12 best fitness trackers from under £19.99 (2023)

Our lab team's champion fitness watch is also WH Fitness Editor Bridie's go-to, for everything from monitoring her heart rate during workouts to competing with friends for awards in the Fitness app.

On-screen instructions make for a straightforward set-up, and the clear 1.61-inch touchscreen – the largest on any Apple Watch to date – makes it easy to use.

It'll be a hit with iPhone users due to the bright, responsive screen and the ease of having all your apps in one place.

Runners will love the map function and wrist vibration alerts that help you change direction without taking your eyes off the road.

Cycling and running were tracked with ease in the lab, but it struggled to detect the distance for rowing, should that be of your routine.

When it comes to daily activity tracking, Apple says its goal is to get wearers to “sit less, move more and get some exercise”. So, as with the brand’s previous watches, it encourages you to “close your rings” (think of these as circular progress markers) by achieving daily “move, exercise and stand” goals that boost your NEAT.

Key specifications
Screen size: 1.61in
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Fluoroelastomer
GPS: True
Weight: 32g
Battery life: 2 days
Activity tracking: Yes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: Yes
Water resistant: Yes
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: Yes
Smartwatch features: Yes

This watch scored points for ease of use, with its sleek and familiar design. By now, Fitbit has got step and activity tracking down, but we particularly enjoyed the workout summary that was easily accessible after a run.

As we know, sleep is a huge part of the health puzzle, and this watch provides piles of data on the quality of your slumber. Late night Netflix bingers – we’re looking at you! Other lifestyle features such as an EDA scan and stress response assessment (looming deadlines anyone?) – were fool-proof to use.

Water babies can also rejoice as this tracker can not only survive a dip but is fully waterproof. It won’t die on you either, with an impressive 5–7-day battery life it can go from the office to the gym and even to the dance floor (cardio is cardio – we’re not judging).

If we’re being fussy, we would prefer more customisation of fitness data but overall, this is a great watch for the average fitness enthusiast, but athletes may want more personalisation.

Key specifications
Screen size: 1.04in
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Elastomer
GPS: True
Weight: N/A
Battery life: Up to 7 days
Activity tracking: 20 modes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: No
Menstrual cycle tracking: No
Water resistant: Yes
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: No
Smartwatch features: True

From afar, the GT3 looks like a simple, stylish timepiece. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find it’s so much more.

The touchscreen’s crisp pixel display meant our tester never had to strain their eyes.

Over 100 pre-set workout modes let you record your stats during all manner of workouts, from swimming and skiing to trail running and mountain biking. The watch will start auto-tracking several of these activities after roughly three minutes of movement, while keeping an eye on your heart rate and oxygen saturation levels throughout the day.

It charged from flat to 100% in just over an hour, with a full battery lasting up to seven days, meaning less time scrambling about for a charger and more active minutes. It can receive calls and texts but can’t compete with the spenniest smartwatches for features like storing photos and responding to messages.

Still, if you’re after a fitness tracker with smartwatch functionalities, but don’t have £300+ to spare, this comes highly recommended.

Key specifications
Screen size: 1.43in
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Fluoroelastomer
GPS: Yes
Weight: 35g
Battery life: Up to 7 days
Activity tracking: 100+ modes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: Yes
Water resistant: Yes
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: Yes
Smartwatch features: Yes

If you’d rather see your stats in colour, and prefer more of a smartwatch aesthetic, the Watch Fit Elegant is the tracker for you. The display was easy to read in all lights and could be altered to display whichever metrics were most important to you, while the touchscreen proved really responsive.

The GPS helped it track steps and distance travelled accurately, and receiving calls and texts on our wrist was a breeze. (It's also available in other colours, if bright orange isn't quite your style.)

You can only update your daily targets in the app, which is a bit of a faff, but the quick charging capabilities more than make up for this slight shortcoming.

Key specifications
Screen size: 1.64 inch
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Silicone
GPS: Yes
Weight: 21g
Battery life: 10 days
Activity tracking: 20 modes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: Yes
Water resistant: Up to 50m
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: No
Smartwatch features: Yes

This sleek timepiece turned tracker can record a whopping 130 different activities, and we found it was the perfect partner for a spot of cardio.

While it didn’t stop us from becoming a sweaty mess by the end of gruelling endurance work, it did break our session down into precise heart rate zones, showing how hard we had been working during different sections of our runs and rides. It also goes further than most when tracking your nightly snooze, letting you know how much light, deep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep you’re getting.

Not being able to customise our individual activity level targets was a bit disappointing, and the screen can be difficult to see during some activities, but the overall performance was still mighty impressive.

