Garmin Vivofit Fitness Tracker With Heart Rate Monitor Review

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authorization

Garmin Venu two vs Fitbit Sense

Fitbit is one of the most well-known fettle tracker companies out there. The brand name has been given the "Kleenex effect" by many, in that people ofttimes refer to their trackers as "a Fitbit" no matter what brand they're actually wearing. Garmin is more than well-known for its fettle smartwatches that have more advanced features for more than serious athletes.

Since the beginning of the Fitbit vs Garmin debate, things accept inverse. A lot. The two companies used to be in many of the same product categories and compete directly with one another, but that's not necessarily the instance anymore. Fitbit has essentially cornered the low-end smartwatch and fitness tracker markets (at least in the US), while Garmin is far and away the leader in the GPS fitness watch space.

Likewise, Google acquired Fitbit. We all the same expect Fitbit to release new wearables in the future, simply some of them might be running a different operating system. To learn more than nigh the Google-Fitbit partnership, caput hither.

Fitbit vs Garmin: Fitness trackers

Equally stated, things have changed a chip in recent years. Fitbit is still releasing multiple fitness trackers every year, while Garmin has slowed this role of its product portfolio. Fitbit currently has v newer fettle trackers for sale on its website. Garmin has iv as well, simply most of them are quite old.

Fitbit fitness trackers

C. Scott Brown / Android Say-so

• Fitbit Charge v (Amazon): The Fitbit Charge 5 is the visitor's flagship fettle tracker. Information technology boasts a color AMOLED display (a first for the Charge line), every bit well as many advanced features like SpO2 and peel temperature tracking that characteristic on higher-stop smartwatches. Only be wary of the downsides considering at that place are plenty.
• Fitbit Luxe (Amazon): The Fitbit Luxe is Fitbit's best-looking fettle tracker. Information technology offers bones activity tracking similar to the Inspire 2 (beneath) but comes with a much better-quality case and enough of customization options.
• Fitbit Charge 4 (Amazon): The Fitbit Charge iv is the company's final-gen fitness tracker. It's the first Fitbit tracker with onboard GPS — something users have been clamoring for for years. All Charge four models accept access to Fitbit Pay and come with many smartwatch features found in devices like the Versa 3 or Sense. If you're after a slim tracker just aren't interested in the Charge 5 (or the Accuse five's price), the Accuse iv is yet a great pick.
• Fitbit Inspire ii (Amazon): The Fitbit Inspire 2 is Fitbit's barebones fettle tracker. It'due south suitable for basic activeness tracking, only don't wait much from the display or design. The real do good of buying an Inspire ii is the gratuitous year of Fitbit Premium thrown in with each purchase.
• Fitbit Accuse three (Amazon): The Fitbit Charge 3 is essentially a cheaper Accuse four. It has near the same design and feature set, but the Charge three doesn't have onboard GPS. You lot'll also need to bound for the special edition model if y'all desire Fitbit Pay support. If yous're doing that, of course, yous might also buy the Charge four.
• Fitbit Inspire HR (Amazon): The Fitbit Inspire Hr and Inspire (beneath) have taken the place of the Alta serial in Fitbit'south lineup. The Inspire 60 minutes is smaller than the Charge 4 and has fewer features and a worse display, but information technology makes up for those things with a decent spec sheet.
• Fitbit Inspire (Amazon): The Fitbit Inspire is the same as the Inspire 60 minutes, but without the center charge per unit sensor.
• Fitbit Ace 3 (Amazon): The Fitbit Ace 3 is Fitbit'south latest fitness tracker for kids. Information technology boasts upward to viii days of battery life, new blithe clock faces, and sleep tracking.
• Fitbit Ace ii (Amazon): The Fitbit Ace ii is Fitbit's second kid-friendly fitness tracker. It's very similar to the Fitbit Inspire but with a more durable course factor. Information technology can track your children's activity throughout the day, provide bedtime alerts, silent alarms, and more.
• What about the Fitbit Zero? Fitbit hasn't released a truthful follow-up to the prune-on Aught fitness tracker, but in that location'due south a decent alternative. The visitor sells prune-on accessories for the Fitbit Inspire (non-Hour model) that essentially turn the device into a Fitbit Zip.

