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Fitbits have all but taken over the planet. They are a ubiquitous presence on everyone’s wrist, and they have also made the concept of ‘getting your 10,000 steps‘ very popular.
Along with their popularity, has come an overwhelming amount of models to try. It can be very overwhelming to try and find the best choice.
So we did the research, tested a variety of Fitbit trackers, and aggregated tens of thousands of online reviews. After extensive testing, we were able to find the best Fitbit – no matter if you’re looking for a budget model, or the absolute best choice on the market. Here are our top picks.
Our Top Pick
Fitbit Charge 3
The Fitbit Charge 3 is a great product, and will meet all your fitness tracking needs. With over 3,900 stellar online reviews, and a very reasonable price point, it’s a perfect purchase. With 24/7 heart rate tracking, and a great battery life of 7 days – it’s highly recommended.
Other Great Picks
Fitbit Flex 2
The Flex 2 is another great Fitbit, and it has over 3,000 stellar online reviews. With a very low price point, and tons of great functionality, it’s hard to beat the value. The Flex 2 is also very sleek looking, and tracking your 10,000 daily steps has never been easier.
Fitbit Versa
With over 6,500 positive online reviews, the Versa is one of the most popular Fitbits on the market. We loved storing and playing songs, and the 15+ exercise modes. The sleep tracking and heart rate monitoring is great, and our staff loved how lightweight it felt. Highly recommended.
Fitbit Inspire HR
With over 870 stellar online reviews, the Inspire HR is a great Fitbit model. It has a very low price point, tremendous functionality, and the user interface is very easy to use. The females in our office all agreed that the lilac color was great, and the guys loved the sleek black color. Definitely recommended.
Fitbit Versa Lite
With over 6,500 stellar online reviews, the Versa Lite is one of the more popular Fitbit models. We loved the fashionable white band, with the black watch face, and also loved the sleep tracking functionality. It was also great to be able to track texts without our phones on us, and the price is also very hard to beat.
Fitbit Ionic
With over 4,700 glowing online reviews, the Ionic from Fitbit is another great fitness tracker. The built-in GPS makes it easy to route your workouts and runs, and the low price point makes it more affordable than the Apple Watch. The Adidas edition is also very stylish, and we got more than a few compliments, while wearing it.
Fitbit Inspire
The Inspire by Fitbit is another great choice, and it provides a battery that lasts for 5 whole days. With over 870 positive online reviews, the Inspire is perfect for a variety of consumers. It’s a great budget pick, and it feels very lightweight on your wrist. A must-buy.
Fitbit Alta HR
The Alta HR is another popular model from Fitbit, and it has over 4,500 glowing online reviews. The heart rate monitoring works very well, and the sleep tracking has been superb for us. You can also have your data sent to your e-mail account regularly, which helps you stay on track, and hit your goals. The Alta HR does not provide GPS, and it is not waterproof, so if you’re looking for these features, you may want to invest in an upgraded model.
Fitbit Charge 2
The Charge 2 has over 18,000 (!) glowing reviews, and we loved wearing it. It has simplified heart rate zones, and an excellent price point. If you want most of the functionality of the Apple Watch, but want to spend far less – the Charge 2 is a perfect fit.
Fitbit Blaze
The Fitbit Blaze has over 9,000 stellar online reviews, and is a sleek smart watch. If you crave all the features of the Apple Watch – but aren’t thrilled with the price, the Blaze is a great alternative. The sleep tracking feature is great, and we also loved the bicycle tracking, and color screen. Definitely recommended.
What Is A Fitbit?
Fitbit is the name that first comes to mind when most of us think of wearable fitness trackers, and for good reason. They were the first on the market and are still one of the best. Even though there are now a number of competitors, Fitbit is the name that everyone knows.
A Fitbit can make you more aware of how much (or how little) you are moving your body throughout the day. It can also track factors like diet, sleep, hydration, heart rate and even menstrual cycle.
A Fitbit can be helpful to keep track of how close you are to meeting various health goals, and can be very motivating as well. When you know you have not quite reached your daily step goal, you are more likely to go out for a walk after dinner than sit on the couch and watch TV. By tracking your daily food intake you can make sure you are staying within the calorie range you need to lose weight, if that is your goal.
These devices are worn like a wristwatch so they are on your body all day (and night) and can easily be seen and reached. With a Fitbit there are no excuses, since it’s right in front of you every day.
As you can imagine, there are many different features available, all with different price points. We have done the research for you so that you can make an informed decision and buy the Fitbit that best suits your needs in supporting your personal fitness goals.
Why You Should Trust Us
We take the time to do the research, read thousands of reviews, and use the products in our own daily lives in order to give you an unbiased opinion. By pulling this information together for you all in one place – you can easily make a decision to best suit your personal needs.