Key specifications
Screen size: 1.7inch
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Silicone with stainless steel buckle
GPS: Yes
Weight: 35g
Battery life: 5 days
Activity tracking: 130 modes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: No
Water resistant: Up to 30m
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: No
Smartwatch features: Yes

Designed with runners in mind, the latest addition to Garmin’s popular Forerunner series keeps a detailed record of your pace, distance, time and speed. Stats are displayed on the bright screen, which can be customised to show the data that matters most to you – a real standout feature.

As is customary for Forerunners, this tracker is controlled using a series of buttons along the edge of the watch face. The absence of a touchscreen might alarm some, but our expert found these buttons responsive, making it easy to scroll through data mid-workout.

Running aside, the Forerunner will track your daily activity levels like step count and distance travelled, as well as monitoring your sleep stats. It will also record the likes of swimming sessions, HIIT and Pilates.

However, with the data on offer and the affordable price point, we’d most recommend this to entry-level runners looking to ramp up their training.

Key specifications
Screen size: 1.04in
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Silicone
GPS: Yes
Weight: 37g
Battery life: Up to 2 weeks
Activity tracking: Yes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: Yes
Water resistant: Yes
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: No
Smartwatch features: Yes

You may have won a Frosties badge last time you had a swimming lesson, but we think it’s about time you dived back into the pool for some serious health benefits, and we’ve got just the tool to help.

Despite this fitness tracker's tiny price tag, Honor says the Band 5 is a swimming coach on your wrist, recording your distance covered, number of lengths and SWOLF score - a figure calculated using your strokes per length and time taken to complete each length.

The band, which can also track your steps and sleep, is simple to use and has a useful find my phone feature, as well as regular move reminders.

It doesn’t have a built-in GPS, and you have to start recording all exercises manually, but for under £30 it’s still a steal.

Key specifications
Screen size: 0.95 inch
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Silicone
GPS: No
Weight: 22.7g
Battery life: 14 days
Activity tracking: 9 modes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: No
Water resistant: Up to 50m
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: No
Smartwatch features: Yes

If you want a branded fitness tracker you know you can trust, but don’t fancy the £100+ price tag of the Charge 5, this bit of kit could be your ideal fit.

As we’ve come to expect from Fitbit, the tracking is accurate and the band also records 'active zone minutes' throughout the day.

The Inspire 2 will produce a 'workout intensity map' after runs and rides using your heart rate zones (though you will need to connect it to your phone’s GPS to use this) and it can notify you of incoming calls and messages.

The screen is black and white, so avoid this if you’re after a colourful touchscreen display. But, as a first fitness watch, you won’t do much better.

Key specifications
Screen size: 1.4 inch
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Silicone
GPS: Yes, via phone
Weight: 17g
Battery life: 10 days
Activity tracking: 20 modes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: Yes
Water resistant: Up to 50m
Changeable band: Yes
Music storage: No
Smartwatch features: Yes

Ok, so this fitness watch can’t spot you when you go for a new squat PB, but the Vivosmart 4 will still become your go-to gym buddy.

Unique to this list, it can count your reps while strength training through its Move IQ feature, also keeping your rest times in check (say goodbye to lengthy TikTok breaks between sets).

It’ll also vibrate to encourage you to get up and move if it notices you’ve been slouching for hours while WFH.

The screen is small and minimalistic on this tracker, and there’s no GPS so you’ll need to take your phone with you to map running routes, but it will give you all the data you need to optimise your sweat sessions.

Key specifications
Screen size: 0.39 inch
Works with: iPhone and Android
Strap material: Silicone
GPS: Yes, via phone
Weight: 16.5g
Battery life: 7 days
Activity tracking: 9 modes
Heart-rate monitor: Yes
Step tracking: Yes
Calorie burn: Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking: No
Water resistant: Up to 50m
Changeable band: No
Music storage: No
Smartwatch features: Yes

While this isn’t the latest of the Forerunners, the many updates it's had over the years have ensured it remains one of the best fitness trackers available for running and one of the most affordable.

It is sleeker and lighter than majority of the newer versions, making it a less bulky option for women, and the music version allows you to download music directly onto your watch, ideal for those days where your motivation is only as good as your tunes.

For those who’d like to think of themselves as endurance athletes, whether that’s a professional title or not, this is the fitness tracker for you.

With an extremely long-lasting battery life of up to 30 days and navigational features to get you back on track when you’ve taken an accidental detour, you’ll be ready to take on your outdoor adventures - be that running, cycling, swimming or even mountaineering.