Fitbit Tracker: Comparison, Review & Best Fitbit To Buy

From our Fitbit tracker reviews we know numerous models for the fitness specialist. On the basis of these test reports and experiences, we have compiled the best Fitbit fitness tracker and fitness bands and thus try to support you in choosing a suitable sporting companion. Since we have already gained a lot of Fitbit experience with the trackers and watches, we know the advantages and disadvantages of the popular trackers quite well and can classify them well.

For people who are active or want to become more active, it is difficult to find a personal winner due to the large number of fitness and activity trackers. Here it helps to be clear in advance what you want to achieve personally, where and how you want to train and whatever other needs a modern fitness band, Smartwatch or a sports tracker should cover. Otherwise you run the risk of spending too much money on a device whose features you may never need.

We’ve also created a Fitbit comparison table that directly compares the Top Fitbit activity and fitness tracker and their most important features. Not everyone needs a GPS receiver in a fitness tracker, for example, because they may only train indoors, like in the gym. Saving this feature usually also means saving a lot of money.

In the section on buying a device you will find explanations about the most popular Fitbit features and how they can support you in your training. This makes it easier to choose the right Fitbit activity or fitness tracker by judging for yourself whether the feature is important to you.

We also offer an extensive selection of the best fitness trackers from various manufacturers. But if you are especially interested in a Fitbit Tracker, you have come to the right place.

The Best Fitbit Trackers and Watches: Quick Overview

Fitbit watches and trackers in comparison

To get you started, we have summarized in the following Fitbit comparison of which is the best Fitbit tracker from our point of view.

The 4 Best Fitbit Fitness Trackers in Comparison

	ACTIVITY TRACKER	FITNESS TRACKER	GET ACTIVE	GPS + SPORT
Model	Charge 3	Versa	Alta HR	Ionic
Image
Battery (up to)	6 days	5 days	7 days	5 days 8 h GPS
Time of day	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Activity-Tracker	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Active Minutes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Floors	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Sleep Tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Advanced sleep analysis	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Women Health Tracking	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Silent vibration alarm	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Heart Rate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multisport	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Music storage	No	Yes	No	Yes
Water resistance according to manufacturer	5 ATM (~50 Meter)	5 ATM (~50 Meter)	Rain, sweat, water splashes	5 ATM (~50 Meter)
GPS (speed and route recording)	Via Smartphone	Via Smartphone	No	Yes
Smartphone Notifications	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mobile payment via NFC	Only Charge 3 Special Edition	Yes	No	Yes
Compatibility	Android, iOS	Android, iOS	Android, iOS	Android, iOS
Strengths	Latest Fitbit Features Cardio fitness level Guided breathing exercises Promotes a more active lifestyle Wearing comfort Style customizable	Promotes a more active lifestyle Music Player Control Large, coloured display Readability	Promotes a more active lifestyle Simple & stylish Slim and lightweight Style customizable Longest battery life	For athletes GPS integrated Independent of smartphone for GPS use Wearing comfort

Best Fitbit Fitness Watch: Versa (Our tip!)

A very stylish and advanced tracker from our Fitbit reviews is the Fitbit Versa. With it you get almost everything Fitbit has to offer. Enhanced Smartwatch functions, integrated music memory, waterproofness, advanced sleep analysis functions through the use of the built-in heart rate monitor and more. It doesn’t have a built-in GPS receiver, but when you take your smartphone with you, you can use its GPS in the form of Connected GPS.

The display allows the Versa to better display messages from the smartphone compared to the smaller Fitbit trackers, as well as offering a function that allows the control of the smartphone’s music player. You can also customize the appearance of the display.

In practice, it makes a better impression on the wrist than it does on many pictures on the Internet. If the display is too big for you, take a look at Fitbit Charge 3. If you absolutely need a GPS integrated in the case, you can use the Ionic.

Versa: Price from  EUR 159,00* | Product page | Our detailed Versa Test

Alternatively, take a look at the Versa Lite Edition, which is cheaper but comes with fewer features. Smaller features like music memory, floor counter or mobile payment via NFC are missing.

