- Best overall smartwatch: Fitbit Versa 3
- Best fitness tracker: Fitbit Charge 5
- Best for battery life: Fitbit Inspire 2
- Best for high tech features: Fitbit Sense
- Best affordable: Fitbit Versa 2
- Best for kids: Fitbit Ace 3
When it comes to fitness, tracking the details of your workouts and activities is a great way to monitor your progress. Fitbit offers a line of products that do just that.
The Fitbit was originally designed as a step tracker, and all Fitbit devices still offer step tracking. But these small, wrist-worn devices also boast distance tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, GPS, and other nifty features.
Plus, the company offers smartwatch trackers, which can receive texts and other notifications and let you control music and other apps via your smartphone.
Some high end devices also feature Active Zone heart rate tracking, which tracks your workout intensity in real time.
Here are the top 6 Fitbit products on the market.
A note on price and features
Devices with more features have a higher retail cost. Furthermore, the quality of the tracking and sensors tends to be better on higher priced Fitbits.
Smartwatch devices are almost always more expensive than their non-smartwatch counterparts. They offer full functionality and smartphone integration but aren’t necessary if you’re just looking for basic fitness tracking.
Most devices come with a free trial — or a yearlong subscription — to Fitbit Premium, an online portal that provides personalized insights on your activity levels. The standard subscription is $9.99 per month or $80 per year.
Cost calculations
General price ranges with dollar signs ($–$$$) are indicated below. One dollar sign means the product is rather affordable, whereas four dollar signs indicate a higher cost.
Generally, prices range from $79.95–$299.95, though this may vary depending on where you shop.
Pricing guide
- $ = under $100
- $$ = $100–$200
- $$$ = over $200
Best overall smartwatch
Fitbit Versa 3
- Price: $$
- Pros: built-in GPS, Alexa and Google assistant, tracks health metrics over time
- Cons: doesn’t offer stress tracking, electrocardiogram (ECG) app, or temperature monitoring
The Fitbit Versa 3 is the best overall smartwatch, as it offers a good compromise between price and features.
With GPS, Alexa and Google Assistant, and music playback, it has excellent functionality at a more affordable price than the more high tech Fitbit Sense.
The Versa 3 is particularly a good option for athletes, as the watch has built-in GPS and provides real-time feedback on your pace and distance, so you can leave your phone at home.
While it doesn’t offer stress tracking, skin temperature monitoring, or irregular heart rate alerts, the Versa 3 still provides basic heart rate monitoring and detailed sleep insights and tracks your health metrics over time.
Using Bluetooth, the watch also allows you to take phone calls, receive smartphone notifications, use Fitbit Pay, and control music or podcasts from your wrist.
The Versa 3 is available in four color options: Thistle and Gold, Pink and Gold, Midnight Blue and Gold, and Black.
Best overall fitness tracker
Fitbit Charge 5
- Price: $$
- Pros: smartwatch features with a less bulky design, color display, stress tracking
- Cons: fewer music controls than the Sense, shorter battery life, expensive
The Fitbit Charge 5 is a newer offering from Fitbit that’s designed to help you make more informed decisions about your health.
Like the Fitbit Sense and Versa, the Charge 5 provides a personalized score called Daily Readiness, which uses data from your sleep score, activity level, and heart rate variability to determine whether your body is ready for a workout or needs a recovery day.
Additional features include built-in GPS, Bluetooth connectivity, Fitbit Pay, and standard fitness tracking.
It also comes with electrodermal activity (EDA) and ECG sensors, which help you keep tabs on your stress levels and heart rhythms, respectively.
Notably, if listening to music is one of your top priorities, you’ll want to consider the Sense instead, as it offers more robust music controls.
Unlike the previous Charge model, the Charge 5 features a vibrant, crisp color display. It also comes with a comfortable infinity band that uses a peg-and-loop closure design, so you don’t have to worry about the strap hanging loose or getting caught.
Compared with other Fitbit devices, the Charge 5 has a shorter battery life of just 7 days. And keep in mind that if you use continuous GPS or Always-On display, your battery will drain even faster.
Even so, Healthline editor Alice Porter has found that the battery life is good and the app is easy to navigate. She says the Charge 5 is more durable and comfortable than her Versa 2.
“It does not have as many features but is reliable as a fitness tracker,” she says. She recommends it for people looking for a fitness tracker for more casual use. “It would be less useful for serious athletes or very active people who want a more adaptable and useful fitness tracker.”
