The 6 Best Fitness Trackers of 2025

Our Picks of Fitness Trackers

Best Overall

Garmin Vivoactive 5

The Vivoactive 5 delivers core performance for all kinds of activity tracking without unnecessary complexity and without the high price of a premium fitness tracker. The Vivoactive is easy to use from day one, seamlessly connecting to our phones. It's slightly smaller than other leading trackers, but its small size does not detract from its ability to track activities, steps, heart rate, and sleep with impressive accuracy. It's also discrete; we felt like we were wearing a regular watch, not a bulky or overly sporty fitness band.

Measured Weight i	1.2 oz
Measured Dimensions i	1.6" x 1.8"
Measured Heart Rate Accuracy i	98.61%
GPS Tracking i	Yes
Supported Operating Systems i	Apple iOS & Android OS

Tracking features are where this device excels. This device tracks most activities with a high degree of accuracy, recording things like pace, heart rate, and reps in real time. As one tester put it, “The Vivoactive is like a personal trainer and health coach on my wrists. It quietly tracked everything I needed to know without slowing me down, and even provided helpful tips and coaching for ways to improve.”

The bright AMOLED screen provides real-time monitoring of heart rate, pace, distance, and duration, along with industry-leading accuracy, thanks to the built-in GPS and onboard accelerometer. The Vivoactive runs opposite to the trend of increasingly large screen sizes; it's small enough to fit comfortably on slimmer wrists without limiting touchscreen size or space for data. It is also perfectly comfortable enough to wear to bed and record reams of sleep data (the Garmin app offers excellent sleep analysis).

Read more: Garmin Vivoactive 5 review

Best Budget Pick for Android

Samsung Galaxy Fit3

The Samsung Galaxy Fit3 delivers solid performance across basic metric tracking without unnecessary complexity and without the high price of a premium fitness tracker. It's a slim fitness tracker without the weight or bulk of most larger trackers, while still being large enough to view important data at a glance and use the touch screen. It tracks activities and metrics with relative accuracy, for significantly less than other trackers.

Measured Weight i	1.2 oz
Measured Dimensions i	1.1" x 1.6"
Measured Heart Rate Accuracy i	100.00%
GPS Tracking i	No
Supported Operating Systems i	Android OS

The Samsung Fit3 checks off most of the requirements for a fitness tracker that most people are looking for: accurate step and sleep tracking, heart rate tracking, and basic cardio tracking metrics like distance and pace. We were most impressed with the step count accuracy; on a half-mile walk, this tracker was only short by a single step count from our manual tracking. Most notably, this tracker is a fraction of the price of the leading trackers, and significantly outperforms many other models with similar features and price points.

Its touch screen is slightly smaller than some other fitness trackers, making it sleek enough to fit into everyday style, while still being large enough to display and access all the data and screens you need access to quickly. One tester gushed, “On my wrist, it feels natural and easy to use; I love that I can navigate through all the different pages and settings so easily.” Our biggest complaint about this handy little budget-friendly tracker is that it's not compatible with iOS and requires three separate apps to pair with Android phones and view all the data. Once set up, though, it's seamless and simple to use.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Fit3 review

Best on a Tight Budget for iPhones

Amazfit Band 7

At a very affordable price point, the Amazfit Band 7 offers compelling features like great battery life, a comfortable fit, and great access to your data. We recommend it to anyone with an iPhone who is shopping for a fitness tracker on a tight budget. This version of the Band has a much larger screen than its predecessors, and is pleasant to use. Viewing your data and trends in the app is also easy.

Measured Weight i	1.0 oz
Measured Dimensions i	1.0" x 0.6"
Measured Heart Rate Accuracy i	93.83%
GPS Tracking i	No
Supported Operating Systems i	Apple iOS & Android OS

While the Amazfit has easy-to-use dashboards, its screen is difficult to read outside, even under cloudy skies. Its data is simplified and streamlined, and it has great battery life compared to others in its class. One tester commented, “I like that the app gives me useful feedback on my sleep habits without getting lost in hard-to-interpret data.” Heart rate tracking follows trends, rather than offering accurate and specific information that interval training may require.

