The 11 Best Fitness Trackers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Watch combines style and functionality

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Best Fitness Trackers

Verywell Fit / David Hattan

Whether you’re an avid exerciser, a competitive goal-setter, or a health-minded individual, a fitness tracker can be a great investment. The best fitness trackers offer a fun and intuitive way to help you set goals and measure your progress. They can also help you keep track of other metrics, like sleep, readiness, body temperature, and more. 

According to Kira Jones, CPT, founder of Cacti Wellness Collective, the main benefit of wearing a fitness tracker is that you’re able to get tangible data about your fitness and overall health. “Knowledge is power,” she says, “and if you have specific goals you’re working toward, fitness trackers are a very effective way to track your progress.” They’re also a great tool for staying motivated and accountable. 

The most important thing to consider when purchasing a fitness tracker is accuracy and metrics—you want to choose a device that fits your activity level, lifestyle, and overall goals, Jones says. You should also look for a tracker that’s easy to use and comfortable to wear, to make it worth the investment.

To find the best fitness trackers, we tested 14 of the most popular devices, using and evaluating them at home over the span of one month. Our editors—each with different fitness backgrounds, health concerns, and lifestyle goals—tested one tracker apiece. We assessed each device based on its noteworthy features and rated it on a scale of 1 (would not recommend) to 5 (highly recommend) for ease of setup, comfort, ease of use, accuracy, and value. A certified personal trainer from our Review Board reviewed the contents of this article to ensure accurate information and claims surrounding the potential benefits of these devices and which metrics can be reliably tracked.

Best Overall

Garmin Vivomove Sport

4.9
garmin vivomove sport

Garmin

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4.9/5
  • Comfort
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.7/5
  • Accuracy
    5/5
  • Value
    5/5
Pros
  • Competitive price

  • Wide range of colors

  • Sleek design

Cons
  • Limited iOS compatibility

The best fitness trackers provide accurate data to help users make informed decisions about their lifestyles and meet their health and fitness goals. Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Watch is our top overall pick for its accuracy, comfort, ease of use, and so much more. Whether it was step count, calories burned, or time spent sleeping, we found the metrics to be spot on. 

But the smart device doesn’t stop there. It tracks other in-depth statistics—like blood oxygen saturation, stress levels, menstrual cycles, and more—to provide a holistic view of your overall health and fitness. It also alerts you with reminders to relax, detects incidents during select activities, counts reps during gym sessions, and has running-, cycling-, and swimming-specific features. You can receive call, text, and calendar notifications directly on the watch, too. But note that you can only respond to texts if you have an Android phone.  

When we began testing, we found this watch easy to set up and pair to the Garmin Connect App, where you can view all of your data and daily insights. We appreciated the app’s clear display of metrics that are easy to understand. Other notable features include the 5-day battery life and water resistance rating of 5 ATM (meaning you can wear the device up to 164 feet underwater). But it’s worth noting that other picks on our list, like the Oura Ring Gen 3 and Garmin Instinct 2, can hold a charge for longer and have a higher ATM rating.  

If you’re looking for a well-rounded view of your health and fitness through a fitness tracker that’s intuitive, comfortable, and accurate—all at a competitive price—we recommend Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Hybrid Smartwatch. 

Price at time of publication: $180 

Key Specs: 
Battery Life:
Up to 5 days | Water Resistance: 5 ATM (up to 164 feet underwater) | GPS: No

Garmin Vivomove Sport Watch

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Tammy Gardini

Best for Running

COROS Pace 2 GPS Sports Watch

4.9
COROS Pace 2 GPS Sports Watch

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4.7/5
  • Comfort
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.8/5
  • Accuracy
    4.9/5
  • Value
    5/5
Pros
  • Lightweight

  • Adjustable fit

  • Long battery life

Cons
  • Settings can be overwhelming

Coros’ Pace 2 GPS Sport Watch is one of the best running watches because it tracks your location, distance, pace, time, stride length, and more. We found that it was accurate, regardless of the type of run we completed during testing. It’s known for being one of the lightest GPS watches available, and we can agree that the device is featherweight and barely noticeable. 

