The best fitness tracker for you will depend on your individual needs, and you’ll want to consider your budget, goals, preferred features, and desired style before choosing.

However, with so many choices now available to pick from, it can be difficult to find the tracker that will help push you toward your fitness goals.

It’s why we’ve created a complete guide to the top fitness watches and wearables we’ve tested, as part of our in-depth and independent reviews.

There are options to suit all levels of activity. Some are masters at tracking your steps and calorie burn, while others focus on recovery or monitoring your health.

Below, you’ll find individual breakdowns of some of the top options available – like the Fitbit Charge 6, Apple Watch Series 10, and Garmin Forerunner 165 – as well as advice on how to pick the right one for your needs.

Summary: The best fitness trackers

We’ll feature the leading fitness trackers in more detail below, but here’s a quick look at some of the best options we’ve tested:

Fitbit Charge 6 – Best fitness tracker band

The flagship Fitbit wristband tracks steps, heart rate, sleep, heart rhythms, and stress. It’s a great performer, with some of the best sleep tracking and health metrics around.

Be warned, the GPS tracking is extremely flakey, and getting the most insightful features may require a $9.99/£9.99 Fitbit Premium subscription.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9 – Best budget fitness tracker

The budget Smart Band 9 is one of the company’s best trackers to date. Data isn’t as precise as Fitbit, but the large screen is lovely to use, and the ‘Pebble Mode’ makes for some interesting data. And of course, the price is right.

Oura Ring Gen 3 – Best for women

We’ve not listed this because it’s a ring – but because Oura has put the most work into making its insights fit for women. Partnerships with Natural Cycles for fertility and cycle tracking, with top-tier sleep and heart rate accuracy, make this a top choice.

Apple Watch Series 10 – Best fitness-tracking smartwatch

Apple’s latest smartwatch offers all the excellent features you would expect from a top fitness tracker and is a great choice for intermediate users – and features top menstrual cycle tracking. It’s also one of the most stylish and smartest trackers available, allowing users to make calls from the wrist, stream music, monitor their health, and download apps.

Whoop 4.0 – Best for athletes

The Whoop 4.0 is laser-focused on recovery, sleep, and readiness. It’s packed full of actionable insights, and the journal and health monitor are unique and effective. It’s expensive, but one of the smartest trackers out there.

Garmin Forerunner 165 – Best for runners

If you like to run, then the Garmin has your back. VO2 Max, performance insights, and Body Battery energy tracking add to a suite of running coaching and pace guidance features that make this entry-level Garmin a serious consideration.

How to choose the right fitness tracker

To pick the best device for your needs, you’ll need to know what to consider. Here are our top tips.

Consider your fitness goals

If you don’t have a clear fitness objective, it can be easy to pick a device that’s overqualified or underqualified for the job. Think about what you want to track – is it steps, heart rate, and sleep?

Alternatively, are you more interested in outdoor exercise and therefore need something with GPS and advanced training features? It all depends on what your end goal is.

Know your budget

Fitness trackers from established brands can range anywhere from $50 to over $400.

Given how wide the gap is between many trackers, figure out how much you’re willing to spend before you begin diving into all the details.

Compare features

Once you know your goal and budget, it’s time to look at which trackers are suited to your goals from a features perspective.

As we’ve already alluded to, the specialties of fitness trackers differ greatly between each option. Plenty target beginners by offering the basics, others feature in-depth workout tracking and there are even some with an additional focus on health tracking.

Think about the features you’re interested in and go from there.

Discover what style you prefer

Fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, and you’ll want to pick something you’ll feel comfortable wearing at all times.

In our list of top trackers below, we’ve highlighted smartwatches, fitness wristbands, smart rings, and even one that can be worn inside a sleeve.

It’s not all about features. Find something you love the look of that will suit your activity goals.

