These two categories of wearables have merged now, to the point where you could feasibly call many smartwatches fitness trackers. For our roundup, our guiding principle is that the focus should be on reliable fitness tracking. Around the same time as these advancements, smartwatches were finding their niche as larger devices with color screens, shorter battery life but more useful emergency features, GPS and call handling.
When it comes to tracking distance, the Fitbit Charge 6 performs well and has built-in GPS, which the Inspire 3 does not. You’ll need a Google account, though, even if you already have the Fitbit app. The Charge 6 added a helpful haptic side button for easy screen navigation.
Wanderlog – Travel Planner
Top fitness apps in 2026 include options for strength training, macro tracking, and AI-personalized workouts. Standout picks span free and paid tiers, with most premium plans ranging from $10–$40/month. The best choice depends on your goal — whether that’s guided workouts, nutrition tracking, or progressive overload programming.
But for accurate-as-possible always-on activity monitoring, you’ll want a wrist-worn wearable. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community. If you’re only using it at the gym to count your steps and your heart rate, a simpler, less expensive fitness tracker will suit you fine. Finally, we test how well a device pairs with its companion app, and evaluate the experience of using the two together.
How we test the best fitness trackers
When your new commute only takes you from bed to sofa, it’s harder than ever to hit those step counts. For movement motivation within your humble abode, stick Fitbit’s straightforward tracking app on your smartphone. As you can guess, Garmin’s free Connect software is specific to Garmin devices and provides a link between your mobile device and Garmin Edge cycling computer or smartwatch to share data. The connection can work both ways, with a compatible Garmin GPS able to display weather data and notifications on your handlebars. In its most basic version, the app tracks speed, time, distance, and elevation, and provides social sharing capabilities. Go Premium, and you can delve deeper into your stats and monitor relative efforts, alongside a ton of advanced training features.
The Smart Stack and Photos Face Add Personalization
That said, Lensa, Facetune, and AirBrush are the most gender-neutral in interface design. YouCam Makeup is specifically oriented toward makeup experimentation, which not every user wants. The ethical and psychological implications are real — and increasingly a mainstream conversation. Its Magic Retouch and Smart Adjust tools produce subtle, balanced results — the opposite of the over-smoothed, plasticky look that plagued early beauty apps. That’s useful for dating app profiles, LinkedIn headshots, and social content where shooting real new photos is impractical.
Best Apps by Workout Type
We added new testing photos of other noteworthy fitness watches in addition to our seven winners, including the Apple Watch Series 10, the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and the Coros Pace 3. Alo Wellness Club (formerly Alo Moves) began as a yoga platform, but now is actually one of the most comprehensive options on our list. With a massive on-demand library, a ton of exercise types, and a built-in community to connect with, Les Mills+ is an excellent option for both beginners and advanced athletes.
The user interface is intuitive, and there are lots of features available. Alternatively, you can import your own GPS, FIT or TCX file into the app and adapt it as you see fit. Komoot is all about exploration and simplifying the route planning experience, and it’s best on desktop, but after recent updates, the app has nearly caught up.
- Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men’s Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter.
- It’s built specifically for lifters who want structured progressive overload without paying for a personal trainer.
- The experience is heavily enhanced by an Apple Watch, which unlocks its most compelling features.
- From tracking daily steps to automatically detecting when you start a workout, the Argus app is an all-in-one solution for those looking to up their fitness game.
- Titan handles this variety well, logging everything from barbell movements to running intervals in the same workout.
- However, that requires a monthly data plan, which may not appeal to the most cost-conscious shoppers.
The best Apple Watch apps 2026 that we’re actually using
Discover local trails reviewed by real hikers with useful feedback such as, “bring bug spray!” Download trails in advance to track your progress and location offline in remote places. Daily Yoga provides free yoga sequences for all levels, including flexibility, stress relief, and strength-building flows. The primary focus on running means it’s less suitable for those seeking an all-in-one fitness solution, but for dedicated runners, its structured approach is hard to beat. A solution for fans of high‑intensity group classes with deep Apple Watch support (Strive Score) and health sync.
More features, including built-in GPS
Wear OS 6 comes preloaded on the Pixel Watch 4, which means Gemini is ready to go on your wrist. The smart assistant can be activated with a new Raise-to-Talk gesture, though it was hit-or-miss in our tests. A new AI-enabled feature called Smart Replies offers up personal replies to your incoming text messages, though it only works if you have a Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9 series, or Pixel 10 series phone. Notification cooldown can automatically change the frequency with which you receive certain notifications without enabling a do-not-disturb mode. I firmly believe older models are still a good choice if all you want is the fitness-tracking basics. This is especially true since newer software updates often make their way to older Garmin hardware, and Garmin users tend to hang onto their devices for a good while.
The Best Smartwatches for Kids
This app has a lot to like, including its range of workouts and its effortless compatibility with the Apple Watch. One helps you follow a smart plan, and the other helps you stay on track and connected with the running community. I used both when training for my last marathon, and I was particularly impressed with how personalized Runna’s training plans are. The production quality is polished, the instruction remains clear and accessible, and the app makes it easy to keep track of your progress. It’s a great option for both beginners and more experienced yoga practitioners, and for other forms of movement as well. When it comes to yoga though, Alo Wellness Club offers classes for unimeal app reviews a range of styles, skill levels, and goals.
The OnePlus Watch Lite strikes a comfortable balance between sporty functions and productivity tools. Its 11-day battery life and fast charging make it a top “grab-and-go” pick for busy professionals. This guide explores some of the best budget smartwatches available this year, highlighting those that balance features, performance, and price.
Apple Watch Water Lock: What Is It & How to Use It
Its large 1.4-inch touchscreen and bright display made it easy to check my stats mid-workout and cycle through different health features (of which there are many). An audio-first approach sets the Aaptiv Fitness App apart from the others. The app uses a mix of structured instruction and music to help you get in your best shape. Since the app is audio-based, you focus on your form and the exercise itself without constantly stopping to look at a screen. It’s almost like having a personal trainer in your ear, guiding you every step of the way. And in a way, you do because certified trainers guide you through the workouts, ensuring accuracy, motivation, and optimal results.
It communicated updates to me via weekly progress reports and daily scores for sleep and stress management—all of which broke down my stats using cute graphics, bright colors and easy-to-follow insights. For beginners just starting out with a regular exercise program, I recommend the Fitbit Charge 6, the brand’s latest iteration in its Charge series. Of the trackers I tested, it was the simplest to use while offering a surprising level of versatility and accuracy, given its basic design. If your idea of fitness involves exploring the great outdoors, AllTraills might be the ideal workout companion.
Best Apple fitness tracker
With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. The Amazfit Band 7 is a $50 fitness tracker that promises many of the marquee features found in more premium wearables but at a fraction of the price. It has blood oxygen (SpO2) readings, stress monitoring, high heart rate alerts and fairly in-depth sleep tracking reports. The SE doesn’t offer as bright or large a display as the Series 11 and Ultra 3, but unlike previous versions of the watch, it does have an always-on screen option.