We loved the Amazfit's Personal Activity Scoring Intelligence (PAI) for scoring our fitness, but in order to access more detailed analyses, a subscription is required. Athletes looking to achieve specific goals should look elsewhere. But if you're an iPhone user in search of basic biometric tracking, this inexpensive and compact model will do the trick.

Read more: Amazfit Band 7 review

Best Upgraded Model

Garmin Venu 3

The Garmin Venu 3 earned high scores across the board with top-of-the-line fitness and lifestyle metric tracking, just enough smartwatch features to keep you connected on the go, all packed into a sleek design. If you're looking for a watch that can do it all without compromising on usability or battery life, this is it. When we pushed ourselves — and the Venu — to the limit, it kept with us every step and heartbeat of the way; our heart rate data was beat for beat with a chest strap monitor in real time.

Measured Weight i	1.6 oz
Measured Dimensions i	1.8" x 1.8"
Measured Heart Rate Accuracy i	98.61%
GPS Tracking i	Yes
Supported Operating Systems i	Apple iOS & Android OS

The Venu 3 stands out as a sleek hybrid watch that's still stylish enough to wear to the office. It excels at fitness & tracking, with near-perfect heart rate, distance, pace, and elevation data visible in real time. As one tester put it, “being able to view real-time heart rate, pace, and elevation data on my wrist is a game-changer.” Its only downside is less-than-accurate rep counting — though you can update those after your workout.

Sleep and other lifestyle tracking are accurate and informative as well, helping you adopt better habits to improve your health and fitness. Though it is not a full-fledged smartwatch, it still offers a ton of smart features. You can receive messages in real time, send custom responses — with an Android) — check your calendar, and keep an eye on the weather. This tracker is more expensive than most, but if you want the best smartwatch features with top-tier exercise tracking and a style you can wear anywhere, it's the Venu that we recommend.

Read more: Garmin Venu 3 review

Best for Multi-Sport and Cardio

Garmin Forerunner 265

The Forerunner 265 tracker is our premier recommendation for athletes, passionate runners and cyclists, and triathletes. It's also particularly great for those who venture beyond cellular coverage and charging capabilities for extended periods. This tracker is capable of providing a plethora of data, analytics, and even predictions & recommendations on all of your training activities in a user-friendly wrist-based device. The Forerunner 265 is our top recommendation for athletes looking to up their performance monitoring capabilities.

Measured Weight i	1.6 oz
Measured Dimensions i	2.0" x 1.9"
Measured Heart Rate Accuracy i	96.55%
GPS Tracking i	Yes
Supported Operating Systems i	Apple iOS & Android OS

By far, the standout features of the Forerunner 265 are its advanced metric tracking capabilities. Thanks to a built-in altimeter, accelerometer, barometer, and GPS, you can track just about every stat you need and want across a variety of sports, including multi-sport mode for triathletes. The constant heart rate monitoring and pace are precise enough to dial in your training and race day goals with precision and confidence. We loved the hybrid touch screen and touch button interface, with one tester commenting, “Using the buttons during a run is so much easier than swiping while sweaty — but I like the big touch screen for checking my data throughout the day.”

The battery life on the Forerunner is also impressive, lasting over a week with normal usage and activity tracking. The GPS enables confidence in the wearer that, come what may, they will always be able to find their way back home. The device distinguishes itself during challenging circumstances, maintaining reliable tracking and performance analysis even when the going gets technical at high elevations. Though this large, pricey option isn't the sleekest lifestyle-friendly device, its specialized features are tailor-made for athletes, with several of our testers, describing it as “a best friend and training coach”.

Read more: Garmin Forerunner 265 review

Best for Advanced Coaching

Whoop 5.0

The screenless Whoop is innovative and designed to offer hyper-personalized recommendations. This slender little tracker contains advanced lifestyle and health tracking technology, with some of the most in-depth data analyses available. As it accumulates your daily data, the Whoop offers custom alerts, coaching, and recommendations to help you improve your health and performance, along with tons of additional lifestyle insights.

