If you don’t want to invest in a full-fledged wristwatch, best fitness trackers are an ideal alternative: they’re simpler, generally less expensive, and often have considerably longer battery life, so you don’t have to remember to charge them every day.
Regardless, the greatest fitness trackers include all of the same activity monitoring technology as their more costly relatives. Any fitness tracker will measure your steps, heart rate, and activity, while the most advanced versions will also monitor your sleep, stress, and blood oxygen levels.
The flagship name is clearly Fitbit, but we assess fitness trackers from a range of firms – and we frequently find that competitors provide greater value, with comparable monitoring functions at a cheaper price. You might also want to check into Withings, which manufactures trackers that have some of the greatest health tech on the market while still looking like conventional analogue watches.
Our team has researched every tracker in this ranking, and you can read our comprehensive evaluations for more information on why they made the cut. We’re always assessing new models, so come back for an updated rating if nothing catches your eye right now.
Best fitness trackers 2023
1. Xiaomi Mi Band 7 – Best fitness tracker
With an enticing price tag and an incredible array of sensors to measure your health, fitness, and exercises, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is the finest fitness tracker available.
The huge always-on display is a particularly good feature, helping to showcase the vibrant watch faces on offer while making text simpler to read at a glance, albeit the always-on technology comes at a high cost to overall battery life.
All-day SpO2 monitoring, new workout metrics (including VO2 Max), and the capacity to track more sessions than ever before are all part of fitness tracking.
Although the lack of built-in GPS may irritate fitness enthusiasts, this is a terrific small affordable tracker for keeping track of your overall health and fitness.
2. Fitbit Charge 5 – Best Fitbit
The Charge 5 is unquestionably Fitbit’s greatest tracker, making it a solid bet for anybody searching for an activity band.
It includes most of the company’s own top-end workout features, such as Active Zone Minutes, as well as tracking steps, distance, calories burnt, hourly activity, heart rate, swim-tracking, and enhanced sleep.
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Its built-in GPS and health metrics put it on par with the more costly Fitbit Versa 3 smartwatch, however keep in mind that the most thorough monitoring functions are restricted to the premium Fitbit Premium plan.
Our main gripes are very infrequent performance stutters, the lack of an altimeter (to track floors climbed), and a few features that Fitbit has been sluggish to introduce, but they shouldn’t deter you from purchasing the Charge 5. (thanks to frequent software updates from Fitbit).
The Withings Move is so traditional and straightforward in style that it might pass for an ordinary watch. It also has the lifespan of a watch, with a regular watch battery lasting a remarkable 18 months.
The associated Health Mate app offers practically everything you need it to accomplish and more, integrating basic fitness monitoring with sleep tracking.
If you like the sound of the Move but want something a little more, check out the Move ECG, which has the same design but adds an electrocardiogram sensor.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the most affordable model in the current lineup, making it a good beginning point into monitoring.
It’s still more costly than competitors like the Xiaomi Mi Band 7, but Fitbit’s software experience and ecosystem are both good, so for some, it may be worth spending a little more – but paying more for a smaller display does hurt.
It also helps that you get up to 10 days of battery life (albeit a bit less if you activate the new always-on display option), 24/7 heart rate monitoring that is now supplemented by SpO2 data, and sleep tracking. Just keep in mind that there is no GPS support built in…
With the exception of the lack of GPS, Withings’ ScanWatch is an intriguing hybrid tracker with a traditional look and extensive tracking features.
The moniker refers to its capacity to provide a more precise reading on your heart health than any other tracker on the market, but at a cost that makes it more of a niche option.
AFib detection, a SpO2 sensor, and detection of breathing abnormalities such as sleep apnea are all clever additions, while the tiny PMOLED display adds some smartwatch-like capability to the fitness-tracking capabilities.
6. Polar Pacer – Best for runners
The Polar Pacer is a running watch that lasts many days on a single charge, seamlessly monitors your workouts, throws out meaningful statistics, and doesn’t bother you with alerts.
The Pacer supports a number of activity kinds, but the emphasis is on running, with GPS tracking and a post-workout ‘running index’ to show how you fared across a variety of parameters.