Versa Lite:  Product page | Our detailed Versa Lite Review

Best Fitbit Fitness Band: Charge 3 (Our tip!)

From our Fitbit tests we also recommend Charge 3. Like the Versa, Charge 3 offers the most functions that Fitbit has to offer. However, the built-in music memory is missing. A built-in GPS receiver also doesn’t have the device to offer, but if you take your smartphone with you, you can use its GPS in the form of Connected GPS.

The Fitbit Charge 3 wristband offers many of the functions of a modern fitness band and is suitable for sports enthusiasts, active people and those who want to become one. These include a 24/7 HR sensor, interchangeable wristbands and movement reminders. For runners, speed and average speed displays are available during running activities.

The display is not too large or too small. It is larger than that of the Alta HR, but smaller than that of the Versa or Ionic. If the display is too small for you, take a look at the Fitbit Versa. If you absolutely need an integrated GPS, you can use the Ionic.

Charge 3: Product page | Our detailed Charge 3 Test

Fitbit Trackers & Wearables

Fitbit brand tracker and wearables are among the world’s best known and most popular. Because Fitbit knows how to combine its chic trackers with an easy-to-use and intuitive app. Fitbit offers the devices in different price categories and for different target groups.

Fitbit Model Types

Fitbit offers the following tracker types:

• Step Tracker from Fitbit:  Simple trackers for everyday life, which record, among other things, daily activities such as steps taken and distance covered, calories consumed and sleeping activities. Further features such as smartphone notifications round off Fitbit step trackers. We include the Fitbit Alta and Flex 2 among these types.
• Activity trackers from Fitbit: In addition to the features of step trackers, Fitbit fitness bands support advanced options for sports activities such as running or fitness workouts. In addition, a display allows various data to be displayed. These devices are known as Fitbit Activity Trackers. The Fitbit Charge 3 or Alta HR would be particularly worth mentioning here.
• Fitness trackers from Fitbit:: This includes trackers with larger displays or Fitbits with GPS receivers. For example the Fitbit Versa or Ionic.

Similarities and Differences

All Fitbit trackers have an acceleration sensor that detects accelerations or motion patterns, for example. Therefore, steps, rest periods or often the type of sport performed can be recorded automatically. The Fitbit wristbands and watches of the new generation (from 2016) have the following functions and features in common and are no longer specifically mentioned in the sections below:

• Steps, calories, distance
• Automatic sleep detection and recording
• Automatic motion detection
• Silent alarm
• Active minutes

One of the most important characteristics, which are different and also influence the price, are:

• Automatic activity tracking
• Smartphone notifications and alarms
• Integrated heart rate monitor
• Advanced sleep analysis (with use of heart rate monitor)
• Connected GPS (use GPS of smartphone)
• GPS receiver
• Watertightness
• Float recording with lap count
• Floor counter by means of barometric altimeter
• Integrated music memory
• Guided training units on the display
• Mobile payment via NFC
• Aluminium casing

Fitbit App

Fitbit’s tracker experience is not only reflected in the hardware, but also in the easy-to-use and clear Fitbit app, which is often praised by users. All Fitbit bands are compatible with the free Fitbit App. The app is undoubtedly one of the strengths of all Fitbit trackers and one of the best apps from major fitness tracker manufacturers. The app is an easy introduction to the Fitbit Tracker world, especially for newcomers, as it offers a lot of hints, explanations on recorded health data and tips on where to get better.

In addition, Fitbit’s App can use the smartphone’s GPS, for example, to record routes and display them on a map. Thus the user does not necessarily need a Fitbit Tracker with GPS and can always see where and how long he was on the road. In addition to the clear display of the recorded fitness data of the Fitbit Fitness Tracker, the app also offers additional features such as a food log, acts as a motivation companion and also allows the management of several Fitbit Trackers simultaneously.

Additionally the Fitbit app is compatible with many other apps like MyFitnessPal, Strava, WeightWatchers, Endomondo and many more. The whole Fitbit compatibility list can be found here.