Fitbit Charge 6

Key features

Small but vibrant color touchscreen
Built-in GPS to track your outdoor workouts without your phone
Typically lasts around a week on a single charge
Can be worn in the shower and water depths equivalent to 50m
Can track steps, heart rate, and calorie burn, and offers health features

The Fitbit Charge 6 is a minor update on the previous generation and focuses on adding Google-powered smart features, including Google Pay and Google Maps support.

It’s still the most advanced fitness tracker in this form factor, with ECG, stress tracking, continual Afib detection, and GPS built-in.

Google has improved the Fitbit Charge 6 with new algorithms derived from the Pixel Watch line, which are more accurate for working out with.

What we like

Calorie burn, heart rate, and step tracking data largely proved accurate in our review tests
Solid Google features such as turn-by-turn directions and Google Wallet
Superb display that’s easy to view during workouts and all-day wear
Can take ECG readings and offer solid stress analysis via the EDA sensor – both of which are rare for a device at this price point and in this form factor
Daily Readiness is assessed from your baselines and feels true-to-body
Comfortable to wear during workouts and sleep tracking, which is also very accurate compared to other trackers on this list.

What we don’t like

Expensive – $159/£139 is a lot of money compared to Xiaomi and Huawei’s rivals
The GPS accuracy proved extremely unreliable in the test we conducted as part of our full review, meaning it’s not necessarily recommended for those who would rely on it for outdoor activity
A Fitbit Premium subscription is required to access all sleep features
The form factor may not be for everyone – some with smaller wrists may find it to be too large, and we don’t necessarily rate it as unisex
Most core features are available in cheaper Fitbit devices, such as the Fitbit Inspire 3
Raise-to-wake and the touch display are both slow to respond to prompts

Verdict

The Fitbit Charge 6 is still way more advanced than anything else out there – and rivals have given up fighting Fitbit on data, accuracy, or insights. However, it’s expensive for a fitness tracker, and getting the best data insights means paying a monthly subscription.

Check out our full Fitbit Charge 6 review

Xiaomi Smart Band 9

Key features

Brighter display (up to 2,000 nits)
Reduced price of £34.99/€39.99
Up to 21 days of battery life
Over 100 sports modes and specialized running features via Pebble Mode

The Smart Band 9 is jam-packed with features for a fitness tracker living at the extreme end of budget-friendly options. It’s not too much of an upgrade from the previous generation, but heart rate monitoring and fitness tracking insights proved solid in our testing.

It also produces good enough sleep tracking estimates if you’re only concerned with asleep/wake times, though the health tracking data and insights are still pretty wide in most cases.

You can even wear the Smart Band 9 as a pendant or clip it to the body, and the ‘Pebble Mode’ introduced last year – allowing you to use the device as a running shoe pod – has been cleaned up to provide more consistency accurate data (when compared to comparable insights).

Battery life has also been improved. Out of the box, with advanced health monitoring features turned off by default, you can get around 21 days. But once everything is turned on, it will last around a week.

What we like

Asleep/wake sleep tracking estimates stacked up well against more premium rivals
Heart rate tracking during workouts wasn’t spot on for all activity types but is more than passable as a reference of how hard you worked out
Versatile design that can be worn on the wrist, as a pendant, or even clipped onto a running shoe
A brushed finish ensures it’s more stylish than previous generations of Smart Band
Good price – Xiaomi has cut the price of its band slightly

What we don’t like

There’s a real lack of actionable insights here, meaning you’re left to interpret and sift through reams of graphs if you want to discover more about your fitness, sleep, or health
Not a huge upgrade from the Band 8, with the upgraded sensor and improved battery life not changing the day-to-day experience too greatly
There is no built-in GPS, though you can use a connected smartphone

Verdict

The Smart Band 9 is a decent budget option, but don’t look too hard at the data. Those focused on every data point or requiring more than basic graphs will want to look at other trackers on this list. In the end, when it comes to accuracy, you do get what you pay for – but, for some, the Smart Band 9 is good enough.

