The 12 Best Fitness Trackers of 2024, Tested - Verywell Fit
The key features to consider when purchasing a fitness tracker are accuracy and metrics—you want to choose a device that fits your activity level, lifestyle, and overall goals, Jones says. To find the best fitness trackers, we tested 16 of the most popular devices, using and evaluating them at home for over a month. We also had a certified personal trainer from our Review Board review this article for accuracy, including how to use a fitness tracker to collect and analyze your health and wellness metrics.
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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, certified personal trainer and 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’re looking to gain more knowledge about your daily activity and workouts, a high-quality fitness tracker can help.
Best Overall
Garmin Vivomove Sport
Garmin
View On Amazon
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$180
View On Garmin.com
Our Ratings
- Comfort: 4.8/5
- Ease of Use: 4.7/5
- Accuracy: 5/5
Pros
- Very accurate
- Exercise-specific features
- Clear, straightforward display
Cons
- Shorter battery life
- Limited iOS compatibility
Key Specs
Battery Life: Up to 5 days | Water Resistance: Yes, up to 164 feet underwater | GPS: No | Overall Rating: 4.9/5
Who It’s For
Best for a well-rounded view of your health and fitness with a fitness tracker that’s intuitive, comfortable, and accurate.
Why We Love It
Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Watch is our top overall pick for its accuracy, comfort, ease of use, and so much more. Whether we’re tracking our step count, calories burned, or time spent sleeping, we find the metrics to be spot on. The smart device doesn’t stop there. It also tracks blood oxygen saturation, stress levels, menstrual cycles, and more. It 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.
The watch is easy to set up and pair with the Garmin Connect app, where you can view all of your data and daily insights. We appreciate the app’s clear display of metrics that are easy to understand. Other notable features include the five-day battery life and water resistance rating of 5 atmospheres (ATM), meaning you can wear the device up to 164 feet underwater.
Potential Flaws
- Other picks on our list can hold a charge for longer and have a higher ATM rating.
- You can’t respond to text messages from the watch unless you have an Android phone.
Best for Running
COROS Pace 2
Amazon
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$199
View On REI
$179
View On Coros.com
$199
Our Ratings
- Comfort: 5/5
- Ease of Use: 4.8/5
- Accuracy: 4.9/5
Pros
- Lightweight
- Highly water-resistant
- Long battery life
Cons
- Not as versatile
- Settings may be overwhelming to some
Key Specs
Battery Life: Up to 14 days | Water Resistance: Yes, up to 164 feet underwater | GPS: Yes | Overall Rating: 4.9/5
Who It’s For
Best if you’re a runner who supplements your runs with strength training, as it offers over 200 pre-programmed exercises for the upper body, lower body, core, and more.
Why We Love It
Coros’ Pace 2 GPS Sport Watch is one of the best running watches we’ve tested because it tracks your location, distance, pace, time, stride length, and more. We love that it’s accurate, no matter the type of run we track. It’s known for being one of the lightest GPS watches available, and we agree. It 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 Strava, Apple 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 14 days on a single charge. We rely on many of the watch's ample tracking capabilities to track our running progress—like steps, heart rate, calories burned, time, elevation, best mile, average pace, heart rate, stride length, and GPS.
Potential Flaws
- The features offered may not be the best for tracking exercises other than strength and running.
- The multitude of features and settings may be too overwhelming for some.
Verywell Fit / Holly Klamer
Best Low-Profile
Fitbit Inspire 3
Amazon
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$95
View On Walmart
$97
View On REI
$60
Our Ratings
- Comfort: 5/5
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Accuracy: 4.2/5
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
Cons
- Step counter is slightly sensitive
- Requires paid membership after free trial
Key Specs
Battery Life: Up to 10 days | Water Resistance: Yes, up to 164 feet underwater | GPS: No | Overall Rating: 4.7/5
Who It’s For
Best for beginners or those looking for a budget-friendly, low-profile fitness tracker that’s easy to use and comfortable.
Why We Love It
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is a winner for its ease of use, comfort, and overall value. It tracks distance, calories burned, heart rate, and other helpful statistics. In the Fitbit app, you can also view helpful wellness metrics like sleep and stress management scores, as well as participate in guided breathing sessions and workouts.
While wearing the minimalist tracker, we receive irregular heart rate alerts and reminders to move, as well as call, text, and app notifications. The notifications come as near-silent vibrations that are enough to make us notice without disrupting our day. We also love the vibrating alarm that wakes us up during our most optimal sleep stage—it helps us feel more refreshed throughout the day.
