Best Fitness Trackers: Fitness monitors or fitness trackers aren’t just for runners and gym rats. They are excellent accessories for assisting anyone in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as they provide data on anything from steps to sleep to heart rhythms. We’ve worn, tested, and reviewed over 100 fitness bands and smartwatches, so we know which ones are the finest.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is at the top of the list, thanks to its lightweight form, long battery life, and basic smartphone communication features. If a Fitbit is at the top of your shopping list, we have a slew of fantastic bargains on them. If you can’t afford the expense of a Fitbit, we’ve got several less expensive alternatives for tracking your activity right here.
While this list focuses primarily on fitness bands, smartwatches also perform an excellent job of activity and fitness tracking, so if a more watch-like design and greater functionality appeals, check out our list of the best smartwatches.
Best Fitness Tracker for iOS: Apple Watch SE
The Apple Watch SE is more than just a fitness tracker. It features a lovely screen, runs apps, makes and receives calls, displays phone notifications, and will even time how long you’ve cleaned your hands. This high level of capability, of course, influences the price, and the Apple Watch SE starts at $279.
Why did we emphasize it when it is so much more than a fitness tracker? Mostly because Apple’s health and fitness apps and activity tracking are excellent and really simple to use. Workout monitoring, GPS, a heart-rate sensor, sleep tracking, and a swim-proof body are all included. The data it collects is simple to read, and the Activity Ring approach for setting daily goals is straightforward and motivating.
The small details are what makes the Apple Watch SE a fantastic companion. The automatic handwashing timing is surprisingly precise, the watch will remind you to stand up after periods of inactivity, there’s a relaxing mindfulness app called Breath, and it comes with a monthly cycle tracking feature as standard for women. It is powered by the updated WatchOS 8 software, which includes a new Breathe app and a new set of workout settings.
If you’re contemplating the Apple Watch SE and your health is a high priority, you should also consider the Apple Watch Series 7. It costs $399 and includes an ECG, SpO2 monitoring, and a revolutionary optical heart rate sensor.
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Fitbit Ace 3: Best Fitness Tracker for kids
Get kids moving and make fitness fun with Fitbit Ace 3. With activity and sleep tracking, fun challenges, and up to 8 days of battery, the swim-proof Ace 3 motivates kids, friends, and family to build healthy habits together. It’s a full-fledged fitness tracker that’s been repackaged for children. The Fitbit Ace 3 is, like most of Fitbit’s previous bands, made up of a fitness tracker unit that fits within a silicone band. This modular construction means it’s simple to clean — just take the unit out if you want to deep clean the band — but it also means it’s quite durable. The silicone is fairly robust, but if you have rough-and-tumble kids, you’ll probably need to replace a battered band at some point, and Fitbit’s design makes it simple to do so.
However, it does not skimp on features simply because it is a children’s band. It contains a three-axis accelerometer for measuring steps as well as some quite detailed sleep tracking. There’s also a heart rate sensor, although it’s turned off by default. Because of the sensors, there are a lot of stats to break down for you, and we found the “adult” view in the smartphone app to be a little annoying to use. Switching between views necessitates typing a password each time, which can become tedious when there is no option to use biometric login data.
Fortunately, this does not apply to Fitbit’s own display for children. Information collects a lot of data but doesn’t overwhelm kids with it, instead of focusing on step count. There are several exciting watch faces to pick from that display your child’s step count, including one that launches a rocket when the daily step target is met. This visual feedback, similar to the temptation to “close the rings” on an Apple Watch, proved to substantially assist kids to exercise more.
Although we had some challenges with the software as adults, the Fitbit Ace 3 is a great fitness tracker for kids. Older children may find it too juvenile, however, for those under the age of 12, it should work perfectly.
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Best Fitness Trackers: Fitbit Charge 5
Fitbit Charge 5 + Premium connects the dots between your activity, sleep and stress so you can make the best decisions for your body, mind, and health. The Fitbit Charge 5 has reminded us of why we enjoy Fitbit’s fitness trackers so much. Fitbit’s Charge 5 design language has been overhauled, with smooth rounded corners replacing the previous boxier appearance. That’s a more modern design than the current Apple Watch Series 7, and it means the new Fitbit fitness tracker isn’t something you’ll be embarrassed to be seen wearing. Because it’s comprised of aluminum, glass, and silicone, it feels as good as it looks.
But enough about its looks; how does it perform? It’s a dedicated fitness tracker with 20 training modes, and it’s as capable as you’d expect. A number of things start automatically, so it’ll catch walks and hikes without you having to start them, and while the GPS can lag slightly behind when starting a tracked exercise, it always caught up without interfering with our workouts. However, workouts are only part of the story; the Charge 5 also boasts an excellent set of wellness features. It can monitor your blood oxygen saturation and stress levels, and it will soon support the Fitbit ECG app.
