The Best Fitness Trackers
Our Picks
Garmin Venu 3
The fitness tracker that athletes and data nerds love. Garmin's ecosystem is unmatched for training insights — Body Battery, Training Status, HRV tracking, and sleep scoring that actually correlates with how you feel.
What we like
- Body Battery feature is remarkably accurate for energy management
- 14-day battery in smartwatch mode; 26 hours with GPS
- AMOLED display is bright and readable in sunlight
- Training Load, Recovery Time, and VO2 Max tracking
- Works equally well with iPhone and Android
What we don't
- $450 is expensive for a fitness tracker
- Garmin Connect app has a learning curve
- Music storage (offline Spotify) is clunky to set up
| Display | 1.4" AMOLED |
|---|---|
| Battery | 14 days (smartwatch); 26 hours (GPS) |
| GPS | Yes (multi-band) |
| Heart rate | Optical (Elevate v5) |
| Price | $450 |
Fitbit Charge 6
For people who want step tracking, sleep monitoring, and heart rate without the complexity of Garmin's analytics. The Charge 6 does the basics well and doesn't overwhelm you with data.
What we like
- Built-in GPS (finally) — no phone required for run tracking
- Google Wallet for contactless payments
- Simple, clean app that doesn't require a PhD to understand
- 7-day battery life
What we don't
- Premium subscription ($10/mo) required for detailed insights
- Heart rate accuracy lags behind Garmin and Apple
- Limited smartwatch features
| Display | AMOLED touchscreen |
|---|---|
| Battery | 7 days |
| GPS | Yes (built-in) |
| Heart rate | Optical |
| Price | $160 |
Apple Watch Series 10
More smartwatch than fitness tracker, but if you have an iPhone and want both, this is the best all-in-one. Health features are comprehensive, and the ecosystem integration is unbeatable.
What we like
- Most accurate heart rate of any wrist device (per DC Rainmaker testing)
- Sleep tracking, HRV, blood oxygen, ECG — all in one device
- Apple Health integrates everything seamlessly
- Cellular option for phoneless workouts
What we don't
- 18-hour battery — must charge daily
- Requires iPhone; doesn't work with Android at all
- $400+ is expensive for what's essentially also your phone on your wrist
| Display | OLED Retina |
|---|---|
| Battery | 18 hours (36 in low power) |
| GPS | Yes (multi-band) |
| Heart rate | Optical + ECG |
| Price | $399+ |
Garmin Forerunner 265
The running watch that DC Rainmaker and r/running consistently recommend. Serious training features — interval workouts, race predictor, running dynamics — without the bulk of Forerunner 965.
What we like
- AMOLED display is gorgeous (upgrade from 255)
- Running Dynamics with compatible accessories
- Training Status adapts to your fitness trends
- 13-day battery in smartwatch mode
What we don't
- $450 for a running-focused device
- No touchscreen during activities (buttons only)
- Overkill if you're not a serious runner
| Display | 1.3" AMOLED |
|---|---|
| Battery | 13 days; 20 hours GPS |
| GPS | Multi-band (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) |
| Price | $450 |
How We Researched This
- DC Rainmaker's testing is the gold standard — he runs with multiple devices simultaneously to compare GPS accuracy and heart rate
- 4,800+ user reviews from Reddit (r/Garmin, r/fitbit, r/AppleWatch), Amazon, and running forums
- Long-term reliability focus — sensors can degrade, software updates can break features, and batteries wear out
What to Look For in a Fitness Tracker
Things that actually matter
Heart rate accuracy. Cheap trackers claim heart rate monitoring, but accuracy varies wildly. Garmin and Apple are consistently accurate. Fitbit is slightly less accurate during intense activity. Budget brands are often unreliable.
Battery life for your use. If you want sleep tracking, daily charging (Apple Watch) is annoying. If you run with GPS frequently, check the GPS-mode battery separately from smartwatch-mode claims.
GPS quality (if you run/bike outdoors). Multi-band GPS is more accurate in cities and under tree cover. Single-band is fine for open areas. No GPS means you need your phone.
Training features vs. simplicity. Garmin's metrics (Training Load, Body Battery, Recovery) are powerful but complex. Fitbit's simplicity is a feature if you just want to be more active without analyzing data.
Things that matter less
SpO2/Blood oxygen. Rarely useful outside of specific medical conditions. Sleep tracking doesn't need it, and it drains battery.
Stress tracking. Based on HRV, but the algorithms aren't validated against actual stress. Interesting but not actionable for most people.
Calories burned. All wrist-based calorie estimates are inaccurate by 20-40%. Use for trends, not absolute numbers.
Products We Considered
Whoop 4.0: Subscription-only ($30/month) with no display. The data is excellent, but paying $360/year indefinitely is hard to justify vs. buying a Garmin.
Oura Ring: Great for sleep, but limited activity tracking and requires subscription for full features. Better as a complement to a watch, not a replacement.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Good Android alternative to Apple Watch, but fitness features and accuracy lag behind Garmin.
COROS Pace 3: Excellent running watch at $229, but less polished app and ecosystem than Garmin. Worth considering if budget is tight.
Our Methodology
Fitness trackers iterate yearly. We update this guide with each major product cycle and when long-term reliability data changes our assessment.
Contact us at [email protected] with your experiences.