We've been testing the best Fitbits for over a decade. In that time, they've gone from minimalist sleep and step trackers through to fully-fledged smartwatches. Then Google acquired the brand in 2021 and started integrating Fitbit smarts in its Pixel devices.
Although the formerly independent company is going through a shakeup as it transitions to Google Fitbit, there are still plenty of options if you're after the best Fitbit for tracking your steps, sleep, workouts, and overall health.
By our reckoning, the Fitbit Charge 6 is the best Fitbit for most people, with an impressive combination of features for your money. We were impressed with how easy it is to use and the fact it lasts almost a week between charges, even with a bright color display.
And thanks to Google's ownership, the best Fitbit smartwatch isn't technically a Fitbit. After testing the Google Pixel Watch 3, we liked the blend of Fitbit fitness and health features with Google-powered tools like Fall Detection, integration with YouTube Music, along with advanced training and running metrics.
But these aren't your only options. We've rounded up the best Fitbit trackers and smartwatches for a range of uses and budgets, including options for iPhone users and more fashion-focused options to help you find the best fitness tracker for your needs.
The quick list
The Fitbit Charge 6 is more than a step counter — it has built-in GPS, the ability to track your heart rate, sleep and fitness fatigue. There's a bright, beautiful AMOLED screen, all packed into the classic fitness tracker design. Plus, you get an ECG for monitoring your heart health and access to Google apps.
The Google Pixel Watch 3 is a Fitbit smartwatch in all but name. You can use some of Fitbit Premium's best features for free, alongside all the usual fitness tracking tools and onboard GPS. Plus, you get Google smarts, like Fall Detection, and access to all the Wear OS apps on the Google Play Store.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 retains all the classic Fitbit features, like sleep tracking, activity logging, and heart rate monitoring, Impressively, it can last 10 days between charges, even with its bright color display. Plus, you can purchase the additional Clip if you want to remove the straps and attach it to your clothing.
Before the Pixel Watch 3, the Sense 2 was the closest Fitbit has ever come to developing a health-focused Apple Watch alternative. If you want Fitbit's fitness tracking, health monitoring tools on an iPhone, this is your best option. And it has a blood oxygen sensor, a feature currently disabled on Apple Watches.
Fitbit's latest kid-friendly fitness tracker has a new bolder, brighter design, two color options, and a more engaging experience for your young ones. It has built-in GPS for location tracking, but you'll need to take out the monthly subscription for access. There's also a suite of parental and privacy controls.
The best Fitbit fitness trackers you can buy today
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Best Fitbit overall
The Fitbit Charge 6 is the gold standard fitness tracker, bundling all the health and activity monitoring features you'd expect alongside a hefty range of smartwatch-style additions, like support for Google Maps, YouTube Music and Google Wallet.
It's one of the few in the brand's range that retains the classic tracker design. Though it's not as slimline as the Inspire 3 or Luxe (which are specifically designed to be a bit less noticeable on your wrist), it does have a full color display.
This makes it easy to check your stats without opening the app on your phone, and we were impressed that this didn't drastically affect the battery life, as the Charge 6 should last you up to a week between top ups.
We found the battery would fall around 15% per day with moderate use (including tracking runs with the built-in GPS), which puts it in line with the week-long advertised rate, but if you keep the always-on display active, it declines faster.
You also get access to all of Fitbit's stress management tools (a mainstay on its devices), plus the EDA Scan app, which uses changes in your skin sweat levels and heart rate to assess your stress throughout the day.
After using the feature for several weeks, we found it a useful for reflection on what could be causing higher stress levels, but it's definitely not an essential part of the Charge 6, as the prompts only come some time you've experienced elevated stress.
During testing, we also compared the Charge 6 sleep data against the Oura Ring, our current gold-standard sleep tracker. The results were broadly similar (in part, thanks to the blood oxygen sensor on the Charge 6), which was a pleasant surprise.
The mix of features for the price makes the Charge 6 the best Fitbit for most people, but if you're after a more smartwatch-esque design, or want a more budget-friendly option, it's worth considering the Google Pixel Watch 3 or Inspire 3 instead.
- Read our full Fitbit Charge 6 review
Best Fitbit smartwatch
The best Fitbit smartwatch isn't even really a Fitbit. The Google Pixel Watch 3 combines the design and features of the Pixel range with Fitbit's tracking tech to create something approaching an Apple Watch competitor for Android.
This is its strength and weakness — Fitbit devices are so popular because you can use them with either smartphone (iPhone or Android), but focusing just on Android devices gives the Pixel Watch 3 a more integrated experience than any Fitbit before.
This seems to be the direction of travel for the Google-owned Fitbit, and while it won't suit everyone, we found that the blend of Google smarts and Fitbit health and fitness tracking worked surprisingly well.