Check out our full Xiaomi Smart Band 9 review

Apple Watch Series 10

Key features

An all-rounder that covers serious health monitoring, workouts, and fitness basics
It can be picked up in two sizes, with tons of different case finishes and bands available
Edge-to-edge, always-on display that looks and feels very premium
It only works with iPhone – not Android
Requires charging every day

The Apple Watch Series 10 is one of the most complete wearables on the market, giving beginner, intermediate, and advanced trackers all something to dive into and enjoy.

The fitness tracking experience still centers on the three Activity Rings – and closing them. However, it does feel a bit basic compared to Garmin, Whoop, and Fitbit.

However, the experience has also grown in recent years to include deeper workout tracking insights, more activity profiles, and integrations with popular platforms like Strava.

What we like

The latest design is thinner than ever on an Apple Watch, with the display more edge-to-edge than in previous editions
Heart rate monitoring during different activity types is outstanding, showing gold-standard accuracy among wrist-based options vs. a chest strap

Apple continues to improve insights for runners, swimmers, and cyclists in watchOS 11
Offers a rich array of fitness tracking apps to use for workouts other than Apple’s own
The design and band options ensure it’s very comfortable for 24/7 wear and can be worn in the shower or swimming pool without worry
Health and safety tracking features are unparalleled, with skin temperature, sleep apnea detection, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, ECGs, Fall Detection, Crash Detection, and plenty more available

What we don’t like

Android users can’t consider the Series 10 (or any Apple Watch) as it will only work with an iPhone
The battery life is nowhere near other trackers we’ve tested on this list, though the trade-off is a rich on-watch experience and that superb display
The fitness tracking often leans more toward the beginner end of the scale, which means experienced trackers focused on running, cycling or swimming will be better served with a more dedicated tracker
The Series 10 case sizes are bigger than other generations, and those with smaller wrists may find either case too big or the increased screen size to be too jarring
The display and case (as with most smartwatches) are both prone to scratches and scrapes – especially if your workouts include equipment

Verdict

The Series 10 is the dependable middle child in Apple’s range. Yet, the fitness tracking experience is given more of a hardcore, outdoor emphasis in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and almost all of the core fitness features are available in the cheaper Apple Watch SE.

Check out our full Apple Watch Series 10 review

Garmin Forerunner 165

Key features

Offers advanced insights into running, cycling, and swimming workouts
It can last around 4-5 days with always-on display and 10-15 days with it turned off
Unisex 43mm case size
Bright touchscreen display that’s easy to view during outdoor workouts

We did have the Forerunner 265 listed here, but the Forerunner 165 fits the brief of a fitness tracker/running watch far better.

The FR165 has access to the essential Garmin features: Body Battery, stress tracking, and daily activity. It’s also a strong running and multisport tracker that will estimate VO2 Max and offer insights into training load.

Runners will also get plenty of value from features such as Race Day countdowns and PacePro calculations to guide you to a PB.

What we like

The AMOLED display makes usability much easier than other budget Garmins
The new user interface is much quicker and makes viewing data and graphs much more pleasant
Workout data accuracy is impeccable and ideal for those who want next-level insights into running, cycling, or swimming sessions
Battery life is ahead of the competition and is very versatile, giving you the option to max out the display or strip things back and gain a bit more longevity
On the watch and in the Garmin Connect app, there’s a rich central hub of information that provides details on your readiness to train, cumulative load, sleep performance, health metrics, and much more

What we don’t like

It won’t offer the same breadth of advanced health insights as other fitness trackers, missing out on features such as ECG readings and skin temperature trends
It costs way more than a Fitbit/Xiaomi tracker – even if it is a no-brainer for runners compared to those devices.
Since a lot of the insights and data are geared toward training, it isn’t the best option for those who don’t run, cycle, or swim

Verdict

The Forerunner 165 is a fitness-tracking powerhouse that looks superb on the wrist, can last multiple days on a single charge, and elevates your training to the next level. Beginner and intermediate exercisers have plenty to dive into here.