If you supplement your runs with strength training, Coros’ Pace 2 offers over 200 pre-programmed exercises for the upper body, lower body, core work, and more. It also provides a post-workout muscle heatmap, so you can see which muscle groups you worked the hardest in a daily, weekly, or monthly view. Other helpful metrics include heart rate, sleep, and body temperature. 

The device also provides you with phone notifications and caller ID and connects to third-party apps like StravaApple Health, and more. And just like our best overall pick, Coros’ Pace 2 has a water resistance rating of 5 ATM, so it’s safe to wear for laps on the track and in the pool. But while our best overall pick only has a battery life of up to five days, this watch can last up to 20 days on a single charge. 

Throughout testing, we relied on many of the watch's ample tracking capabilities—like steps, heart rate, calories burned, time, elevation, best mile, average pace, heart rate, stride length, and GPS. These helped us to set, track, and beat our running PRs. But the watch also had some settings—like floors climbed, triathlon tracking, and open water swimming—that we didn’t get much use out of. 

We recommend this pick for runners, strength trainers, and fitness enthusiasts. But for those more interested in wellness, you’ll benefit from a product like Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Hybrid Smartwatch because of its in-depth health metrics. 

Price at time of publication: $199 

Key Specs: 
Battery Life:
Up to 20 days | Water Resistance: 5 ATM (up to 164 feet underwater) | GPS: Yes

Coros Pace 2 GPS Sports Watch

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Holly Klamer

Best Low-Profile

Fitbit Inspire 3

4.5
fitbit-inspire-3

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4.4/5
  • Comfort
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Accuracy
    4.2/5
  • Value
    5/5
Pros
  • Competitive price

  • Lightweight

  • Easy to use

Cons
  • Step counter is slightly sensitive

For beginners or those looking for a budget-friendly, low-profile fitness tracker, we recommend Fitbit’s Inspire 3 for its ease of use, comfort, and overall value. It tracks distance, calories burned, heart rate, and other helpful statistics. But we found the step counter to be slightly sensitive, logging steps during other activities like making the bed. 

Menstrual health tracking is a common feature in many of the best fitness trackers, and the Inspire 3 lets you log periods, record symptoms, estimate ovulation, and evaluate cycle patterns in the Fitbit app. In the app, you can also view helpful wellness metrics like sleep and stress management scores, as well as participate in guided breathing sessions and workouts. But it’s important to note that after the free 1-year Fitbit Premium Membership, you’ll have to pay around $10 per month to get access to most key features, such as a daily Readiness score, a Stress Management score, and access to Fitbit's workouts on the app—which provide value to the data and metrics. 

While testing the Fitbit Inspire 3, we received irregular heart rate alerts and reminders to move, as well as call, text, and app notifications. The notifications came as a near-silent vibration that was enough to make us notice without disrupting our day. But when a slew of texts came through during the night, the soft vibration did wake us up once or twice. While a middle-of-the-night alert isn’t ideal, we do love the vibrating alarm that woke us up during our most optimal sleep stage—it helped us feel more refreshed throughout the day. 

Price at time of publication: $99

Key Specs: 
Battery Life:
Up to 10 days | Water Resistance: 5 ATM (up to 164 feet underwater) | GPS: No

Fitbit Inspire 3

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Sarah Felbin

Best for Training

Polar Vantage V2 Smartwatch

4.4
Polar Vantage V2 Smartwatch

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Comfort
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.9/5
  • Accuracy
    4.8/5
  • Value
    3.6/5
Pros
  • Waterproof up to 328 feet

  • Unique recovery features

  • Advanced tracking

Cons
  • Expensive

  • Shorter battery life

Featuring performance and recovery tests, Polar’s Vantage V2 Smartwatch offers a unique way to track your training progress. Performance tests allow you to track performance through heart rate, speed, and power metrics. We found these insights helpful to understand whether or not we should exert more energy during any given activity. For example, if our heart rate was not super high during a workout, we would know to ramp things up. And the leg recovery test prompts you through three guided countermovement jumps to estimate your leg muscle recovery status.

