Like every piece of gear you wear on your body day in and day out, fitness trackers are incredibly personal. The best fitness tracker should be comfortable, attractive, and fit your lifestyle, including when and how you like to work out. Do you bike, row, or do strength training? Do you run on trails for hours at a time, or do you just want a reminder to stand up every hour? Do you want to wear it on your wrist or on your finger or tuck it into your bra?
No matter what your needs are, there’s never been a better time to find a powerful, sophisticated tool that can help you optimize your workouts or jump-start your routine. We test dozens of fitness trackers every year while running, climbing, hiking, or just doing workout videos on our iPads at night, to bring you these picks.
Updated January 2025: We added the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED, the Oura Ring 4, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9, the Garmin Lily 2 Active, the Amazfit T-Rex 3, the Amazfit Active, and the Polar Vantage M3.
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Fitness Trackers vs. Smartwatches
Don’t see anything that’s exactly your style here? Check out our guide to the Best Smartwatches. While the categories can overlap, fitness trackers are less feature-rich. I’m less concerned with whether a fitness tracker can replicate every feature on your smartphone than if the suite of health features is robust and accurate; if it can track multiple activities; and if it stays on and is secure while doing multiple fitness activities.
Some fitness trackers will feature the ability to read emails and control music, but the screens are often smaller and less bright. However, the battery life is often much better, which makes a difference, especially if you’re tracking your sleep over time. If, however, you’re more interested in the option to access apps without having to pull out your phone, you might want to think about getting a smartwatch. (If you want no notifications at all, get a smart ring instead.)
Troubleshoot Your Fitness Tracker
Are you having trouble with this brand-new fitness device you just bought? Here are just a few ways you can easily cure what ails you (or your device):
Make sure it fits. Optical sensors won’t work if your device is slipping loosely around your wrist. You can customize most devices with new straps. Make sure it sits securely an inch above your wrist.
Wash it! I’m horrified by how many people tell me their fitness trackers are giving them a wrist rash. Wipe it down with a little dish soap and water after a sweaty session.
Get out from under tree cover. Does your device utilize multiple satellite positioning systems to track your location when you’re starting an outdoor workout? This is a lot harder for it to do if you’re under power lines, trees, or even (gulp) inside.
Set a routine. There’s nothing quite as frustrating as opening your tracker’s app and finding out that it ran out of battery before you went to bed last night. Keep your app updated regularly. Check if your tracker is connected to your phone, and keep chargers everywhere.
