8 Best Fitness Trackers For Women, Tested By Fitness Editors

The big win for the Charge 6 over the other best fitness trackers in this year’s roundup is its price. Coming in at well under $200, it’s our pick for the best overall model available based on value and functionality. That price includes a six-month membership to Fitbit’s Premium Service, too. "I subscribe to the Premium option, which allows me to have a lot more details on my wellness, sleep, and stress than simply using the free version," says Gomez. "I think to get the most value from this fitness tracker, you kind of have to subscribe."

"I’ve never been really into tracking my stats—how many steps I’ve taken, calories I’ve burnt, or hours I’ve slept," says Women’s Health commerce editor Jasmine Gomez. "This year I made it a goal to keep track of these things so that I can look for patterns on how it affects my mood and general health." She says the Charge 6 has been a game-changer for upping her fitness and health routines this year. "Fitness trackers can be intimidating at first—not the Fitbit Charge 6," she says. "It has an easy-to-navigate interface that allows me to log activity in just a few seconds, and then I can go back and go over all that data using the paired app."

You don’t have to worry about forgetting to record your workout with this budget-friendly tracker—it automatically recognizes when you’re moving. The Charge 6 offers a personalized "daily readiness score," so you know if your bod is up for a sweat sesh or if you should log some recovery time instead. The latest Charge also tracks vital health metrics, like heart rate, stress levels, sleep, and even period and fertility insights. The balance of price and functionality make this our top-recommended fitness tracker, hands down.

It pairs nicely with Android-based smartphones, allowing for seamless interaction with calendar or weather apps, plus you can receive texts, notifications, calls, and access Spotify. Fitbit Pay is built in, too, to provide easy access to cardless, touchless payments. These are all features baked into pricier fitness trackers and smartwatches, but not typically at this price point.

The only thing she’s found challenging is putting the fitness tracker on water lock mode. "It just requires you to tap the screen twice within the option, but for some reason, my screen is super resistant to this," she says. "I don't know if it’s a glitch or just me."

If you’re new to fitness trackers, Coros might not be a name you recognize. The company’s been flying under the radar for years now with its solid Pace 3 fitness tracker. Dollar-for-dollar, this is hands-down the best bang-for-your-buck tracker of the years. It’s ultra-lightweight (just 30 grams—about as much as a serving of peanuts!), easy to use, surprisingly accurate, and—best of all—very affordable.

The Pace 3 has a solid list of features, including all of the must-have features we look for in a best-of fitness tracker: Heart rate monitoring (including zoned heart rate breakdowns within the app for training), GPS tracking and navigation for runners and hikers, and even a barometric altimeter for keeping tabs on your elevation. We also like the built-in weather widget sourced from hourly Apple Weather data, which can be a lifesaver if you’re training outdoors on days with unpredictable weather.

The LED screen is small (relative to its competition), but accessible as a touchscreen display. In our experience, however, we found that it’s best accessed through the buttons built into the crown. We found the interface to be dead simple and easy to use, making this a great option for fitness tracker noobs or anyone who isn’t looking to overcomplicate things. Battery life is excellent: Two weeks in the standard mode with the GPS switched off or 30 hours with GPS enabled. That puts the Pace 3 in good company among the best fitness trackers with the longest battery life we’ve tested.

With its simple, clutter-free design, the Pace 3 offers incredible value for fitness enthusiasts looking to track only the essentials and nothing more. The wallet-friendly price is its most standout feature, making this definitely worth a look.

In our experience, Garmin fitness trackers and smartwatches are loved by intermediate and experienced runners alike. The Forerunner 255S offers all our must-have features, including training status, race-day planning, and workout metrics. Plus, the GPS makes navigation and geo-tracking a breeze. We like that it’s also smaller and slimmer than most of the chunky fitness trackers we tested this year, enough that you might almost forget you’re wearing it.

"This Garmin has been an absolute game-changer when it comes to how I train for races and also for my overall wellness," says Women’s Health editorial assistant Sabrina Talbert. "I love that it tracks my stress levels, quality of sleep, and training readiness.”

It has a boatload of runner-friendly features, too. “It also gives me training recommendations which will be a huge help as I prep to run my first marathon this year," Talbert says. Even if you mostly stick to indoor training, the 255S has dedicated cardio and indoor-rowing profiles with automatic rep counting. In our experience, this counting was mostly accurate, but we especially love the muscle heat maps to ensure you’re training all the right areas.

