Fitness trackers cover a wide market, from beginner units that never need to charge to more advanced models that track your oxygen levels as you sleep. The best fitness tracker for most people is the Fitbit Charge 3. It’s lightweight, boasts a long battery life, and offers smartphone notifications in addition to fitness tracking. It’s also very affordable. We have plenty of alternatives for anyone who doesn’t fancy the Fitbit, whether you’re seeking a bit more in terms of features, prefer a hybrid, or have a limited budget.
We have reviewed more than 100 different smartwatches and fitness trackers at Digital Trends, and with the lines between categories blurring, these are the ones that really stood out in our testing. For a wider selection of recommended, full-featured wearables for the wrist, check out our picks of the best smartwatches.
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Best fitness trackers at a glance:
- Best overall fitness tracker: Fitbit Charge 3
- Best fitness tracker for Android: Samsung Galaxy Fit
- Best fitness tracker for iOS: Apple Watch Series 4
- Best fitness tracker for kids: Fitbit Ace 2
- Best cheap fitness tracker: Fitbit Inspire
- Best waterproof fitness tracker: Fitbit Charge 3
- Best fitness tracker for sleeping: Garmin Vivosmart 4
Best overall: Fitbit Charge 3
Why you should buy this: You want a fitness tracker with outstanding battery life and a thin, stylish design.
Fitbit Charge 3
The Fitbit Charge 3 is stylish fitness tracker with all the features you really need.
Who it’s for: People with an active lifestyle who want all-day fitness tracking and useful smartwatch features.
Why we picked the Fitbit Charge 3:
There’s a reason why Fitbit is on top of the fitness band market: The company continues to improve its bands by slowly and steadily adding smartwatch features and streamlining design. The Charge 3 is the epitome of this trend in Fitbit’s lineup.
The Charge 3 has a sleek look with a buttonless design that makes the band look thinner than it actually is. It’s an ideal size that is not too big for a woman’s wrist and not too small for a man’s. The concave shape hugs your wrist, and is so light that you don’t even notice that you are wearing it. The band has a grayscale touchscreen display and a button with haptic feedback that serves as the home and back button.
The Charge 3 has Fitbit’s full suite of fitness tracking features including all-day heart rate monitoring, all-day step counting, SmartTrack to automatically recognize workouts, and even menstrual cycle tracking for women that can be added as an option to the dashboard. All these metrics can be viewed in the Fitbit app, which still has the best app interface for health and wellness tracking.
The wearable also has a handy auto-stop feature that pauses your exercise when you encounter an intersection or have to tie your shoe. It also uses new goal-based exercise modes that let you set a goal and track how far or how long you need to go to complete it. On the smart notification side, the Charge 3 can receive and respond to text messages, answer or reject calls, and even get social media and email notifications. It’s as close to a smartwatch you can get in the fitness band form factor.
Best for Android: Samsung Galaxy Fit
Why you should buy this: You want a comfortable fitness band with a vivid display and reliable fitness tracking.
Samsung Galaxy Fit
The Galaxy Fit is a more-than-capable wearable that remains the best fitness-tracking option for Android users.
Who it’s for: Any Android user who’s teetering between a fitness band or a smartwatch.
Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy Fit:
Samsung’s Galaxy Fit nails the basics, making it an outstanding choice for the casual athlete looking for a reliable tracker. The first thing you notice is the Fit’s vivid and colorful 0.95-inch AMOLED display. Though small, the use of colors in the Gorilla Glass-encased screen makes it easy to distinguish between metrics while you are exercising. The Fit has a touchscreen interface that is responsive and easy to navigate. We wish you could tap on the screen to wake up the tracker, but that is a minor quibble. You can easily raise your wrist or press the side button if you need to illuminate the display.
Fitness tracking is another highlight of the Galaxy Fit. There are over 90 different workouts you can add to the watch, and six that you can track automatically. The automatic detection was one of our favorite features. It allows you to start exercising without having to fuss with the watch and shows you data like distance, pace, and elapsed time. We also appreciate the inactivity reminders that gently reminded us to get out of our chair and spend some time moving.