Also read: The best Fitbit bands for all models

Garmin fitness trackers

Garmin vivosport (left) and vivosmart iv (right)

• Garmin Vivosmart 4 (Amazon): The Vivosmart 4 is Garmin's latest activeness tracker. It's modest, has a much-improved brandish over its predecessor, and has a congenital-in pulse oximeter. Recently, Garmin rolled out continued GPS functionality to it, too.
• Garmin Vivosport (Amazon): The Garmin Vivosport is a few years old at this signal, but it's the visitor's most powerful fitness tracker. It has built-in GPS and a heart charge per unit sensor. It's accurate, water-resistant, and it'due south pretty inexpensive because it's been on the market since 2017.
• Garmin Vivofit 4 (Amazon): The Vivofit 4 is also a couple of years one-time, but information technology's still a solid cheap fitness tracker. It has one-year battery life, an always-on display, and it's water-resistant. We wish information technology had ANT+ 60 minutes sensor support (its predecessor did) and slightly meliorate action tracking capabilities.
• Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 (Amazon): The Vivofit Jr. 3 is the latest child-friendly fitness tracker from Garmin. It has a bigger brandish for showing boosted activity information and new designs from Marvel and Disney.
• Garmin Vivofit Jr. two (Amazon): This is Garmin'southward last-gen fitness tracker for kids. It comes in a bunch of fun designs. It's swim-friendly, has a one-yr battery life, and volition keep track of your children'southward steps taken and slumber.

Related: The best Fitbit alternatives

What if y'all want something a bit more powerful than the devices listed above? Something with a bigger screen? Luckily both companies have y'all covered.

Fitbit vs Garmin: Smartwatches and sport watches

Fitbit is still relatively new to the smartwatch market, with only iii devices out right now. The company's devices are improving with every iteration, but they're even so notably behind other brands regarding smartwatch features.

Fitbit smartwatches and sports watches

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Say-so

• Fitbit Sense (Amazon): The Fitbit Sense might not exist worth the hefty price, just it'southward at to the lowest degree Fitbit's most experimental wearable to date. It comes with an EDA sensor for stress tracking, an ECG monitor, and a skin temperature sensor to show early on signs of illness.
• Fitbit Versa 3 (Amazon): Aren't interested in the EDA, ECG, and pare temperature sensors? The Fitbit Versa three is for you. It'south essentially the same fitness watch, minus the extras. It likewise has Amazon Alexa and Google Banana back up built-in, merely like the Sense.
• Fitbit Versa 2 (Amazon): The Fitbit Versa two is Fitbit's 2d existent attempt at a smartwatch for the masses. Information technology's small, lite, gives you smartphone notifications, and fifty-fifty has Amazon Alexa congenital-in. The OLED display is a significant improvement over the first-gen Versa, besides. Information technology's a adept fettle tracker, though unfortunately, there's no congenital-in GPS.
• Fitbit Ionic (Amazon): The Fitbit Ionic is the visitor's showtime-ever smartwatch, whose capabilities have now been surpassed by the newer and sleeker Fitbit Sense and Versa 3.
• Fitbit Versa Low-cal (Amazon): The Fitbit Versa Lite is essentially a cheaper Versa (first-gen) with fewer features. In that location'south no music storage, no Fitbit Pay, and no Wi-Fi back up. Nosotros fully recommend the Versa 3 or 2 over the Versa Lite at this signal, only this watch can be found on sale quite often.
• Fitbit Versa (Amazon): The original Fitbit Versa is growing long in the tooth. It's the company's offset smartwatch for the masses and tin often be institute on auction on Amazon. It's still a capable fitness tracker, though nosotros recommend the Versa 3 over the original Versa, hands down.

Related: The most mutual Fitbit issues and how to ready them

Smartwatches and sports watches are Garmin's breadstuff and butter. We're going to talk near its v chief fitness scout series, but annotation that the company sells enough more devices on its website.

