Health trackers are a stable choice should you actually need to hone in on monitoring, properly, your health. Among the greatest health trackers additionally embrace further sensors to trace issues like stress, sleep and different superior well being metrics. Certain, you may go for the most effective smartwatch, however should you’re not fascinated with the entire additional options they provide, a health tracker is likely to be a greater (and extra reasonably priced) choice.
Correct exercise and exercise monitoring is what health trackers do greatest; most embrace a pedometer to trace your steps all through the day. They won’t look as glamorous as an Apple Watch, however they do a selected job properly. We’ve researched and examined a wide variety of the preferred health trackers on the market to assist make your choice just a little simpler.
Desk of contents
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Finest health trackers and watches for 2025
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What do health trackers do greatest?
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When to get a smartwatch as an alternative
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Different health trackers we examined
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Health tracker FAQs
Finest health trackers and watches for 2025
What do health trackers do greatest?
The reply appears easy: Health trackers are greatest at monitoring train, be it a 10-minute stroll across the block or that half marathon you’ve been diligently coaching for. Clearly, smartwatches can assist you attain your health targets too, however there are some areas the place health bands have confirmed to be the most effective purchase: focus, design, higher battery life, sturdiness and worth.
Once I say “focus,” I’m alluding to the truth that health trackers are made to trace exercise properly; anything is additional. They usually don’t have the bells and whistles that smartwatches do, which might distract from their superior well being monitoring skills. In addition they are inclined to have fewer sensors and inner parts, which retains them smaller and lighter. Health trackers are additionally a greater choice for individuals who simply desire a much less conspicuous gadget on their wrists all day.
Battery life tends to be higher on health trackers, too. Whereas most smartwatches final one to 2 days on a single cost, health bands provide between 5 and 7 days of battery life — and that’s with all-day and all-night use even with sleep monitoring options enabled. Many health trackers additionally slot properly into your current ecosystem, syncing seamlessly along with your smartphone, different health apps and cloud storage to maintain all of your information in a single place.
With regards to worth level, there’s no competitors. Most worthwhile smartwatches begin at $175 to $200, however you will get a stable good band beginning at $70. Sure, costlier bands exist (and we advocate just a few right here), however you’ll discover extra choices beneath $150 within the health tracker area than within the smartwatch area.
When to get a smartwatch as an alternative
In case you want a bit extra out of your wearable and don’t need to be restricted to a health or exercise tracker, a smartwatch could also be the most effective purchase for you. There are issues like on-watch apps, alerts and much more strong health options that smartwatches have and the most effective health trackers don’t. You should use one to manage good house home equipment, set timers and reminders, examine climate reviews and extra. Some smartwatches allow you to select which apps you need to obtain alerts from, and the choices transcend simply name and textual content notifications. Simply be sure your smartwatch is appropriate along with your Android or iPhone, nonetheless, earlier than buying, as not all of them work with each working methods.
However the additional health options are arguably an important factor to consider when deciding between a health tracker and a smartwatch. The latter gadgets are typically bigger, giving them more room for issues like GPS, barometers, onboard music storage and extra. Whereas you will discover built-in GPS on choose health trackers, it’s not frequent.
In case you’re somebody who’s severely coaching — say for a race or an endurance problem — a devoted working watch could also be value contemplating. These usually present extra in-depth cardio analytics, restoration insights, and real-time tempo information that transcend what normal trackers can ship.
Different health trackers we've examined
Fitbit Encourage 3
The Fitbit Encourage 3 strips out all the luxurious options from the Cost 6 and retains solely the important monitoring options. You received’t get built-in GPS monitoring or Fitbit Pay or Spotify management however you do get stable exercise monitoring, automated exercise detection, smartphone alerts and lots extra. The up to date model has a sleeker design and features a colour contact show and related GPS, the latter of which helps you to monitor tempo and distance when you run or bike exterior when you have your telephone with you. When in comparison with the Cost 6, the Encourage 3 is extra trendy, too. Its interchangeable bands allow you to swap up the appear and feel of your tracker everytime you need, and it’s slim sufficient to mix in with different jewellery you is likely to be carrying. We had been additionally impressed by its multi-day battery life: Fitbit guarantees as much as 10 days on a single cost, and that checked out for us. After 4 days of round the clock use, the Encourage 3 nonetheless had 66 p.c battery left to go.
Health tracker FAQs
How lengthy do health tracker batteries final?
The battery lifetime of health trackers can differ relying on the mannequin and its options. On common, most health trackers final between 5 to seven days on a single cost. Primary fashions with restricted options might stretch as much as 10 days or extra. Nevertheless, extra superior trackers with options like steady coronary heart price monitoring, GPS, or always-on shows may have recharging after one to a few days. In case you're utilizing GPS or streaming music via your health tracker, you'll discover that this drains the battery sooner. By utilizing these options much less, or turning them off, you'll lengthen battery life.
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