Priced at under $100, the Samsung Galaxy Fit is not only the best fitness wearable for Android users; it’s also one of the best values in a fitness wearable currently available.
Best for iOS: Apple Watch Series 4
Why you should buy this: You want the absolute best fitness tracker and smartwatch for use with iOS.
Apple Watch Series 4
It’s pricey, yes. But the Apple Watch Series 4 can do it all.
Who it’s for: Any iPhone user who is looking for a full-featured smartwatch that also tracks fitness activity.
Why we picked the Apple Watch Series 4
For iOS users who have the money to spend, there is no question the Apple Watch Series 4 is the best full-featured fitness tracker available. Like the iPhone itself, Apple’s wearable has a good deal of support from third-party developers, with every significant fitness app offering compatibility. The Watch also found a way to deftly mix features and fashion into a single wearable device, offering all-day battery life and a host of features that are tough to find on any competing device.
The chief upgrade for the Series 4 over the previous-generation Apple Watches is the electrocardiogram (ECG) app, which has been certified by the Food & Drug Administration, making the Apple Watch Series 4 the first over-the-counter ECG alternative for consumers. The latest Apple Watch also offers a larger screen and two-times better performance over the Series 3.
We all know the Apple Watch delivers plenty of functionality, but its more fitness-oriented features include GPS tracking, an altimeter that records changes in altitude, and onboard heart rate monitoring. It’s also waterproof down to 50 meters, offers support for a vast number of workout types, and even reminds you to stand after periods of inactivity. Throw in Bluetooth connectivity with wireless headphones and greatly improved Siri support, and you have a smartwatch that’s head-and-shoulders above just about anything else on the market.
All of this comes at a price. The Apple Watch Series 4 starts at $399 and goes up from there depending on size, the style of the band, and the inclusion of cellular connectivity. For those who already live in Apple’s ecosystem, this is just another extension of that platform, offering versatility and convenience in a stylish package.
Best fitness tracker for kids: Fitbit Ace 2
Why you should buy this: The Fitbit Ace 2 is high on the fun factor, making it a no-brainer for kids on the move.
Fitbit Ace 2 Kids Activity Tracker (Fitbit)
A fun fitness tracker to get your kids moving.
Who it’s for: Parents looking for a fitness tracker for the 12 and under crowd.
Why we picked the Fitbit Ace 2:
Fitbit nailed it with its kid’s fitness tracker, the Ace 2. We strapped two of the fitness trackers on our kids, and the pair survived being dropped, stepped on, lost in the backyard for a week and more. The tracker has a soft band that fits comfortably on a kid’s wrist and is adjustable to accommodate a variety of sizes. We had no problem fitting it on kids ranging from 5 to 11 years old. The band is available in either Night Sky and Neon Yellow or Watermelon Teal, and is replaceable if it breaks or your child wants a different color. The Ace 2 also is waterproof up to 50 meters, a must-have feature for kids who like to jump into the pool, pond, or ocean.
The tracker has a kid-friendly interface that tracks steps, active minutes, and sleep. You can choose between a variety of different clock faces from a simple digital watch face to animated faces that change as the child reaches their fitness goal. The spaceship animation was a favorite among the kids. The watch has several data screens that show the daily step count and active minutes. These real-time stats allow kids to track how much they move during the day and whether they are close to reaching their goals. At night, kids can get reminders to go to bed and see how long they sleep each night.
The watch syncs to the companion Fitbit app, either using the parent’s device or the child’s mobile device. The dashboard is customized for kids with an easy-to-use interface that shows the child’s stats with little to no social features. Kids can view messages from parent-approved friends, but there is no tie-in to Facebook or any other social network. If the child has a phone, then the watch can be configured to receive messages from these trusted contacts.
Best cheap fitness tracker: Fitbit Inspire
Why you should buy this: The Fitbit Inspire is a sub-$100 fitness tracker that’s high on features and performance.
Fitbit Inspire HR
The Inspire is a no-nonsense tracker that covers basic fitness tracking and more at an affordable price.
Who it’s for: Budget shoppers who want a basic fitness tracker for steps, sleep, and overall fitness.
