Buying the right Fitbit alternative for your needs
Everybody needs something different out of their wearables, so we listed each model in a different category to help you choose the right device for your needs. Here are some quick links if you’re in a hurry:
- The Garmin Venu and Garmin Vivoactive 4 are the best Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 alternatives you can buy thanks to their smartwatch features and robust fitness tracking suite.
- The Apple Watch Series 6 is another good Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 alternative thanks to its unparalleled smartwatch features.
- The Garmin Venu Sq is the best Fitbit Charge 4 alternative you can buy. While it has a smartwatch form factor, its feature set is similar to that of the Charge 4’s.
- The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is the best Fitbit Inspire 2 alternative you can buy thanks to its cheap price point and solid fitness tracking.
- The Coros Pace 2 is the best Fitbit Ionic alternative. It’s available at a good price and is one of the best midrange running watches you can find.
The best Fitbit alternatives (in no particular order):
Note: We will update this best Fitbit alternatives list as more devices hit the market.
Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 alternative: Garmin Venu and Garmin Vivoactive 4
The Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 are Fitbit’s most powerful smartwatches, and the Garmin Venu rivals both devices with its OLED display and stacked fitness features. The Vivoactive 4 is nearly the same device as the Venu, only with a slightly worse display.
Also read: The best smartwatch deals we could find
These are two of our favorite multisport watches currently on the market. Their GPS and heart rate sensors were quite accurate during our testing, and they both come with popular Garmin features like Body Battery and respiration tracking. The Venu can be quite pricey, though luckily it’s often on sale on Amazon.
Pros
- Garmin Pay support is convenient
- Music storage is standard
- 5-7-day battery life
- Unique breathwork exercises
- Accurate fitness and health tracking
- Useful and accurate sleep tracking
Cons
- High price when not on sale
- Missing some smartwatch functions
- Vivoactive 4’s display is not great
Check out our full reviews to learn more about the Garmin Venu and Vivoactive 4.
Garmin Venu and Vivoactive 4 specs
- GPS: Yes
- Heart rate sensor: Yes
- IP rating: 5ATM
- Display: 1.2-inch AMOLED (Venu), 1.4-inch transflective MIP (Vivoactive 4)
- Battery life: 5 days (Venu), 7 days (Vivoactive 4)
- Music storage: 3.5GB
- Contactless payments: Yes
Apple Watch Series 6
Another fantastic Fitbit Sense alternative is the Apple Watch Series 6. It’s one heck of a fitness tracker. Heart rate monitoring is unmatched compared to other wrist-based heart rate sensors, and GPS performance is solid too. We do think Apple’s new sleep tracking metrics are too basic, but you can always download a third-party sleep tracking app if you need.
Pros
- Premium design and accessories
- Big, bright screen with always-on display
- Stellar heart rate monitoring
- Accurate, reliable GPS
- Unmatched app support
Cons
- Sleep tracking is too basic
- Battery life could be better
- No third-party watch faces
Check out our full review to learn more about the Apple Watch Series 6.
Apple Watch Series 6 specs
- GPS: Yes
- Heart rate: Yes
- IP rating: 5ATM
- Display: 1.5 – 1.78-inch OLED
- Battery life: Up to 18 hours
- Music storage: 32GB
- Contactless payments: Yes
Fitbit Charge 4 alternative: Garmin Venu Sq
The Fitbit Charge 4 really is in a class by itself. It’s a smaller fitness tracker with built-in GPS and has a good companion app. The Garmin Venu Sq is our pick for the best Fitbit Charge 4 alternative because of its simple, lightweight form factor, impressive fitness features, and low price point. You can even get music storage for offline listening if you pay extra for the Venu Sq Music edition.
Pros
- Entry-level price point
- Long battery life
- Garmin Pay support on all models
- Accurate fitness and health tracking
- Useful and accurate sleep tracking
Cons
- Music Edition costs $50 more
- Small display can be difficult to use
- GPS accuracy could use work
Check out our full review to learn more about the Garmin Venu Sq.
Garmin Venu Sq specs
- Sensors: GPS, heart rate, accelerometer, accelerometer, compass, pulse oximeter
- IP rating: 5ATM
- Display: 1.3-inch LCD
- Battery life: 5-6 days
- Music storage: Up to 500 songs (Music edition only)
- Contactless payments: Yes
Fitbit Inspire 2 alternative: Xiaomi Mi Band 5
Xiaomi’s fitness trackers are popular because they’re good and cheap. Really good and really cheap. In terms of fitness features and accuracy, the ~$40 Xiaomi Mi Band 5 rivals the likes of the more expensive Fitbit Inspire 2. It’ll track most of the same activity metrics as the other devices and even has two-week battery life.
If we had a few gripes, we wish Xiaomi would beef up the Mi Fit app. It’s okay, but a little buggy and lacking in features.
You can buy the Mi Band 5 at the link below. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck in fitness trackers, the Mi Band 5 is it.
Pros
- Fantastic value
- Improved charger with 14-day battery life
- Good display
- Useful smart features
- Mostly accurate heart rate sensor
Cons
- Mi Fit app needs refining
- NFC, voice assistant, pulse ox unavailable outside of China
Check out our full review to learn more about the Xiaomi Mi Band 5.
Xiaomi Mi Band 5 specs
- GPS: Connected GPS
- Heart rate sensor: Yes
- IP rating: 5ATM
- Display: 1.1-inch AMOLED
- Battery life: 14 days
- Music storage: No
- Mi Pay: Yes, only in certain regions
Fitbit Ionic alternative: Coros Pace 2
The Fitbit Ionic is growing a little long in the tooth at this point. While it’s still a capable GPS watch, newer Fitbits have been launching with better features and streamlined hardware. If you’re looking to replace your Ionic and don’t want to drop $500, consider the Coros Pace 2. This GPS multisport watch is just $200, but you wouldn’t guess that by its feature set. It sports nearly three-week battery life, onboard GPS, as well as running power metrics that frankly aren’t usually found at this price point.
Learn more about GPS multisport watches in our comprehensive roundup.
Coros Pace 2 specs
- GPS: Yes
- Heart rate sensor: Yes
- IP rating: 5ATM
- Display: 1.2-inch LCD
- Battery life: 20 days
- Music storage: No
- Contactless payments: No
Why you should trust the editor
Not only does Jimmy Westenberg love wearables, he loves helping people find the right devices to suit their needs. He’s been our resident fitness reviewer at Android Authority since 2016 and has reviewed dozens of fitness products and other wearables in that time.
Through his rigorous testing of fitness products and deep knowledge of health devices and services, you can rest assured knowing Jimmy will give you honest recommendations.