Top 5 compared
The best fitness trackers
Steps, sleep and heart rate tracked day and night, and a nudge to get moving.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 5 at a glance
A fitness tracker is worn on the wrist day and night, counting steps, reading heart rate and logging sleep, then syncing it all to an app on the phone. Bands are slim and light, and some have no screen at all; GPS sports watches record pace and distance on a run without the phone.
Most are rated 5 ATM, which covers swimming, and all but Samsung’s Galaxy Fit3 work with an iPhone as well as Android. The app matters too: Garmin Connect is free, while the Fitbit Air coaching turns into a paid subscription after three free months.
What matters
- Days per charge in everyday use, not just the maker’s best case.
- Buttons as well as a touchscreen, for sweaty or gloved hands.
- A screen bright enough to read in sunshine.
- A band comfortable enough to sleep in.
#1Garmin Forerunner 165 GPS Running Smartwatch
$150–$200
Built-in GPS tracks pace and distance without a phone, on a bright AMOLED touchscreen backed up by five buttons, and a charge lasts up to 11 days. The name Garmin is a blend of its founders’, Gary Burrell and Min Kao, who started the company in 1989.
What owners say: Steps, distance and heart rate track accurately across running, swimming and cycling. The menus are simple to some, less intuitive to others.
A closer look: Pair it with the free Garmin Connect app and enter a race date: the training plan sets the week’s runs and adjusts as training goes on, which suits anyone working toward a first 5K. The buttons still work when wet fingers or gloves make the touchscreen hard to use.
- Adaptive race training plans
- Buttons work with wet fingers
- Garmin Pay contactless payments
- 43mm case
Best for: Runners training for a race
- Screen
- 1.2in AMOLED touchscreen + buttons
- Battery
- Up to 11 days (19 hrs GPS)
- Built-in GPS
- Built in
- Water resistance
- 5 ATM (swim-proof)
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
#2Garmin Forerunner 970 GPS Running Smartwatch (47mm)
Over $300
Garmin’s premium running and triathlon watch: its brightest AMOLED screen under a sapphire lens, a titanium bezel, multi-band GPS with full-color maps, and a small LED flashlight for runs before sunrise. Training readiness weighs sleep, recovery and heart-rate variability to say whether today is a day to push.
What owners say: The display and finish draw compliments, GPS accuracy is called outstanding, and triathletes like that it records all three sports and the changeovers between them. A couple of weeks between charges is typical. The price is where owners part ways: some feel it earns it, others don’t.
A closer look: The built-in maps show the way on an unfamiliar route, and if a run takes a detour, round-trip routing works out a fresh loop of the same distance. Running economy and step speed loss need Garmin’s HRM 600 chest strap, sold separately; the rest of the running data comes from the wrist.
- Built-in LED flashlight
- Full-color maps
- Round-trip route planning
- Sapphire lens, titanium bezel
- Calls from the wrist
Best for: Serious runners and triathletes
- Screen
- 1.4in AMOLED touchscreen + buttons
- Battery
- Up to 15 days (26 hrs GPS)
- Built-in GPS
- Built in
- Water resistance
- 5 ATM (swim-proof)
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
#3Amazfit Active Max GPS Smartwatch
$150–$200
Up to 25 days between charges, a big 1.5-inch AMOLED screen that stays readable in sunshine, and GPS that uses five satellite systems. Offline maps with turn-by-turn directions fit in its 4 GB of storage, along with music.
What owners say: One owner rates it a clear step up from the previous model, and others like the sharp, readable display, about two weeks between charges in real use and thorough sleep and workout tracking. Several find the step count off.
A closer look: Download maps to it in the Zepp app before a hike or a run somewhere new, and it guides you turn by turn with no signal. Zepp Coach builds training plans for distances from 3K to a marathon, and a daily BioCharge score, built from workouts and stress, shows when a rest day is due.
- Offline turn-by-turn maps
- 4 GB for music, maps
- GPS uses five satellite systems
- 170+ workout modes
- Training plans, 3K to marathon
Best for: Long hikes between charges
- Screen
- 1.5in AMOLED touchscreen
- Battery
- Up to 25 days
- Built-in GPS
- Built in
- Water resistance
- 5 ATM (swim-proof)
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
#4Samsung Galaxy Fit3 Fitness Tracker
$50–$75
A big 1.6-inch screen, up to 13 days a charge, and it slots straight into Samsung Health on a Galaxy phone. The aluminum body weighs as little as 18.5 grams, light enough to forget about in bed.
What owners say: Sleep and step tracking are accurate, owners find, and it syncs smoothly with a Samsung phone; one rates it above Fitbit’s bands. Battery life runs from two weeks for some to four days for others, and a few find it too small.
Heads up: It only works with Android phones, and this is the international model, which the listing says has no US warranty.
A closer look: It also works as a remote for the phone’s camera and can find a misplaced phone. Walks and runs are recognized and recorded automatically, and Samsung Health adds sleep coaching and snore detection for a fuller picture of the night.
- As light as 18.5 g
- Auto-detects walks and runs
- Camera remote for the phone
- Snore detection in Samsung Health
- International model, no US warranty
Best for: Android and Galaxy phones
- Screen
- 1.6in AMOLED touchscreen
- Battery
- Up to 13 days
- Built-in GPS
- No
- Water resistance
- 5ATM + IP68
- Works with
- Android only
#5Google Fitbit Air Screenless Activity Tracker
$75–$100
No screen and no clock face: just a light fabric band that tracks sleep, heart rate and activity in the background. At 0.4 oz it’s easy to forget it’s there, which is the point.
What owners say: A wide, comfortable band and more than a week between charges win praise, and it’s simple to use. Sleep tracking, pairing, step counts and reliability all get mixed reports, with a few units failing within a week.
A closer look: The tracker itself is a small pebble that clicks into its band, so it can swap between bands in seconds, and the one-size band fits wrists from 130 to 210mm. Three months of Google Health Premium coaching come free, after which it becomes a paid subscription.
- Weighs 0.4 oz with band
- Tracker clicks between bands
- Fits 130–210mm wrists
- 3-month Google Health Premium trial
Best for: Sleep and all-day wear
- Screen
- None (stats on the phone)
- Battery
- Up to 7 days
- Built-in GPS
- No
- Water resistance
- Water-resistant to 164 ft
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Garmin Forerunner 165 | #2Garmin Forerunner 970 | #3Amazfit Active Max | #4Samsung Galaxy Fit3 | #5Fitbit Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Longest battery life | Best for Samsung Galaxy | Best screenless | |
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.4 |
| Price | $150–$200 | Over $300 | $150–$200 | $50–$75 | $75–$100 |
| Screen | 1.2in AMOLED touchscreen + buttons | 1.4in AMOLED touchscreen + buttons | 1.5in AMOLED touchscreen | 1.6in AMOLED touchscreen | None (stats on the phone) |
| Battery | Up to 11 days (19 hrs GPS) | Up to 15 days (26 hrs GPS) | Up to 25 days | Up to 13 days | Up to 7 days |
| Built-in GPS | Built in | Built in | Built in | No | No |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM (swim-proof) | 5 ATM (swim-proof) | 5 ATM (swim-proof) | 5ATM + IP68 | Water-resistant to 164 ft |
| Works with | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | Android only | iPhone and Android |
| Best for | Runners training for a race | Serious runners and triathletes | Long hikes between charges | Android and Galaxy phones | Sleep and all-day wear |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