If you’re looking to start into jogging, or if you’re already out on the trails, the Pacer will be a fantastic addition to your equipment, with a long battery life, a beautifully legible display, lightweight build, and the intelligence to show you how you’re doing and help you improve.
7. Huawei Watch Fit 2 – Smartwatch substitute
The Huawei Watch Fit 2 is a fashionable and user-friendly wearable that falls between between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker.
It’s designed for health tracking, but unlike simpler trackers, it has some helpful added capabilities like a phone finder and Bluetooth calling.
However, you still get many of the benefits of trackers, such as a weeklong battery life and a thin, low-profile design.
Getting the best of both worlds, however, has an impact on the pricing, which is essentially pricey for a fitness tracker but inexpensive for a smartwatch.
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The Fitbit Ace 3 is designed to accommodate children’s active lifestyles, giving both children and parents with simple yet informative activity and sleep tracking data.
The Ace 3 is designed to encourage children to be more active, but it may also encourage the entire family to get in shape (provided everyone involved has a Fitbit of their own to wear).
Older youngsters may wish to opt for a tracker with a little more punch, as the Ace 3 has fewer fitness and notification capabilities than Fitbit’s ‘adult’ trackers. It counts steps, registers Active Minutes, and monitors basic sleep patterns, but it does not measure heart rate.
The Honor Band 6 is one of the most affordable fitness trackers available, even cheaper than Xiaomi’s newest.
Regardless, you get a huge color display, 5 ATM water resistance, stress and sleep tracking, and a fantastic two-week battery life.
You’ll have to make do with a restricted number of workouts, and there’s no GPS or NFC, but that won’t matter much at this price.
10. Whoop 4.0 – Best for cutting screentime
The Whoop 4.0 is a little different: there is no display and no step count monitoring, so it is not a standard fitness tracker. Instead, it’s a basic tracker that you can slide into a watch-like bracelet or strap onto workout apparel, and it’s designed to assess your strain and recuperation, telling you how hard you pushed your body and when to rest.
There’s also sleep monitoring and run recording, however you’ll need to bring your phone with you because there’s no GPS. The Whoop is also excellent for individuals who focus on cardio, as it does not always identify strain effectively in activities that do not raise your heart rate, such as strength training.
The main drawbacks are that you don’t get basic monitoring capabilities that you may expect elsewhere – such a step count – and that the payment structure is unique. The Whoop tracker is free if you sign up for a subscription, which costs $20/£18 a month if you commit to two years in advance.
Some people will be turned off by paying so much to check out a rather simple fitness tracker, but if you want a tracker that concentrates on cardiac statistics and makes you more aware of strain and sleep, it’s an excellent choice.
Buying advice for the best fitness trackers
1.What is a fitness tracker?
Fitness trackers let you to measure and report a wide range of activities throughout the day, from a basic step count to weight training sessions, swimming, and more. Advanced models can track sleep, identify stress, and even monitor particular health conditions.
Some users will want something that counts steps and doesn’t need to be charged frequently, while others may be looking for a new marathon partner.
Do you want to be able to log your journeys using inbuilt GPS, or would tethered GPS (drawing real-time position data from your phone) suffice? Do you require continuous heart-rate monitoring? Is it necessary for your tracker to be water-resistant? Is connectivity with other fitness services, such as Strava, required? These are all extra factors to consider before making a purchase.
2.What’s the difference between fitness trackers and smartwatches?
There is no hard and fast rule here. However, in general, a smartwatch is a more sophisticated wearable with more applications and features.
A wristwatch should allow you to install and run programs, including those that you’d find on your phone, as well as monitor alerts, respond to messages, and maybe even answer calls. Some smartwatches also enable eSIM for a standalone data connection.
3.Should I just buy a Fitbit?
While Fitbit’s products are undeniably competent, there are other alternative trackers available that excel in areas where your ordinary Fitbit does not.
More significantly, many of Fitbit’s competitors offer comparable specs at considerably cheaper pricing, so you’ll be paying a bit more for the Fitbit brand and software if you opt for it. However, Fitbits are dependable, offer excellent connectivity with other services, and if you’re already familiar with their software and experience, you may bypass the learning curve of new hardware.
