Finest Fitbit health trackers and watches in 2025

In 2025, you may marvel if Fitbit remains to be related. Regardless of being acquired by Google, Fitbit stays some of the recognizable names within the trade. Fitbit trackers aren’t meant for probably the most hardcore of athletes, however they’re nonetheless wonderful gadgets for monitoring total exercise in addition to monitoring sure well being and wellness metrics, like EKGs and blood oxygen ranges.

That mentioned, we’re nonetheless within the transitional interval from the Fitbit of outdated to no matter Fitbit will probably be sooner or later. We’re additional away from 2023, which was a very messy 12 months. There have been a number of Fitbit server outages, and I wasn’t impressed with the choice to sundown legacy group options — together with challenges — or the truth that all Fitbit accounts would require you to log in through Google starting in February 2026.

Talking of which, the Fitbit-to-Google account migration began in 2023 and is required should you purchase the Fitbit Cost 6 or the Google Pixel Watch 4. The Fitbit app additionally bought a extra Google-like makeover, which didn’t go over nicely with many customers. (Google has since made changes based mostly on suggestions.) And final 12 months, a lot of Fitbit’s management, together with co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, left the corporate as roughly a thousand Google workers have been laid off. Now, in 2025, most of Google’s focus appears to be by itself smartwatches.

The Googlefication of Fitbit will proceed, however there are causes to stay with its trackers within the meantime. Fitbit trackers are comparatively inexpensive, particularly since they usually go on sale. All of the gadgets additionally include a free trial to Fitbit Premium, the corporate’s subscription service that gives guided exercises, meditations, and entry to extra in-depth metrics. The service prices $9.99 monthly, or $79.88 per 12 months. And with the launch of the Pixel Watch 4 in October, it’s clear that Google is taking its wearables significantly as nicely. The brand new smartwatch options longer-lasting battery life, a extra repairable design, and compatibility with Fitbit’s AI-powered health coach. You simply should go in with eyes broad open.

The Pixel Watch 4 doesn’t have “Fitbit” in its title, but it surely falls beneath the identical umbrella due to Google’s acquisition of Fitbit. The fourth-gen watch is a major replace over its predecessors, with a good-looking domed show and thinner bezels that enhance display actual property. The watch’s up to date design lets you swap out the show or battery, if needed, and we have been in a position to eke out between 36 and 42 hours of battery life in our testing, up from 32 hours on the Pixel Watch 3. We additionally noticed a notable uptick in charging pace, permitting us to take the watch from 14 to 97 p.c in simply 44 minutes utilizing Google’s new proprietary charger.

The {hardware} upgrades work in tandem with Put on OS 6, which introduces a whole redesign with Materials 3 Expressive and brings Gemini to Google’s newest wearable. A brand new raise-to-talk characteristic allows you to entry the sensible assistant with out saying “Hey Google” or pushing a button, whereas new AI options akin to Notification Cooldown and Good Replies — which allow you to compose personalised replies to incoming messages you probably have a more moderen Pixel cellphone — put much more performance in your wrist. Gemini in Put on OS 6 is considerably hit and miss, to make certain, however the redesign enhances the Pixel Watch 4’s measurement and form very well.

The Pixel Watch 4 can robotically monitor a restricted variety of workout routines, permitting you to precisely file your walks, runs, and biking periods. Its dual-band GPS was higher at monitoring runs than the Pixel Watch 3 in our preliminary assessments, but it surely couldn’t fairly sustain with Apple’s pricier Watch Extremely 3. That mentioned, each LTE fashions share the power to ship an emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc whenever you’re in a distant space with no sign. The Pixel Watch 4’s mixture of {hardware}, options, and worth make it one of the best Fitbit, and one of many prime Android watches total.

If all you need is a health tracker that seems like a smartwatch, you may contemplate the $199.95 Versa 4 because it’s the extra budget-friendly possibility. However there’s no actual level within the Sense 2 because the Pixel Watch 4 can do all the identical issues — and extra.

The Encourage line hasn’t at all times felt, nicely, impressed. However the $99.95 Encourage 3 is totally different. With a shade OLED show, it’s harking back to the Fitbit Luxe of 2021, solely with a matte black plastic case as an alternative of a steel one. It’s a terrific throwback to basic Fitbits for individuals who solely need the fundamentals.

The Encourage 3 doesn’t overcomplicate issues. It’s a health band. You received’t get built-in GPS, contactless funds, or digital assistants. Nonetheless, what it lacks in smarts it makes up for with Fitbit’s superior sleep monitoring, stress administration options, and irregular coronary heart price notifications. The OLED show can also be a step up from the Encourage 2’s monochrome display, and you continue to get 10 days of battery life. (Although it’s extra like two to a few should you allow the always-on show.)

The Encourage 3 has quite a lot of equipment, together with a clip attachment if you wish to monitor steps discreetly. There’s even a gold or silver mesh strap if you wish to costume it up a bit.