The Charge 5 is available in Graphite and Black, Lunar White and Soft Gold, and Steel Blue and Platinum.
Best for battery life
Fitbit Inspire 2
- Price: $
- Pros: long battery life, slim profile, affordable
- Cons: no built-in GPS, no Bluetooth support, limited features
Boasting a slim profile and 10-day battery life, the Fitbit Inspire 2 is the perfect option if you don’t want to miss out on any data collection while you’re out adventuring.
What’s more, it’s water-resistant up to 164 feet (50 meters), making it a good fit for swimmers.
The Inspire 2 comes with the basic Fitbit features, including standard step and distance tracking, as well as an estimate of your daily calorie burn and hourly activity level.
This model also has continuous heart rate tracking throughout the day, menstrual health tracking, and stress management tools.
It likewise offers sleep tracking, though you’ll need a Fitbit Premium membership to access your detailed Sleep Score.
However, one of the main drawbacks is that it doesn’t include a built-in GPS. It also lacks many of the more advanced features found in Fitbit’s smartwatches, such as music play, mobile payment options, and voice assistant.
You can, however, receive phone, text, and calendar notifications if your phone is nearby.
Still, if you want more robust features, you’ll want to consider the Sense or Versa 3.
The Inspire 2 comes with a free 1-year Fitbit Premium membership and is available in Black, Rose, and White.
Best for high tech features
Fitbit Sense
- Price: $$$
- Pros: built-in GPS, Alexa and Google Assistant, ECG, skin temperature monitoring, and high and low heart rate alerts
- Cons: bulky, expensive
The Fitbit Sense is a full-featured smartwatch with the greatest functionality of all Fitbit devices.
Just a few of the features you’ll get are activity tracking, built-in GPS, Alexa and Google Assistant, and skin temperature monitoring while you sleep.
Furthermore, the EDA stress tracker detects skin conductance, which provides custom insights into your stress levels.
The device also has Fitbit Pay and connects to music apps like Pandora, Spotify, and Deezer.
Keep in mind that the Fitbit Sense has a large face, so it isn’t a great choice if you’re looking for a slim model.
The Sense is available in Carbon and Graphite, Sage Grey and Silver, and White and Gold.
You can also swap out the peg-and-loop wristband for a leather, steel, nylon, silicone, or sport option if you prefer.
The Sense is my personal favorite Fitbit. I use the stress tracker and find it helpful to have the option to connect to Amazon Alexa. My main critique is that I sometimes find the peg-and-loop closure tricky to use, and it occasionally pops open on me.
For an in-depth look at all that the watch has to offer, be sure to read our comprehensive Fitbit Sense review here.
Best affordable
Fitbit Versa 2
- Price: $$
- Pros: built-in Alexa, standard smartwatch capabilities, more affordable
- Cons: shorter battery life; lacks certain features, including GPS, stress tracking, temperature monitoring, and ECG app
The Fitbit Versa 2 offers many of the same features as the Versa 3 but at a lower price.
In addition to tracking your activity, sleep, and heart rate, the watch boasts Bluetooth capabilities and Amazon Alexa.
However, it doesn’t include GPS, which may be a major downside if you plan on using your watch for outdoor activities like running and hiking.
Still, if you’re looking to gain insights into your general health habits, the Versa 2 is a great basic option for under $200.
The Versa 2 is available in three color options: Black and Carbon, Petal and Copper Rose, and Stone and Mist Grey.
Healthline Market Wellness Editor Melissa Lee purchased the Versa 2 primarily to track steps on walks but has found it to be an extremely versatile fitness tracker.
“There are over 20 different fitness modes that you can choose from, which I personally like, being that my physical activity varies,” she says. “I rotate between cardio, weightlifting, Pilates, and yoga, oftentimes all in the span of 1 week.”
She also likes that you can turn it to silent mode so you don’t constantly get buzzes for texts, calls, and hourly step notifications.
“It’s an extremely versatile fitness tracker with a decently sized screen and Bluetooth capabilities,” she says.
Best for kids
Fitbit Ace 3
- Price: $
- Pros: slim profile, affordable, parental controls, special Kid View, family challenges, fun colors
- Cons: no built-in GPS, limited features (which may be a pro for parents)
The Fitbit Ace 3 is designed to encourage your kids to stay active without excessive technological distractions.