Throughout testing, we used this watch to track heart rate, steps, and calories burned. It provided accurate metrics during runs, strength training, and other activities. We also love how the device alerts you if you're training too much or not enough. It also provides more than just numbers—it tells you which energy sources (carbs, proteins, or fats) were consumed during each workout, but according to our nutrition editor, this information is not going to be that accurate coming from a smartwatch.   

This wearable also provides a daily sleep score to help determine how ready you are for the day. We really liked the sleep tracking feature to give us a better picture of how much time we spent in each stage of our sleep cycle each night, which provided us with a better understanding of our restfulness each day.  And we love that it’s waterproof up to 328 feet—double the ATM of our top overall pick. But if you’re not an athlete or training on a daily basis, we think you can save money and spend it on a more well-rounded tracker, like Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Hybrid Smartwatch.

Price at time of publication: $490 

Key Specs:
Battery Life:
Up to 100 hours | Water Resistance: 10 ATM (up to 328 feet underwater) | GPS: Yes

Polar Vantage 2 Smartwatch

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Justin Javier

Most Stylish

Garmin Lily

4.6
Garmin Lily

Garmin

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4/5
  • Comfort
    4.5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Accuracy
    5/5
  • Value
    4.5/5
Pros
  • Wide range of colors

  • Sleek design

  • Accurate

Cons
  • Limited activity tracking

  • Limited iOS compatibility

If style and functionality are important to you, we recommend Garmin’s Lily Watch. It’s sleek, comes in a variety of colors, and provides accurate metrics to help you reach your goals. This smartwatch, like many other products on our list, measures steps, sleep, stress, and energy levels. We used it to set, track, and reach fitness goals. And we appreciate the pre-programmed workouts that encouraged us to change up our workout routines and try something new. 

The Lily also provides text, email, call, and calendar alerts from your phone to your wrist in real-time. But note that you can only respond to texts on the watch if you have an Android phone.  

What sets this wearable apart—besides its stylish design—is the morning report feature that provides a summary of the weather outside, your energy level, step goals, menstrual cycle stage, and the first calendar event for each day. We also enjoyed the built-in apps for yoga, cardio, walking, and mindful breathing—which have become a regular part of our routine. And just like our best overall pick, you can download the Garmin Connect App to view all of your health data and insights at a glance—which we found intuitive and easy to digest. 

We appreciate that Garmin’s Lily Watch is easy to use, comfortable, and accurate in tracking your blood oxygen saturation, hydration, and more. It has a battery life of up to five days and a water resistance rating of 5ATM, just like the Vivomove Sport. At an average price compared to other fitness trackers on our list, we think this one’s a great choice for anyone who's looking to gain insight into their health, track progress, and reach goals (while looking stylish at the same time). 

Price at time of publication: $200 

Key Specs:
Battery Life:
Up to 5 days | Water Resistance: 5 ATM (up to 164 feet underwater)  | GPS: No

Garmin Lily Watch

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Lily Moe

Best Battery Life

Withings ScanWatch Hybrid Smartwatch & Activity Tracker

4.4
Withings ScanWatch Hybrid Smartwatch & Activity Tracker

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4.5/5
  • Comfort
    4.2/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.7/5
  • Accuracy
    4.4/5
  • Value
    4/5
Pros
  • Sleek design

  • Wide range of colors

  • Comes with carry case and extra band

Cons
  • Slightly bulky

  • Step counter is slightly sensitive

Withings’ Scanwatch reaches a full charge in one night or less and stays charged for up to 30 days, making it our top pick for the best battery life. After the first day of wear, the battery was down to 18% because the device wasn’t fully charged upon arrival. But after just one overnight charge, the Scanwatch is charged for the full 30 days. 

It’s an easy-to-use, sleek, and reliable fitness tracker that boasts advanced health-tracking capabilities. We especially love the reminders to stand up, which anyone who works at a desk all day can benefit from—we definitely did! Throughout testing, we received notifications to “unwind,” “take 100 steps,” and “go on a lunch walk.” You can also set the watch to wake you up at the most optimal time of your sleep cycle each morning—we found this feature easy to set up in the app. But the alarm is so gentle that, for deep sleepers, we recommend setting a louder backup alarm. 

