Which Fitbit is best for you? We break it down.

Track your steps, heart health, sleep, and more.
By Kyrsten Arneson  on 
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Overview

Our Top Pick

Fitbit Versa 3

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Best For Casual Athletes

Fitbit Charge 5

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Best For Getting Motivated

Fitbit Inspire 2

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Best For Kids

Fitbit Ace 3

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Best For The Fashion-forward

Fitbit Luxe

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Best For Wellness

Fitbit Sense

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Fitbits came onto the scene when the company was founded in 2007, and today the much-loved device has become so ubiquitous the company name has become pretty much a common noun for any kind of step-counter.

At least, that’s what they started out as. Today, Fitbits come in a ton of shapes, sizes, and functional purposes, whether you’re looking for something that truly just measures your steps or has a heart monitor, GPS, and other functionalities built in as well. And really, the sky is the limit with the latest models: Some measure your temperature, stress, and give you reminders that you can in fact take a recovery day off your workouts.

They exist across a wide range of prices that reflect how technically oriented they are, too. And yes, there’s Fitbits for kids now, too. Read on for six of our favorite Fitbits, from basic models to ones that are like a personal health tour right at your wrist.

What do Fitbits do?

At their most basic, Fitbits were invented as a sort of wearable pedometer, originally existing just to track your steps. Of course they’ve gotten more tech-savvy (and more complicated) since then: These days, they come in a range of models, each of which offers its own unique combination of Fitbit’s technology and sensors. They can stand in as phones, push app notifications to you, and even pay for your Starbucks latte—plus keep an eye on more important matters, like heart health and sleep tracking.

What features do Fitbits offer?

The most expensive Fitbit models offer a slew of features, mostly available through sensors. These involve keeping an eye on your heart beat variability, measuring your temperature around the clock, and even monitoring your stress levels as the company begins what will surely be a longer foray into the mindfulness aspect of health. A lot of the running- and swim-minded Fitbits — yes, you can wear some of them in the pool and shower! — also advise you when to take a recovery day.

More lifestyle-oriented Fitbits will also offer the ability to download apps like Pandora and Spotify, use the band to pay for purchases, and even take calls when you’re on the go.

What do Fitbits look like?

Fitbits have sleek, minimalist aesthetic, with bands that you can swap in and out and clock faces that you can customize for a display that suits your mood. Some are slimmer while others have a more Apple Watch-like, square display.

How much do Fitbits cost?

There are a wide range of Fitbits out there that begin at under $100 and go up to a significant chunk of change. How much you want to spend might depend on why you’re using it (as a workout buddy versus an all-day companion) and what kind of features you want to be sure are included.

Check out some of our best picks for Fitbits below.

Read our full review of the Fitbit Versa 3.

One of the brand’s top models, the Fitbit Versa 3 is stylish enough for wearing to the office and more than functional enough to track your after-work gym sesh — and much more besides. 

It’s a great one for swimmers who want it all, thanks to its built-in tracker that measures swimming as well as steps. After the pool, though, you can use the Fitbit like a phone to check in at home: It has an excellent Bluetooth connection and built-in mic, and it can send you notifications for texts and apps. Sensors go beyond heart rate to track niche measurements like blood oxygen saturation. 

The display on this is one of its top features, despite how its always-on status can drain the battery. It’s sleek and clear, and the built-in app store lets you access everyday essentials like Spotify and Pandora (plus there’s storage for more than 300 songs), and Alexa. Once you crash at the end of the day, it’ll track your sleep. 

The battery usually lasts up to six days (though if you use it as a phone it’ll drain it faster), and it comes with a 90-day Fitbit Premium membership trial. You can also customize the display exactly to your aesthetic preferences with tons of apps and clock faces. 

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Fitbit Charge 5

Fitbit Charge 5

Best For Casual Athletes

Read our full review of the Fitbit Charge 5.

The Fitbit Charge 5 starts with basic features like GPS so you can track your runs and walks and a heart monitor, which are pretty baseline these days, but then it really takes it to the next level in a way that’s perfect for casual athletes who are either just getting started or who want to keep a little closer eye on things as they get more advanced in their workouts. 

