Getting fit doesn’t have to be a decision made only at the beginning of a new year. With a fitness tracker’s help, a commitment to fitness can easily be made every day. The average fitness tracker monitors health vitals, like heart rate and blood oxygen saturation level, and also records other important health markers like sleep and the amount of calories burnt during physical activities.

Fitness tracker pricing usually depends on the features, with more expensive options, including the best smartwatches, packing more advanced features. However, while some may be inclined to purchase a more expensive fitness tracker, many affordable options will suffice, with several boasting significantly better battery life than costly models.

These cheap fitness trackers are packed with features

Source: Xiaomi

Xiaomi Band 7 Pro

Best overall

Pro in name, pro in features

There’s a lot to love about Xiaomi’s first pro fitness tracker. The Band 7 Pro is feature-packed, with a large color display to easily view stats, health and fitness sensors, built-in GPS, and compatibility with Android and iOS devices. This unisex design also has replaceable straps and strong battery life.

Pros

• Large and sharp AMOLED display
• Built-in GPS
• Integrated voice assistant

Cons

• No support for Bluetooth calls
• Few preinstalled watch faces
• Lacks NFC for payments

The Xiaomi Band 7 Pro is the first of Xiaomi’s Mi Band line with a ‘’Pro’’ moniker, and it isn’t just in name only. It has a larger display than any of the previous Mi Band models. The larger screen allows users to view more information on the screen without having to pull out their phones; this is particularly useful for those who don’t like taking their cell on a run. In addition to the larger AMOLED display, the Band 7 Pro has built-in GPS — another reason for users to ditch their phones at home — and a battery life of up to 12 days.

Xiaomi’s Band 7 Pro supports all-day heart rate and blood oxygen saturation level measurement and has sleep, stress level, and women’s health monitoring. It can also track over 110 sports modes, including swimming. The companion app, available for Android and iOS devices, allows users to compete with their friends to achieve their exercise goals. This wearable also has Alexa built-in and support for syncing data to Strava and Apple Health. The Band 7 Pro isn’t just a capable fitness tracker but a stylish one, too. It has more than 150 watch faces, and there are many first- and third-party straps to spice up its look.

Source: Fitbit

Fitbit Charge 5

Premium pick

Fitbit’s top fitness tracker

The Fitbit Charge 5’s premium build and advanced health-tracking features make it a great fitness wearable. Other highlights include a lightweight design, replaceable straps, notification support, and an NFC chip for payments.

Pros

• Premium build
• Advanced health tracking
• Mobile payment support

Cons

• Best features require a subscription
• Comparatively fewer sports modes
• Google account required for setup

The Fitbit Charge 5 sits at the top of Fitbit’s tracker line (or at least did until the launch of the Charge 6, which we’ll review soon) with its deluxe design and premium features. Like most fitness trackers, it’s capable of blood oxygen, heart rate, and sleep tracking, but what sets it apart on this list is its irregular heart rhythm notifications. This feature identifies irregular heart rhythms, which may be a sign of atrial fibrillation (AFib). It also has an advanced stress management feature that provides users with a detailed daily score along with suggestions on ways to relax.

The Fitbit Charge 5 can track various exercises, and at the beginning of each day, it will provide a score that indicates if another round of exercise or more recovery time is needed. Other features are a color display, replaceable straps, built-in GPS, a battery life that goes up to a week, Android and iOS device support, and a free 6-month Fitbit Premium subscription.

Source: Amazfit

Amazfit Band 7

Best value

Heavy on features, light on the wallet

$45 $50 Save
$5

The Amazfit Band 7 is a lightweight fitness tracker that packs several features at a pocket-friendly price. It has an AMOLED display, a long-lasting battery, and all-day heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and stress level tracking.

Pros

• Impressive battery life
• Built-in voice assistant
• Suitable for swimming

Cons

• Bland design
• Requires a connected phone for GPS

The Amazfit Band 7 is for those who want a fitness tracker that’s cheap but doesn’t skimp on features either. While it isn’t particularly stylish, it is lightweight and comes in three color options with replaceable straps available in four extra colors. What the Amazfit Band 7 has going for it includes a large AMOLED display with support for Always-on Display, Amazon Alexa built-in, and up to 18 days of battery life.

The tracker provides all-day heart rate, SpO₂ level, and stress level monitoring and can even measure all three simultaneously in one tap in under a minute. There’s hardly a physical activity it can’t track as it has support for more than 120 sports modes, and its 5 ATM water-resistance rating means it can be worn while swimming. With such a reasonable price tag, its lack of built-in GPS can be overlooked. Nevertheless, the Band 7 can latch on to the GPS of a connected Android smartphone or iPhone.

Source: Fitbit

Fitbit Inspire 3

Versatile usage

The power of Fitbit for less

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the entry-level model in Fitbit’s fitness tracker line. A lightweight design, extended battery life, and access to Fitbit’s advanced health features earn it a spot on this list.