Why we picked the Fitbit Inspire:
The sub-$100 Fitbit Inspire is ideal if you’re looking for a budget fitness tracker — few fitness bands on the market deliver the same core features at this price. You can use the band to track your steps, workouts, sleep, weight, water, and stress (HR model only). It’s a step up from other affordable fitness bands that have limited tracking and a simplistic display. Speaking of the display, it is a perfect size for a stylish device. It is big enough to allow you to view incoming alerts and exercise statistics but small enough to not look overly big on your wrist.
It’s a no-nonsense wearable that helps you improve your fitness while looking great on your wrist. The tracker is so compact and lightweight that you hardly feel it on your wrist. It has a clean, rounded look which is a refreshing change from Fitbit’s older boxy designs. The Inspire model also uses Fitbit’s quick-change bands allowing you to change the look of the device in an instant. Want to go out to dinner? No problem. Just swap out the sports band for the classic mesh metal band before you hit the town.
Fitbit launched the Inspire as a series that include both the entry-level Inspire and Inspire HR. The most significant difference between the Inspire and the Inspire HR is the wrist-based heart rate monitor on the HR model. This feature adds $30 to the price tag of the device and enables advanced metrics like resting heart rate and stress management. With a price tag under $100, there is little reason not to recommend either the $100 Inspire HR or the $70 Inspire for someone looking to track their fitness with minimal investment.
Best waterproof fitness tracker: Fitbit Charge 3
Why you should buy this: The Fitbit Charge 3 is waterproof up to and can track basic metrics when you are swimming.
Fitbit Charge 3
The Fitbit Charge 3 is waterproof and able to track your swimming.
Who it’s for: Fitness enthusiasts who want to go to the beach or swim in the pool with their fitness tracker.
Why we picked the Fitbit Charge 3:
We extolled the virtues of the Fitbit Charge 3 as our overall best pick for a fitness tracker, so we won’t rehash all the benefits of the device. Instead, we will focus on another area where the Charge 3 shines, and that is in the water. The fitness tracker is water resistant up to 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the shower. It’s a major improvement over the Charge 2 which was splash resistant and required you to take it off when you were encountering more than just a casual brush with water.
The Charge 3 not only can be worn in the water, but it also tracks your swimming. You can choose swimming from the list of exercises or allow the device to auto-detect your swims. You have to swim in a pool for the Charge 3 to track the laps and distance. Though you can swim with the Charge 3 in open water, it won’t track laps or distance. We swam in different sized pools and appreciated the option to set the pool length and choose between meters or yards for our distances. Our only gripe with the swim tracking is the heart rate monitor — Fitbit turns it off in the pool because of problems measuring the heart rate underwater. Accuracy underwater is an issue with other trackers, so Fitbit is not alone in disabling heart rate tracking while swimming.
Best fitness tracker for sleeping: Garmin Vivosmart 4
Why you should buy this: The Garmin Vivosmart 4 has a pulse oximeter that can help you identify sleep disturbances.
Garmin vivosmart 4
Pulse oximeter sets the Garmin Vivosmart 4 apart from its competition.
$110 BUY FROM AMAZON
Who it’s for: People looking to track the duration and the quality of their sleep.
Why we picked the Garmin Vivosmart 4:
The Garmin Vivosmart 4 is a very capable fitness tracker that stands out from the crowd because of its sleep tracking. Like most wearables, the Vivosmart 4 uses movement sensors and heart rate data to break down your sleep into stages. The tracker can tell how many hours you slept and you how long you were in REM, light, or deep sleep. It also records how restless your sleep was and how often you were awoken in the night. Its accuracy was uncanny; whenever we woke up tired, a quick glance at our sleep stats usually showed several periods of restlessness where we were waking up in the middle of the night and not even realizing it.
Not only does the Vivosmart 4 track sleep stages, but it also has a pulse oximeter which measures blood oxygen levels throughout the night. These values can be used to help identify sleep disturbances like apnea. For most people, their blood oxygen levels stay well above 90% both during the day and at night when they sleep. People with apnea have periods of sleep where their oxygen levels dip below 90% due to an obstruction or some other physical condition that affects their breathing. In response to the low oxygen, their body jolts them awake causing them to wake up, change their position, and take a deep breath. This apnea episode can happen multiple times each night without the person realizing it.