Measured Weight i	1.0 oz
Measured Dimensions i	1.0" x 1.4"
Measured Heart Rate Accuracy i	94.44%
GPS Tracking i	No
Supported Operating Systems i	Apple iOS & Android OS

The sleep, heart rate, and training readiness tracking on the Whoop is exceptional, and personalized notifications feel like having your coach offering friendly advice at all times. One tester described it as, “it provides an outstanding view of my day-to-day habits and long-term performance, plus the training readiness and tailored tips and coaching give me that extra nudge to always keep improving.” It's extremely effective at auto-detecting outdoor activities and overall heart rate tracking. The journal feature helps you identify trends in your sleep, readiness, and performance, all guiding you towards a healthier and better lifestyle.

It's slim and extremely comfortable to wear — and can be tucked into the pockets of the Whoop clothing line. It is also legitimately designed to be worn 24/7; the device battery, which lasts around two weeks, recharges from a secondary battery that slides onto the device, so you never really have to stop. The biggest downside of this GPS-less, screen-free lifestyle tracker is its relatively expensive subscription — though if you want a personalized coach, it's a worthwhile investment with highly specific and valuable insights for better understanding your health.

Read more: Whoop 5.0 review

Why Trust GearLab

GearLab has been purchasing and rigorously evaluating fitness trackers through hands-on side-by-side testing since 2017. Our testing methods are designed to evaluate and compare each model's accuracy and precision, data output and insights, and overall usability. Our tests were performed in meticulous side-by-side tests, where accuracy was compared across all the things you might want to track, like heart rate, sleep performance, and workout stats like distance and pace. We also talked to a diverse panel of judges at GearLab to gain perspective on comfort, appearance, and general wearability.

We tested fitness trackers using five performance metrics:

• Activity Tracking (20% of overall score weighting)

• Lifestyle Tracking (20% weighting)

• Data and Dashboards (20% weighting)

• Features & Ease of Use (20% weighting)

• Wearability (10% weighting)

• Battery (10% weighting)

Our fitness tracker test team is a diverse group of health-conscious people, with backgrounds and years of experience in athletics of all kinds. Leading the team is Hale Milano, a fitness fanatic and amateur athlete in everything from the local 5k to 70.3 Ironman. Hale is well-versed with the benefits a data-informed approach can have on a healthy lifestyle. He also has extensive experience testing other fitness products for GearLab, including dumbbells and weight vests.

Hale is joined by testing input from Genaveve Bradshaw, who personally saw to putting each tracker through marathon days in the mountains — from running to climbing to biking to paddling. She accumulated many miles on treadmills and the local paths near the GearLab office, logged countless laps on the climbing wall, and did many HIIT sessions wearing multiple trackers at a time.

Other members of the team include Austin Palmer and Jessica Riconscente, who contributed their experience with and perspective on fitness trackers from previous GearLab reviews of trackers, smartwatches, and hundreds of other tech and smart home products. Additionally, Jared Eastlick lent advice from his background as an ISAA-certified fitness trainer.

Analysis and Test Results

A good fitness tracker has to do several important things to be worth investing time and money into. It must:

• Accurately track a variety of activities and record performance

• Measure non-exercise-related health metrics to establish baselines and trends

• Provide a way to access and interpret that data in a user-friendly platform

• Be comfortable to wear, with a battery life that is conducive to your lifestyle and usage habits

We tested these core requirements for all models, to help you find the best fitness tracker for your needs.

What's the Best Value?

The Galaxy Fit3 (Android only) and Amazfit Band 7 (Android and iOS) are great options if you are looking for the best bang for the buck. If you told our testing team that you were not sure how much you'd really use a fitness tracker, and wanted to try one without spending a lot of money, these are the two that we would recommend to you. While both trackers have a limited set of functions compared to the top models, they track basic activities and your sleep reasonably well, all for a low price.

