"If you tried it, you can definitely play a punch buggie-esque game for spotting Apple watches or Oura rings in public. After seeing everyone and their mothers wearing a fitness tracker on their person, you’re not the only one who’s probably thinking, “Should I get one, too?” The world of fitness trackers seems to have exploded in the past few years. Long gone are the days when you had to use a heart rate monitor strapped to your chest or arm to track workouts. Now, fitness trackers come in everything from a discreet ring to a multi-use watch, and even give you the option to customize its look to match your outfit a win-win, if you ask me. They also no longer just track steps and heart rate but a multitude of health factors from sleep to menstrual cycle. When choosing a fitness tracker, it’s not one-size-fits-all. Read on for all our tips to find the best fitness tracker for you.
What are fitness trackers?
A fitness tracker is a wearable device that tracks aspects of physical activity, allowing you to monitor data collected from a workout. Who would’ve ever thought that in the year 2024, we could wear tiny computers on our bodies that tell us specific health metrics (and that we’d be wearing them every single day)? Counting steps, measuring your heart rate, and calories burned are factors of even the most basic fitness trackers. The latest fitness trackers have developed beyond fitness (yep, they’re not just for working out anymore!) to track sleep (both quantity and quality), heart health, stress, and menstrual phase (by tracking your temperature to identify ovulation and expected period start dates), which are all important factors of fitness, as the body needs something different every day. Fitness trackers are typically worn around your wrist like a watch, but we’ve recently seen the rise of other wearable trackers like rings.
Are fitness trackers worth buying?
Fitness trackers can help you gain insight into how your body recovers, your cardiovascular health, and whether you’re moving or sleeping as much as you think you are. It also allows fitness to become more measurable by using numbers and scores, meaning you can set tangible goals if you’re looking to challenge yourself and improve your fitness, such as lowering your resting heart rate or walking more steps in a day. It takes a little bit of time to adjust to wearing something on your wrist or finger while being active or sleeping if you’re not used to doing so before, but soon, this device feels as natural as any other jewelry you wear on the daily.
But FYI, our bodies are always communicating with us what they need to be healthy—no device needed. You don’t need a score to tell you whether or not you worked hard in a workout, and you don’t need data to show you how well you slept. However, if numbers and measurable goals can motivate you to move more, get to bed earlier, or overall take better care of yourself, trackers are a great option to begin that journey. Who knows, maybe knowing what’s going on in your body and using the information from your fitness tracker could allow you to treat your body better in the long run.
How do you choose a fitness tracker?
With so many different trackers out there, finding the right one for you depends on what kind of information you want to get out of it and your exercise of choice. Are you looking to simply track your steps? Are you more interested in the wellness and health data? Lucky for you, you can start your research here. We rounded up five fitness trackers based on what type of activity you like to do and what benefits you can get out of it.
Best for Everyday: Apple Watch
Pros: Provides a fully immersive experience if you have an iPhone
Cons: Bulky on the wrist, difficult to “unplug” if you want to step away from being online
$399
The Apple Watch is extremely recognizable far and wide (I know we’ve all seen them on someone else’s wrist at a formal event or two…) It is a great versatile watch that works well for both fitness and your lifestyle. However, if you had to pick one Apple Watch that was more fitness or wellness-oriented, it’s going to be the Apple Watch Series 9. It tracks more than just multiple types of fitness logs—it tracks your sleep cycle, temperature, menstrual cycle, and heart rate, and can also detect if you’re having an emergency like a fall or a crash. If you’re not into the aesthetics of the Apple Watch, have no fear. There are quite literally hundreds of different customizable bands out there you can switch out to perfectly match your fit depending on what you’re doing. It’s also completely interconnected with the Apple ecosystem, so if you have an iPhone or Macbook, your Apple Watch essentially functions as an extension of the two, allowing you to receive most of the same notifications your phone would.
“I distinctly remember when the Apple Watch first came out, and I couldn’t fathom why anyone would need a watch that did the same thing as their phone. But, like with all Apple products, their marketing magic worked on me, and a few months later, I caved and bought one. Four years later, I’m an Apple Watch convert and absolutely obsessed. I love how it gamifies workouts with badges and celebratory notifications. It makes reaching fitness goals so much more fun and lighthearted. The thrill and sense of accomplishment I get from closing my rings every day is truly unmatched.”
— Lauren Blue, Editorial Intern
Best Budget Option: Fitbit Inspire
Pros: Affordable and easy to use for any type of activity
Cons: Touchscreen is small
$99
If you want a health tracker that is no fuss and easy on your budget, opt for the Fitbit Inspire. It’s easy to use and monitors steps, different workouts, your sleep stats, heart rate, and your menstrual cycle. As one of the smallest trackers on this list, it sits discreetly on your wrist and stays put during any type of workout. It also connects to your smartphone to notify you about incoming calls, texts, and calendar events but doesn’t connect to any other apps if that’s what you’re looking for. As for price, it clocks in at just under $100, making it one of the most affordable fitness trackers on the market. And hey, bonus points if you get matching FitBits with your mom.