The touchscreen works reasonably well for a fitness tracker at this price point, though it is small and not quite as crisp as other Garmin’s we’ve tested. Our testers also found that, compared to the competition, it’s a little tricky to set up and make sense of the rich feature set if you’re new to the Garmin platform.

All that said, it’s a very reasonably priced fitness tracker, especially on sale. The one caveat is that the base-level 255S is not music-enabled, so you’ll need to pay for that upgrade if you want it.

Apple’s latest Apple Watch Series 9 is hands-down the brand’s best fitness tracker and smartwatch to date—good enough that it might make some Android-using fitness enthusiasts consider switching eco-systems. While it doesn't have the extreme features of the Ultra series, the Series 9 brings a host of smart updates that make it a standout for fitness insights.

The Apple Watch Series 9 builds on the solid foundation of the Series 8, with notable upgrades like a faster GPS tracking, which makes navigation smoother and improves overall performance. One of the most talked-about new features is the double-tap gesture, which lets you control the watch without touching the screen—perfect for when your hands are full or messy. "This might seem like a small addition, but its made a big difference in everyday usability for someone like me who always has their hands full," says WH fitness editor Talene Appleton, NASM.

The display has also received a significant upgrade, now reaching up to 2000 nits of brightness, making it easier to read in direct sunlight. “The improved brightness of the display on the Series 9 is a game-changer for outdoor workouts,” says Ellis. “I no longer have to squint to see my stats when running or cycling on a sunny day.”

While it’s not as rugged as the Ultra models, the Series 9 still offers excellent durability with a crack-resistant front crystal and water resistance up to 50 meters, making it more than capable for most everyday and fitness activities. "The Series 9 feels like a perfect balance between style and function—it looks sleek enough for the office but is tough enough to handle my gym workouts," says Appleton.

For Apple users, the Series 9 is an easy choice. It seamlessly integrates with your iPhone and other Apple devices, providing access to all the apps and ecosystem benefits that make Apple products so user-friendly. Whether you’re tracking workouts, staying connected on the go, or just trying to close your rings, the Apple Watch Series 9 is a versatile, feature-packed option that’s hard to beat.

Read more: Apple Watch Ultra 2 Review

Suunto has been one of our go-to outdoor brands for years, so it’s no surprise that its fitness trackers and smartwatches are thoroughly outdoor-centric. Its Suunto Race fitness tracker is no exception. It’s more rugged, durable, and heftier than your average “step-tracker” smartwatch—all good things if you’re into hiking, trail running, and any other brand of outdoor adventure.

This isn’t a flagship feature-packed fitness tracker like Garmin’s Fenix series, but rather a purpose-built athlete’s watch designed for simply tracking your outdoor adventures. All the essentials are here, including heart rate variability (HRV), V02 max estimates, water resistance up to 50 meters, GPS tracking, and zone training for precisely dialing in your workout intensity. Every metric is accessible via Suunto’s own mobile app, which we found to be simple, easy to use, and quite accurate, too. The GPS tracking, in particular, is a beauty, with access to five distinct satellite systems for pinpoint route-tracking accuracy, whether you’re peak-bagging in Colorado or running in downtown Los Angeles.

Its durability and rugged good looks come at a price, however. At 83 grams for the stainless steel model, this tracker is a beast (the already chunky Apple Watch Ultra 2 tips the scales at 61 grams, for reference). That’s why we suggest splashing out on the titanium version to save 14 grams. It might not seem like much, but you’ll notice the difference after wearing it every day. That extra heft does, however, make for a big battery that’s good for up to 26 days with the heart rate monitor turned off. Even in its most battery-hungry Performance Mode (with heart rate monitoring and GPS on), it’ll last up to 40 hours.

With its rugged design, long battery life, unique design, and adventure-focused feature set, this is the best fitness tracker to buy if you’re an avid outdoor trainer. Bonus: It’s priced well below many of the flagship models from Garmin and Suunto itself.

Unlike Apple’s ecosystem, there’s a long list of compatible fitness trackers for Android users. That’s a double-edged sword, as it means a lot more options, but it also means finding the right one can be daunting. But Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 is our runaway favorite. We love the oversized (480x480 pixel), durable, scratch-resistant sapphire glass screen, and bombproof (no, not literally) titanium case. This is a solid fitness tracker with a long list of features. It keeps tabs on all the essentials, like heart rate, steps, calories burned, distance traveled, and more. But our team also likes the body composition reader and advanced sleep coaching that analyses your blood oxygen levels and overall sleep habits to suggest ways for you to improve your zzz’s.