Pros

• Lightweight design
• Can be worn in multiple ways
• Supports women’s health tracking

Cons

• Miniature display
• Fewer features than cheaper alternatives

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is a fitness tracker that has the basics nailed down. While Inspire 3 isn’t particularly a head-turner (with its basic silicone band in three color choices), buyers can style it up with any of the handful of official replaceable bands, including a stainless steel mesh available in platinum and gold. Buyers who prefer wearing a traditional watch on their wrist will be happy to know Fitbit sells an accessory clip that attaches the Inspire 3 to a pocket, shirt, or bra. However, certain health features, such as heart rate, can’t be tracked in this mode.

The tracker logs basic health metrics, such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, sleep, stress, and menstrual health, and supports irregular heart rhythm notifications. However, it lacks a GPS module, but will automatically begin to track high-movement exercises, like walking and running (that are at least 15 minutes long). And like the other trackers on this list, it can be worn while swimming. Its color touchscreen should be sufficient for viewing key stats, but for more detailed information and to enjoy the bundled free Fitbit Premium subscription, users must fall back to the app on their Android smartphone or iPhone. Best of all, its battery life also lasts up to ten days.

Source: Garmin

Garmin Vivosmart 5

Minimalist design

A no-frills fitness tracker

The Garmin Vivosmart 5 has a simple but comfortable design. It’s easy to use and great for those new to tracking their health and physical activities. To top it all off, its battery lasts up to a week.

Pros

• Support for accident detection
• Great for tracking sleep
• Doesn’t require a subscription

Cons

• Monochrome display
• Few sports modes
• Need phone GPS for tracking

The Garmin Vivosmart 5 is for those who want a low-profile fitness tracker that can log calories, steps, and basic exercises. The design is so simple that it can almost pass for a silicone bracelet despite commanding a more premium price tag. It is available in black, mint, and white colorways, but unfortunately, Garmin doesn’t sell replaceable bands in other colors. The Vivosmart 5 has a small OLED display (albeit a monochrome one), but it is bright enough to view outdoors. It also boasts a sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness depending on the ambient light.

The Vivosmart 5 supports all-day heart rate, respiration rate, and stress tracking. It will also provide users with a sleep score and keep an eye on women’s health, blood oxygen saturation, and stress. It can track yoga, indoor rowing, Pilates, and elliptical training, among other sports modes. This device also presents owners with a fitness age, which estimates how fit they are compared to their true age. Another interesting feature is Garmin’s signature Body Battery Energy monitoring, which tracks a user’s energy levels throughout the day. It also has incident detection support during select outdoor activities and will send a message (via the connected smartphone) with the wearer’s live location to emergency contacts.

Source: Xiaomi

Xiaomi Smart Band 7

Alternative best value

Lots of features for a low price

$41 $46 Save
$5

The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 offers a lot of value at an affordable price tag. Easy to style up with multiple watch faces and replaceable straps, the fitness tracker has a nice color display, many sports modes, and a two-week battery life.

Pros

• Color AMOLED display
• Long-lasting battery
• Competitive price tag

Cons

• Confusing app
• No integrated GPS

Xiaomi isn’t new to fitness trackers, and the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is proof of that. While not the latest model in the series, the Smart Band 7’s screen boasts a color AMOLED panel with support for an always-on display and over 100 custom watch faces. It even has replaceable colorful straps. The Smart Band 7 can track 120 sports modes like running and cycling and auto-detection for a handful of exercises like swimming. Its professional workout analysis feature also allows users to keep an eye on their progress and determine when to take a break.

The fitness tracker also has the usual health feature array, including a sensor for tracking heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, as well as support for sleep and stress tracking and more. It can also be paired to an iPhone or Android for connected GPS, app notifications, and media playback control; it can even be used as a remote shutter for the phone’s camera app. And the budget-priced Smart Band 7 has a 14-day battery life, which means users can take a trip and leave the charger at home.

Source: Fitbit

Fitbit Luxe

Stylish fit

Stay fit and trendy

The Fitbit Luxe’s shiny stainless steel case, metal buckle, and trendy straps make it one of the few stylish fitness trackers. It also has excellent heart rate monitoring, can be worn to swim, and works with Android and iOS devices.

Pros

• Color AMOLED display
• Support’s women’s health tracking
• Free Fitbit Premium subscription

Cons

• Display is small
• Battery life is so-so
• Stylish bands are pricey

The Fitbit Luxe is a fashion-focused fitness tracker that blends style and function. It rocks a polished stainless steel housing with a gold, platinum, or graphite finish, and the option of a straightforward silicone band or a jewelry-like gold stainless steel link bracelet. Fitbit also offers various stylish bands made from leather, fabric, or steel mesh. The device’s cost depends on the band type; silicone bands are the cheapest.

Style isn’t the Fitbit Luxe’s only selling point; it has almost the same feature suite as the more expensive Fitbit Charge 5. Unfortunately, it lacks built-in GPS, can’t notify users if their heart rate is high or low, doesn’t have the stress management app, and has a shorter five-day battery life. However, it has irregular heart rhythm support, detecting signs of atrial fibrillation, as well as menstrual health tracking. It also includes a free six-month Fitbit Premium subscription.