Read our in-depth Garmin Forerunner 165 review

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

Key features

40mm and 44mm versions
Blood pressure, ECG, and body composition analysis
It works with Android phones – not iPhone
Bright and punchy display
The Google Play app store is full of great third-party options
The battery will typically last less than two days before needing to be recharged

Samsung’s latest generation doesn’t change the formula much from the Galaxy Watch 6 series, but new features in Wear OS 5/One UI Watch 6 mean that this smartwatch delivers an excellent fitness tracking experience.

Comfortable to wear around the clock, packed with tracking features, and available in a style that can suit most wrist types, it’s an all-rounder that’s a must-consider for those with an Android phone.

What we like

One UI Watch 6 software is slick and boasts innovative and exclusive features such as AGEs Index, body composition analysis, and Energy Score
Revamped BioSensor shows improved heart rate monitoring and the dual-frequency GPS location tracking all compare very well to top fitness trackers
We found it very comfortable to wear during workouts – including those in the water
With multiple versions available, there’s likely to be a good fit on the wrist for most people
Wear OS is a greatly improved software platform and Google Play Store offers many fitness and workout tracking apps, such as those from Runkeeper and Strava

What we don’t like

The battery life and design are largely unchanged from the previous generation, and the smaller edition won’t last nearly as long as its bigger sibling
Some health tracking features will only be available if you have a Samsung smartphone, such as blood pressure monitoring and ECG
It can only be paired to Android phones, which means iPhone users can’t consider it

Verdict

The Galaxy Watch 7 offers a solid all-round fitness tracking experience – and is a must-consider for Android users who don’t require or desire the heft of the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

Like all smartwatches, battery life suffers due to the rich software and display, but the breadth of tracking features and solid accuracy mean this is a good option to consider – especially if you have a Samsung phone.

Check out our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 review

Withings ScanWatch 2

Key features

Hides fitness smarts into analog watch
Can last for around a month before needing to be recharged
Features physical watch hands with a small OLED display
It has a thin, lightweight, and small case
Will track basics like steps, calorie burn, and sleep

The ScanWatch 2 is a small update on the original, but one of the best fitness trackers money can buy.

Available in 38mm and 42mm size options, the ScanWatch is built with premium stainless steel with a small display at the top of the watch face to show off your tracking stats notifications, and heart rate data.

It boasts all-day heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring and top-grade medical features such as ECG and breathing quality monitoring.

The ScanWatch 2 comes in at $349, but you can also grab the ScanWatch Light for a less pricey $249. That forgoes skin temp and ECG.

Compared: ScanWatch 2 vs ScanWatch Light

What we like

It tracks outdoor activities like running and offers VO2 Max estimations – all of which we found pretty reliable in our testing
There’s an ECG sensor that can scan for heart arrhythmia, as well as low or high heart rates
Features a SpO2 sensor to measure blood oxygen levels and can monitor for breathing disturbances during sleep
Its sleep tracking and heart rate features are some of the best in the business, and the ScanWatch 2 is an amazing example of putting powerful sensors into something discreet and non-techy
You can get up to 30 days of battery life depending on what features you have enabled

What we don’t like

With no real prompts to move, it’s not the best wearable for motivating you to be more active
There’s no built-in GPS, which means you’ll need to be connected to your phone to receive accurate distance and location tracking
Withings Health app is getting a tad dated and there’s a lack of actionable and interesting insights
Automatic workout detection is a mess and should be turned off
Sleep data accuracy has slipped behind Whoop/Oura

Verdict

If you’re looking for a traditional-looking watch with hidden fitness tracking and innovative health features, the ScanWatch should be right up your street.

Read our in-depth Withings ScanWatch 2 review

Whoop 4.0

From $16 per month | Whoop

Key features

Requires a monthly subscription to access data paid upfront – but the device is “free”
Screenless and can be worn on the wrist or bicep, in a sleeve, or Whoop Body clothing
It can last around 4-5 days and be worn while charging
No built-in GPS but uses your smartphone to track runs
Whoop app offers a full suite of health, recovery, and sleep insights
Also read: Garmin vs Whoop – which is best?

