The 7 Best Fitness Trackers, Tested By A Personal Trainer
The best fitness trackers can help you achieve your health goals and improve your overall well-being. These Spy Kids-esque wearables can keep tabs on just about every aspect of your health: sleep, recovery, blood oxygen levels and respiratory rates; some can even track electrical activity of the heart (known as ECG). As a certified personal trainer and weightlifter, I used my expertise to test 14 of the best fitness trackers for this guide. The Garmin Venu 3 won me over as best fitness tracker overall, and I found several others worthy of praise.
I used my expertise to test 14 of the best fitness trackers for this guide and the Garmin Venu 3 won … [+]
Here is a list of my winners, based on four months of rigorous testing:
While testing, I assessed each tracker for accuracy, comfort, ease of use and customizable options. Since these devices are highly personal, the best fitness tracker for you will depend on your needs, training goals and individual preferences. That’s why I included a variety of options—everything from a running-specific tracker to the best Apple Watch—so you can find something on this list that works for you. I’ve tested several top picks over the past few months to see how they’ve held up over time. Read on for my in-depth review of the seven best fitness trackers of 2024. For more on how to make the most of these wearables, read my guide to how to use a fitness tracker.
The Garmin Venu 3 was my first choice for a fitness tracker after weeks of testing. I consistently gravitated towards this tracker even on my off-days of training. Out of all of the trackers I tested, the Venu 3 was the most accurate while still being easy to use. The Garmin Venu 3’s large 1.4-inch touchscreen and bright display made it easy to check my stats mid-workout and cycle through different health features (of which there are many).
Aesthetically, the Venu’s size makes it less discreet than other options. There’s no mistaking it for a watch, but the silicone band and stainless steel bezel made it one of the more attractive fitness trackers I tried. And although it was bulkier, it felt surprisingly lightweight compared to trackers of similar size.
The Garmin Venu 3 allows you to track sets and reps while weightlifting.
A step up from Garmin’s Venu 2, the Venu 3 is also geared toward average gym-goers but includes upgraded features like sleep coaching, post-workout recovery insights and a more advanced heart rate sensor. I found the recovery time predictions useful for planning my daily movement after working out, including how many walks to take and when to go to bed. I was also able to create my workouts within the Garmin Connect app and load them onto the watch, down to the sets, reps and exact exercises. Other notable features include more than 30 preloaded sports apps and workouts, as well as personalized sleep coaching. Overall, I found the Garmin Venu 3 to be an advanced watch that takes a holistic approach to fitness without being intimidating to use.
The Garmin Venu has become something of a personal coach to me after training with it for four months. I’ve seen improved results in the gym like PR’s (personal records) during lifting and greater endurance after following the watch’s post-workout recovery advice and sleep tips. The battery life also blows away any other tracker I’ve used. After noticing mid-workout that my watch was down to less than 5% in battery, the power-saving mode helped it hold on for not only the rest of my workout but three more hours after that. I do wish the interface was a bit more intuitive. Navigating to features on the watch like the post-workout summary can be a bit confusing, even after using the watch consistently.
The 2024 Forbes Vetted Best Product Awards are here: Explore our 150 top-recommended items across categories after extensive research and testing.
For beginners looking to track their workouts in a seamless and manageable way, I recommend the Fitbit Charge 6. If you’re just starting out with a regular exercise program, the last thing you want to do is complicate your routine by introducing an elaborate fitness tracker. The Charge 6 is the brand’s latest iteration in its Charge series. Of the trackers I tested, it was the simplest to use while offering a surprising level of versatility and accuracy, given its basic design.
When I took the Charge 6 on a hike, it tracked my average pace.
The Charge 6 can do just about anything most trackers can do: count steps and distance, track sleep (including sleep stages), recognize when you’re engaging in one of nearly 40 different workouts and monitor key health indicators, like irregular heart rhythms, stress, moods and menstrual cycles. The Charge 6 also features a more advanced heart rate monitor than its predecessors, which paid off in its level of accuracy during my testing. It kept up with my heart rate during high-intensity workouts, which is typically where I find most trackers fail in their ability to measure my varying heart rate accurately. I went from 160 bpm (beats per minute) during the middle of a set to around 120 bpm during rest—all within a 30-second to one-minute window—and the Charge 6’s tracking was right in line with my control device through it all (the Polar H10 Chest Strap).
Unlike other trackers that can make it hard to break down what all of the numbers mean, the Charge 6’s insights were straightforward. It communicated updates to me via weekly progress reports and daily scores for sleep and stress management—all of which broke down my stats using cute graphics, bright colors and easy-to-follow insights.
After using this tracker for four months, I still enjoy the Fitbit’s simple interface and uncomplicated design. I’ve found, however, that the accuracy of the heart rate tracking can be inconsistent. During a few lifting sessions, the heart rate tracking got a slow start and was off for a few sets compared to my control (the Polar H10 chest strap) before catching up by the middle to end of my workout. This was somewhat annoying, although it didn’t seem to skew my overall post-workout summary data, which was usually still in line with my control for metrics like estimated calories burned and average heart rate.
For Apple users looking for the most convenient option, the Apple Watch Series 9 is my top choice. Equipped with more features than the SE and more affordable than the Apple Watch Ultra, the Series 9 checks all the boxes for an everyday, high-performing fitness tracker. It was a close second to the Garmin Venu 3 for my favorite tracker for training, in large part due to its advanced heart rate tracking. It accurately tracked my heart rate variability, including how long I spent in certain zones, my walking heart rate and how long it took my body to return to normal, post-exercise.
However, the 9 is a smartwatch at its core; it can’t compete with Garmin’s workout analytics and training feedback, or the superior integration with the Garmin Connect app. While I did find it convenient to have all of my workout stats recorded and readily available in my iPhone’s Health app, it doesn’t summarize your information in the way the Connect app does or offer recommendations for recovery.
The Apple Watch 9 could detect what stroke I was swimming and for how long, which is a unique … [+]
Something the 9 offered that the Garmin doesn’t, though, is the ability to detect movement automatically. I appreciated how quickly the Apple Watch Series 9 could sense the type of exercise I was doing, so I never had to manually record activities like outdoor walks or yoga. It even detected which stroke I was swimming when I tested it in the pool. As for its design, the Series 9 (like other Apple wearables) is a sleek watch that’s aesthetically much more advanced than a often-clunkier traditional fitness tracker. For Apple users looking for a more advanced smartwatch that can track your workouts, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Series 9.
After consistently using the Apple Watch and comparing it to others I’ve tested and tried, the Series 9’s seamless integration with my iPhone makes it one of the most convenient fitness trackers to use among the ones I tested. Having all of my health information in one place on my phone—rather than in a companion app—makes it easy to keep close tabs on my overall health and to monitor progress over a longer period of time. However, the short battery life proved to be a real pain point with this tracker. Because I have to charge the watch almost as frequently as I do my phone, it discouraged me from using the Apple Watch compared to other trackers because I found it hard to keep up with charging two devices on a daily basis.