The Fitbit App can be installed on the following smartphone operating systems:

• Android (from 4.3)
• iOS (from iPhone 4S)

Heart Rate Accuracy

From our Fitbit reviews we can estimate the Fitbit HR accuracy relatively well. Fitbit bands with heart rate measurement are equipped with Fitbit PurePulse technology and can be a few beats off during intense sports activities and interval workouts where the heart rate can change rapidly.

At rest and constant activities, such as running, the Fitbit HR accuracy can be used as a good basis for estimating stress and calorie consumption. Provided the Fitbit heart rate tracker is worn correctly and the other conditions fit.

Of course the same applies as for all devices tested by gadget.fitness with optical heart rate measurement:

Fitness goals

Fitbit helps you define and track various health and fitness goals, including workout goals, sleep goals, water goals, and more, depending on your tracker model. Below is an overview:

• Daily Activities: running steps, burning calories, or active minutes.
• Training session: how many days a week you want to train. Tracks progress as your workouts progress.
• Weight: a goal for losing weight, gaining weight and keeping weight. Daily weighing results can be entered manually or automatically by a Fitbit fitness scale such as the Aria. Optionally, a target for body fat percentage can be added.
• Water: daily water intake and reach.
• Nutrition:Create a diet plan to track daily calorie intake and daily calorie consumption.
• Sleep: how many hours a night you want to sleep. Results can be monitored in the sleep log,
• Floor: how many floors you want to climb per day.

Fitbit Tracker – Worth knowing

Why 10,000 steps?

On Fitbit fitness trackers and bands, the standard step target is 10,000 steps per day. In order to reach the daily goal you have to take about 10,000 steps per day. Fitbit follows the recommendations of various agencies and health studies and has therefore selected 10,000 steps. Other manufacturers choose other approaches, such as a dynamic daily changing target based on the values of the previous day.

However, the 10,000 steps are not carved in stone and can be individually adapted in the app.

What are active minutes?

If a Fitbit tracker detects activities that are more strenuous than normal walking, these are recorded as active minutes. For example, activities from fast walking to jogging or running are counted as active minutes. Fitbit trackers with heart rate sensors are more accurate. They recognize active minutes better than other trackers during activities without steps (such as weight training, power yoga or rowing).

In order to get to active minutes, however, there are still a few boundary conditions that need to be met. Fitbit trackers calculate active minutes using METs (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) to measure energy consumption for various activities. METs also serve as an indicator of the intensity of sports activities. A MET of 1 corresponds to the body at rest. Fitbit trackers estimate the MET value by calculating the intensity and calorie consumption of an activity.

According to Fitbit, active minutes can be collected for activities from 3 METs. These are usually activities that last at least 10 minutes and are moderately intense to intense. With Fitbit Trackers that support active minutes, a corresponding target can also be set. By default, this is 30 active minutes per day.

Which Fitbit is waterproof?

Most Fitbit trackers are protected from rain, sweat and water splashes. So you shouldn’t go swimming with them. Only the Fitbit Flex 2 is water protected to a depth of 50 meters, according to the manufacturer. This probably means the water pressure at a depth of 50 meters. That should be enough for swimming.

How long does it take for Fitbit trackers to charge the battery?

In our Fitbit reviews, most Fitbit trackers took about 2 hours to recharge. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Depending on the model you get about 5-8 days new battery life.

Why Fitbit?

Since its founding in 2007, Fitbit has specialized in fitness and health and has some experience in hardware and software. Further arguments for Fitbit are:

• Tracking: Activities, training, nutrition, weight, sleep and more in real-time tracking.
• Wireless synchronization and software updates: Fitbit Fitness trackers synchronize statistics wirelessly and automatically with your smartphone and computer.
• Recognize progress: Progress is presented clearly in diagrams and illustrations. In the app as well as in the browser.
• Success and motivation: To stay motivated over time, trackers send progress notifications and reward milestones with virtual badges and trophies.
• Large and enthusiastic online community, and climb up the fitness ladder.

Fitbit watches: Further Links

We hope you could find your personal test winner in our Fitbit comparison.