This wearable (like many others on our list) accurately tracks distance, heart rate, blood oxygen level, menstrual cycles, sleep, and more. We love that for each metric, you can find an explanation of what it is and why it's important on the compatible Withings Health Mate App. But during testing, we did find that the step counter was sensitive, counting other movements as steps, like Fitbit’s Inspire 3 Fitness Tracker

A water resistance rating of 5 ATM means that you can wear this tracker for laps in the pool or ocean up to 164 feet deep. We recognize that this isn’t our most budget-friendly pick, but for its high-quality design, impressive metric tracking, and long-lasting battery life, we think it’s worth the investment. 

Price at time of publication: $300 

Key Specs: 
Battery Life:
Up to 30 days | Water Resistance: 5 ATM (up to 164 feet underwater) | GPS: Yes

Withings ScanWatch Hybrid Smartwatch & Activity Tracker

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Abigail Moore

Best GPS Tracking

Fitbit Charge 5

4.7
Fitbit Charge 5

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4.1/5
  • Comfort
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.6/5
  • Accuracy
    3.7/5
  • Value
    4.7/5
Pros
  • Competitive price

  • Durable

  • Lightweight

Cons
  • Calorie tracker may be inaccurate

Fitbit’s Charge 5, the brand’s most advanced wearable, is a heavy-duty version of the Inspire 3. It allows you to run, hike, and ride phone-free, thanks to its built-in GPS that tracks distance and pace in real-time. After a run, we could see our pace and heart rate zones at different points throughout our route laid out on a visual map in the Fitbit app, which was a really unique feature and one that would be helpful if you’re training for a marathon or just really like to see visualizations of your metrics. 

We wore this wearable for various types of activities throughout testing, like CrossFit and strength training sessions. We found that most metrics were precise but noticed that the watch slightly overestimated the amount of calories burned when it came to activities that weren’t running or walking. 

The device is so lightweight (0.06 pounds) and comfortable that we barely noticed it was on during testing. But this Fitbit doesn’t just stop at tracking fitness-related metrics. You can also view your sleep, stress, and readiness scores on the app to develop a better understanding of how to tackle each day. 

Just like the Inspire 3, Fitbit’s Charge 5 can wake you up with a soft vibration at the most optimal point in your sleep cycle, as well as deliver call, text, app, and calendar notifications from your phone. We also like that you can log your mood each day in the app. But it’s important to note that after the free six-month Fitbit Premium Membership trial, you’ll have to pay around $10 per month to access most of the valuable tracking metrics.

Price at time of publication: $149

Key Specs: 
Battery Life:
Up to 7 days | Water Resistance: 5 ATM (up to 164 feet underwater) | GPS: Yes

Fitbit Charge 5

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Michael Navarro

Best Investment

Apple Watch Ultra

4.6
Apple Watch Ultra

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    3.9/5
  • Comfort
    3.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.7/5
  • Accuracy
    4.7/5
  • Value
    4.4/5
Pros
  • Customizable

  • Advanced metric tracking

  • Easily syncs to Apple ecosystem

Cons
  • Expensive

  • May be too bulky for some

We had high expectations for this pick, as the Apple Watch Ultra is one of the most well-known fitness trackers on the market. And after one month of rigorous testing, we can confidently recommend this product to fitness fanatics looking to invest in a top-quality tech wearable. But for the more casual user, we’d recommend Garmin’s Vivomove or Lily, as the Ultra might be too bulky and advanced. It’s one of the heaviest devices on our list (0.14 pounds), and we found it uncomfortable to sleep in and cumbersome for daily wear.   

We love that the device is fully loaded, featuring a GPS antenna, safety siren, compass, dual speakers, three microphones, and a side button that allows you to make emergency calls in seconds. We also found that it has spot-on tracking capabilities: Monitor your heart rate variability, running form, track detection, underwater depth gauge, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, sleep cycles, and more. If you’re already a part of Apple’s ecosystem, it’ll easily and seamlessly pair with your other devices. We’re able to receive iPhone notifications like texts, calendar reminders, and even news notifications, all right on our wrists. 

