Fitbit was a pioneer and one of the first companies to design wearable health and fitness tracking devices. Though it remains a beloved favorite, there are countless other companies out there, creating new and excellent alternatives. If you're looking for a device that offers it all when it comes to cutting-edge technology, abundant features, and premium health and fitness tracking, our favorite is Apple Watch Series 6. It even has built-in LTE so you can make calls, texts, and read emails from the slopes to the waves without your phone.
Best Overall: Apple Watch 6
The Apple Watch Series 6 is here, and it's better than ever. The most notable changes between it and its predecessor, Apple Watch 5, are improved battery life, an always-on altimeter, improved Sp02 monitoring, sleep tracking, lots of color and customization options, and Apple's fastest processor yet. It truly is in a class of its own when it comes to comprehensive health and wellness tracking.
When it comes to fitness, no matter how you like to move, Apple Watch 6 has a workout for you. Choose from running, swimming, yoga, cycling, dance, or just about anything else you're into. Activity Rings will help you stay motivated to sit less, move more, and get some exercise in every day. For more precise metrics as you move, the new always-on altimeter continuously tracks your elevation changes in real time, both indoors and out. Whether you're hiking up a trail, or cruising down a ski run, Apple Watch 6 keeps close tabs on your altitude so you can see how it directly affects your movement.
What makes the Apple Watch Series 6 so great is all of the features you get. First off, the sensor and app on the watch allow you to take on-demand and background readings of your blood oxygen. Your blood oxygen level is a key indicator of your overall wellness. It can help you understand how well your body is absorbing oxygen, and the amount of oxygen being delivered to your body.
Making sure you're getting quality ZZZ's every night is also essential to your overall health and wellbeing. The Sleep app helps you establish a regular bedtime routine and keeps track of your sleep trends every night. This enables you to set and achieve personal sleep goals, ultimately giving you better rest overall.
Apple Watch Series 6 also offers the most color and customization options out of most watches on the market. You can choose from a range of casing materials, including titanium, stainless steel, and recycled aluminum. Bands come in multiple material and color options as well. You can choose from the most watch faces ever; customize them to match your mood, style, or favorite activity. The options are endless with Apple Watch 6 — you can make it uniquely your own.
Apple Watch 6 is equipped with a U1 chip, Apple Watch's fastest processor yet. It is 20% faster than Apple Watch Series 5. It also offers improved battery life. It gives one additional hour of audio playback, and an additional hour of workout tracking over its predecessor, Apple Watch 5. Apple Watch Series 6 is the best smartwatch available on the market today. It's pricey, but well worth it.
Pros:
- Advanced Sp02 monitoring
- Sleep tracking
- Improved battery life
- Always-on altimeter
- Tons of colors and customization options
- U1 chip
Cons:
- Pricey
Best Overall
Apple Watch 6
Take a bite out of this apple
Our favorite smartwatch features sleep tracking, tons of customization options, advanced Sp02 monitoring and so much more.
Best Runner Up: Garmin Vivoactive 4S
Garmin Vivoactive 4S features a slightly smaller watch face than it's big brother, the Garmin Vivoactive 4, but it still features comprehensive health and fitness tracking, body energy monitoring, Sp02 monitoring, all-day activity and sleep tracking, 20 preloaded workout modes, on-screen workouts, and music streaming.
This smartwatch offers Body Battery energy monitoring. You can see your body's energy levels throughout the day so you can find the best times for activity and rest. It's equipped with a Pulse 0x sensor that gauges your blood oxygen saturation during the day and as you sleep, to show how well your body is absorbing oxygen.
It also has stress tracking to give insight towards better mental health. It will send you relax reminders and will even prompt you to do a short breathing activity when you're stressed out. It offers all-day activity and advanced sleep tracking. You'll get a full picture of how you're sleeping, with a breakdown of your light, deep and REM sleep stages, as well as Pulse 0x and respiration data.
It comes with 20 preloaded GPS and indoor workout modes including walking, running, cycling, pool swimming, golf, and more! It also offers easy-to-follow, animated, on-screen cardio, strength, yoga, and Pilates workouts, which help with form and injury prevention. On the downside, the screen is difficult to read indoors and the battery life is less than expected.
Pros:
- Body Battery energy monitoring
- Pulse 0x monitoring
- All-day activity and stress tracking
- Advanced sleep tracking
- 20 preloaded workout modes
- On-screen workouts
Cons:
- Battery life less than expected
- Display can be difficult to read
Best Runner Up
Garmin Vivoactive 4S
Feature packed
This is a feature-packed smartwatch with stress, sleep, Pulse 0x, all-day activity tracking, and 20 preloaded sport modes.
Best Value: Coros Pace 2
Coros Pace 2 is the lightest GPS sport watch available on the market today. It weighs a mere 29 grams, and is outfitted with a high-quality, quick-drying, comfortable nylon band that's perfect for everyday wear. It features an easy-to-use app, all-day activity and sleep tracking, exceptional battery life, 24/7 heart rate, an always-on altimeter, and thermometer.
