The Best Fitness Trackers and Watches for Everyone

Adrienne So

Like every piece of gear you wear on your body day in and day out, fitness trackers are incredibly personal. They have to be comfortable and attractive, sure, but they must also fit your lifestyle, as well as when and how you like to work out. Do you bike, row, or do strength training? Do you run on trails for hours at a time, or do you just want a reminder to get up every hour?

No matter what your needs are, there's never been a better time to find a powerful, sophisticated tool that can help you optimize your workouts or jump-start your routine. We've tested dozens over the years to bring you these picks. While you're at it, don't forget to check out our Best Smartwatches and Best Running Gear guides.

Updated April 2023: We added the Garmin Vivomove Trend and Forerunner 255, and updated links and pricing throughout.

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Even as Fitbit has faced stiff competition from other manufacturers--most notably, the Apple Watch--its trackers have always won me over. They hit a very specific sweet spot between attractiveness, affordability, accessibility, and ease of use. They're perfect for everyone who isn't an ultra-marathoner or a semipro powerlifter trying to hit a PR.

The Charge line has consistently reached the top of our rankings, and the Charge 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is no exception. Last year's iteration introduced softer lines, a bright AMOLED screen, and almost every sensor you could want, from stress scans to electrocardiograms. Like the Apple Watch does with iPhones, the Charge 5 fast-pairs to Android phones and has both onboard and connected GPS so you can track outdoor workouts without a hitch. It also now has an FDA-cleared feature to detect atrial fibrillation, via Fitbit's new Heart Rhythm Notifications feature. The major downside is that you do still have to pay $10 per month, or $80 per year, for a Fitbit Premium subscription to access most of Fitbit's best features. Fitbit is also now owned by Google, which might deter you. All in all, the hardware is still less expensive and easier to use than others on this list.

One of the biggest pain points with fitness trackers is how each has its own proprietary charger. If you're used to the convenience of charging your phone and earbuds on all-purpose Qi wireless charging pads, hunting for your proprietary charger can be a real annoyance. The Vivomove Trend (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the first Garmin to have wireless charging, and it works!

Like 2022's Vivomove Sport ($180), it has an analog watch face and connected GPS via your watch. Start an activity by swiping and tapping the analog watch face or waiting for Garmin's startlingly accurate Move IQ to pick it up. You get access to Garmin's most convenient fitness features, like incident detection, contactless payments, sleep tracking, and continuous heart rate monitoring. Garmin also has some of the most helpful comprehensive fitness algorithms available--I've always found its Body Battery metric to be startlingly accurate, even catching when I'm getting sick or getting PMS.

The only downside is that the Vivomove Sport is much cheaper and looks almost the same. But you will probably make up the difference in six months when you don't have to replace the chargers.

People tend to hold on to their Apple Watches for years, and rightfully so--it is far and away the best fitness tracker if you have an iPhone. So if you want one, you're best off with the latest Series 8 (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It comes with new body temperature sensors that are aimed at tracking menstrual cycles. It also has new safety features, such as Crash Detection. In the event of a severe car accident, the Series 8 will use a powerful new accelerometer and gyroscope as well as the barometer, GPS, and microphone to detect a car crash and alert emergency services if the user has not responded within 10 seconds.

These come in conjunction with a whole host of health and fitness features in WatchOS 9, such as better workout views, more in-depth running metrics, medication logging, and better sleep tracking. In comparison, the new Apple Watch SE has the latest S8 chip and will have Crash Detection, but no wrist-based body temperature sensing, as well as no older features like the blood oxygen or ECG app. And with the exception of Fitbit, it has the widest array of third-party accessories.

If all you want is a simple health tracker that will track your steps and your sleep and let you know when someone is calling, the internet's marketplace is awash in knockoffs of this fitness tracker. For $80, you might as well get the original instead. This year, Fitbit released the latest version of its hugely popular Inspire, which thankfully (in my opinion) does not use Wear OS. Instead, it continues to use Fitbit's clear and easy Fitbit app, has a pedometer and tracks SpO2 and sleep, and comes with a wide array of watch faces and accessories.

All wasn't easy-peasy. I had some connectivity issues and had to restart my phone when the Inspire 3 wouldn't update the time zone for a day or two. The Inspire 3 also regularly overestimated how much sleep I'd gotten, which made me mistrust their new Sleep Profile feature. For two months, I had a chronic nighttime cough; the Inspire 3 regularly logged me at 7 hours a night because I was lying still, when switching to a more sensitive fitness tracker put me at a much more accurate 5. However, if you have no health issues, it is more reliable and accessible than a knockoff Inspire 3, and Fitbit also regularly puts its trackers on sale.

? Alternative: I also tried Amazon's Halo View ($35), which works with Alexa and uses Amazon's Activity Points system. However, I blow the Activity Points metric out of the water just by running, biking my kids to school and walking my dog, so I didn't find it particularly useful and I find the constant pushing of partnerships with Whole Foods and WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) stressful.