The best fitness tracker for hardcore gym-goers and trainers, the Whoop 4.0 is more than just your average activity band.

It’s muted and unobtrusive, and you can wear a watch (or smartwatch) on the other wrist without looking like a total nerd.

Alternatively, with the bicep band or wear-anywhere sleeve, you don’t have to place it on your wrist.

What we like

Whoop is laser-focused on the effects of workouts on your body, how much you’ve recovered, and the efficiency of your sleep
Recovery percentages and the Whoop platform do a great job of letting you know whether you should be taking on a workout or a nap – though they can be a little harsh
The journal system does a good job of making you accountable for habits
An excellent health monitor, which looks at vitals such as blood oxygen, resting heart rate, HRV, skin temperature, and respiratory rate with a traffic light system
A muscular strain feature tracks the effects of strength workouts, and there are guided workouts for the weights room too, with goal-based outcomes.
One of the best sleep trackers on the market and supremely reliable.

What we don’t like

Costs feel high with an upfront payment of $239/£229 per year to access the platform, or you can part with $399/£384 for 24 months
You can find the same data on other platforms for less money
Strain scores and sleep coaching aren’t always that intuitive and can take a while to get your head around, even if tracking is generally accurate
Tracking accuracy is nowhere near as consistent or accurate from the wrist as it is on an accessory like the Whoop Bicep Band

Verdict

The lofty price makes it a hard tracker to recommend for anyone besides those who are very invested in their fitness and recovery. Yet, the wearability, solid accuracy, and helpful insights ensure it’s still a top choice.

Read our extended Whoop 4.0 review

Oura Ring Gen 4

$299 + $6.99 per month subscription | Oura

gold oura gen 4 ring on finger — Credit: Wareable

Key features

Lightweight and available in a range of sizes and finishes
Requires an ongoing subscription to access all features
It can be worn in the shower and during swimming
Focuses on your sleep quality and readiness for activity
The battery typically lasts 5 days before needing to be recharged

The Oura Ring Gen 4 is a fitness tracker that monitors you from the finger, pulling in insights from sleep and daily tracking and presenting it all in an easy-to-understand app.

It’s a smart ring designed to feel like a normal ring, with a light titanium frame and a waterproof rating that means you only need to take it off to charge it.

What we like:

It packs an incredible amount into such a small form factor – and will be ideal for those who don’t want to track their health or activity from the wrist
Very intuitive Readiness and Sleep scores that are coupled with tailored insights to help you understand the real meaning behind all the data
Heart monitoring, sleep tracking, and health features all proved very accurate when we compared them to rival trackers in our review tests
New features and insights are consistently added, such as stress resilience in January 2024, heart health features in May, and AI coaching and health recommendations in July
Partners with Natural Cycles for FDA-approved cycle tracking – is the best fitness tracker for women

What we don’t like:

The design isn’t the best fit for all types of activity, such as strength training, and can take a while to get used to if you’re not a usual ring-wearer
Even the latest fourth-gen ring is still quite chunky and noticeable
It’s quite an expensive option and requires a $5.99 monthly subscription.
Workout tracking heart rate monitoring isn’t as accurate as some wrist-based alternatives, though activities are at least tracked automatically

Verdict

If you’re looking for a different style of tracker that monitors sleep reliably and helps you better understand your recovery and daily readiness to take on a tough day, this is one of the best we’ve tried.

Read our in-depth Oura Ring Gen 4 review

A word from our expert

James Stables, Wareable editor

“Choosing the right fitness tracker app is as important as what goes on your wrist. After all, the algorithms that measure and analyze your data are the clever bit – not just the sensors themselves.

“This means that Fitbit trackers and Garmin devices usually offer a better experience with more reliable and interesting insights. However, they cost more than cheap trackers because you’re paying for the research and development of the software, as well as the hardware. If you want to make changes to your lifestyle, a compelling app is a great motivator.”

The post Best fitness trackers for 2024: Our experts’ recommendations appeared first on Wareable.

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