It’s the most advanced product that we tested—touting unique measurements like depth gauge and water temperature sensors; the most safety out of any product that we tested; the highest level functionality with Apple products; and so much more. So if you’re invested in your health and fitness, it might be worth investing in this product. Despite all of the bells and whistles, we appreciate that the metrics and scores are easily digestible in the Apple Health App and Apple Fitness+ App. And we also love that you can customize the band and face of your watch to match your personal style. 

Price at time of publication: $799 

Key Specs:
Battery Life:
Up to 60 hours | Water Resistance: 10 ATM (up to 328 feet underwater) | GPS: Yes

Apple Watch Ultra

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Donna Freydkin

Best for Sleep

Oura Ring Gen3

4.2
Oura Ring Generation 3, Heritage Gold

Oura

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4.9/5
  • Comfort
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    3.6/5
  • Accuracy
    3.8/5
  • Value
    3.2/5
Pros
  • Sleek design

  • Easy to use

  • Lightweight

Cons
  • Limited activity tracking

If tracking your sleep, readiness, and menstrual cycle is your top priority, the Oura Ring Gen 3 might be for you. This lightweight, stylish wearable uses tiny sensors to transmit helpful health data from your finger to your phone in a matter of seconds. It uses factors like total sleep time, efficiency, restfulness, and time spent in each sleep cycle to provide daily sleep and readiness scores in the Oura App, although you’ll need to pay $5.99 per month for a membership. 

The ring also provides a daily activity score that’s created using your inactivity time, training frequency, and more. While we loved this tracker for sleep, we found that its activity tracking was limited and inaccurate. During testing, the ring correctly recorded walking as an activity but provided the wrong time, distance, and calories. And when we did other workouts, like Pilates or yoga, it didn’t record any activity at all. 

The Oura Ring Gen 3 is an investment but one worth making if you’re interested in in-depth sleep and menstrual cycle tracking. We love that it connects to Natural Cycles, an app that helps you cycle-sync your workouts by tracking each phase of your menstrual cycle. But if fitness tracking is your main goal, we recommend Fitbit’s Charge 5 or Polar’s Vantage V2 Smartwatch.

Price at time of publication: $299-$349 

Key Specs:
Battery Life: Up to 7 days | Water Resistance: 10 ATM (up to 328 feet underwater) | GPS: No

Oura Ring Gen 3

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Michelle Parente

Best Budget

Amazfit Band 7

4.1
Amazfit Band 7

Amazfit

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    3.4/5
  • Comfort
    3.7/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.3/5
  • Accuracy
    4.4/5
  • Value
    4.5/5
Pros
  • Lightweight

  • Charges quickly

  • Sleek design

Cons
  • Doesn’t track workouts automatically

The Amazfit Band 7 is one of the best budget fitness trackers on the market because it’s affordable but still provides helpful health data. We especially love this band for its accurate sleep, stress, and fitness tracking. It is important to note that, unlike Garmin’s Vivomove Sport, you have to press a button on the Amazfit in order for it to record a workout, but it’s quick and easy to do. 

Despite its featherweight feel and streamlined look, the Amazfit has rather impressive features: alerts for abnormal heart rate, blood oxygen level, and stress, over 120 sport modes, an 18-day battery life, and more. We also love that you can set it to track your menstrual cycle and view your statistics from the easy-to-navigate Zepp App

What this band doesn't have (that others like the Apple Watch Ultra or Polar’s Vantage V2 Smartwatch do) is additional in-depth health metrics, GPS capabilities, and recovery tracking. But if you want a high-quality tracker at a budget-friendly price, this pick is for you. 

Price at time of publication: $50 

Key Specs:
Battery Life:
Up to 18 days | Water Resistance: 5 ATM (up to 164 feet underwater) | GPS: No

Amazfit Band 7

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Jeffrey Corona

Most Durable

Garmin Instinct 2

4.2
garmin instinct

Garmin

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4/5
  • Comfort
    4/5
  • Ease of Use
    4/5
  • Accuracy
    5/5
  • Value
    4/5
Pros
  • Detailed GPS tracking

  • Long battery life

  • Easy to use

Cons
  • Expensive

  • Limited iOS compatibility

The third Garmin product on our list, the Instinct 2, combines all the features that we love from the Vivomove and Lily in one heavy-duty wearable. It tracks sleep, stress, menstrual cycles, fitness, and more. Whether we were hiking, climbing, or running, the metrics the watch and the Garmin Connect App provided were always spot-on. 