Potential Flaws
- We found the step counter to be slightly sensitive, logging steps during other activities like making the bed.
- After the free six-month Fitbit Premium membership, you’ll have to pay extra to access most key features, such as your daily readiness score, stress management score, and access to Fitbit's workouts on the app.
Verywell Fit / Sarah Felbin
Best for Training
Polar Vantage V2 Smartwatch
Amazon
View On Polar.com
Our Ratings
- Comfort: 4.8/5
- Ease of Use: 4.9/5
- Accuracy: 4.8/5
Pros
- Highly water resistant
- Unique recovery features
- Advanced sleep tracking
Cons
- Nutrition statistics may not be as accurate
- Pricier than other options
Key Specs
Battery Life: Up to 100 hours | Water Resistance: Yes, up to 333 feet underwater | GPS: Yes | Overall Rating: 4.6/5
Who It’s For
With advanced metric tracking, this fitness tracker is best for anyone who trains intensively.
Why We Love It
Featuring performance and recovery tests, Polar’s Vantage V2 Smartwatch offers a unique way to track your training progress. If our heart rate isn’t super high during a workout, the heart rate tracking on this device helps us know that it’s time to ramp things up—great for HIIT workouts like EMOM. The leg recovery test can also prompt us through three guided countermovement jumps to estimate our leg muscle recovery status. Throughout testing, we used this watch to track heart rate, steps, and calories burned. It provides 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 provides more than just numbers—it tells you which energy sources (carbs, proteins, or fats) were consumed during each workout. You’ll even get a daily sleep score to help determine how ready you are for the day. We really like that the sleep tracking feature gives us a better picture of how much time we spend in each stage of our sleep cycle each night. And we love that it’s waterproof up to 333 feet—double the ATM of our top overall pick.
Potential Flaws
- According to our nutrition editor, the carb, protein, and fat consumption information may not be incredibly accurate—so take it with a grain of salt.
- If you’re not an athlete or training on a daily basis, we think you can save money and choose a more well-rounded tracker, like Garmin’s Vivomove Sport Hybrid Smartwatch.
Verywell Fit / Justin Javier
Verywell Fit / Christine Luff
Most Stylish
Garmin Lily
Garmin
View On Walmart
$249
View On Garmin.com
View On Opticsplanet.com
Our Ratings
- Comfort: 4.5/5
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Accuracy: 5/5
Pros
- Wide range of colors
- Delivers morning reports
- Very accurate
Cons
- Limited iOS compatibility
- Limited activity tracking
Key Specs
Battery Life: Up to 5 days | Water Resistance: Yes, up to 164 feet underwater | GPS: No | Overall Rating: 4.6/5
Who It’s For
Best if style and functionality are equally important to you.
Why We Love It
Garmin's Lily Watch, like many other products on our list, measures steps, sleep, stress, and energy levels. We use 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. What sets this wearable apart—besides its stylish design—is the morning report feature, which 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 enjoy 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 find intuitive and easy to digest. We appreciate that the Lily Watch is easy to use, comfortable, and accurate in tracking your blood oxygen saturation, hydration, and more. 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—and look stylish while doing it.
Potential Flaws
- Note that you can only respond to texts on the watch if you have an Android phone.
- Although the tracker tracks basic activities, it doesn’t have as in-depth activity tracking as other fitness trackers on our list.
Verywell Fit / Lily Moe
Best Battery Life
Withings ScanWatch Hybrid Smartwatch
Amazon
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$300
View On Best Buy
$300
View On Withings.com
Our Ratings
- Comfort: 4.2/5
- Ease of Use: 4.7/5
- Accuracy: 4.4/5
Pros
- Sleek design
- Highly water-resistant
- Comes with a carry case and extra band
Cons
- Alarm may be too gentle for some
- Step counter is slightly sensitive
Key Specs
Battery Life: Up to 30 days | Water Resistance: Yes, up to 164 feet underwater | GPS: Yes | Overall Rating: 4.3/5
Who It’s For
Best for people who are on the go or frequent travelers, since it charges quickly and stays charged for up to 30 days.
Why We Love It
Withings’ Scanwatch is an easy-to-use, sleek, and reliable fitness tracker that boasts advanced health-tracking capabilities. We especially love that this watch sends us notifications to “unwind,” “take 100 steps,” and “go
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