Best fitness trackers in 2025 including Fitbit, Garmin, Whoop and more

Looking for the best fitness tracker? Whether you’re training for a marathon, working on your fitness, or just want an easy way to keep tabs on steps, calories, heart rate, and sleep, there’s a tracker out there for you.

The choice can feel overwhelming. Some focus on advanced health data like blood oxygen and stress, while others stick to the basics like step counts and heart rate. You’ll also find feature-packed smartwatches alongside budget-friendly bands that still track the essentials.

We’ve tested a wide range of trackers and rounded up the best options for every budget and lifestyle. Sleek, rugged, stylish, or simple – whatever your vibe, there’s a device that fits. Strap one on and let it keep you motivated – hitting your health goals just got easier.

Why you can trust Stuff: Our team of experts rigorously test each product and provide honest, unbiased reviews to help you make informed decisions. For more details, read how we test and rate products.

Quick list: what’s the best fitness tracker?

The best fitness trackers you can buy today:

1. Fitbit Charge 6

The Fitbit Charge 6 stands out as one of the best all-around fitness trackers. It combines a slim, stylish design with serious health features, including stress tracking, sleep monitoring, and 24/7 heart rate – all the essentials for keeping on top of your well-being.

Built-in GPS is a highlight, letting you accurately track runs, rides, and hikes without your phone in tow. In our tests, GPS performance was spot-on, making it a great pick for outdoor workouts. Add in a week-long battery life, and you’ve got a device that won’t constantly nag you for a recharge.

The Charge 6 plays nicely with both iOS and Android, syncing smoothly with popular fitness apps. It doesn’t include extras like onboard music, but at its price, it strikes an excellent balance between features and value. With a bright, easy-to-read display and reliable tracking across the board, the Fitbit Charge 6 is a strong choice for anyone after a capable, no-fuss fitness tracker.  Also check out our guide to the best Fitbit trackers and watches, too.

2. Xiaomi Mi Band 9

The Xiaomi Mi Band 9 is the go-to choice if you want a fitness tracker that won’t break the bank. It’s slim, minimal, and surprisingly capable for its price. The real star is battery life – lasting up to 21 days on a single charge, it easily outperforms far pricier rivals.

Despite the low cost, it covers the essentials well. You get step counting, calorie tracking, sleep monitoring, plus heart rate and SpO2 for extra health insights. Accuracy is solid, making it a dependable daily companion.

Of course, there are compromises. There’s no built-in GPS or advanced coaching features, but at this price, that’s hardly a deal-breaker. If you want a simple, reliable, and long-lasting fitness tracker to get moving, the Mi Band 9 offers unbeatable value. If you want an easy way to stay on top of your daily activity without spending a fortune, this is one of the best options out there.

3. Whoop MG

We wore the Whoop MG non-stop for over a month, and it’s easily the most advanced fitness tracker we’ve tested – as long as you’re OK wearing an Apple Watch alongside it. The screenless band hides seriously smart tech, including medical-grade ECG and surprisingly accurate overnight blood pressure estimates. We calibrated it using a proper cuff and found the readings within 3 mmHg. That’s impressive.

We really liked waking up to meaningful insights instead of another vague sleep chart. Recovery scores often lined up with how we actually felt, and the daily “Optimal Strain” targets were weirdly spot-on – on green days we really did feel stronger. But auto-detection let things down. It spotted our runs, but missed most strength workouts unless we logged them manually. That meant relying on our Apple Watch for reliable tracking, which defeats the purpose somewhat.

The companion app’s a highlight – slick, insightful, and genuinely helpful – especially the Daily Outlook and Journal tools. But only the included strap unlocks ECG, which feels limiting.

With two-week battery life, a featherweight feel, and real health insights, the MG is a serious tool. Just know you’ll be paying handsomely for it – both upfront and every year after.

4. Garmin Vivosmart 5

If you’re after Garmin’s excellent fitness tracking app’s features but don’t want to spring for one of its pricey watches, then we think something like the Vivosmart 5 could be the ideal solution. It’s pretty smart, as far as fitness tracking bands go, thanks to a pared-back design and textured rubber shell.

Feature-wise, it ticks most boxes, including the usual fitness and sleep-tracking skills, along with a pulse oximeter, stress tracker, and Garmin’s body battery energy monitor. The addition of smartphone notifications and music controls also lends it some smarter functionality, without entering full smartwatch territory.

In our review, we found the battery life is decent, if not great, with around 7 days of use per charge on offer. If you’re set on using Garmin’s well-established app, then this could be one of the best entry points before potentially upgrading to something more fully-featured in future.

5. Fitbit Inspire 3

With a great battery life, minimal-yet-smart design, and a price that’s at the more affordable end of Fitbit’s lineup, the Inspire 3 has plenty going for it.

Sure, you won’t get more advanced features like sweat-based stress tracking or GPS for phone-free runs, but if you want to enter the world of Fitbit’s tried and tested ecosystem while tracking activities, sleep, steps and more, the Inspire 3 won’t let you down.

6. Withings ScanWatch 2

The Withings ScanWatch 2 nails the hybrid smartwatch formula, combining classic looks with cutting-edge health tracking. Its analogue face hides a discreet display that delivers notifications and stats without spoiling the traditional watch aesthetic.