While it isn’t a full-fledged wristwatch, the Charge 5 does support notifications from a paired phone. Android users get several capabilities that iPhone users do not, such as rapid answers, but iPhone users should be using an Apple Watch anyway, so it’s not a big deal.
Unfortunately, it is mainly dependent on the companion app on your phone. However, Fitbit’s app is quite fantastic, which sweetens the pill considerably. It’s simple to access the information you require, and it also provides some deeper insight into how you’ve been sleeping or performing in your activities. However, a Premium subscription is necessary to access all of the data you may require, which is inconvenient.
As previously stated, the Fitbit Charge 5 has a seven-day battery life, which is very common for this type of fitness tracker. Best of all, it’s reasonably priced, so you won’t be spending a fortune on it, and it surely provides a lot of bang for your dollars.
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Honor Band 6: Best Fitness Tracker for Hunters
Do you consider yourself a savvy deal hunter? If that’s the case, there are a few good fitness bands available that aren’t necessarily on everyone’s radar, and by picking one up, you’ll have one of the most capable activity trackers on your wrist without spending a lot of money. The Honor Band 6, which costs roughly $60 and combines a fitness band with a smartwatch, is our selection.
With a 1.47-inch screen, the Honor Band 6 has more display than many competitors, which allows it to better show notifications and make exercise data easier to read while on the go. The case is light and compact enough to tuck beneath your cuff and is comfortable enough to wear overnight.
It features a heart rate sensor, a blood oxygen monitor (SP02), and a variety of workouts that it will track, though it is not intended for serious athletes, but rather for the casual exerciser looking to improve. There are some worries about step count accuracy, although this did not appear to influence finished workout statistics, and future gym software updates may resolve difficulties. The whole software experience is nice, with swipes and taps required to traverse the simple menus, which are all displayed on the screen in sharp, colorful detail.
Best Budget Fitness Tracker: Halo View
It’s inexpensive, cheerful, and extremely useful. Amazon’s initial excursions into fitness tracking weren’t without flaws, but the Halo View is a reasonably priced and feature-rich fitness tracker that won’t break the bank. When it comes to design, it’s very much in the Fitbit mold, and while the unit isn’t a perfect fit to the band, the band itself is comfortable, and the Halo View itself is quite light, being approximately a third lighter than most fitness trackers.
Due to the lack of GPS tracking (even with an attached smartphone), the “fitness” component is a tad low in comparison to certain competitors. Because it lacks GPS, it is limited in its utility for bikers and runners, although it compensates somewhat with a broad-stroke approach to fitness. Halo Fitness features a fantastic selection of bodyweight workouts to get you moving, and the weekly goals and step counts are compelling reasons to get started and stay active. It also offers automated sleep tracking so you can see how restful your sleep was, and the nutrition features can help you lose weight if that’s your aim.
Amazon, like Fitbit, wants you to join up for a membership in order to get the most out of the service. The advanced measures, such as daily activity scores and personalized insights, cost $4 per month, but the View comes with a year’s worth of Halo membership, so you can test before you buy. At $79, it’s less expensive than many fitness trackers on the market, and if you’re not put off by the absence of GPS tracking, this is an excellent spot to begin your fitness tracker journey.
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Best Waterproof Fitness Tracker: Garmin Quatix 6
If you disregard the Garmin Quatix 6’s boating connectivity features, you’re left with a comprehensive fitness tracking smartwatch with all the right features for swimmers. It is appropriate for all surface swimmers (it is not a diving watch) and measures distance, pace, stroke rate, and distance, as well as swim efficiency (SWOLF), in open water and pool swimming sports.
The heart rate sensor works underwater, may link to an external heart rate monitor, and detects freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly strokes. The Garmin Quatix 6 is water-resistant to 10ATM, weighs 80 grams, has a casing size of 47mm, and has a 1.3-inch screen. It connects to iOS and Android smartphones including GPS and a battery that may last up to 14 days before needing to be recharged.
Aside from great swim tracking, the Garmin Quatix 6 connects to a variety of Garmin boating devices, including autopilots and GPS transceivers. If that isn’t enough, there is also detailed tracking for other activities such as cycling and jogging. Finally, it will display phone notifications, store and play music, and accept contactless payments via Garmin Pay.
The]Garmin Quatix 6 isn’t a cheap smartwatch, but it’s certainly the most thoroughly equipped device for anyone who spends time in or on the water.
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