For those who want a higher degree of accuracy and functions tailored towards athletes, we recommend the Garmin Vivoactive 5, which combines many features seen in Garmin's high-end line of fitness trackers but at a more accessible price.

Activity Tracking

We scored each tracker on its ability to track activities. We evaluated three primary capabilities: cardio workouts like running or biking, gym workouts for rep and set counting, and auto-detection of activities.

We also evaluated our general experience using these activities to track the plethora of activities and workouts that our testing team enjoys, like hiking, paddling, climbing, and more. In this metric, we looked for both the capability to track various activities, but also the accuracy of the tracking.

Across our months of hands-on testing, we evaluated these trackers in both strict lab environments as well as real-world experiences. We ran mile after mile to compare the distance, pace, and heart rate accuracy during runs. We pushed ourselves, and each tracker in the gym recording activities like the stair stepper, squats, and chest exercises. We also went on walks and runs without starting the device to see how quickly it picked up on activities. Though not an intended part of our test plan, yardwork also became a tool to measure tracking and detection capabilities for non-workout activities.

The Garmin Forerunner 265 impressed our team with its exceptional tracking capabilities across running, cycling, and multi-sport activities; it's able to track across a triathlon in a single activity mode. You get advanced metrics like cadence, ground contact time, stroke rate, laps, and more in various exercise modes. In the gym, the Forerunner can help you track your reps, sets, and rest in workout mode. Though automatic rep and exercise tracking is not very accurate, it's easy to update the reps and weight after each set manually on the watch. Beyond traditional workouts, the Forerunner is fantastic for hiking and mountain adventures with a host of navigation and elevation-based features.

The Forerunner 265 was also one of the most purpose-built watches for tracking triathlons in our lineup. The multi-sport mode enables the Forerunner to track and categorize different activity types as a single workout, making for seamless tracking through transitions in both brick workouts and full triathlons. Transition time is also automatically calculated based on movement.

The Venu 3 and Vivoactive 5 are also superb at tracking most activities, like a run, bike, or workout in the gym. They're also perfect for tracking a walk around your neighborhood, or your heart rate and the duration of a yoga session. We really liked the ability to quickly update the number of reps or weight for your last set on the Venu 3's large touch screen, but it was slightly more accurate on the Vivoactive 5. The Venu can also run guided workouts right from the watch, complete with exercise diagrams

The Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch SE Gen 2 are two other high-performing activity trackers. During runs, we found the heart rate, pace, and distance to be spot on with our manually measured data. Neither watch has the ability to track reps in the gym, though, and many other activities, the Apple watches only track heart rate and duration. That said, there are dozens of trackable activities and built-in workouts to choose from, or you can even create a customized activity.

We also looked at the ability of trackers to auto-detect walks, runs, rides, or other activities. The Oura Ring is a standout here; it accurately picked up and labeled a variety of workouts and activities, including yard work! The Whoop is above average at auto-detecting activities as well. Most of the other devices were average at activity auto detection, with a high degree of variance in the accuracy and effectiveness. We appreciated that the screenless trackers excelled here the most, since there's no way to manually start an activity on the device itself.

Lifestyle Tracking

Our lifestyle tracking metric evaluated all of the tracking that should occur in the background of everyday life. We primarily evaluated the accuracy of heart rate tracking and sleep tracking.

We evaluated heart rate against a chest strap monitor, comparing the accuracy of resting heart rates, average heart rates during activities, and max recorded heart rates. Lastly, we compared sleep scores to our self-reported and tracked data.

The Garmin Forerunner 265 and Venu 3 were again our top performers in lifestyle metric tracking, predominantly thanks to highly accurate real-time heart rate tracking and consistent sleep monitoring. Their top-ranked positions were solidified with consistent HRV monitoring, on-demand pulse oximetry, recovery recommendations, and body battery score to help you stay thoroughly informed on your body's performance and readiness. One of our testers noted that “the Venu 3 is just as accurate as a chest strap monitor in real time, with the added benefit of being able to view the heart rate data and more on my wrist instead of requiring a phone”. Both of the Garmin models also offer color-coded HR zone visualization. Our testing team appreciated this during HIIT workouts and steady run workouts when they wanted to keep their HR in a specific zone. There are HR, time, and calorie-based alerts that you can customize during workouts.