“I didn’t want to invest in a fitness tracker until I was consistent with some kind of workout routine. After following a set routine for about a year, I finally dove into the world of figuring out what type of tracker would be best for me. Ultimately, I wanted something simple that wasn’t too expensive. I really wanted to track my steps, especially since I work out a lot without my phone on me. I landed on the Fitbit Inspire 3. It’s not too bulky on my wrist, and I easily customized it to solely be for fitness and wellness metrics that works for me (i.e., not giving me any phone or reminder to move notifications). I really think this is a great fitness tracker if you’re new to the fitness tracker world.”
— Bella Gil, Associate Commerce Editor
Best for Health Monitoring: Oura Ring
Pros: Chic and easy to wear every day and night
Cons: Not entirely accurate when it comes to tracking fitness, need a monthly membership to access all features
$299
A wellness tracker that makes a fashion statement at the same time? Sign us up. The Oura Ring is a newer fitness and wellness tracker that came out in the form of a ring, one of the first of its kind. (Cue our oohs and aahs.) If we’re going to hone in on some of their best features, it has to be the way that this ring tracks your sleep cycle and menstrual cycle. It provides extensive data about your menstrual cycle length and regularity so you can take that information to a physician for reference. As for sleep, it provides you with an in-depth sleep analysis so you can adjust your sleep routine as needed. It also measures how your body absorbs oxygen and your body temperature, which helps you identify strain, recovery, illness, or different phases of your cycle. It comes in six sleek jewelry-alike colors, making it hardly look like a fitness tracker at all.
“I have been using the Oura ring for over a year now and—like a security blanket—I cannot imagine ever living without it. The main thing I use it for is not fitness tracking (you can read more about my thoughts here), but more for tracking my cycle by taking my temperature, and other insights such as stress levels and sleep. I also love the idea of a “readiness score” (or insight into whether you should prioritize exercise or rest) since it acknowledges your body is different every day (something other trackers don’t take into account). And if you consistently get low readiness days, it can serve as a good wake-up call to take better care of yourself, which is helpful too in a world where people regularly reach burnout like it’s NBD.”
— Josie Santi, Senior Wellness Editor & Podcast Host
“After being a long-time Apple Watch wearer, I’ve fully converted to wearing and loving the Oura Ring instead. I like that the ring looks like my everyday jewelry and is dressy enough to wear in circumstances where I might take my Apple Watch off. Not only does the Oura automatically track my weekly workouts, but it also picks up on activities like housework and factors that into my daily calorie burn and activity goal—so cool! I especially love the Oura’s extra-detailed sleep tracking, readiness score, and cycle insights, as they’re all features that really set this tracker apart from the Apple Watch. If you’re seeing the Oura Ring everywhere and are eager to give it a try, I highly recommend it!”
— Julia Poulter, Senior Managing Editor, The Everymom
Best for Customizable Activity: Whoop
Pros: No screen, do not have to remove it to charge
Cons: Pricier option, need a subscription to access all features
$239
Whoop prides itself on “tracking fitness metrics that actually matter.” Meaning they only record data that is “significantly going to make an impact on your mental and physical health.” You can customize what exactly you want it to track out of more than 140 possibilities, such as sleep, stress levels, caffeine intake, heart rate, strenuous activity, respiratory rate, and even nursing an infant, to name a few. Based on this data, it also has the ability to calculate what your body needs in order to recover after certain activities so you can be operating at your best. Ready for a digital detox? This fitness tracker doesn’t have a screen and gives you your data through an app on your smartphone, so its sole purpose is for fitness and wellness tracking only, as opposed to this tracker being an extended, wearable version of your phone. There’s just one model for the device, so you also don’t have to decide or worry about which one is best for you, and you can wear it on any part of your body, whether it’s your wrist, arm, ankle, leg, or torso.
“By day, you’ll find me working for The Everygirl, but by night, I moonlight as a group fitness instructor. While this Hannah Montana lifestyle is incredibly fun, it can also take a toll on the body! I love whoop for its sleep & recovery features. It gives me an honest look at when I need to take some extra time to rest and recover, and when I can push it a little more! Also a huge fan of their innovative charging system (you never have to take off the tracker!) for 24/7 data. If you’re primarily interested in step count, this isn’t the tracker for you. But if you’re looking to optimize your workouts, recover well, and get insight into your stress and recovery (without having to worry about a screen or push notifications telling you to move!), this is the one.”
— Abigail Moseman, Social Media Assistant
Best for Runners: Garmin Forerunner 55
Pros: Lots of customization options specifically for runners
Cons: Can be overwhelming to navigate at first if you’re new to the brand
$199
Garmin has a plethora of fitness trackers available, but they’re best known for their stellar running watches. While Garmin’s products lean on the pricier side, The Forerunner 55 is one of the lowest prices out of all their running watches at $199. While it can be used for any other type of fitness you practice along with features such as a step counter and distance tracker with its built-in GPS, it also monitors health and wellness aspects such as your heart rate and respiration rate to help you gauge your activity. For runners specifically, it reads your steps cadence (number of steps you take per minute), guides you through your pacing, suggests different types of runs for you, and adjusts as you go depending on your run. If you’re the type of girlie who goes on runs every day or participates in races often, this Garmin watch is a great way to measure your running data.
Bella Gil, Associate Commerce Editor
Because shopping is quite literally her full-time job, Bella is dedicated to making sure you spend your hard-earned money on products you’ll fall in love with. She spends her days testing, researching, and writing about a wide range of topics, from beauty products to rug cleaners and everything in between.