Best Fitness Trackers

Fitbit Charge 6 sits at #1 in the S tier of our consolidated board, ranked across independent research runs over current expert reviews. The newest Fitbit band balances a bright display, built-in GPS and a battery that lasts more than a week. Reviews note its firmware is updated regularly and the company’s warranty covers most defects for two years.

Fitbit Air ranks #2 (A tier). The most affordable screen-free band, praised for its lightweight design and reliable heart-rate sensor. Fitbit’s warranty and software longevity keep it dependable over many years.

Our research places Polar Loop, Garmin Vivosmart 5, Fitbit Alta HR, Whoop MG, Samsung Galaxy Fit 3, Amazfit Band 7 in the bottom tiers (D/F). Users report inconsistent calorie counting and poor heart-rate accuracy. The product has a high failure rate in real-world use, and Polar’s firmware updates have not addressed these core issues.

Only if you want to read your stats on your wrist rather than in the app. Screen-free bands are lighter and have nothing to scratch, and on our board the Fitbit Air and the Fitbit Inspire 3 both earn A tier without a display. The Amazfit Helio Strap and the Whoop 5.0 take the same approach. If you want to glance at a workout, the time or your heart rate without pulling out a phone, the Fitbit Charge 6 has a bright AMOLED display and is the top pick.

On our board the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Fitbit Charge 5 have built-in GPS, so they record a run or ride route without your phone. The Garmin Vivosmart 5, the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 and the Fitbit Alta HR have no onboard GPS. Bands without GPS usually borrow the phone's location when the phone comes along, which works for a walk but not for a phone-free run. If route tracking matters, the Fitbit Charge 6 is the one to buy.

Roughly a week for a band with a bright display, and two to three weeks for a simpler one. On our board the Fitbit Charge 6 lasts more than a week, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 up to seven days, the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 up to 15 days and the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 up to 21 days. Always-on displays, GPS and continuous heart-rate sampling all cut those figures. Reviewers flag frequent battery drain on the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 despite its headline number, so treat maker figures as a ceiling.

Fitbit, on the strength of its track record rather than its current owner. Reviews credit the Fitbit Inspire 3 with over a decade of firmware updates and solid build, the Fitbit Charge 6 with regular updates and a two-year warranty, and the Fitbit Charge 5 with few hardware failures after two years. The caveat is that reviewers call Fitbit's support reputation since the Google takeover shaky. Garmin's firmware support is described as robust on the Garmin Vivosmart 5, but that band sits in D tier on ageing hardware. Xiaomi's updates are sporadic and the Polar Loop has a high failure rate in real-world use.

Most do not. Every Fitbit, Xiaomi, Garmin, Samsung and Amazfit band on our board works without a paid plan. The Whoop 5.0 is the exception: it is sold as a subscription, the hardware is replaced while you pay, and reviewers note you never own anything. The Whoop MG drops the subscription requirement, but it sits in F tier because independent testers found its extra health metrics do not justify the higher annual fee without a specific clinical need.

Two to four years is typical, and the battery is usually what gives out first. On our board reviewers report few failures on the Fitbit Charge 5 after two years, and the Fitbit Alta HR and Fitbit Inspire 3 are praised for staying reliable over several years of firmware support. Cheap bands trade lifespan for cost: the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is fragile, but reviewers say it is cheap enough that replacing it after a few years is painless. The Polar Loop is the outlier, with a high failure rate reported early in its life.

Batteries, straps and software, in that order. On our board the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 drains its battery faster than advertised and has a fragile build, the Polar Loop has a high failure rate, and the Whoop 5.0 still carries the memory of the earlier 4.0 generation's battery-swelling episode. Software support is the slower failure: reviewers call Xiaomi's firmware updates sporadic, Zepp's cadence on the Amazfit Helio Strap middling, and Fitbit's support reputation since Google shaky. A band that stops getting updates keeps working, but its app may not.

Buy a tracker if you mainly want steps, heart rate, sleep and workouts and you want to charge it once a week or less. Buy a smartwatch if you want apps, calls, payments and a large screen and you accept daily charging. Our Fitness Trackers board covers bands and straps only. Full smartwatches are ranked on the Smartwatches board and finger-worn rings on the Smart Rings board.

Avoid paying full price for old hardware, and avoid paying a premium for metrics you will not use. On our board the Garmin Vivosmart 5 is 2022-era hardware still near full price with no refresh in sight, the Fitbit Charge 5 often costs more than the newer Fitbit Charge 6, and the Amazfit Band 7 is a superseded band that the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 outclasses for the same money. The Whoop MG charges a substantially higher annual fee than the Whoop 5.0 for ECG and blood-pressure estimates that testers say do not justify the jump without a clinical need. Check the region too: the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 was never officially sold in the US.

Anyone who needs a medical-grade reading should not rely on a consumer band. Trackers estimate heart rate and sleep from a wrist sensor, and on our board even a well-rated band like the Polar Loop drew complaints about inconsistent calorie counts. People who want notifications, apps and calls should look at the Smartwatches board instead. If you will not wear it daily, the data has gaps and the band becomes a drawer item, so the cheap Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is the safer trial purchase than the Fitbit Charge 6.