Garmin smartwatches and sports watches

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Say-so

Left to right: Garmin Venu 2 Plus, Garmin Venu 2

• Garmin Venu 2 Plus: (Amazon): Arguably the best smartwatch Garmin has ever made, the Venu ii Plus packs a few more features into the already cracking Venu ii for a well-rounded wellness and fitness tracking device.
• Garmin Venu 2 (Amazon): Last gen's AMOLED-touting smartwatch from Garmin, the Venu 2 comes in multiple sizes, touts wellness features and music storage, and can probable be found on auction.
• Garmin Venu (Amazon): The Garmin Venu is the company's offset AMOLED display smartwatch. Information technology's substantially the same device equally the Vivoactive 4 (below), merely with a higher-resolution brandish and slightly shorter battery life.
• Garmin Vivoactive iv and 4S (Amazon): The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a fantastic multisport watch. It has built-in GPS, calendar week-long battery life, music storage, Garmin Pay, and Garmin's new breathwork exercises that are quite useful.
• Garmin Venu Sq (Amazon): Interested in the Garmin Venu but want something a bit cheaper? The Garmin Venu Sq is the lookout man for you. It offers nearly of the aforementioned features as the original Venu just swaps out an LCD for the higher-end AMOLED. Read all well-nigh the differences here.
• Garmin Vivomove 3 and 3S (Amazon): Garmin's hybrid smartwatch, the Vivomove, received a significant upgrade in 2019. The Garmin Vivomove 3 and 3S now take Garmin Pay back up and pulse oximeter sensors and bring back the hidden displays underneath the scout face up.
• Garmin Forerunner 55, 245, 645, 745, and 945 (Amazon): If you're a runner, look no farther than the Garmin Forerunner lineup. Depending on your budget, the Precursor 55, 245, 645, 745, or 945 will have something to suit your needs.
• Garmin Fenix vii series (Amazon): Offered in a variety of sizes and solar charging models, the Fenix 7 series features high-terminate multisport watches for athletes that spend most of their time outdoors. They are as well the get-go of the Fenix line to offer a touchscreen display.
• Garmin Fenix half-dozen serial (Amazon): Like the Fenix 7 series, there area lot of models in the Garmin Fenix half dozen series, so yous're leap to observe something that suits your needs. Now that these are technically outdated, you can find them on sale for a steal.
• Garmin Instinct (Amazon): The Garmin Instinct line is for those who don't need a smartwatch or a large display but withal want something that'll rail excursions in the great outdoors. There's fifty-fifty a solar-powered model that essentially never runs out of battery.
• Garmin Lily (Amazon): Garmin'southward fitness tracker for women is small, light, and comfortable. It's lite on the features, but we establish it to perform well overall.

Related: The near common Garmin problems and how to set up them

Fitbit vs Garmin: Activeness and health tracking

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Potency

No matter which ecosystem you choose, all of these devices will go on rail of the basics: steps taken, calories burned, and sleep. They'll also rail your distance traveled, but only those with GPS (Sense, Versa iii, Charge 5, Charge 4, Ionic, Venu series, Vivosport, Instinct, and all of Garmin's running watches) will give you lot accurate distance metrics. The devices that feature built-in GPS will also requite yous precise footstep, cadence, and elevation details.

The Fitbit Versa and Versa 2, Luxe, Charge 3, Inspire two, Inspire HR, Garmin Vivosmart 4, Vivomove 3 and 3S, and Lily all have connected GPS, allowing you lot to track accurate distance and pace metrics if you lot bring your phone with you lot on a run. Unfortunately, neither the Garmin Vivofit 4 nor the Fitbit Inspire have any GPS functionality.

All devices listed above will track your full time asleep, as well as sleep stages, including how often you spend in REM, lite, and deep sleep, and how much time yous're awake throughout the night. Fitbit devices will give y'all a thirty-day average of your sleeping habits (compared to Garmin's seven-twenty-four hours average), as well as a benchmark to compare confronting other people your age.

Also read: The best slumber tracking apps for Android

Also, if you're a Fitbit Premium subscriber, your Fitbit volition give y'all access to sleeping eye rate data and restlessness. Newer Garmin devices like the Venu line, Vivoactive 4, and Vivosmart iv all have pulse oximeters (SpO2) built-in, which will rails your blood-oxygen saturation levels throughout the solar day and night. The Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 accept SpO2 monitors, which were enabled for automated SpO2 tracking postal service-launch. Older Fitbits similar the Versa 2, Versa, and Ionic accept SpO2 sensors, just they're only utilized for additional Sleep Score details.

Additionally, Garmin Venu, Venu ii, Venu 2 Plus and Vivoactive 4 devices have respiration rate (or animate rate) tracking.

Side note: Garmin's app does tell you lot how much slumber you should be getting compared to other users, but it'south tucked abroad in the Insights tab. It'due south piece of cake to overlook because it's non in the Slumber department, where you'd call up it should be located.

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Dominance

A few years ago, if you asked me which visitor has the ameliorate sleep trackers, I would accept answered Fitbit, hands down. That all inverse after Garmin introduced advanced slumber monitoring in mid-2018. Now, both companies are at roughly the same level, give or take a few features.

Both ecosystems give you lot a way to keep an heart on your stress, but each company'southward arroyo is unlike. For most Fitbit devices, you get a feature called Relax, which walks you through a series of guided animate exercises to assistance you at-home down if y'all're too stressed. Fitbit's devices utilise the heart rate sensor to help you follow along during breathing exercises. Fitbit devices don't actually do anything with this information when the exercise is done, unlike Garmin devices. The Fitbit Sense has an EDA sensor, which tracks your body's electrodermal activity, reflecting your stress levels.