Scott Gilbertson

Scott Gilbertson

Simon Hill

Julian Chokkattu

Garmin's Forerunner line has long been the best GPS-enabled fitness tracker for runners, and the midrange Forerunner 255 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) offers an incredible value for the number of features it offers in Garmin's lineup.

Do you want a feature? It probably has it, like multiband GPS support and a barometric altimeter, a compass, improved sleep tracking, and Bluetooth compatibility with a number of heart rate monitors. The battery life is incredible--reviewer Scott Gilbertson estimates it at about 30 hours of continuous use--and you can extend the battery life even further by turning off features like continuous Pulse Ox measuring. He especially liked the new Morning Report, which includes Body Battery as well as a daily greeting, the weather, and other tidbits, much like what Apple offers.

It's also worth noting here that the Forerunner line is quite extensive and meets a variety of needs. A beginning runner or triathlete will probably be happy with the cheaper and more basic Forerunner 35 ($170), while the experienced triathlete will want the Forerunner 945 ($600). Older models also retain their value and go on sale all the time.

Samsung's new Galaxy Watch5 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the comfiest Wear OS smartwatch out there. It comes in 40- and 44-mm sizes and runs the latest version of Wear OS 3, meaning you get access to Google Maps' turn-by-turn navigation and Google Assistant, plus the best of Samsung's health features, including SpO2 measurements, auto-workout detection, sleep tracking, and an electrocardiogram. It's great for checking notifications and responding to them, too.

Like the Apple Watch, don't expect to go for days on a single charge. WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu says he usually had to charge it after a day and a half. Unfortunately, this watch only works with Android phones, and ECG tracking is limited to Samsung phones (as is blood pressure monitoring, but that's not available in the US yet anyway). If you want a bigger watch that's just a bit more rugged, try the pricey Galaxy Watch5 Pro ($500), which has better battery life, has GPX support, and is made of more durable materials. Alternatively, if you want to save some cash, you can snag last year's Galaxy Watch4, which is still a great watch.

While Apple has been honing their smartwatch and fitness tracker to a finely tuned machine, Google has been noticeably late to the party. When it finally debuted this year, reviews editor Julian Chokkattu noted that while it does include key fitness features like an ECG and a heart rate monitor, it doesn't have auto workout detection, fall detection, or SpO2 sensing. The Fitbit integration isn't as smooth as you might think, given that Google acquired the company in 2019--the app looks dated and cramped on the screen, and Wear OS needs more apps in general.

However, the Pixel is a notably beautiful watch and the heart of the fitness tracking experience is Fitbit's, which means that the data itself is very accurate and empowering (you will still have to pay for a Fitbit Premium subscription). Also, more features will be unrolling through 2023. If you've been waiting with bated breath for a Wear OS watch, this might be it.

Scott Gilbertson

Scott Gilbertson

Simon Hill

Julian Chokkattu

I had complaints about Oura's Gen3 ring--namely, that the company was strongly encouraging its customers to commit and upgrade to the Gen3 and a new $6-per-month subscription long before any of the newest features were even available.

However, in a sea of identical square and round watches, there really isn't any tracker like the Oura. It's extremely small and attractive, and this year's new onboard sensors are just as accurate as they were before. Those features are now available with the membership, and you can access guided meditations, personalized insights, and educational content; without it, you will only be able to access your three basic Oura scores, which are your Daily Readiness, Sleep, and Activity scores (essentially what you saw last year). If you have trouble predicting your period, the ring is sensitive enough to pick up the half-degree temperature drop right before mine starts. Although the company has made no explicit statement about Roe v. Wade, it's based in Finland and abides by the GDPR, and US-based health authorities cannot subpoena data from it.

The biggest problem with any fitness wearable of any kind is how often they get in the way of ... working on your fitness. You can't wear the Oura ring while rock climbing, for example. That's why the cult fitness tracker company Whoop introduced a line of smart clothes this year. Right now, I'm wearing the tracker tucked into the Any-Wear bralette. I can't even feel it! Now I can track my runs with my Garmin!

Whoop is best suited for athletes who can independently interpret its somewhat arcane metrics. "Daily Strain" measures only cardiovascular load, so a day where I walked 3 miles to and fro is supposedly a harder day than when I lifted weights for an hour. The Whoop 4.0 is also smaller than last year's model, with a new battery, but I did experience charging issues with the new version. You have to keep the app running at all times, lest it constantly warn you that it can't update right this second. At $30, the monthly subscription is the most expensive one here, and the line of proprietary clothing does not have extended sizing. Even with all those caveats, it's the only wearable I've ever forgotten I'm wearing.