The Whoop is another model that ranked very highly for lifestyle tracking, for different reasons than the Garmin models. The only reason it isn't our favorite is the lack of real-time heart rate data. But, for recording and analyzing day in and day out heart rate, strain, and sleep data, the Whoop is top notch. We loved that after the watch built a baseline of data for us that it provided custom recommendations, like when we needed extra recovery, when our body was primed for peak performance, and how our stressors and activities impacted health stats like heart rate variability. The Whoop uses all of its lifestyle metric tracking, like heart rate, sleep, and activity data, to provide analysis and other calculated metrics that speak to the impact of your lifestyle and health choices.

The Vivoactive 5 is in line with some of the other top trackers in our lifestyle tracking metric, like the Whoop, Oura Ring, Galaxy Fit3, and Samsung Galaxy Watch FE. Heart rate data on the Galaxy FE was not accurate when we tried to view it live, likely because of a lag or delay. When we viewed our workout summary afterwards, the average heart rate and max heart rate were in line with our chest strap readings. The Oura did have accurate heart rate monitoring in real time, though it requires you to look at your phone to view that data.

Heart rate data on the Apple Watch 10 is also spot on with our chest monitor. For sleep tracking, the Apple Watch was in line with our own perceptions, and we liked the recommended bedtime, but were surprised by slightly different terms for the sleep stages. Apple uses “Core” instead of “Light” sleep like most others.

Sleep tracking was an important component of our lifestyle tracking assessment. We determined the accuracy of each tracker by comparing the data between different trackers (we wore multiple trackers at night during the testing period) and cross-checking it with our impression of sleep quality. The Whoop 5.0 and Oura Ring Gen 3 were the best at logging our Zs. It is interesting to note that these trackers are also some of the least cumbersome to wear in bed. The Whoop excels with detailed sleep debt tracking and behavior correlation, while the Oura has automatic nap detection and suggests personalized bedtimes for optimizing sleep. The Vivoactive 5 also has automatic nap detection that is very successful in our testing.

In other health metrics and features, a handful of devices cover the bases in different ways. Garmin has the athletic department covered with its “Training Readiness” and “Body Battery” scores, while the Apple watches provide insightful walking metrics analysis and environmental sound monitoring. Whoop measures your Strain and Recovery, and uses an extensive and customizable journaling feature to further personalize the data.

The Fitbit Charge 6 scored low in our heart rate tests. It doesn't follow rapid heart rate change, but it does a fairly good job of recording average heart rate. So, it is fine for general fitness tracking, but it isn't accurate enough for someone who needs to know exactly where their heart rate is during a workout. Sleep tracking is reasonably accurate, too, though we felt the analysis lacked depth.

Data & Dashboards

Recording and tracking data is only half the equation, and one that most trackers were reasonably successful half. In order to make meaningful evaluations and changes, we need a way to access and interpret it. We evaluated each tracker's ability to view data both on the device, as well as through the associated phone app and dashboards.

Higher scores were awarded to trackers and platforms that were easy to navigate, had the ability to drill down into data, were also easy to read and interpret at a glance, and, in some cases, platforms that had predictive and coaching capabilities as part of the offering. Though it did not factor into the overall score, we took note of trackers that require a subscription to access the basic data records.

By far the best data analysis and presentation belongs to the Whoop app. The app is organized clearly into tabs, with all your data for a given day presented on a single customizable tab. You can easily navigate back to past days or tap into a specific metric to view trends and analysis. The level of detail, comparisons, and coaching is truly impressive. That level of access and analysis does come at a cost, though. The Whoop requires an annual subscription paid monthly; the cheapest rate is $16.60 a month for two years (as of August 2025). You can also only view data on the app, not via the tracker itself, since it is screenless. Whoop also offers excellent coaching and predictions. Through phone alerts, you're made aware of bedtime reminders, readiness levels, stress summaries, and more.