A number of Garmin wearables feature all-day stress tracking based on your heart charge per unit variability. This lets you see when you're the most or to the lowest degree stressed throughout the day — a valuable metric for those who find (or don't notice) patterns in their mood. Garmin offers guided animate exercises on a few of its devices, but it doesn't utilize the middle rate monitor to help you follow forth.

However, there's a workout mode chosen breathwork on newer Garmin devices, and these aren't your standard stress-relief breathing exercises, either. Once you select breathwork, yous'll be asked to cull which type of breathwork you'd like to focus on: coherence, relax and focus (long and short versions), or tranquility. From hither, your watch will walk yous through various breathing patterns to help you relax or focus.

Too read: Garmin Index S2 smart scale review: Very skillful, very pricey

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Both ecosystems provide their own versions of menstrual cycle tracking for women. Fitbit'due south version is chosen female health tracking and allows women to runway their periods, fertile windows, ovulation days, and female wellness symptoms. This is all made better by the Fitbit app, which can be used to chat with other women most any issues they may have.

Too read: Everything you need to know virtually Fitbit female wellness tracking

Garmin's feature is called menstrual cycle tracking. It lets users log menstruum start and stop dates, concrete and emotional symptoms, make personal notes, and more. Garmin makes it a point to remind users that this feature is for all types of users, whether their cycle is regular, irregular, or if they're transitioning into menopause. Garmin devices can fifty-fifty track users' pregnancies, besides.

Garmin should exist your option if yous're a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic. An official Dexcom app in Connect IQ allows people with diabetes to track their claret glucose levels, trend management, and three-hour history correct on their compatible smartwatches.

Both companies provide some sort of on-device, guided workouts. Only a few on-screen workouts are bachelor out of the box on the Sense, Versa 3, Versa ii, Versa, and Ionic. Still, more than tin can be added if y'all're a Fitbit Premium subscriber (more on that later).

Garmin's newer watches (Venu/2/2 Plus, Vivoactive 4/4S) back up animated, on-device workouts. Cardio, strength, yoga, and Pilates workouts are available on-device, and more are bachelor to download through Garmin Connect.

Fitbit vs Garmin: Smart features

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authorisation

Fitness products aren't just fitness products anymore — most of them also double as smartwatches. At the very least, they accept a few smartwatch features that make our lives a bit easier.

Both Garmin and Fitbit devices back up smartphone notifications on Android and iOS, just just Android users can reply to and delete letters from their wearables. The Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 even accept a scaled-back version of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa broiled in, which means the watches support vocalism replies and can search things on the internet.

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is the commencement Garmin lookout man to offering voice assistant support. Yet, Since Garmin doesn't accept its ain voice banana, the watch activates your phone's default assistant.

Nearly Garmin and Fitbit watches besides support onboard music storage, but Fitbit has i glaring downside: no offline Spotify support. Garmin supports Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and iHeartRadio, while Fitbit merely supports local music, Pandora, or Deezer.

• Fitbit music services: The full list
• Garmin music services: The full list

A diverseness of apps can as well be downloaded to Garmin and Fitbit devices, including Uber, Strava, and more. Contactless payment support is available on most Garmin and Fitbit devices, too. Read more about Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay at the links.

Related: Fitbit vs Apple Watch: Which ecosystem is best?

Fitbit vs Garmin: Apps

Your determination to choose Fitbit or Garmin will nearly likely depend on which fitness production you desire, merely it's important to go along smartphone apps in listen, too. Afterward all, this is where you lot'll check up on performance stats, daily and weekly action metrics, and more.

The Fitbit app is the most convenient option of the two. One time you open it up, you'll be presented with a home screen that's like shooting fish in a barrel on the eyes and elementary to navigate. Your daily stats are shown at the top, and you can curlicue down to see your contempo exercise and sleep. If y'all want to check out performance or sleep metrics over time, click on the category right from the main screen. In that location you lot'll see all your previous activities. This makes it easy to use for outset-timers, every bit y'all don't need to curl through unlike tabs or menus to find what you want.

The Garmin Connect app has improveda lot over the past few years, but it's notwithstanding a scrap more complicated. The main screen on Garmin Connect will display your daily activity metrics. Clicking on each one gives yous more information likewise equally your history. It's way more information-dense than Fitbit's app, which may be a proficient or bad thing depending on what type of user you are. I like how much info Garmin'due south app displays on each screen, only I've as well been using Garmin devices for years, then I'm used to it by now.