Designed for adventure, this rugged GPS watch is water-resistant up to 328 feet, thermal- and shock-resistant, and features a strong case with a scratch-resistant glass face. We recommend this fitness tracker for skiers, hikers, swimmers, and other outdoor fitness enthusiasts because of its 28-day battery life, multiple global navigation satellite systems, and reference point feature that will help you find your way. 

Although the Instinct 2 is packed with features, its intuitive interface is easy to use and understand. It’s one of the higher-priced items on our list, but with so many unique elements (like daily workout suggestions and compatibility with mobile apps like Starbucks), we think it’s well worth the money. 

Price at time of publication: $350 

Key Specs:
Battery Life:
Up to 28 days | Water Resistance: 10 ATM (up to 328 feet underwater) | GPS: Yes

Garmin Instinct 2

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Mathieu Jean-Lubin

How We Rated the Fitness Trackers

4.8 to 5 stars: These are the best fitness trackers we tested. We recommend them without reservation.
4.5 to 4.7 stars: These fitness trackers are excellent—they might have minor flaws, but we still recommend them.
4.0 to 4.5 stars: We think these are great fitness trackers, but others are better.
3.5 to 3.9 stars: These fitness trackers are just average.
3.4 and below: We don't recommend fitness trackers with this rating; you won't find any on our list.

Garmin Lily Watch

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Lily Moe

We Also Tested

We tested 14 fitness trackers in total but only included 11 in our final list of recommendations. While these three trackers missed the mark in one or more key categories, we did find some features worth mentioning. 

  • Fitbit’s Sense 2 is easy to set up and use, and its lightweight, low-profile design wears comfortably. But this rather basic device lacks the advanced functionality that its competitors have. 
  • We found Garmin’s Venu Sq 2 Smartwatch easy to set up and comfortable to wear. But the device was inconsistent when it came to tracking activities like running—a major drawback, especially for a more expensive fitness tracker.  
  • A budget-friendly pick, Amazon’s Halo Fitness Tracker is lightweight, comfortable, and might be a decent option for beginners. But it’s a hassle to set up and often provides inaccurate metrics, so we ultimately do not recommend this device. 

How We Tested the Fitness Trackers

Fitness trackers require long-term, daily use in order to adapt to your lifestyle and deliver the most accurate metrics. So instead of testing tech wearables for one day in The Verywell Testing Lab, our team of fitness editors tested fitness trackers at home over a one-month testing period. 

When the trackers first arrived, we assessed their setup, noting how seamless the process was. Fitness trackers advertise different features, so we evaluated the metrics that each wearable tracks and selected the ones that best fit each editor’s lifestyle. Then we connected the device to any additional apps, like Apple Health, if applicable. 

Once everything was set up and connected, we wore the tracker for at least one month. Throughout the testing period, we tracked at least four workouts per week and assessed the device’s other key features. After the month, we rated each fitness tracker on a scale of 1 (would not recommend) to 5 (highly recommend) for ease of setup, comfort, ease of use, accuracy, and overall value. 

We also talked to experts to get their input on the best fitness trackers. The professionals we spoke to included:

  • Kira Jones, CPT and founder of Cacti Wellness Collective based in New York City
  • Noelle McKenzie, ACE-CPT and co-founder of Leading Edge Personal Trainers

What to Look for in Fitness Trackers

Price 

The best fitness trackers will vary in price depending on their quality, high-tech features, and metric-tracking capabilities. If you want a tracker that will provide you with basic data—like time spent in each sleep cycle or the number of steps each day—you can save on a product like the Amazfit Band 7, which was $50 when we published this list. But if you’re looking for advanced features such as safety alerts, vibrating alarms, and recovery status, you’ll want to invest in a higher-priced item, like the Apple Watch Ultra

Water Resistance

If you want to be able to take your fitness tracker in the pool, the shower, or simply on a walk in the rain, you’ll want to make sure it’s water-resistant. Fitness trackers that are water-resistant up to 50 meters are suitable for swimming pools, and those that are water-resistant up to 100 meters are open-water-friendly (meaning you can wear them in the ocean). A solid water-resistant pick is Garmin’s Instinct 2, which can be worn in up to 328 feet of water. 