Health features are where it shines. You get ECG, SpO2, body temperature tracking, and even sleep apnea detection – making it one of the most advanced hybrids available. It also covers the basics with 24/7 activity tracking, heart rate monitoring, and detailed sleep analysis.

And the battery life? Outstanding. With up to 30 days on a single charge, the ScanWatch 2 outlasts almost every full smartwatch out there. If you want serious health tracking in a timeless package, this is the watch to beat. If you want cutting-edge health insights without sacrificing style, the ScanWatch 2 is an easy recommendation.

7. Oura Ring Gen 4

Want a fitness tracker but don’t want to clutter your wrist and/or sacrifice your beloved traditional timepiece? Enter the Oura Ring — a fitness tracker that’s cleverly incorporated into an honest-to-goodness ring, letting you wear it on your finger of choice for unintrusive tracking.

The Oura Ring Gen 4 takes everything people loved about its predecessor and pushes it further with smarter, more precise health tracking. It now packs an upgraded heart rate sensor, seven temperature sensors for deeper wellness insights, and a new SpO2 sensor to monitor blood oxygen levels.

Despite its discreet, ring-style form factor, the Oura Ring Gen 4 offers powerful tracking for sleep, recovery, and daily activity. It provides in-depth sleep analysis, stress monitoring, and personalised readiness scores, making it an excellent tool for optimising overall well-being. With its lightweight, durable design and up to a week of battery life, it’s a hassle-free alternative to traditional fitness wearables.

What sets it apart is the form factor. Unlike wrist-based trackers, the Oura Ring slips seamlessly into daily life, offering serious health data without the distraction of a screen or the bulk of a smartwatch. Stylish, discreet, and packed with advanced tracking features, it’s one of the smartest ways to monitor your health around the clock.

How to choose the best fitness tracker for you

Overwhelmed by the vast choice of fitness trackers out there? Fear not, for Stuff’s wearable experts are on hand to grace you with their expertise.

The first step is deciding on a form factor — we’ve gone mostly for more minimalist “band”-type trackers, as they’re fitness-focused rather than offering all the apps, bells, and whistles served up by, say, some of the best Android smartwatches. That’s not to say you can’t opt for a smartwatch, mind. In fact, we’ve included the likes of the Apple Watch SE above as it’s a great choice for iPhone users looking for fitness tracking and other smarts in one device.

For the most part, though, you’ll want something compact, thin, and light, with a smartwatch-beating battery life of around five days or more. Waterproofing is a must if you’re swimming, and practically every fitness tracker is weather/sweat-resistant at the very least, for obvious reasons.

Built-in GPS is a bonus if you’re looking to track outdoor activities without having to bring along your bulky smartphone, and other extras like music playback can come in handy for the same reason.

With most fitness trackers offering the same core experience — namely, steps counted, calories burned, heart rate, sleep tracking, activity tracking, and more, you’ll want to decide on which brand you feel most comfortable with. Some fitness trackers offer more comprehensive stats for particular sports like swimming, and if you’ve already got a device from a particular brand, you may want to stay within their ecosystem so that you don’t lose any of your existing app data.

If you’re interested in exploring more, check out our guides on the best kids’ fitness trackers and the best budget fitness trackers.

Finally, if you’re serious about getting fit, check out Stuff’s guide to the best GPS watches.

Fitness trackers vs smartwatches

Fitness trackers and smartwatches both offer fitness tracking, but they serve different needs. Fitness trackers are typically smaller, lighter, and designed primarily for health monitoring. They focus on essentials like step counting, heart rate tracking, sleep analysis, and sometimes SpO2 and stress monitoring. Many fitness trackers also have longer battery life, often lasting a week or more.

Smartwatches go beyond fitness tracking, offering notifications, apps, and even extras like music storage or phone calls. Many include built-in GPS for accurate workout tracking and feature larger, interactive displays. The trade-off? They’re bulkier and often need charging every day.

If you want a straightforward fitness tracker with long-lasting battery life and minimal distractions, a fitness band is the better pick. But if you’d rather have a do-it-all device that balances health features with smart functionality, a smartwatch makes more sense (read Stuff’s guide to the best smartwatches).

Which fitness tracker has the best health app?

Every fitness tracker app has its strengths, but Oura’s stands out. It focuses less on step counts and high-intensity workouts, and more on recovery, sleep, and long-term well-being. If you care about understanding how your body recharges as much as how it moves, Oura arguably offers the best overall health app experience.

The Oura app is slick, calming, and obsessively detailed. It’s less “rah-rah” motivation and more “here’s how your body’s really doing” – tracking sleep stages, readiness, heart rate variability, body temperature, and even stress with impressive accuracy. You get personalised insights without being bombarded by pushy alerts.

Fitbit’s app is more fitness-focused, gamified, and social. Garmin’s excels for performance stats and sports, though its interface is more utilitarian. Whoop is great for athletes, but its app can feel a bit intense if you’re not chasing PBs daily.

So, for thoughtful, science-backed health insights wrapped in a beautifully chill app experience, Oura leads the pack – especially if you like tracking, not just training.