The Oura Ring is another standout device for the presentation of data and trends in its app. Like the Whoop, there is no screen, so you can only view this data on your phone, but the experience is wonderful. A customizable ribbon at the top provides an overview of common metrics like readiness, sleep, and activity each day, followed by more detailed analysis and dashboards that again are customizable to what you want to view first. A timeline view lets you scroll through a historical view of your data and activities, so you can easily reflect back on past sleep and activities. We also like the My Health tab that provides an overview of your Resilience score, Heart Health, and Sleep Health.

Since the Garmin Forerunner 265, Venu 3, and Vivoactive 5 all share the same app interface, it makes sense that they share a similar score for the data and dashboard metric. On the whole, we found the Garmin app to have a very detailed level of information presented in a straightforward manner that allowed us to easily dig into the metrics we were most interested in. There is a LOT of data available on the Garmin Connect app, and it's easy to be overwhelmed the first time you log on. We found it had a short learning curve, though, and then was easier to navigate than other apps.

The Apple Watch 10 and Apple Watch SE Gen 2 are close behind with the intuitive ring system and clear visualization of health metrics. We appreciated the easy-to-use app — especially for those already familiar with Apple apps — and navigating and viewing your data becomes second nature. The level of detail in charts, as well as the coaching and analysis of our data, is a notch behind the leading trackers in this metric.

Features & Ease of Use

Considering how a fitness tracker is meant to be worn all day and every day, we analyzed how easy each tracker is to use and the features each offers.

This involved comparing the effort it took to set up each device and how intuitive it is to navigate and use the tracker. We also noted what other features, such as smart watch features or other tracking capabilities that each device had, and the phone platforms that they were compatible with.

The Apple Watch 10 and SE Gen 2 are in a league of their own when it comes to features. These watches are really better categorized as fully-enabled smart watches that happen to track fitness stats. If you buy the enabled models, you can make phone calls and text from these watches, without even needing your phone. It almost isn't fair to compare it to other trackers in this respect.

Both Apple Watches are highly capable of messaging, placing calls, video and images, and otherwise seamless Apple ecosystem integration. On top of that, many people are familiar with Apple's iOS platform, and so navigating the apps and screens on the watch feels intuitive. That said, one of our testers isn't used to Apple products and found the plethora of options and scroll wheel overwhelming.

We love the buttons, display, and overall usability of the Forerunner. The screen can display multiple metrics simultaneously, which we love when out on the trail, but it is significantly larger than other watches in our lineup. That said, the large screen and tactile buttons make this watch a dream to use, especially when jogging and bouncing over rocks on a sweaty trail run. One of our testers said, “I was resistant to revert back to buttons after using a touch screen watch for so long, but the second I tried it, I was hooked. Gone are the days of sweaty fingers not registering on a screen; I can easily scroll through data without even looking at my watch now!” The Forerunner does lack a quick access screen that both other Garmins have, and it is a feature we missed.

The Venu 3 also has a lovely and large touch screen that makes it very pleasant to use. While this watch only has three buttons instead of the Forerunner's five, we had no issues navigating the watch screens throughout the day, or during a workout. We particularly like the quick access screen (swipe right from the home screen) that can be customized to any widget or app you prefer. Dual-function buttons (press and hold, versus short press) also provide additional accessibility to more data and options with fewer complications.

Although the Garmin Vivoactive 5 possesses many of the same features as the other two Garmin devices, its screen is smaller. Therefore, it is slightly more tedious to navigate through the watch, especially while on the move. Still, if you prefer a smaller watch size, this tradeoff is likely non-existent for you. The Vivoactive still has customizable quick-access screens and dual-function buttons. All three of the Garmin watches offer preset message responses, call accept/deny, calendar, and weather apps, though they rely on a Bluetooth connection to update.