It comes in two sizes (41mm and 45mm), which isn't a choice you've had with a Fitbit smartwatch before, four colors, and in Wi-Fi or LTE variants. And because it has built-in GPS, if you opt for the LTE edition, you can leave your phone at home but stay connected to calls, messages, and apps.
It's also brighter than the Pixel Watch 2, so we found it easier to see the display than on the older model, even in direct sunlight. But if you're wondering why we recommend the Pixel Watch 3 over the more classic Sense 2, there's a good reason.
Google made some of Fitbit Premium's best features available on the Pixel Watch 3 for free. So, for no additional charge, you can access the Daily Readiness Score and the new Cardio Load and Training Load scores without a subscription.
Since the watch's launch, Google has rolled out the Daily Readiness Score to older Fitbits as well, but there are plenty of other smartwatch features here too, like Loss of Pulse Detection and access to the Google Play Store's watch apps.
The main downside is the battery; it's only rated for 24 hours (36 hours in battery saver), and we found that, in practice, it actually drained faster than this, so you will need to charge the watch every day.
This is disappointing compared to the week you get out of the Sense 2, but it's also a more capable device, so for some people, the trade-off will be worth it.
- Read our full Google Pixel Watch 3 review
Best budget Fitbit
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the brand's best budget tracker, costing less than $100. It sheds some of the smartwatch features found on the Charge 6, and focuses solely on the health and fitness tracking the company is known for.
So, you get the same access to sleep monitoring, workout tracking, activity logging tools as you'd find on Fitbit's flagship models. The biggest omission compared to the Charge 6 is that there's no on-board GPS on the Inspire 3, so you'll need your phone to track outdoor workout routes.
But if you tend to train indoors or just don't need to track your location that often, the upside is that without power-hungry features like GPS, the battery life on the Inspire 3 can reach around 10 days between charges.
We experimented with the always-on display too, and found you'd get almost a week with the screen permanently on. And it was easy to leave on throughout the day, as the tracker is pretty lightweight and comfortable.
The Inspire 3 is also the only device in the range to support the Clip accessory that used to be common with older Fitbits. You'll need to purchase it separately for around $20, but then you can disconnect the straps and wear it on your clothes.
We ended up popping the Inspire 3 in the clip on a sports bra before a run, mostly because the screen is a bit too small to see the data at a glance while running, so you can start the activity, clip it on, and assess your performance later on.
- Read our full Fitbit Inspire 3 review
Best Fitbit smartwatch for iPhone
Although the Google Pixel Watch 3 is the best Fitbit smartwatch, it only works with Android devices. So, if you're after the best Fitbit smartwatch for iPhone, then the Fitbit Sense 2 is your top option, even if it technically works on both platforms.
It has a lot of the health and wellness features you'd find on the best Apple Watches, like an SpO2 sensor for tracking your blood oxygen (which is currently disabled on the Apple Watch due to an ongoing patent lawsuit).
The Sense 2 also has an upgraded EDA sensor for monitoring your stress levels. Now known as the cEDA, it can continuously keep tabs on your stress and send an alert when you need to take a moment to step back and breathe.
It has the same square display with rounded edges that you'd find on the cheaper Versa 4, but this is Fitbit's most health-focused device, with an ECG for keeping tabs on your health health and skin temperature monitor.
The Sense 2 is the closest Fitbit has come to designing an Apple Watch competitor, but it's not as seamless as Apple's own wearable. To sync the data, you need the app always open on your iPhone, even if its only in the background.
The Apple Watch doesn't have the same restriction, which makes it feel more integrated with the iPhone. But the Sense 2 does have an advantage — battery life. We found the battery would last up to six days with the always-on display disabled.
Meanwhile, even the latest Apple Watch 10 needs a charge every day, which makes sleep tracking pretty tricky, giving the Sense 2 the edge here. It may not be as seamless as the Apple Watch, but it's a versatile option for iPhone users.
- Read our full Fitbit Sense 2 review
Best Fitbit for kids
The Fitbit Ace LTE is the latest edition of Fitbit's kid-focused fitness tracker. The design is a lot more colorful and fun than the grown-up models, with a larger interface and bold design so that your kids actually enjoy wearing it.
The display is more interactive, with virtual badges and animated clock faces to keep your kids entertained. Plus, the Ace LTE uses games instead of targets to keep your children active throughout the day.
Although the experience has been adapted to make it more engaging to younger wearers, the watch resembles the rounded square design of the Versa 4 and Sense 2, with the same core fitness and sleep tracking features Fitbit is known for.
But at over $200, it's a lot more expensive than the sub-$80 Ace 3. And you need to take out a $10 monthly subscription if you want to use the onboard GPS to keep tabs on your kids' location. This tips the first-year cost higher than the Sense 2.
However, you may feel its worth it for the peace of mind you get with a reputable brand behind these kid-tracking features. Fitbit is one of the few recognizable names in this space, and you can tweak the device's privacy settings using the built-in parental controls.
