The Best Fitness Trackers We’ve Tested for 2025

One area it isn’t lacking is notification handling and music control. This makes it an ideal extension to your phone for very little money. As you might expect, they tend to be slimmer and more subtle in profile than the likes of the Apple Watch SE, with smaller screens and reduced functionality a hallmark of their cheaper price points. However, we have included one cheap fitness watch, the Amazfit Active 2, in our list due to its excellent value while still being fitness-orientated.

Others are self-guided, meaning you get a timer and a sample video of each exercise instead. You can get a free seven-day trial of this service, albeit only after adding a payment method. As of this writing, the monthly plan ($29.99) is too expensive; therefore, I would not recommend signing up for it.

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Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. There’s also onboard GPS for location tracking data, allowing you to leave your smartphone at home, but no altimeter for precise elevation data. Fitbits tend to have longer battery life than more advanced smartwatches. Most are estimated to last around five days, but we’ve found that some features like an always-on display can drastically impact the time between charges.

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Each brand’s latest watches deliver comparable features, sensors, and tracking smarts. We still prefer the Series 10 for Apple’s attention to the little details in watchOS 11 and the superior integration with the iPhone, but, in truth, there’s little to separate them. Fitbit’s more dedicated health watch, the Sense 2, goes all-in on stress tracking. The EDA sensor reads stress responses via the palm and is now continuous. It’s called the Body Response Sensor and can offer a much more detailed look at stressful feelings, prompting you for manual feedback on how you feel. With the significantly larger price tag, too, it’s not an automatic recommendation.

How we test the best cheap fitness trackers

If you’re overwhelmed by the number of fitness apps on the market, you’re not alone. There are seemingly a bajillion fitness apps available, and from logging your personal bests to tracking your pickleball wins, each has its own niche. The Fitbit Uber app is a handy tool for users looking to seamlessly request Uber rides directly from their Fitbit devices. While it may not boast all the features of its smartphone counterpart, the app enables users to effortlessly order rides, check ride estimates, and review driver details. Here’s a roundup of the best Fitbit apps you can download today to maximize the potential of your fitness tracker. By connecting to these apps, your Fitbit can extend beyond basic fitness tracking to become a comprehensive health and lifestyle companion.

Limited lifestyle features

Both are excellent sleep trackers too – although Fitbit’s presentation of heart rate, wellness metrics, and sleep data is simpler and easier to understand. It brings all the features from the Sense 2 (GPS, ECG, stress tracking, skin temperature), puts it in a wristband form factor, and adds integrated Google services (Pay/Maps) over its predecessor. And the main features are still step tracking, sports monitoring, and sleep insights. There’s no heart rate monitor, but it does boast swim-proof 5ATM water resistance. The color screen elevates the whole experience while not destroying the battery life, with 10 days on offer between charges. The 41mm version lasts only hours with the always-on display enabled, according to our real-world testing.

The best Fitbit smartwatch

If you’d prefer a screen-less fitness tracker without subscription fees, the $99 Amazfit Helio Strap might be the ticket. It keeps tabs on sleep and physical activity with a battery that lasts up to 12 days per charge. The Apple Watch SE 3 is the best Fitbit alternative for iPhone users, assuming you prefer something more smartwatch-like to something more tracker-esque. Pricier and bulkier than our best Fitbit pick, the SE 3 is just as competent a fitness tracker as the Fitbit Charge 6, while offering way more smart and connectivity features. The $179.99 Fitbit Ace LTE isn’t really a traditional fitness tracker, though it does track active minutes.

Best (less-expensive) multipurpose fitness tracker

• The Amazfit Active 2 is a steal, with offline maps, great battery and a bright AMOLED screen.
• But this is comfortably—and we can’t emphasize this enough—the best way to experience the Fitbit platform in 2025 and into next year, with our testing finding the tracking to be largely very accurate.
• The bar graph will show you how close or far away you are from your Fitbit.
• It’s not as ‘scientific’ as Fitbit’s tracking, but it is still simple and effective.
• IFTTT.com also allows people to create “recipes” or goal combinations that help you achieve milestones related to your personal development goals.
• If you’re training for an arduous multi-day hike up a mountain or a marathon, you might be better off with a proper fitness watch or a tracker with GPS like the Fitbit Charge 5.