The Pace 2 offers 30 hours of full GPS battery life, that's a 20% increase from its predecessor, the original Coros Pace. If you need your battery to last even longer, switch to UltraMax for nearly half the battery consumption.
If you don't use GPS mode a whole lot, Coros Pace 2 delivers up to 20 days of activity and sleep tracking. That's 20 days of 24/7 heart rate, all-day activity, sleep tracking, and smart notifications on a full charge.
Pace 2 also has 14 preloaded sport modes. Go beyond your standard run, bike, or swim, and test out the new strength mode, explore the accuracy of track run mode, or get wet and wild with the all new flat water mode.
If you wear your watch to bed, Coros Pace 2 will keep track of your sleep cycles, duration of sleep, the time you spend awake, your heart rate range, and your average heart rate. Set bedtimes, wake up times, and alarms so you can ensure that you're waking up refreshed and ready to conquer the day.
It's also outfitted with 24/7 heart rate, an always-on altimeter, and thermometer so you can keep close watch over your health and wellness. The Coros Pace 2 does not have a touchscreen, it has two buttons (one with a dial for scrolling), and you cannot store, stream, or play music with this sport watch.
Pros:
- Great battery life
- Lightweight and comfortable to wear
- Built-in GPS
- All-day activity + sleep tracking
- 24/7 heart rate, altimeter, and thermometer
- Easy to use app
Cons:
- No touchscreen
- Can't play music
- Not a lot of replacement bands available
Best Value
Coros Pace 2
Great bang for your buck
A lightweight GPS sport watch that features all-day activity and sleep tracking, as well as exceptional battery life.
Best Budget: Withings Move
The Withings Move brings that retro, classic watch appeal at a very affordable price. It comes in four different colors: black, blue, pink, and green so you can pick the one that matches your vibe best. It features seamless synchronization, so you can visualize trends, and see all of your data on your smartphone with the Health mate app.
It offers all-day activity tracking and comes with 10 preloaded workout modes. You can also track your ZZZ's with the Move's sleep tracking. Wake up to a Sleep Score based on your light and deep sleep cycles, interruptions, depth and regularity. You can set a Smart Wake-UP time for yourself so you can wake feeling refreshed and ready for the day.
The Move delivers up to 18 months of battery life. Yup, that's right — 18 months! It's water resistant up to 50 meters, so you can rock it in the shower, tub, or pool. On the downside, it does not have a heart rate monitor or built-in GPS, and the plastic casing scuffs and scratches easily.
Pros:
- Classic, retro design
- All-day activity and sleep tracking
- Auto synchronization
- 18-month battery life
Cons:
- No heart rate monitoring
- Plastic casing easily scuffs
- Connected GPS only
Best Budget
Withings Move
Simply classic
Budget-friendly fitness tracker that features a classic design, all-day activity and sleep tracking, and 18 month battery life.
Best Look: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 boasts a sleek and stylish design. It comes in aluminum or stainless steel casing, and there are multiple watch faces and bands to choose from so you can really make it your own.
This watch features 24/7 heart rate monitoring, and will send you high or low heart rate alerts if necessary. Samsung Galaxy Active 2 offers all-day activity tracking, so you can keep close tabs on your health and fitness; as well as sleep tracking, so you can get valuable insights on how to get a better night's sleep. It also monitors stress levels and helps reduce anxiety with the newly integrated Calm app.
It delivers up to five days of battery life on a single charge and features Bluetooth connectivity. It comes with the Spotify app so you can play and stream music with your watch. Take note that some users complain that the calorie counter and the GPS biking and running tracking is off. Some also feel the screen is difficult to see outdoors.
Pros:
- Sleek and stylish
- 24/7 heart rate + high and low HR alerts
- All-day activity and sleep tracking
- Up to five days of battery life
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Spotify streaming
Cons:
- Calorie counts can be off
- Screen is hard to see outdoors
- GPS run/bike tracking not as accurate as phone
Best Look
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
Looking good
A smartwatch that features a stylish design, high and low heart rate alerts, Bluetooth connectivity, and Spotify streaming.
Bottom line
We understand wanting to explore the various alternatives to the best Fitbits, whether you want to see what's out there in other ecosystems or just want different features in a smartwatch or fitness trackers. Some of these products are smartwatches, and some are sport watches and fitness trackers. Still, all are exceptional at fitness tracking, health monitoring, and providing you with premium and abundant high-tech features.
The Apple Watch 6 takes the cake as our best overall because it's truly in a class of its own. It features advanced Sp02 monitoring, advanced sleep tracking, improved battery life, an always on altimeter, lots of customization options, and Apple Watch's fastest processor yet. Plus, it's got that integrated cellular system so you can make calls and send texts from anywhere with just your watch — no phone required! No matter your budget or needs, you'll find the perfect wearable on this list of best Fitbit alternatives.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Nicolette Roux is a master fitness instructor and health coach from sunny Los Angeles. She has worked with some of the top names and brands in the biz, and is no stranger to smartwatches and fitness trackers. She fully endorses every product that made this list. These are the best of the best.
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