just looking at the glass panels on the left while cameras panning, obviously Insta360 One X2 has better software algorithm, where Max is showing jittering while One is smooth.

Would you say the video quality difference between the one x2 and max isnt massive?

I've heard on the insta360 that all the effects need to be done on Mobil app, as the desktop software is just an editor.

Got the X2. Awesome.

I ordered the inst360 one r. Did I make a mistake? I never owned a action camera and mostly use iPhone. Need advice . I wanted the x2 but procey

Was looking forward to someone making this compàrison, thanks but shame you only talk about mobile app editing which imho is less pro. Could you include some desktop app talk in the future please? All the best

Hi. I see much more artefacts on the "onex2" in selfie view. Is it coming from the transfert to RU-vid? Are the original shots also flashing around the body like butterflies? Is it a choice for the compression coding?

Do you think there will be a new GoPro Max soon because this comparison isn't really fair given the One X2 just got released

Thanks. I like the Insta360 One X2.

Awesome comparison. Very informative and straight to the point!👍

This is a tough one. Less noise on the GoPro Max... but they do that by blurring the image. You could do the same thing in post to the x2. The audio is much better on the GoPro Max. Image quality is better on one in one example, then worse in the next example. Frustrating to have to decide overall. Especially knowing RU-vid really messes with certain footage and makes it worse to view sometimes. I'm curious how much cleaner the footage is in Premiere vs using the phone apps. Can you do the framing on the phone then import that data with the cleaner video file and apply it in post in Premiere?

Can you use the Insta 360 software on videos taken on GoPro Max?

Thanks for the detailed review! Does the One X2 have a looping feature like the GoPro cameras have? I make fishing videos and this feature is must for me. Thanks for your time!

@5:11, you can really see the difference with the leaves in the grass

Could you please create a vlog type audio test for one x2? I suspect it's audio quality is very poor.

Which one is better to use for snowboarding?

Another minor detail: the MAX was NOT the first 360 camera to have a single lens shoot mode: my old Samsung Gear 360 (2017) has that in 1080p just as the MAX.

I noticed the stitching for the max when he was doing the audio comparison. He seemed to have a subtle bias toward the one X2 until the end. Thanks for the opinion.

Did the X2 a long shutter mode? 4sec for examble?

From your - great ! - comparision I tend towards the x2. But as I will use it on board my sailing yacht water resistance will be an important feature. You meantioned borh cameras are water resistance. But does the resistance of the x2 really protect against water?

To me the audio on the Max was a lot loud and clearer than the X2 which sounded a bit muffled

I would like to thank you, your parents and teachers for your perfect and clear English!👏

thanks!!!

Thanks

What camera are you using to record this video 👀

Great breakdown, GoPro should update the Max’s firmware to match some of the feature of the One X2 IMHO. Unless the Max 2 is already in the oven 😉

X2 video quality to me seems a lot better than MAX... well this is me though. Thanks for the video, it helped a lot... Now only need to decide between Insta360 One R (Twin Edition) or X2 ... any suggestions?