Fitbit's app is i of the best fettle apps around. Garmin's is skillful, but a footling too information-dense for some.

On meridian of the already data-dumbo home screen, Garmin Connect as well has a slide-out menu on the side that lets you run into action, health, and performance stats, as well as custom workouts, insights, and more than. This is basically an overflow card for things that Garmin couldn't fit in the lesser tab.

Garmin's app displays more post-workout data, while Fitbit'south seems like it's geared more than towards beginners or people who want a simple overview of their daily activity. If y'all want all the fitness metrics available, we'd advise going with Garmin. Still, both ecosystems as well have websites that display fifty-fifty more of your activity metrics if you need more than than what'southward provided in either app.

Both apps feature menus at the bottom that allow you to rapidly leap into your challenges, notifications, and more. Garmin Connect features a handy calendar. It lets you spring back to any date y'all'd like to see your activity for that day. Fitbit's app lets y'all look back at your activeness history as well, simply you lot need to scroll back one solar day at a time. It's just easier to jump around in Garmin's app.

Related: The best smartwatch deals we could find

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

Garmin Connect may have a leg up on the agenda, but Fitbit knocks it out of the park with social features. Fitbit's customs tab lets you connect with other Fitbit owners that have similar interests to you. You tin comment on other users' photos, join groups, and more. It'south basically an entire social network inside the Fitbit app, and it's awesome.

Garmin's app lets y'all join groups also, just it's non about equally social as Fitbit's.

Fitbit also wins in terms of third-political party app support. Dozens of third-party smartphone apps work with Fitbit'south app — like MyFitnessPal, MapMyRun, Weight Watchers, and more than — and then all your Fitbit data will automatically sync with your favorite wellness and fitness applications. I've also noticed third-party fitness apps on Fitbit's ecosystem are generally of meliorate quality. Fitbit is all the same relatively new to the smartwatch space, and then there aren't many lookout apps bachelor for Fitbit's smartwatches nevertheless. The number has grown immensely since Fitbit get-go launched its app store, an excellent sign for the ecosystem's future.

Read: The all-time Fitbit apps to the most out of your fitness tracker

A off-white amount of 3rd-party apps are also available on Garmin'southward watches and fitness trackers, which tin be found in the Garmin Connect IQ app (yep, there'south an entirely unlike smartphone app simply for downloading third-party apps).

Third-party watch faces are also available on Garmin and Fitbit devices. There are a ton to choose from, but both ecosystems provide a horrible searching feel. Syncing spotter faces on Fitbit devices is a laggy mess. Garmin isn't out of the woods, either — both ecosystems' devices have a long time to sync.

Premium features

Fitbit has recently switched up its business model. It'due south at present offer a subscription service called Fitbit Premium which runs $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. The service gets you access to guided conditioning programs, avant-garde wellness and fitness insights, advanced sleep tools, and dynamic workouts based on your performance.

Garmin offers a lot of these things for gratis. Garmin Motorbus training plans help you train for a 5K, 10K, or half marathon with the help of three professional runners. These come costless with the purchase of many Garmin watches and actually helped me run my first half marathon!

Fitbit vs Garmin: Which ecosystem is correct for you?

So, which ecosystem is better? Where should you spend your hard-earned cash? Unfortunately, there's no definitive respond to the debate of Fitbit vs Garmin. It all depends on what type of user you lot are and what you need from a fettle device.

Which ecosystem practice y'all prefer: Fitbit or Garmin?

3354 votes

It's hard not to steer more casual users — the folks who desire a better thought of their daily action — towards Fitbit. The app is easier to understand, Fitbit devices are stellar fitness trackers, and for the most part, they're more stylish. But there are plenty of options in Fitbit'southward lineup if you want to go more or less advanced with your fitness tracking. The Sense is there for your high-end GPS smartwatch needs. Meanwhile, the Inspire 2 is there if you want a uncomplicated fitness tracker.

It'due south hard not to steer more casual users towards Fitbit, while people interested in more advanced features will want to check out Garmin's lineup.

That'south not to say Garmin should be counted out for more casual users either. The Vivosmart four is a decent entry-level tracker if you demand a Fitbit alternative. Though, Garmin shines with its GPS watches. Seriously, there's something in Garmin's lineup for all types of advanced users. Plus, Garmin's app gives you lot equally much information — graphs, charts, you lot name it — every bit information technology possibly can after each conditioning. If you want to become all-in on fitness tracking and demand those minute details, we'd suggest Garmin.

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