If you’re looking to buy a fitness tracker then one of the first things you must do is figure out what you’re looking to track. Are you wanting to track your steps? Do you want a heart rate monitor? Do you want it to connect to your phone? Does your ideal fitness tracker also track your sleep? What’s your price point? Depending on what you’re looking for in a fitness tracker, your options may dwindle down, helping you easily find the perfect tracker for you. Keep in mind that it’s not necessary for your fitness tracker to have all of the features, but they can definitely help keep an eye on your physical health.
Here’s a list of our favorites.
Best Smartwatch Fitness Trackers
Apple Watch Series 4
Although it can be incredibly pricey, for those with an iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 4 is possibly the best fitness tracker around. Not only does it come with a large set of features already, but the Apple Watch Series 4 also has the ability to support 3rd party apps which adds to its versatility.
The Apple Watch Series 4 offers a ton of native fitness features such as GPS tracking, a heart rate monitor, an ECG, sleep tracking, a reminder to stand every hour, the “Breathe” app which helps you control your breathing, altitude tracking, steps, calorie tracking, workout types and so much more. It’s also waterproof up to 50 meters and has an interchangeable band so you can have one for swimming, one for working out, one for casual wear and one for your nights out.
Fitbit Versa
The Fibit Versa is great because it’s not limited to just the iPhone or just Android, but it offers pretty much all the same features that you might find on the Apple Watch. It has an on-screen workout mode that coaches you through each movement and adapts based on your feedback (special edition Versa only), plus it has over 15 different exercise modes.
Just like most other smartwatches, the Fitbit Versa allows you to get notifications from your phone, when it’s nearby, and see calls, texts and calendar notifications. It also has heart rate monitoring, a 4-day battery life, female health tracking, music storage and tracks your swimming.
When going through the fitbit website, this watch sits at about $170 or you can get the “Lite Edition” for $130.
Garmin Instinct Tundra
This smartwatch fitness tracker is bulkier than most, and that’s because this watch is meant to stand up to some of the toughest situations you might put it through. The Garmin Instinct smartwatch is perfect for you if you do a lot of extreme sports, are in the military or your previous smartwatches just can’t handle the situations you put them through. One of the coolest features of this watch is that it also comes in a “Tactical Edition” which has night vision goggle mode, stealth mode, jumpmaster and more.
As far as fitness features go, this watch includes heart rate monitoring, calories burned, floors climbed, distance traveled, stress tracking, sleep monitoring, step counter, cardio workouts, activity profiles, interval training, auto pause, and a whole lot more. It’s also waterproof and tracks swimming workouts, stroke counts, calories burned in the pool and it can automatically detect the type of stroke you’re performing.
The watch comes in many different colors and runs for about $300 for the regular version and $350 for the tactical edition.
Fitbit Inspire HR
If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, the Fitbit Inspire is perfect. At about $100 ($70 without the Heart Rate monitor) the band tracks your workouts, water, stress, sleep, steps, and weight. This band also has a screen, though relatively small comparatively speaking, which can show you incoming alerts and information about your workouts.
The band is relatively small which can give you a stylish, sleek look, especially because it also has interchangeable bands for every occasion. The watch is also very lightweight which makes it easy to forget that you’re wearing it.
Best Wristband Fitness Trackers
Fitbit Charge 3
This band is probably the closest you can get to a smartwatch without actually buying a smartwatch. The Fitbit Charge 3 tracks your heart rate, workouts, steps throughout the day, and even has an auto-stop feature that will pause tracking your run if you’re stopped waiting to cross the road or just taking a break. The watch does have the ability to receive and respond to text messages and calls, however the notification screen is black and white which makes it less appealing if what you’re really looking for is a smart watch.
The band has a sleek look, but is not interchangeable and you probably wouldn’t wear this band during special occasions. All Fitbit trackers report data to the Fitbit app on your phone where you have the ability to compete with your friends who also have Fitbits.
The price point for the Fitbit Charge 3 runs around $120 on Amazon.
Samsung Galaxy Fit
Although it’s only compatible with Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy Fit is a great option when looking for a band that is sleek and easy to use. Unlike the Fitbit Charge 3 even though the screen is small, this one shines brightly with a colorful 0.85-inch AMOLED display.
One of the best features on this watch is that it comes with six workouts that you can track automatically, meaning you won’t have to lose momentum going into your watch to tell it what workout you’re about to perform. It has the ability to track your sleep patterns, monitor your heart rate and help you through breathing exercises.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit costs $99.
Best Sleep Tracker
Garmin Vivosmart 4
The Garmin Vivosmart 4 tracks more than just your sleep, but this watch is perfect for sleeping because of its slim size on your wrist. It has the ability to track your light sleep, deep sleep, and your REM sleep along with your movement throughout the night. You can also set a discreet alarm that causes the band to vibrate on your wrist.
One cool feature of this band is that is has Pulse Ox which estimates your body’s blood oxygen saturation level based on your overall health and fitness. It does come with an app for your smartphone that will keep track of the data as the screen for this band is incredibly small.
Best Fitness Tracker for Kids
Fitbit Ace 2
Getting a fitness tracker for a kid can be incredibly beneficial because it can encourage them to be more active, especially if you turn it into a fun family competition.
This fitness tracker has a kid-friendly interface and can survive many of the situations a kid might put it through. The fitness tracker is also water-proof up to 50 meters and can track steps, active minutes, and sleep. You can sync the tracker either through the child’s mobile device or the parents’, but the app is designed with the child in mind and social activity is only allowed through parent approved friends through the Fitbit app.
If you’re considering purchasing this fitness tracker it’s going to cost your about $70 from fitbit.