In addition to standard step tracking, the device features family challenges, virtual badges, and onscreen celebrations to motivate the whole family to stay active.
Kids will love the device’s interchangeable accessories, while parents will appreciate parental control settings and a protected Kid View home screen.
The Ace 3 is heavily rubberized and exceptionally durable, which is helpful if it’s dropped. It offers up to 8 days of battery life.
The tracker comes in three bright and fun colorways, including special-edition Minions Yellow.
Curious how all the Fitbit products compare? The chart below highlights the key features of these six Fitbit models:
| Fitbit Versa 3 | Fitbit Charge 5 | Fitbit Inspire 2 | Fitbit Sense | Fitbit Versa 2 | Fitbit Ace 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $$ | $$ | $ | $$$ | $$ | $ |
| Style | watch | activity tracker | activity tracker | watch | watch | activity tracker |
| Battery life | up to 10 days | up to 7 days | up to 10 days | up to 6 days | up to 6 days | up to 8 days |
| App integration | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Color screen | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | no |
| Built-in GPS | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | no |
| Heart rate | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| ECG | no | yes | no | yes | no | no |
| Swimproof | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| SpO2 | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | no |
| Mobile payments | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | no |
Keep in mind the prices listed above reflect the current list price and may vary by retailer.
To choose the best Fitbit, take stock of your budget and the features you want, keeping in mind that there’s a direct trade-off between the cost of a device and its features.
Here are some considerations:
- Add-ons like built-in GPS or skin-conductance stress tracking greatly increase the cost.
- If you’re looking for a basic device for keeping tabs on your movement throughout the day, opt for a more affordable Fitbit activity tracker, such as the Inspire 2 or Ace 3.
- If you want to control your music or have built-in GPS real-time fitness tracking, it’s worth spending extra on a smartwatch like the Versa 3 or Sense.
- The newer Fitbit Charge 5 is a great middle-of-the-road option if you want more high tech features without compromising on the slim profile of a tracker.
Most Fitbit purchases include either a free 6-month or 1-year trial of Fitbit Premium.
Fitbit Premium is a subscription-based app that offers personalized insights and graphs; a detailed breakdown of your sleep score, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and when you wake up in the night; workout videos; health tips; recipes; and more.
In fact, here’s a complete list of features only available on the Fitbit Premium app:
- Health insights. Perhaps one of the most helpful features of the Fitbit Premium app is the ability to view advanced insights into your data, along with personalized guidance for improving various aspects of your health.
- Wellness report. My favorite aspect of the app is the downloadable wellness report, which allows you to view trends in your health and fitness data over 1-year, 6-month, 3-month, and 30-day increments.
- Step-by-step programs. Looking to improve your sleep quality or become a more mindful eater? The app provides guided programs to help you reach your wellness goals.
- Mindfulness audio tracks. The app includes a library of mindfulness audio tracks designed to help with body positivity, stress reduction, and sleep.
- Wellness challenges. These challenges allow you to compete against your friends and family members.
- Guided workouts. The app offers more than 150 workout videos and audio tracks to help you get more movement throughout the day.
After the trial period, access to Fitbit Premium costs $9.99 per month.
Personally, I’m in the middle of my free Fitbit Premium trial using the Fitbit Sense, and I find the app to be super helpful. In particular, I enjoy being able to track my sleep trends over time.
While I still have a few months to go, I plan on continuing my subscription once my free trial ends.
Of course, not everyone will find these extra features worth an extra $10 per month. Fortunately, you’ll have at least 6 months to try Fitbit Premium for free to see how much you actually use it.
What is Fitbit’s biggest competitor?
There are many activity trackers on the market. Fitbit’s biggest competitors include Garmin products and the Apple Watch.
Which Fitbit is the most affordable?
The Fitbit Inspire 2 is the least expensive Fitbit currently available for adults. It’s simple to use but still has attractive features such as heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking.
Which Fitbit is best for tracking sleep?
All Fitbits have sleep tracking. However, the Sense, Charge, and Versa integrate easily into the Fitbit app and provide more detailed metrics, including sleep stages, duration, and more.
Fitbit offers a range of fitness trackers and smartwatches that provide robust fitness monitoring.
While all devices include basic tracking features, the smartwatch devices have additional capabilities that mostly involve integration with your smartphone. Built-in GPS and other add-ons are available on higher priced devices.
Regardless of your specific needs, Fitbit has a tracking device that will suit your goals and budget.