Finest Fitbit health tracker

The Cost sequence has at all times been common, and the $159.95 Cost 6 isn’t any exception. It’s Fitbit’s higher-end health band however simply competes with the dearer Versa 4 on options. It incorporates a shade OLED display plus an EKG and EDA sensor. You additionally get built-in GPS, NFC funds, and SpO2 sensors — the one factor you’re actually lacking is a digital assistant.

The one qualm we’ve got with the Cost 6 is the always-on show. Whereas it’s stunning, it’s a significant battery drain. The Cost 6 has an estimated seven days of battery life, however that dwindles right down to about two you probably have the always-on show enabled. This is identical subject that we had with the Cost 5, but it surely’s pretty typical for Fitbit trackers today.

Altogether, although, you’re getting a hell of so much for the value. It’s the one FDA-cleared EKG wearable yow will discover for beneath $200, and the one different Fitbits able to EKG and EDA readings are the Sense, Sense 2, Pixel Watch 3, and Pixel Watch 4. So, until you’re useless set on the smartwatch type issue, the Cost 6 is the higher total deal.

In comparison with its predecessor, the Cost 6 additionally provides an improved coronary heart price algorithm, Bluetooth compatibility with some health club tools, and some apps — specifically Google Maps, Google Pockets, and YouTube Music. Whereas YouTube Music works nicely, I’m not stoked that it requires a further $10.99 month-to-month subscription. That mentioned, it’s higher than nothing, as Fitbit discontinued onboard music some time again.

By way of {hardware}, the Cost 6 additionally incorporates a haptic button as an alternative of an inductive groove. It’s not a bodily button, which is a little bit disappointing, but it surely’s extra dependable so far than the inductive groove, so I might depend this as a internet constructive.

The $179.99 Fitbit Ace LTE isn’t actually a conventional health tracker, although it does monitor energetic minutes. As a substitute, it’s a smartwatch with a mixture of kid-friendly video games and actions and considerate, family-oriented communication options. It’s a walled backyard, however an lovable one.

As a substitute of rigorously monitoring well being stats, the Ace LTE tracks “energetic minutes,” which fill a cute progress meter known as a Noodle that runs across the face of the watch. Lively minutes earn time with the Ace LTE’s built-in video games that, mixed with actions, unlock customizations in your child’s avatar (known as an Eejie) that lives within the watch, in addition to its little home. You may also unlock totally different video games and digital gadgets by connecting totally different watch straps.

With a $10/month subscription, you get real-time location monitoring and each voice and textual content messaging to preselected contacts by way of the Fitbit Ace app (slightly than the usual messaging and cellphone apps). As of November 2024, that features different members of the family with Ace LTE watches, in addition to a household group chat between dad and mom and youngsters.

I like that the Ace LTE is constructed extra like a cross-platform smartwatch for adults than different child watches we’ve used, just like the plasticky Garmin Bounce. It makes use of the identical charger because the Pixel Watch 3, and will get a couple of day’s value of battery on a cost. My youngsters get pleasure from it however aren’t obsessive about it — although they’ve been identified to run laps up and down the hallway to earn extra recreation time.

Google says the Ace LTE is finest fitted to youngsters aged 7 to 11, and that sounds proper. My oldest is 10 now, and she or he’s been utilizing an Ace LTE for a couple of 12 months. As soon as she hits center college, I feel she’ll be pissed off that she will’t use it to speak to her mates. However for now, it’s nice. We lately bought one for our 8-year-old, and it’s wild that they’ll textual content one another from their watches. It additionally means my 8-year-old can spam the group chat with emoji, however that’s fantastic too.

— Nathan Edwards, senior evaluations editor

Must you even purchase a Fitbit proper now?

Fitbit formally turned a part of Google in 2021. Nothing modified in a single day, however technically, it’s Fitbit by Google now. The Fitbit-to-Google migration began in the summertime of 2023, and account migration will probably be obligatory — not merely non-obligatory — for all customers in early 2026. Google angered longtime Fitbit customers by shuttering social options like challenges and eradicating streaks, although the latter returned a number of months later. In early 2024 Google laid off roughly a thousand workers from its {hardware} departments, together with folks on the Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest groups.

In early 2025, Google launched a compulsory software program replace for Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense customers to “scale back the danger of battery overheating,” which had the unlucky facet impact of lowering battery life from as many as six days to as few as one for some customers. Nonetheless, the truth that we’re getting a considerably redesigned Fitbit app and an AI-powered well being coach does present that Google remains to be investing assets in tasks beneath the Fitbit identify. The {hardware} enhancements launched with the Pixel Watch 4 are additionally a constructive signal that Google stays dedicated to growing compelling wearable {hardware}.

Replace, November seventh: Up to date to mirror present pricing and availability. Brandt Ranj additionally contributed to this submit.