Source: Amazfit

Amazfit GTR Mini

Almost a smartwatch

Blurs the line between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch

The Amazfit GTR Mini’s round display makes it pass for a full-fledged smartwatch. It boasts several sports modes, built-in GPS, a water-resistant rating, and all-day heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and stress level tracking.

Pros

• Gorgeous round display
• Impressive battery life
• Integrated GPS module

Cons

• Limited app store
• Lacks NFC for payments

The Amazfit GTR Mini has a round display akin to a smartwatch but is lightweight despite its larger design. This fitness tracker, available in black, pink, and blue, has a glossy stainless steel frame that wraps around the AMOLED screen and supports an always-on display. It includes a silicone strap, but buyers can swap it out for a 20mm strap of their choice.

The GTR Mini can track over 120 sports with auto-detection for seven sports, including walking, running, and indoor rowing. Runners will particularly like the challenging virtual pacer feature, built-in 5-satellite positioning system for accurate route tracking routes, and support for sharing workout data to third-party fitness apps like Strava, Adidas Running, Apple Health, and Google Fit. The device also has the expected health tracking feature suite, including women’s health tracking and a battery life that lasts up to two weeks. It also runs Zepp OS, a proprietary OS, and the app store is quite limited compared to Wear OS and watchOS.

Source: Xiaomi

Redmi Band 2

As low as it gets

Get a lot for a little

The Redmi Band 2 is a simple, light fitness tracker with a pocket-friendly price. It is easy to use, has a water-resistant design, and has all the basics.

Pros

• Slim and lightweight design
• Long battery life
• Super affordable

Cons

• Display isn’t very bright
• No all-day tracking of SpO2 and stress

The Redmi Band 2 has a design that’s quite similar to the Amazfit Band 7, but their features are different. The fitness tracker includes a black or white silicone band, but users can purchase straps in other colors. This device packs a large display, but to keep the price low, it is the less-vibrant TFT type. Nevertheless, the size makes it easy to view fitness and health metrics without having to launch the mobile app. While there’s no always-on display, there are over 100 watch faces to choose from.

The Redmi Band 2 can track over 30 sports but needs a connected smartphone’s GPS to track routes. While it can measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, it only supports 24-hour heart rate monitoring. It also monitors women’s health, with reminders about changes in the menstrual cycle. This tracker has a 14-day battery life, which means users don’t have to worry about frequent charging. And it is the most affordable fitness tracker on the list.

Source: Xiaomi

Redmi Watch 3

Biggest display

Almost perfect

The Redmi Watch 3 has a large and sharp display that’s easy to read while exercising outdoors and a built-in GPS module for tracking routes when walking or running. There’s also a voice assistant that can help users set alarms and reminders and control smart home appliances.

Pros

• Display is large and crisp
• Support for Bluetooth calling
• On-board voice assistant

Cons

• Size can be an issue for some
• No on-board storage
• Lacks NFC support

The Redmi Watch 3 also adopts a smartwatch-like design with its square-ish screen and flat metallic frame (similar to an Apple Watch). Its AMOLED display is quite large and gets plenty bright, even on sunny days. This fitness tracker is available in black and ivory with optional replaceable straps in bright colors like aqua blue and lime green that can be purchased separately to spice up the tracker’s appearance. There are also over 200 watch faces to choose from.

With support for over 120 sports modes, including swimming, running, hiking, and skipping, a built-in five-satellite positioning chip, heart rate and blood oxygen level monitoring, sleep tracking, and menstrual cycle tracking, the Redmi Watch 3 has health and fitness data covered. It also has Amazon Alexa built-in for controlling smart home devices or setting reminders and alarms. The device even has a built-in speaker that’ll take calls with a simple hand raise, and its battery can last up to 12 days on a single charge.

Getting fit should not put a hole in one’s pocket

The popularity of fitness trackers has provided buyers with options that cut across different price points, but just because a fitness tracker doesn’t cost a small fortune, doesn’t mean it can’t track health and fitness progress well.

The Xiaomi Band 7 Pro is one such fitness tracker. It has a built-in GPS chip, more than a hundred sports modes, a battery life that lasts almost two weeks, and an easy-to-navigate interface, all for less. There’s no need to shell out hundreds of dollars on a wearable with this model.

For those with a bit more cash in search of a more premium-looking fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 5 fits the bill. A sophisticated build isn’t its only benefit; with features like irregular heart rhythm notifications that provide more advanced health information and access to Fitbit Premium, there’s a lot to like about the Charge 5 – though also consider the newer Charge 6, which we haven’t yet tested ourselves.

The Amazfit Band 7 steals the spotlight for the super budget-conscious user, with its wide sports mode array, excellent 18-day battery life, and built-in smart assistant.

Source: Xiaomi

Xiaomi Band 7 Pro

Best overall

Affordable excellence

The Xiaomi Band 7 Pro’s large screen, integrated GPS module, many sports modes, and long battery life make it a well-balanced fitness tracker at an affordable price.