We need to give an honorable mention to the ease of use of the Whoop, Oura Ring, and the Ultrahuman Ring Air. While evaluating the ease of use of these devices is limited to the setup and app interface, all three excelled at those features. We also feel that there's something to be said for these devices that lack screens or buttons; simply wear them, and they'll do all the tracking for you. That said, the only smart feature among the lot is an alarm feature on the Whoop that can be set for a custom time, or to go off once you reach your sleep goals.

All of the devices in our lineup are rated to 50 meters underwater except for the Whoop, Oura Ring, and the Ultrahuman Ring Air, which can sustain 100 meters of depth. In short, all of these devices are cleared for showering, swimming, surfing, paddling, and just about any water-based activity you can dream up. The Samsung watches are only rated to 50 meters for a period of up to 10 minutes, though.

Wearability

Since fitness trackers need to be worn to collect data, we considered the wearability of each device an important metric. To evaluate this, we scored devices on their overall size as well as how big they felt while wearing them.

We then took notes on how comfortable each was to put on and wear. Lastly, we evaluated the relative style of each watch, or at least the watch's ability to fit in with a variety of styles of fashion. Many of these devices are very wearable; we have to imagine a considerable amount of time and effort is spent by manufacturers on this component alone.

The Apple Watch 10 and SE Gen 2 stand on top as one of the most wearable and fashionable watches. They're not the lightest, nor the smallest, nor even the most indiscreet. But their ability to blend in, or even stand out as a fashion statement, in the gym, on the trail, or in a professional office space, is undeniable. With almost limitless customizable band options and Apple fans everywhere will notice and appreciate these devices. The Watch 10 is slightly smaller and lighter than the Gen 2, though you'd only notice that if you measured them, as we did.

The Garmin Venu 3 and Vivoactive 5 are runner-ups, and the former is just a bigger version of the latter from an appearance perspective. Both watches take a more traditional approach to style, but are sleek enough to blend in across any environment. The Venu 3 is about 20% lighter than the Apple Watch 10, and the Vivoactive is an additional 25% lighter than that! Both watches are comfortable enough to wear for extended durations. We did notice slight scratches on the large screen after months of use and abuse testing, but the Venu continued to function perfectly fine.

The Whoop once again earned points for how easy it is to wear. The band is a soft, flexible fabric, different from most silicone or rubber bands of other watches. There are some metal components to the clasp, and this caused some limited nuisances. One of our testers reported that the Whoop feels like a soft cloth bracelet you can forget about." However, she also sustained some cuts from the metal clasp when she wore it during a crack climbing session at the local crag. On the whole, though, we noticed minimal issues from the claps, which is especially impressive as we wore the watch 24/7 for weeks at a time while testing it. The Whoop is designed to be worn 24/7, including charging via a portable battery pack.

Despite its size, we were impressed with how comfortable the Garmin Forerunner 265 is to wear. One of our testers even has slimmer wrists, but noted that “I didn't mind the bulkier size of this watch, and I came to appreciate it when it came time to use the screen and buttons to navigate a route using the onboard GPS”. But we have to warn potential users that this device is going to attract attention from people around you, and it also makes itself known to every article of clothing or backpack strap! On the whole, our testing team liked the Forerunner enough to buy their own after testing, but one tester pointed out that the Vivoactive 5 is “way more comfortable than the Forerunner.”

The Galaxy Fit3 is another easy-to-wear watch, and from a size perspective is between the slim fitness bands and regular watch sizes. We found this to be a happy medium, offering enough screen space for data display and touch screen navigation, while fitting nicely on even small wrists.

The Oura ring gets a notable mention for wearability. We really recommend this ring tracker if you prefer wearing traditional watches, or don't like wearing watches at all, but still want to track your health metrics. We found that the ring is on the bulkier side and the silver finish scratches easily, but it's still significantly sleeker and smaller than most other trackers. We also don't recommend it if you're primarily interested in tracking gym workouts, as the ring becomes uncomfortable when grabbing dumbbells or pull-up bars.