This year, Garmin released two high-end adventure watches: the Epix ($1,000) and this year's update to the Fenix series, the Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar (8/10, WIRED Recommends). The Epix has a 47-mm case and a large, brilliant AMOLED screen; the Fenix has a memory-in-pixel (MIP) display. However, the Epix's case is huge, and the display eats up a lot of battery. I'd go with the Fenix instead.

This year's iteration has vastly improved battery life with solar charging--I got two weeks off one charge, with intermittent sunlight during a cloudy Oregon winter. Multiple GPS systems meant that it pinpointed my location with incredible speed and accuracy, even in the rain and under tree cover. It can record every biometric for every sport under the sun. And honestly, maps on the MIP still look detailed and pretty great. The downside? It is still fairly spendy, and earlier iterations do go on sale pretty often.

? Alternative: If having a super bright, super crisp display or a super easy-to-use app is not at the top of your list of priorities, I highly recommend the Coros Apex 2 Pro. It connects to all five satellite systems and includes the dual-frequency GNSS support that the Apple Watch Ultra has, for more precise (and fast!) location tracking. With regular use, the battery lasted over a month.

The tracking is as accurate as the Apple Watch Ultra's, but Coros' training plans and metrics in their proprietary training system, EvoLab, are as detailed and helpful as Garmin's. The plans are also clearly aimed at more experienced runners, although there are a few for beginners. I also like the big grooved buttons, the fact that the screen locks, and the startlingly wide variety of watch faces.

Scott Gilbertson

Scott Gilbertson

Simon Hill

Julian Chokkattu

This year, Apple introduced a completely new type of Apple Watch: the Ultra (8/10, WIRED Recommends), a rugged sports watch intended for endurance athletes. The 2.5-day battery life seems mediocre, but here is a secret that few runners, cyclists, or skiers will admit: Not all of us are Jenny Graham. Most of us are all too happy to enjoy a day out before coming home to a pork shoulder roast and a shower.

Iif you have an iPhone and have access to an outlet, then the Apple Watch Ultra is the best outdoor watch for you. It's been certified to the MIL-STD-810H standard for military equipment, so it won't die when it gets too hot, cold, or dusty. It's made from aerospace-grade titanium with a flat sapphire crystal display, with a host of specialized navigation features, like a new hybrid analog-digital compass; Backtrack, to find your way back to the trail if you've become disoriented; and Waypoints, to track points of interest. It has a precision dual-frequency GPS system to ensure your running stats are accurate in a crowded city marathon, and three built-in microphones with special wind-reduction algorithms so you can take work calls from the top of the lift.

The Withings ScanWatch (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is unique for several reasons. Many other trackers, such as the Apple Watch Series 8, offer the ability to detect atrial fibrillation and measure blood oxygen levels through the SpO2 sensor. However, Withings obtained clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration before selling the ScanWatch in the US. Most of the trackers on the list can go several days without charging, but the ScanWatch can go up to a month. You can access all the features on the Health Mate app without a subscription.

It's worth pointing out that most fitness trackers look like fitness trackers, but the ScanWatch looks like a normal analog watch. This is the best everyday fitness tracker for anyone who doesn't want to broadcast to the world that they count how many hours they sleep each night. WIRED contributor Simon Hill gives it the highest praise possible--even after nine months, he's still wearing it.

Out of all these watches, the one I chose to come with me on a two-week beach adventure vacation was the Instinct 2 Solar (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It's one of Garmin's most popular backcountry watches and combines a somewhat chunky, technical aesthetic (and fun colors!) with backcountry capability. With the Instinct 2, you get access to Garmin's multiple satellite systems and navigational features, insane battery life, and the ability to track many sport-specific metrics ... without blowing money on extras like a big light-up screen.

The main updates to the Instinct 2 are improved solar charging, a high-resolution display, and a petite 40-mm case size. That smaller size fits on my wrist and under my jacket sleeve much more easily, and the high-resolution display is easier to read. The battery also lasted for a mindblowing 21 days, with multiple tracked activities per day. It also comes in a ton of different colors and sports-specific styles. For example, the popular Surf Edition--there are also Tactical and Esports versions--is compatible with the hugely popular surf forecasting company Surfline. You can see tide data and track your surfing. (It also has the best colors.)

? Alternative: Can't decide between the Instinct and the Vivomove lines? Now you don't have to. I'm currently testing the Instinct Crossover Solar ($500), which combines the Instinct's rugged capabilities with Garmin's solar-powered watch face. It's a little less intuitive to operate than either the Instinct or Vivomove itself, but I do find the analog hands convenient and the battery life is stellar.

Scott Gilbertson

Scott Gilbertson

Simon Hill

Julian Chokkattu

We liked some other watches that didn't quite make it into our top picks.

I test new fitness trackers all the time. Some of them are duds.

Simon Hill

Simon Hill

Julian Chokkattu

Julian Chokkattu

Jaina Grey

Julian Chokkattu

Scott Gilbertson

Scott Gilbertson

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