Who Should Buy A Fitbit
A Fitbit is for anyone who wants to improve their overall health and fitness and is looking for an easy way to track everything in one place. If you are considering buying a Fitbit for the first time, this is definitely the place to start so you don’t get overwhelmed by all of the choices now available. If you already own one of the basic models and are considering an upgrade this will also be helpful to make sure that you are only paying for the features you actually use.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s needs are different, so there isn’t necessarily one “best” Fitbit. Someone who is starting an exercise program for the first time and is merely trying to keep track of their daily activity may be content with the most basic models. A serious athlete who is trying to fine tune their performance would have completely different needs, tracking many more details.
As with anything health related, it is important to state that a Fitbit is not a medical device. It is simply tracking things for you. If you are not sleeping well the Fitbit will let you know. But you may need to consult with your doctor to come up with a solution. Likewise, the Fitbit can track your heart rate, but if you suspect any type of problem you physician needs to be consulted. With any and all health concerns it is important to speak to a medical professional.
How We Picked And Tested
FIrst, we looked at all of the Fitbits currently on the market. We carefully examined a wide variety of features. For example, is it comfortable to wear all day and night? You won’t be able to track your sleep if you’re not comfortable wearing it all day. Is the menu simple to navigate? How well does this Fitbit track various activities? One of the biggest questions people have is how well the Fitbit tracks your daily steps. Read about that in more detail below.
Other factors considered, and just as important to daily use include whether or not the device is waterproof and how long the battery lasts.
All Fitbits are water resistant, meaning that they will withstand some splashing. Some models are waterproof, and can be worn while swimming and in the shower. If swimming plays a regular part in your workout routine you will want to consider a waterproof model.
As far as battery life, it typically ranges from four days to a week.
Is A Fitbit Worth Buying?
This is an individual question and is ultimately up to you.
If you are a person who is very self motivated, works out regularly and is happy with their overall health and fitness, than you may not need really need one (although they can still be fun!)
But if you are like most of us, trying to reach certain goals such as weight loss, better sleep or improved performance, the Fitbit can help you get there and keep everything you need in one place.
For example, if you are trying to lose weight the Fitbit can track not just your activity but everything you are eating so you are able to gauge where adjustments need to be made. You can see if you are consuming more calories than you are burning, and make appropriate adjustments.
And if you are training for an event like a 5K or a marathon, the Fitbit is a great way to log everything and make sure you are hitting your training goals.
You still have to do the work, but having a Fitbit can make it easier. It’s like having a completely objective accountability partner with you at all times, making sure you stay on track.
How Accurate Is The Step Count?
This is a valid concern, since walking is the activity that most of us perform with the most frequency throughout the day. And if you are trying to reach a daily goal (such as 10,000 steps per day) you want to know that the Fitbit is keeping up.
Here’s the deal…it’s never going to be perfect. Wearing a device on your wrist to track your steps is helpful but not completely accurate. It is measuring the swinging of your arms, which typically correlates with steps taken. But not always.
In general, fitness trackers tend to overestimate your daily steps, sometimes as much as by 15%. But certain activities where arms are not swinging, such as pushing a jogging stroller or even the shopping cart on your Target run, may not be fully measured, and you may get shortchanged a bit.
Either way, the step count is still helpful because it enables you to look at trends in your day to day activity.
How Accurate Is The Heart Rate Monitor?
Fitbit tracks your heart rate using a sensor to give information such as resting heart rate, average heart rate and to provide feedback on how many calories you are burning with various activities. The actual mechanism involves green LEDs to detect the amount of blood flowing through the wrist.
In order to get the best measurement, it is important that the device is worn snugly on the wrist. If it’s too loose that can have an effect on the accuracy, because it cannot properly measure blood flow. Wearing it slightly higher on the wrist during exercise can help as well.
But even with these precautions the heart rate monitor, just like the step counter, is not going to be 100% accurate. Once again, the Fitbit is not a medical device. If you suspect any problem at all regarding your heart rate it is important to consult with a physician.
Do Fitbits Have Any Known Issues?
No device is going to be perfect, and the Fitbit is no exception. Some of the biggest flaws are the inaccuracies in step count and heart rate monitoring as noted above. As long as the user is aware of this it does not pose a huge problem.
Another issue that is very individual is comfort of the wristband. For example, the very popular Fitbit Charge 3 has a plastic wristband that some users felt was not that comfortable. This can easily be rectified with a replacement fabric wristband, but this is adding to the overall cost.
Should You Get An Apple Watch Instead Of A Fitbit?
This is of course a very individual decision, but if you are reading this article in the first place you are most likely interested in tracking your fitness, which is where the Fitbit excels. It’s simply a matter of picking the Fitbit that best suits your own needs.
If you are looking for all of the smart watch functions you may want to consider the Apple Watch. But if improving your health and fitness is the main goal, the Fitbit gets our vote. And the Fitbit is compatible with both iPhone and Android of course.
The Best Fitbit
There you have it – our picks for the best Fitbit. There are a ton of great accessories besides the Fitbit, so be sure to take a look at our other reviews, in the fitness category.