Battery Life

Many of us want to maximize our time spent wearing fitness trackers—and minimize the time spent charging them. Many fitness trackers last between 7 to 10 days on a full charge (but less than 24 hours if GPS features are activated). Others will last up to 30 days or more. Withings’ ScanWatch lasts up to 32 days on a single charge, by far the best battery life on our list. 

GPS

Many fitness trackers come with built-in GPS systems, which are useful for walks, runs, and hikes. We love Fitbit’s Charge 5 because it tracks pace and distance in real time on outdoor hikes, runs, and rides, while the GPS generates a workout intensity map that displays your pace, heart rate zones, and route. 

Compatibility

Many high-tech fitness trackers are smartphone-compatible, which means you can get text, call, and app notifications delivered right to your wrist. Some will also let you stream music from your phone, and others will let you respond to calls and texts. An investment piece, the Apple Watch Ultra provides the functionality of a smartphone from the convenience of your wrist. 

Heart Rate Tracking

All of the fitness trackers on our list come with built-in heart rate sensors, which will monitor your heart rate continuously throughout the day. But some budget-friendlier options lack heart rate sensors. If heart rate tracking is important to you, be sure the fitness tracker you’re eyeing has it—like Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Hybrid Smartwatch.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are the benefits of using a fitness tracker?

    According to Noelle McKenzie, ACE-CPT, almost anyone can benefit from wearing a fitness tracker. We often prioritize doing the most instead of focusing on our physical and mental wellbeing, she says. “Fitness trackers can help tilt the scales by providing prompts, like when we should be winding down for bed or if we’ve been sitting for too long during the work day,” McKenzie says. “And having information like this makes living a healthier lifestyle much more accessible.”

  • Which fitness tracker is the most accurate?

    Based on our test, each of the items on our top picks list was determined to be accurate and high-performing devices. But Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Hybrid Smartwatch came out on top because we found it accurate during each activity, sleep cycle, and stressful day.

  • What are most important metrics to track?

    The most important metrics to track will greatly depend on your fitness goals. Many people enjoy tracking steps, heart rate, and active minutes. If you are a runner, biker, or swimmer, you may want to track distance and pace. Additionally, sleep time and quality are important metrics for many individuals.

  • What can a fitness tracker do?

    Fitness trackers allow you to optimize your health and wellness, says McKenzie: “It’s like having a 24-hour coach.” A high-quality fitness tracker will track sleep, heart rate, body temperature, and more to provide you with suggestions and insights on how to tackle your day; if you’re ready for a hard workout or when you need to take it easy, she adds.

  • How long does a fitness tracker last?

    High-quality fitness trackers should last up to five years. This may vary based on the price of the fitness tracker and how often you use it. While the most expensive trackers may last up to five years with no issues, those at lower price points may start showing signs of age after around two years of use.

    The most common issues that arise with fitness trackers over time are decreased battery life and broken parts. Before replacing your current fitness tracker, see if there is an option to replace the battery, strap, or other broken parts if they become an issue. If you are having a problem with the sensor or with workouts not recording properly, you may be able to adjust the software settings to get it working again. Check with the manufacturer's tech support for assistance.

  • What are the most important metrics to track?

    The most important metrics to track will depend on your fitness goals. Many people enjoy tracking their steps, heart rate, and active minutes. If you’re a runner, biker, or swimmer, you may want to track your distance and pace. Additionally, sleep time and quality are important statistics for many individuals.

Oura Ring Gen 2

Verywell Fit / Courtesy of Michelle Parente

Why Trust Verywell Fit

Michelle Parente is an experienced fitness writer who is passionate about making great product recommendations. She participated in our real-world fitness tracker test and evaluated the Oura Ring Gen 3. Michelle has been wearing her ring for over three months, and you can read her full review here.