The Galaxy Watch 6 also offers a few features typically found in pricier fitness trackers. There’s an upgraded GPS that our team found to be more accurate than in previous versions. Plus, the new voice navigation can help you get from A to B without even taking your phone out of your pocket. When you do need to interact with your Android smartphone, this watch does so flawlessly, providing immediate access to notifications, calls, music controls, calendar alerts, and more.

What’s more, this midrange watch is priced well below many of the more premium fitness trackers we tested. Surprisingly, however, it punches well above its weight—all for less than half the price of some alternatives from Garmin and Suunto.

If you’re looking to get serious about tracking fitness metrics beyond just steps and calories, the WHOOP 4.0 might be a good choice. It offers detailed insights into your recovery, sleep, and strain levels through a subscription-based app, which breaks down data in a way that helps you understand your body better and optimize your workouts accordingly.

Appleton, who’s been using WHOOP for the past year, says it has fundamentally changed how she approaches her training. "I used to just wing my workouts based on how I felt that day," she shares. "But with the daily recovery score, I now know exactly when to push myself and when to take it easy." Appleton notes that the stress monitoring on this device has also been super helpful in her wellness journey. "Stress isn’t just mental—it’s physical too," says Appleton. "Seeing how my body responds to different stressors has helped me make better lifestyle choices, like prioritizing wind-down time before bed or scheduling more active recovery days."

Another standout feature is the device's strain coaching, which suggests optimal exertion levels based on your recovery status. This is perfect for anyone who tends to overtrain or struggle with balancing intense workouts and recovery. "For those of us who like to go beast mode in the gym, having something to remind you to dial it back when needed is invaluable," says Appleton.

The sleek, minimalist design is also comfortable enough to wear 24/7, including during training and high-octane activities. However, Appleton points out that it’s not a traditional fitness tracker in terms of style. “It’s not going to replace your smartwatch, and you’ll need to rely entirely on the app for insights,” she explains. “But if you’re someone who loves data and wants a deeper understanding of your body’s performance, recovery, and sleep, WHOOP is worth it.”

At just under $30 per month for the subscription (or a yearly membership), it’s an investment, but it’s worth every penny for athletes and those who are serious about their training insights.

That said, she does have one minor gripe. “Adjusting the strap can be a bit fiddly, especially if you have small wrists,” says Appleton. “But once you get it on, it’s comfortable enough to forget you’re wearing it, which is kind of the point."

The Withings ScanWatch Light is the perfect blend of style and substance. You get the advanced health metrics you want, but wrapped in a sleek, analog-inspired design that fits more seamlessly into everyday looks compared to sportier alternatives. This hybrid smartwatch does the basics like tracking steps and heart rate, but goes a step further with advanced features like ECG readings, blood oxygen level monitoring, and sleep apnea detection. It’s the ideal fitness tracker for anyone who wants more detailed health insights without sacrificing aesthetics.

Appleton says it's her go-to for both daily wear and health tracking. "The design was what first drew me in. I'm one of those people who wants the data, but can't stand the look of wrist wearables," she says. "It looks like a classic watch, so it goes with everything. People often don’t even realize I’m wearing a health tracker."

The ScanWatch Light features an easy-to-use ECG function that can help detect irregular heart rhythms. "Having this kind of technology at your fingertips can be a real game-changer, especially for anyone who needs to keep an eye on their heart health," says Appleton.

Sleep tracking is another area where the ScanWatch Light impresses. It monitors sleep quality, heart rate, and even potential breathing disturbances like sleep apnea, providing a comprehensive picture of your rest. “I’ve definitely adjusted my bedtime routine based on the feedback from the watch," says Appleton. "Plus, waking up to a vibrating alarm that gently nudges you awake is a nice touch—it’s way better than a loud iPhone alarm."

This tracker doesn't have a touchscreen—it features a small digital display that provides essential notifications and metrics without overwhelming you. This adds to the discreet, low-tech aesthetic, but is also amazing for those dealing with digital fatigue who don't want to add another screen into their life. The absence of a touchscreen has practical benefits, too: this device lasts up to 30 days on a single charge, which is a rarity among fitness trackers.

That said, the lack of built-in GPS might be a downside for runners or cyclists who want to track their routes without their phones. “If you’re someone who likes to track your outdoor workouts in detail, you’ll probably need to bring your phone along,” says Appleton.