Get the most out of your workouts with these hard-working pieces of motivational tech
If you’re looking for a way to get the best out of your at-home workout or your favourite gym class, or you're wanting to conjure up some fitness motivation, a fitness tracker could be the helping hand that you’ve been looking for.
A bit like a portable personal trainer, today’s offering serves up some impressive tech and virtual insights, allowing you to geek out on everything from your daily step count to your sleep stats and even how well you’re managing your stress levels. What’s more, there’s something for every sport and fitness level – one-size no longer fits all, and the choice out there is now better than ever to accommodate whatever your needs and fitness goals may be.
Are you a runner, swimmer, yogi or maybe a mix of all three? Here are seven of the best fitness trackers to jumpstart your routine.
Oh, and if you’re looking for a way to give it a road test, you might just also want to check out our guide to the best at-home workouts and exercise classes.
Best fitness tracker with GPS
Try: Fitbit Charge 5 (£169.99)
• Battery life: Up to 7 days
• Standout features: On-wrist ECG app for heart health, EDA Scan app for stress, oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, Fitbit Pay, smartphone notifications, quick replies if you have an Android phone
• Sleep stats? Yes
• Water-resistant? Yes, up to 50 metres
• Built-in GPS? Yes
• Colour display? Yes
• Stress management score? Yes
• Music storage? No
• Six-month Premium membership included
If you like to mix up your fitness routine and have an eye for detail and data, this new tracker’s for you. As well as measuring your breathing rate, skin temperature and other common metrics, it’s also compatible with an ECG app that assesses your heart for atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm irregularity, making it one of the best fitness trackers with a heart rate monitor on the market. If you like to run, you’ll be glad to hear that it has in-built GPS, too, and SmartTrack, which automatically recognises and records workouts such as elliptical, runs and swims – it’s a great all-rounder.
Try: Fitbit Charge 4 in Black (£129.99)
• Battery life: Up to 7 days
• Standout features: Spotify Connect & Control (Spotify Premium subscription required), Fitbit Pay, oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, guided breathing sessions, smartphone app notifications, can send text notifications and quick replies
• Sleep stats? Yes
• Water-resistant? Yes, up to 50 metres
• Built-in GPS? Yes
• Colour display? No
• Stress management score? Yes
• Music storage? No
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the Charge 5 and less detailed (albeit still impressive) heart rate information, then slip on the Charge 4. Its built-in GPS makes it ideal for taking with you on bike rides while its reliable SmartTrack Automatic Exercise Recognition function and water resistance makes it ideal for measuring and recording your swim stats with minimal faff.
Best fitness tracker for kids
Try: Fitbit Ace 3 in Black and Sport Red (£69.99)
• Battery life: Up to 8 days battery life
• Standout features: Challenges and goal celebrations, Fitbit app Parent View, Fitbit app Kid view
• Sleep stats? Yes
• Water-resistant? Yes, to 50 metres
• Built-in GPS? No
• Colour display? No
• Stress management score? No
• Music storage? No
Designed for those aged six years and up, this starter fitness tracker offers up fun incentives such as virtual badges, animated clock faces and personalised avatars to help kids enjoy staying active whether they’re with their family or friends. With Fitbit app Parent view, you can keep tabs on everything and can also set up an account for your child to allow them to see their stats too. The choice is yours. It’s also lightweight, comfy and secure to make it all the more kid-friendly.
Best fitness tracker for runners
Try: Fitbit Versa 3 Midnight (£199.99)
• Battery life: 6+ days (up to 5 hours with continuous GPS)
• Standout features: Voice assistant, Fitbit Pay, oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, guided breathing sessions, smartphone app notifications, quick replies and voice replies (available when phone is nearby. Replies on Android only)
• Sleep stats? Yes
• Water-resistant? Yes, up to 50 metres
• Built-in GPS? Yes
• Colour display? Yes
• Stress management score? Yes
• Music storage? Yes
• Free 3-month Fitbit Premium trial
This smartwatch provides a range of features at your fingertips. As well as tracking health and fitness metrics such as heart rate and sleep stages, it also allows you to store and listen to your favourite music or podcasts while you're working out and sends through notifications for calls, texts, calendar events and apps like Gmail and Facebook. One of the best fitness tracker watches around, it’s the perfect wrist wear upgrade for those who want to travel light and like to listen to their playlists while they run.
Best fitness tracker for step counting and those just starting exercise
Try: Fitbit Versa 2 - Copper Rose (£169.99)
• Battery life: 6+ days
• Standout features: Guided breathing sessions, oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, built-in Amazon Alexa, Fitbit Pay, Spotify Connect & Control, smartphone notifications
• Sleep stats? Yes
• Water-resistant? Yes, up to 50 metres
• Built-in GPS? No
• Colour display? Yes
• Stress management score? Yes
• Music storage? Yes
Those who are looking to up their daily movement might prefer what this eye-catching pick has to offer. As well as style, it offers plenty of substance courtesy of all-day activity tracking (all the useful stuff such as steps, distance and calories burned) and sleep and stress management monitoring. It also provides reminders to move which come in particularly handy if you tend to sit at your desk for long hours at a time. You can also store and play over 300 songs – plus download your favourite Deezer playlists if you have a subscription.
Best fitness tracker for yoga
Try: Fitbit Luxe Platinum/Orchid (£129.99)
• Battery life: Up to 5 days
• Standout features: Jewellery design, guided breathing sessions and call, text and smartphone notifications
• Sleep stats? Yes
• Water-resistant? Yes, up to 50 metres
• Built-in GPS? No
• Colour display? Yes
• Stress management score? Yes
• Music storage? No
• Includes 6-month Fitbit Premium trial
Fitness, wellness and fashion walk hand-in-hand with this particular tracker thanks to its striking stainless steel case and variety of health features. Its slimline design and small size ensures that it won’t dig into your wrist when transitioning from Downward Dog to Cobra and its range of stylish band options won’t look out of place outside of the yoga studio, too.
Best budget fitness tracker
Try: Fitbit Inspire 2 (£89.99)
• Battery life: Up to 10 days
• Standout features: Battery life, 1-year Fitbit Premium trial for new users, guided breathing sessions, food logging, smartphone app notifications
• Sleep stats? Yes
• Water-resistant? Yes
• Built-in GPS? No
• Colour display? No
• Stress management score? No
• Music storage? No
• Includes 1-year Fitbit Premium trial
Despite being the most affordable in our edit, this tracker boasts the greatest battery life – an impressive 10 days – which gives it a serious leg up on the competition. And, while it serves up a solid breadth of stats such as heart rate, resting heart rate and steps, the free 1-year Fitbit Premium trial kicks its capabilities up a gear thanks to its personalised guidance and insights. Plus, its streamlined design makes it incredibly discreet and comfortable – perfect for those who have narrow wrists.
