Anyone who’s interested in exercise should consider getting a fitness tracker, as they’re able to tell you a lot about the effort you’re expending, how well you’re recovering, and every biometric marker in between. Whether you’re a beginner jogger or a Hyrox athlete, the information from one of the best fitness trackers or best smartwatches can elevate your active lifestyle to the next level.
However, there are a few barriers to entry at the moment. For one, the market is so saturated that it’s tough to know what to get, especially for people who don’t know their Fitbit Versas from their Garmin Vivoactives.
For another, many people buy a fitness tracker or watch not realizing they’re only buying partial access to their data. While most fitness trackers come with a certain amount of free features, you can often unlock more comprehensive analysis or new tools via a monthly subscription.
Don’t get me wrong: Fitbit Premium is a first-rate app, and we gave it 4.5 stars in our official review. Likewise, Whoop, a fitness tracker that is only available as part of an ongoing premium subscription, is extremely comprehensive (and for many people, worth the high price paid in perpetuity). Oura, one of the best smart rings, has a membership program that allows you to get the best of its features, including an AI-powered Advisor service. However, Garmin introduced its new Garmin Connect Plus premium tier, and that certainly didn’t go down well with its users.
Storing data is expensive, especially in the age of AI, and I can understand why smart tech companies would like an additional revenue stream. But there are plenty of people who don’t want access to their own data sold back to them, and instead wish for a device that works as advertised at the point of purchase.
That’s why below, I’m recommending a trio of fitness trackers that I really like, and have personally used. Whether you’re after a cheap, mid-tier or premium fitness tracking option, picking up one of these will ensure you only need to pay once.
1. Samsung Galaxy Fit 3
By far the cheapest fitness tracker on our list at $59 / £49 / AU$139, the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 is an impressive Fitbit alternative: it’s cheaper, packs in loads of features, and Samsung Health requires no subscription. Fitbit, on the other hand, has a free app, but you only unlock all the features with a monthly or yearly payment.
We gave the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 four stars out of five in our review, citing its “simply brilliant value, though, with a lovely screen, clear stats and encouraging insights to help you improve your everyday health”. It’s worth noting there’s no GPS here, so might not be the best option for dedicated runners.
It’s also worth noting Samsung Health’s subscription-free status also applies to all the best Samsung watches and the Samsung Galaxy Ring, so if you’re looking for a smartwatch or smart ring, you have subscription-free options there too!
2. Coros Pace 3
While its closest competitor Polar has recently introduced a subscription-based Fitness Program, Coros continues to fly the ‘pay once and be done with it’ flag.
There are plenty of outstanding Coros devices available, from seriously chunky adventure watches like the Vertix 2 to arm-mounted heart rate monitors, but my personal favorite is the Coros Pace 3, which we named our best cheap running watch and has continued strong in this capacity for nearly two years.
It represents outstanding value as a low-power fitness tracker, with an extremely light weight, comprehensive running and recovery metrics, and a staggering 24-day battery life. It’s not really a lifestyle smartwatch, but as a fitness tracker for runners, it’s devilishly hard to beat in terms of value at $229 / £219 / AU$399.
3. Apple Watch Ultra 2
The cream of the crop: one of the best smartwatches in recent memory, and our top choice for the best Apple Watch overall. While Apple does have a subscription in Apple Fitness+, that is purely to access its library of follow-along workout content on your phone or smart TV: when it comes to analyzing your data, or creating new on-watch features, Apple has kept its Health and Fitness apps completely subscription-free.
Of course, that also apples to the more affordable Apple Watch SE 2 and Apple Watch Series 10 watches too, which in addition to the Ultra make up Apple’s current wearables line-up.
However, in keeping with the theme of cheap-to-middle-to-premium, if you want the best, you need the Watch Ultra 2. While the battery might not be much to write home about, its wealth of features, slick-to-use operating system, the ability to add the watch to your data plan, and its smorgasbord of third-party fitness apps and integrations make it an obvious premium pick.
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