As important as keeping you posted on your workouts, it also tells you when it’s time to take a minute for yourself. It has features like a Daily Readiness Score that tells you whether it’s a recovery day or time for another workout, guiding you so you can do what’s feeling good for your body in the moment. It also looks after your mental health: The device will give you a daily Stress Management Score and offers you a sensor-based mindfulness session if it thinks you’re having a rough day. 

On a more surface level, the display looks pretty sleek, with the same AMOLED screen as the Versa 3, just narrower.  Like all Fitbits, you’ll unlock even more benefits with a Premium membership, but it offers plenty on its own, too. 

If you’re a casual athlete who wants a Fitbit that goes beyond your workouts, this one might be for you. You can get app notifications on your phone and use this Fitbit to pay for things too, plus do things like check the forecast and set a time for your dinner.

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Fitbit Inspire 2

Fitbit Inspire 2

Best For Getting Motivated

Perfect for those who are on the fence about trying a Fitbit, this Inspire 2 rings up at under $100 and is still packed with enough features (and great design) for the average person to really get a ton of use out of it. 

It’s great for those who want to get a boost on their physical activity, just because it makes it so fun: The Fitbit gamifies your activity by having you work toward 150 weekly minutes of activity, and it’ll keep track of how many calories you burn and how far you go doing so. You can also team up with friends to compete in challenges and earn badges together, then celebrate the milestones you hit. It’ll also keep an eye on your heart rate around the clock, and when you’re sleeping it’ll keep an eye on your sleep patterns and issue you a Sleep Score to show you how well you have (or haven’t) slept that night. 

Swimmers, take note: Despite being on the lower end of the Fitbit price spectrum, you can still take this into the pool — it’s water resistant to 50 meters. 

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The perfect Fitbit for kids, the Ace 3 has a colorful design and low-key but effective trackers that they’ll love learning to use. All the important bases are covered here: Physical activity monitoring, sleep tracking, and a pedometer. It’ll also nudge them to rack up 60 minutes of activity daily and remind them when it’s time for bed, too. 

If the child is a little older, they can use the watch for message and call notifications. Swim lessons after school? No problem — it’s water-resistant like some of the other grown-up models. 

The battery life is also child-friendly. It’ll last up to eight days, so they have more than a week to remember to charge it. Kids will have fun choosing a band and picking out one of the clock faces, too.

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Fitbit Luxe

Fitbit Luxe

Best For The Fashion-forward

For those who are more stylish than sporty when it comes to wearables, the Luxe is the fashion-minded offering in the Fitbit lineup. It’s more bracelet than tracker, and has a much slimmer, sleeker profile on the wrist than other Fitbits.

While the battery life is really short compared to the rest of the models in the lineup — and there’s no GPS, which isn’t great for runners — it’ll work fine for swimmers (it has tracking and is water-resistant) and can track 20 other exercises in all, plus your blood oxygen and stress. 

It’ll also keep an eye on your sleep and heart rate around the clock and estimate how many calories you’ve burned during your latest bootcamp class or yoga session. It will also give you a little buzz when you reach your target heart rate zone. And if you want to keep an eye on your breathing rate and heart rate variability, it can dive into its apps to pull that data for you. 

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Read our full review of the Fitbit Sense.

This Fitbit really does it all, and it looks good doing it too, thanks to its sleek, minimalist design. It carries the same features as the Versa 3, like 50 meters of water resistance, app notifications, and the ability to play music. It then builds on those with even more and marries it with some of our favorite features from the Charge 5. 

The extra features come courtesy of two more sensors that are standouts in the Fitbit line: It has a temperature sensor so you can access minute-by-minute readings of your temperature, and there’s an ECG sensor that checks your heart’s rhythm, too. Like the Charge 5, it also has a stress management sensor and daily readiness score to tell you when you need a rest day. 

If you want a Fitbit that’s packed with as much as possible, or you need or want to keep a super close eye on your health, then this is the pick for you. 

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Topics Health

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Georgia Dodd

Georgia Dodd is a Shopping Fellow.


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