Best Fitbit alternatives: Garmin, Misfit, Samsung, and more
Fitbit might be one of the most popular fitness tracking companies in the world, but it isn’t the only one out there. In fact, Garmin, Samsung, Misfit, and many other companies make comparable or even better devices for the money. Whether you’re looking for a smartwatch like the Fitbit Ionic or a Fitbit Charge 2 alternative, we’ve got you covered. Here are the best Fitbit alternatives on the market.
Note: We will update this best Fitbit alternatives list as more devices hit the market.
Fitbit Charge 2 / Alta HR alternative: Garmin vívosport
Looking for a Fitbit Charge 2 or Fitbit Alta HR alternative? You should consider the Garmin vívosport.
Not only is this the best fitness tracker on the market right now, it’s much more feature packed than both the Charge 2 and Alta HR. The vívosport comes with a built-in GPS, a 5 ATM water-resistance rating, a battery that will last five to seven days on a single charge, and an accurate heart rate monitor. It also has a color, touchscreen display, which is much easier to use than Fitbit’s tap displays. We just wish the vívosport’s screen was a little bigger. It’s worth pointing out that neither the Charge 2 nor the Alta HR come with built-in GPS, water resistance ratings, or touchscreen displays. The vívosport offers all three of these things.
This device is also incredibly thin, which is a bit shocking when you consider how many sensors are packed into this thing.
The best part? It’s available right now for just $149.99, which is only $20 more than the Charge 2 or Alta HR. That’s an absolute steal for the best fitness tracker on the market right now, and easily the best of all the Fitbit alternatives you’ll find on this list.
Runner up: Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro
Looking for Fitbit Alternatives but not sold on the Vivosport? If you don’t mind spending a little more money, you should consider Samsung’s Gear Fit 2 Pro. Announced at IFA in 2017, the Gear Fit 2 Pro offers plenty of improvements over the standard Gear Fit 2 without sacrificing the slim form factor.
Like the Garmin vívosport, the Fit 2 Pro comes with a built-in GPS, a heart rate monitor, a 5 ATM water resistance rating, and automatic activity recognition. It can also track your swimming via the Speedo On app, and has support for third-party apps like Spotify.
One of the best things about the Gear Fit 2 Pro is its big AMOLED touchscreen display. If you’ve ever owned a Samsung Galaxy or Note phone, you already know how beautiful Samsung’s displays look.
The 200 mAh battery lasts about four days on a single charge (slightly less than the Fitbits), and comes with an updated clasp-fastened strap that makes it less likely to fall off in the pool or at the beach.
You can buy the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro from Amazon for $199.95.
Fitbit Ionic alternative: Apple Watch Series 3
The Fitbit Ionic is a great fitness tracker, but a not-so-great smartwatch. The Apple Watch Series 3 is great in both areas, making it one of the best Fitbit alternatives you’ll find in the smartwatch segment.
The Series 3 Apple Watch is a smartwatch first and a fitness tracker second. It’ll give you access to all of your smartphone notifications, allow you to pay with your wrist, and give you turn-by-turn directions. It also features LTE connectivity so you can leave the house without your phone.
See also: Best smartwatches | PSA: Don’t buy the Apple Watch Series 3 if you’re prepaid
In terms of fitness tracking, the Apple Watch can track your steps take, distance traveled, calories burned, and basically any other metric other fitness bands keep track of. It also comes with a built-in GPS and heart rate monitor, comes with a water resistance rating of 5 ATM, and will give you VO2 max estimations.
Any downsides? The Apple Watch will only last a day on a single charge, and it’s $30-$100 more expensive than the Ionic. If you’re okay with paying that premium, this is the best Fitbit Ionic alternative out there.
Runner up: Garmin vívoactive 3
Garmin’s vívoactive 3 is not only a huge step up from its predecessor, it’s also a great Fitbit Ionic alternative.
For starters, it has a bright, colorful touchscreen display that’s easy to read outdoors. Like the Ionic, the vívoactive 3 will give you all the smartphone notifications you could ask for, plus music control and weather information right on your wrist.
Further reading: Garmin vívoactive 3 review | Best GPS running watches
There are a total of 15 activity tracking profiles built in, so most athletes will be covered here. It also has a super accurate GPS and heart rate monitor, a battery that will last around five days on a single charge, and stress tracking.
Interested? The vívoactive 3 is available on Amazon for just $269 ($30 cheaper than Fitbit’s watch).
Fitbit Flex 2 alternative: Misfit Shine 2
Looking for a Fitbit alternative to the screen-less Fitbit Flex 2? Look no further than the Misfit Shine 2.
The Misfit Shine 2 is thinner and packed with more features than its predecessor, and despite a slightly larger footprint, it won’t look out of place on your wrist.
The device is able to keep a track of your activities, your sleep, and calories burned for the day. Apart from the information being readily available to you on the app, you can also get a glimpse at it with the device utilizing 12 LED lights on the front face to show you the time and your progress. You can connect it to the Misfit Link app to control your music, take pictures, and interact with smart home devices with a simple touch. Of course, you also get call and text notifications on your wrist as well.
If your fitness activity of choice is swimming, there is also a Swimmer’s Edition of the device that keeps track of your lap count and swim distance, provides a timer countdown, and works for all stroke types.
The Misfit Shine 2 is available at Misfit.com for $79.99.
Runner up: Moov Now
If you’re looking for Fitbit alternatives that will actually set you back very little money, the Moov Now is a great Fitbit Flex 2 alternative.
Weighing in at only 15.1 grams, this lightweight fitness tracker is comfortable to wear on your wrist or ankle. It provides real-time audio coaching for running, cycling, and cardio boxing. It’s also waterproof, and will track your stroke type, count, and laps while you’re swimming, and recommends ways for you to improve. It will also track your active minutes and sleep.
You also don’t need to worry about charging the Moov Now, thanks to its six-month battery life.
The Moov Now is available on Amazon for just $56.
Fitbit Blaze alternative: Garmin vívoactive 3
Yes, we’re including the vívoactive 3 here as well. Why? Because it’s a great fitness tracker, that’s why.
The Fitbit Blaze is a slightly older device, but it’s still being sold in stores as a cheaper alternative to the Ionic. If you’re looking for a fitness tracker with a big screen and smartwatch features and aren’t keen on a Fitbit, the vívoactive 3 is a great Fitbit Blaze alternative.
As mentioned in the Ionic section above, the vívoactive 3 has a bright touchscreen display, offers all the smartphone notifications you could ask for, and music controls. It’s also able to track 15 different activity profiles, and it has a built-in GPS— the Blaze has to be connected to your phone to use GPS.
Fitbit is still asking $200 for the Blaze, which I think is too much for what it does. You’ll have to spend a bit more ($69 more to be exact) for the vívoactive 3, but in return you’re getting one of the best GPS running watches on the market.
There you have it, our list of the best Fitbit alternatives on the market! Did we miss anything? Be sure to leave a comment below!
