The best Fitbits for your fitness and health

Despite being acquired by Google five years ago, Fitbit remains one of the most recognizable names in the industry. While its products aren’t designed with hardcore athletes, Fitbit makes excellent devices for tracking overall activity as well as monitoring certain health and wellness metrics, like EKGs and blood oxygen levels. That said, we’re still in the transitional period from the Fitbit of old to whatever Fitbit will be in the future. We’re further away from 2023, which was a particularly messy year. There were multiple Fitbit server outages, and I’m still frustrated by the decision to sunset legacy community features — including challenges — or the fact that all Fitbit accounts will require you to log in via Google beginning in February 2026. Speaking of which, the Fitbit-to-Google account migration started in 2023 and is required if you buy the Fitbit Charge 6 or the Google Pixel Watch 4. The Fitbit app also got a more Google-like makeover, which didn’t go over well with many users. (Google has since made adjustments based on feedback.) And in 2024, much of Fitbit’s leadership, including co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, left the company as roughly a thousand Google employees were laid off. Now, most of Google’s focus seems to be on its own smartwatches. The Googlefication of Fitbit will continue, but there are reasons to stick with its trackers in the meantime. Fitbit trackers are relatively affordable, especially since they often go on sale. All the devices also come with a free trial to Fitbit Premium, the company’s subscription service that provides guided workouts, meditations, and access to more in-depth metrics. The service costs $9.99 per month, or $79.88 per year. And following the launch of the Pixel Watch 4, it’s clear that Google is taking its wearables very seriously as well. The smartwatch features longer-lasting battery life, a more repairable design, and compatibility with Fitbit’s AI-powered fitness coach. Best Fitbit smartwatch Google Pixel Watch 4 Score: 8ProsConsAll-around better battery and fast-chargingMaterial 3 Expressive design refresh is smartBetter auto activity trackingRaise-to-Talk is quite naturalDomed display looks quite niceRepairability!Satellite SOSThird proprietary charger in four yearsGemini is still hit or missGPS maps are better, but still a bit wonky Where to Buy: $349.99 at Google (41mm, Bluetooth) $349.99 at Amazon (41mm, Bluetooth) $349.99 at Best Buy (41mm, Bluetooth) The Pixel Watch 4 doesn’t have “Fitbit” in its title, but it falls under the same umbrella because of Google’s acquisition of Fitbit. The fourth-gen watch is a significant update over its predecessors, with a handsome domed display and thinner bezels that increase screen real estate. The watch’s updated design allows you to swap out the display or battery, if necessary, and we were able to eke out between 36 and 42 hours of battery life in our testing, up from 32 hours on the Pixel Watch 3. We also saw a notable uptick in charging speed, allowing us to take the watch from 14 to 97 percent in just 44 minutes using Google’s new proprietary charger. The hardware upgrades work in tandem with Wear OS 6, which introduces a complete redesign with Material 3 Expressive and brings Gemini to Google’s latest wearable. A raise-to-talk feature lets you access the smart assistant without saying “Hey Google” or pushing a button, while AI features such as Notification Cooldown and Smart Replies — which let you compose personalized replies to incoming messages if you have a newer Pixel phone — put even more functionality on your wrist. Gemini in Wear OS 6 is somewhat hit or miss, to be sure, but the redesign complements the Pixel Watch 4’s size and shape really well. The Pixel Watch 4 can automatically track a limited number of exercises, allowing you to accurately record your walks, runs, and cycling sessions. Its dual-band GPS was better at tracking runs than the Pixel Watch 3 in our initial tests, but it couldn’t quite keep up with Apple’s pricier Watch Ultra 3. That said, both LTE models share the ability to send an emergency SOS via satellite when you’re in a remote area with no signal. The Pixel Watch 4’s mix of hardware, features, and price make it the best Fitbit, and one of the top Android watches overall. If all you want is a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch, you can consider the $199.95 Versa 4 since it’s the more budget-friendly option. But there’s no real point in the Sense 2 since the Pixel Watch 4 can do all the same things — and more. Read my full Pixel Watch 4 review. Best budget Fitbit Fitbit Inspire 3 The Fitbit Inspire 3 is a minimalist fitness band that delivers notifications and tracks your activity on a bright OLED screen. Score: 7ProsConsGood entry-level fitness & sleep trackerBright OLED displayLightweightHuge bezelsLimited features compared to cheaper Amazfit Band 7 Where to Buy: $99.95 $88 at Amazon $99.95 $96.99 at Best Buy $99.95 at Google The Inspire line hasn’