These workouts can be specific to muscle groups or exercise types, and data can be integrated into the smartphone health apps to track progress. Testing cheap fitness trackers mainly involves using them in our day-to-day for a week or more. That’s the best and most efficient way of seeing how much data they gather, how accurate they are, how well they perform, and how comfortable they are on our wrists. For example, if you’re into cycling or running, you should get a cheap fitness tracker with a built-in GPS module. If you just want a device to log your workouts and track your sleep, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is your best bet.

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The Fitbit Inspire 3 was the most accurate fitness tracker for step count and near the top of the rankings for every other test we performed. The touchscreen display is only 1.5 inches tall but is simple to navigate, thanks to its sharp colors and easily readable text and icons. The thin, half-inch band doesn’t feel clunky during workouts or everyday use, and the Inspire 3 weighs just 0.32 ounce — lighter than a typical USB flash drive. The Garmin Forerunner 255 Music is designed for athletes who want to maximize their training while enjoying their favorite playlists.

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Consistent bedtimes/wake times are one of the few controllable elements of sleep and can lead to better rest. Apple’s sleep tracking is also linked to alarms, and the iPhone will react to bedtimes set on Apple Watch and turn off notifications 30 minutes before bed. In terms of design, they look similar to those pricier Apple and Fitbit smartwatches, with the Series SE offered in two size options (40mm and 44mm) and the Versa 3 only 40mm. They both offer AMOLED displays with the /fitness/products/apps/mad-muscles.htm option of an always-on mode and similar waterproofing that make them safe for swimming and showering up to 50 meters depth. The Versa 4 and Sense 2 look very similar, though the latter does bring serious health sensors such as ECG, skin temperature, and an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor that tracks stress.

Not surprisingly, it’s also one of the best Fitbits overall, with a lot of the same Fitbit features like the Daily Readiness Score and Active Zone Minutes on the premium models. It’s one of the best smartwatches on the market for the price, but as its focus is fitness, we’re comfortable recommending it as a tracker. Measure steps, https://www.cardahealth.com/post/what-are-the-5-components-of-fitness heart rate, heart rate variability, and stress with this excellent fitness tracker. Guided breathing exercises guide you through releasing stress while sleep tracking helps you get a better night’s sleep.

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If you want broad exercise and health data, plus all the latest apps, a smartwatch from Apple or Google is a good fit. Because trackers come in so many shapes and sizes, I recommend going to a store in-person to try a few different options and see what form-factor makes sense for you. Having tested over a dozen options, I am surprised how different each model feels, even ones with similar wristbands.

It now comes powered by the S10 chip, with better battery life, and more. “If you’re looking for a free fitness app that includes many workouts you can sort by muscle group, difficulty level, and duration, Nike Training Club is a great choice,” Nelson says. Find live and on-demand yoga, core and strength routines, is madmuscles a scam home workouts, and quick-hit routines that can be done in under 20 minutes. Turoff appreciates the “Beacon” safety feature, which allows you to share your live location with up to three people.

The Fitbit Sense is a popular smartwatch known for its fitness-tracking capabilities, but it also offers a variety of apps to enhance its functionality. Overall, MyFitnessPal is one of those apps that truly makes life easier for anyone who wants to lead a healthier lifestyle. With its vast database of foods combined with user-friendly tools for tracking nutrition intake in real time along with several other ways it helps guide motivation through healthy living habits. MyFitnessPal is the ultimate fitness tracking app that helps you keep track of your calorie intake, exercise routine, and overall health. With a user-friendly interface and easy-to-use tools, this app has everything you need to stay motivated towards your fitness goals. Fitbit’s smartwatches, chiefly the Sense and Versa, are able to run lots of apps.

If you are in charge of a stock take in work, simply use this app and you will be done so much quicker. This application may seem simple, but if you need to count something then it will come in really handy. For example, if you want to know how many goody bags you have made for a party and you don’t want to lose count, simply use the count app to keep track of them. Tap the top right of your screen to add one, and the bottom left to take one away.