- Read our Fitbit Ace LTE hands-on review
Also tested
How to choose the best Fitbit
For most of the company's existence, the best Fitbits have tracked steps and sleep. Later, came heart rate monitors and workout tracking. These are still the core features on any Fitbit device, so which you choose depends on other factors.
There are broadly two designs; the 'classic' fitness tracker design and slimline smartwatches. If you plan to view the data primarily on your phone, then a larger smartwatch display might not be a priority. Helpfully, the classic trackers are generally cheaper than the smartwatches too.
Without the display to power, the battery typically lasts longer too. So, if you want to avoid regular charging, a fitness tracker like the Charge 6 or Inspire 3 is your best bet. The flipside is that these don't come with the full range of features found on the Pixel Watch 3 or Sense 2.
These smartwatches offer everything you can get on the slimmer trackers, but with more health-focused features, like an ECG for keeping tabs on your heart health. And as the Pixel Watch is so integrated with Android, you get features like fall detection, SOS alerts and the Pixel Camera Watch app.
How we test the best Fitbits
We've been testing Fitbits for over a decade, starting with the diminutive Fitbit Flex back in 2014. As the years have passed, the brand's wearables transitioned from basic (but convenient) step counters to smartwatch-esque devices.
So the way we tested the best Fitbits has changed over the years too. It was once enough to strap them to our wrist, check they were comfortable, and see how accurate the pedometer was.
These are still some of the most important areas we look at, but now we wear them overnight to experiment with the sleep tracking features and check that they don't break when exposed to some sweat, rain or other moisture.
A crucial factor is the battery life, looking at how each device compares to Google's quoted battery specs. This is also a factor in how we rank and compare Fitbit devices. But so are the fitness features.
We try the automatic workout tracking, manually start sessions, and take the devices outdoors to see how the GPS performs. We often compare the results against other Fitbit devices, and, in some cases, the best smartwatches.
The Fitbit watches, like the Google Pixel Watch 3, Sense 2 and Versa 4 are packed with other useful features alongside the fitness tracking essentials. We try these out, assessing the convenience of any voice assistants and notification alerts.
Features compared
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Fitbit Charge 6 | Fitbit Inspire 3 | Fitbit Sense 2 | Fitbit Versa 4 | Fitbit Luxe | Fitbit Ace LTE |
| Screen size and type | 1.4-inch AMOLED | 0.7-inch AMOLED | 1.58-inch AMOLED | 1.58-inch AMOLED | 0.75-inch AMOLED | 1-inch OLED |
| Weight | 1.3 ounces | 0.62 ounces | 1.7 ounces | 1.3 ounces | 0.7 ounces | 1 ounce |
| Battery life | 7 days, 5 hours with GPS | 10 days | 6 days, 5 hours with GPS | 6 days | 5 days | 16 hours |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile payment | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Music storage | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Swim tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
FAQs
Is it still worth buying a Fitbit?
Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, and has made some substantial changes to the line up and experience. The app was redesigned, challenges were removed, you now need a Google login to sign into the app, and the Fitbit web dashboard is no more.
The search giant also removed features from the Versa 4 and Sense 2 watches, making them exclusive to Google Pixel Watch models instead. Then, in 2024, the company released the Pixel Watch 3 'powered by Fitbit'.
From what we've seen so far, Google views Fitbit as a software service more than a hardware brand. Over the next few years, it's likely that we'll see fewer Fitbit devices, and more Fitbit features in Google-branded products.
So it's a complicated picture and, to some, it seems like Google is slowly killing Fitbit. But this is more of a long term problem. Right now, you can still buy a Fitbit (or Pixel Watch) and access the brand's sleep, fitness, and health tracking features on comfortable, and (mostly) affordable devices.
Whether that will always be the case is still up in the air, especially when competitors like Amazfit are launching cheaper fitness trackers and smartwatches with similar features, like Amazfit Bip 5, which is like the Sense 2, but a third of the price.
What is Fitbit Premium?
Fitbit trackers sync data to the Fitbit app, where you can keep tabs on your activity, sleep, and heart rate. But, by default, there's not a lot of analysis or actionable insights. For that, you'll need a Fitbit Premium subscription.
Fitbit Premium costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 annually, and that gives you access to more detailed insights, especially around your sleep data. And, if you've been searching one of the best workout apps, Fitbit Premium includes video workouts and some classes.
Most recently, Peloton added some of its sessions to Fitbit Premium alongside classes from Alo Moves and Yoga with Adriene. So, if you're willing to embed yourself in Fitbit's ecosystem, it can be a good value option.
But whether Fitbit Premium is worth it depends on your goals. If just you want to keep tabs on your daily activity, then you may not need to subscribe. But, if you're interested in learning more about how you slept and how to improve your training, it's a good option.
If you're sold on a Fitbit tracker, but you're not sure on Fitbit Premium, most of the brand's devices come with a six-month free membership for you to give the platform a spin and see if it'd be worth it for you.