Both this movement and the low oxygen levels can be detected by the Vivosmart 4 tracker. The tracker is not sensitive enough nor does it track the other parameters necessary to diagnosis sleep apnea. To get a medical diagnosis, you need an in-depth sleep study. The Vivosmart 4 can, however, provides you with valuable preliminary data that you can bring to your doctor. He or she then can decide if it is indicative of a sleep disturbance and worth further treatment.
Should you buy one now?
Now is as good a time as any to buy a fitness band. Battery life is improving, built-in GPS tracking is far more common, and heart rate monitors are making their way onto more devices to ensure accurate measurements. The tech isn’t likely to advance too dramatically, for now, so you’d likely get several years out of the options listed — if you stick with them.
The biggest detraction to buying a fitness band is that you may not use it enough to justify spending the money on pricier options like the Apple Watch. Those are recommended for fitness buffs who are actually going to use them to track workouts and train for races like triathlons or 5Ks. The rest of the bands on the list are suited better for a more casual crowd looking to monitor their fitness levels and maybe lose a little weight.
Are wrist fitness trackers accurate?
One of the biggest complaints people have with fitness trackers is their accuracy. Wrist fitness trackers are not 100% accurate in step count or heart rate tracking. Fitness trackers use sensors like an accelerometer or an altimeter to calculate step counts and stair climbs. These sensors are not fail-proof — they can and do make mistakes. Any movement of the wrist, when you are driving, for example, can cause the tracker to tack on steps or stairs when you are not walking. Sometimes you’ll miss out on steps especially when your feet are moving and your hands are still. We encounter this issue with missing steps whenever we use a treadmill desk. Ultimately, steps and stair count should be used as a loose guideline to gauge your overall activity level and not a step-by-step assessment of your day.
The same principle applies to heart rate tracking. When compared to a chest strap heart rate monitor, the wrist-based monitors fall short. They do a decent job of measuring your average heart rate but struggle to detect quick changes in heart rate. If you are going from a standstill to a sprint, the chest strap accurately detects the sudden increase in your heart rate. A wrist-based monitor, though, struggles to keep up with rapid changes and will often lag, showing the spike in heart rate a few seconds after it actually happens. For most people, this lag won’t be a deal breaker, but it is a concern for athletes who are using heart rate tracking to gauge their effort during an exercise.
Do all fitness trackers need a smartphone?
Yes and no. Almost all fitness trackers require you to sync the data from the tracker to the app that collects the data and analyzes it for you. Most people sync to their tablet or smartphone, but you also can sync to your computer. Connecting to a computer is not as convenient as syncing to a smartphone but it can be done. Some smartwatches like the Apple Watch have Wi-Fi and cellular and can perform most functions without a smartphone. In the end, you’ll want a smartphone for convenience but you don’t necessarily need one.
Can fitness trackers measure blood pressure?
Fitness trackers can measure your heart rate, but most cannot measure your blood pressure. There are a handful of wearable blood pressure devices, but none of the major manufacturers like Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, Polar, or Apple have integrated blood pressure into their products.
How long do fitness trackers last?
Fitness trackers can last up to five years. Problems with the battery charging and broken parts like the strap and the screen ultimately lead to their demise.
What is connected GPS?
Only a few fitness trackers have GPS built into the tracker that allows you to record the route that you run, cycle, or walk without needing your phone. To cut costs and extend battery life, most fitness trackers do not have built-in GPS. They instead use connected GPS to record your route using the connection to your phone. With connected GPS, the tracker connects to the mobile app on your phone and uses that app to track your GPS coordinates during an outdoors activity.
How we test
We test fitness bands just like we test smartwatches. That means using them every day and testing out all the marquee features. We strap them to our wrists (no matter how silly they look) and walk around town with them, take them to bed with us, and hit the gym to test out the workout features. It’s also key to pair them with different phones and test the experience when the band is connected to phones different operating systems.
If a fitness band is water-resistant, we dunk it in water, and if it has GPS, we go on a hike. A fitness band’s companion app is also essential because it can mean the difference between getting fit or throwing your new band in the garbage.
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