A handful of the trackers in our lineup could be considered fitness bands, with no major difference in size between the strap and the watch face itself. These smaller bands are great if you prioritize minimal size and weight, but give off a definitely sporty style vibe. The decrease in screen size also comes with the added cost of making it hard to view data or navigate screens on the tracker. Still, devices like the Fitbit Charge 6 were easy and comfortable to wear, and discreet enough to be out of the way during high-intensity activities.

Battery

Just like our wearability metric, we evaluated the battery life of each tracker since they're designed to be worn continuously. In most cases, you'll need to remove the device to charge it, so a reasonable battery length is an important feature.

The Whoop 5.0 earns top marks for our battery score, though it may be a bit of a technicality to claim this. The onboard battery in the tracker lasts an average of 14 to 15 days, but a wearable battery pack clips onto the device to enable on-the-go charging. What this really equates to is no downtime or missed data while your device charges. The new battery pack on the 5.0 is much slimmer than previous models. Even though we didn't intend to charge on the go, one of our testers would frequently forget the charger was even on his wrist.

We ran into issues with the wireless charging capabilities of the Whoop battery pack, though. Our lead tester explains, “I took my Whoop on an eight-day backpacking trip in Patagonia, and was looking forward to recharging in the middle to collect a full eight days of data. Unfortunately, when I pulled the battery pack out of my bag on day four, it had completely drained, sensing and attempting to charge a nearby electronic object in my pack.” We continued to notice “false charging” from the battery pack, where it activated charging despite not being on the Whoop.

The Oura Ring Gen 4 is another standout for battery life. Though the battery only lasts an average of eight days, it can reach a full charge in about 20 minutes. This is short enough that you can make it part of your morning or evening routine, and not miss out on much data tracking!

The Garmin Venu 3 and Forerunner 265 both have amazing battery longevity, considering the full host of data tracking capabilities. Compared to the Whoop and Oura, the Garmins need a lot more power to track runs, workouts, GPS, and more, and still manage to last almost a full two weeks under normal usage. This longevity is so helpful for weekends away or extended days hiking in the woods, without needing to worry about running out of power. The downside to both is that charging will take some time, and we typically found ourselves needing to sacrifice tracking a night's worth of data to charge while we slept.

In line with the Garmin's for battery life were the Amazfit Band 7 and Samsung Galaxy Fit3. Both trackers last about two weeks under normal usage, but neither has a built-in altimeter or GPS, so they draw significantly less power during activities. We appreciated the user-friendly charging cords, which both have strong magnetic connections between the cord and charging ports for easy connections, even in the dark.

We'll admit that the Xiaomi Band 9 has an impressive battery life, lasting on average 15 days under normal use. Unfortunately, we never made it a full 15 days without the device randomly falling off our wrists, so there are pros and cons to this option.

It is also interesting to note that some of the top watches, like the Apple Watch 10, SE Gen 2, and Galaxy FE, cannot match the battery life of two of the least expensive trackers in our lineup, the Amazfit Band 7 and the Xiaomi Band 9. Both of these devices charge quickly (the Xiaomi takes less than an hour to hit 100%) and last around two weeks under normal use. They also have strong magnetic connections between the cord and the charging port. Of course, the aforementioned watches also have full smartwatch capabilities like texting, calling, and taking photos.

We also want to point out that the Apple Watch is probably not the best choice for an ultramarathon athlete due to the very short battery life, but the Garmins do have sufficient battery life for this kind of use.

Conclusion

With hundreds of options for fitness trackers available, choosing the right one can be almost as daunting as embarking on a new fitness goal or wellness program. We hope that our review and evaluation helped to narrow your search and determine what features are most important to you in a tracker, and what models would be best for your needs. We logged countless miles, workouts, and even naps with these trackers, and we genuinely hope our review helps you find a fitness tracker that helps you reach your own goals. We'll see you out there!

To complete your connected workout experience, check out some of our wireless headphones or running headphones reviews. We also tested the top massage guns, running armbands, and bathroom scales.