The 10 Best Fitness Trackers for Any Activity (And Every Budget)

Tracking your workouts won’t just give you a bird’s eye view of your progress. (But that’s already a win.) Technological advances mean you’ll get the sort of data you need to finetune not only your exercise routines, but also your sleep, mental health, stress levels and more. Today’s fitness trackers provide an all-encompassing snapshot of your health, giving you the tools to upgrade every aspect of your life. 

However, with near-hundreds of models to choose from, settling on the right tracker for your needs can feel like an impossible task. Each one promises next-level tracking, advanced features and in-depth customisation; how can you separate the “okay” from the elite?

Fortunately, one of the big perks of working at Men’s Health is that we get to try pretty much every new piece of kit that hits the market—and that includes smart (read: smartest) watches. Ready to put a number on your fitness goals? We’ve compiled a list of the best fitness trackers that’ll take you further whether you’re an avid runner, relentless gym rat or jack of all trades.

READ MORE: The Top 10 Fitness Watches That Can Help Enhance Your Workouts

What We Look For

With plenty of hands-on experience with the latest and greatest, we know exactly what goes into making a great smartwatch. Here are a few criteria we make sure to check off during all of our tests.

Tracking

The name of the game when it comes to fitness trackers is, well, accurate tracking. That applies to counting steps, calculating heart rates and measuring the quality of your sleep. After all, these wrist-bound workouts need to churn out accurate numbers, so this is one of the most important criteria in the MH Lab.

Battery Life

A fitness tracker that gives up long before you’re ready to call it quits on your marathon-esque run isn’t all that useful. As such, we award bonus points to watches that have the juice to take you from workout to the next with minimal time spent dangling from a USB cord. 

Comfort

The perfect fitness tracker should live on your wrist. Yep, you basically shouldn’t notice it’s there unless you’re notching another sweat session or receiving a compliment on your “awesome”  new fitness tracker. How does it feel during your 9-to-5? How’s it hold up during workouts? These are just some of the questions we seek to answer when we’re rocking a new wear.

Ease of Use

If you have to navigate through 13 different screens while contorting your fingers to simultaneously hold down three different buttons, you’ll quickly get frustrated with even the most accurate tracker. Plus, you’ll also want a crystal-clear display and an easy setup. We look at it all.

The Best Fitness Trackers in 2024

These topped our lists when it came to almost every activity and based on the criteria above. We’ve made sure to include premium options—if you have the cash to splash—or budget buys if you’re looking to get on track without breaking the bank:

1. Garmin Venu Sq 2

When it comes to precision-accurate tracking, few come close to matching Garmin’s plethora of offerings. The Venu Sq 2 stands out thanks to its low-profile design which houses a veritable armoury of features.

The intuitive touchscreen makes lightwork of navigating your data, and there’s plenty to browse. From sleep score and insights to your typical cardio-centric measurements, you’ll get face-to-face with the numbers behind your physical performance and overall health.

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The Venu also boasts up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. So, sure, you won’t get the same mileage if you’re logging regular runs, but that still means you’ll have less “charging angst” than most other trackers at this price point.

We dig the bright, sharp AMOLED display, which is easy to see in all lighting conditions. And with a water rating of 5 ATM, this one is safe is keep strapped even for swims. 

2. Coros PACE 3

There’s a new tracker turning heads on the tarmac, and after spending some time with the third iteration of the PACE we can see why. It’s hyper-accurate (both distance and HR), easy to navigate and the battery life is legendary (up to 24 days in smartwatch mode). Bonus: it charges up in just 1.5 hours.

Looking for a cardio-bound hero? The PACE checks all the boxes. It weighs practically nothing, and the streamlined, low-profile design means you’ll end
up rocking this outside of your daily laps. 

While the software suffers from limited features, the low price point and precise tracking make this a sound investment.

3. Polar Grit X Pro

For a tracker designed for rural (read: wilder) ambitions, the Grit X Pro lets you forge ahead with confidence. But this rugged smartwatch isn’t all rough and tumble; it sports a clean, luxe look that bucks the trend started by its bulky, trail-focused counterparts. 

Under the hood, you’ll find a host of reliable navigation features, and it’ll do an admirable job of keeping tabs on your distance, sleep and heart rate.

While the Grit X Pro isn’t without its issues—we found the touchscreen could sometimes be slow to respond—it packs everything you could want from a smartwatch into one eye-pleasing package.

4. Garmin Enduro 2 

A smartwatch that requires constant TLC is more of a hassle than an actual workout wingman. However, many modern fitness trackers prioritize high fidelity screens and luxury features over what really matters: an everlasting battery that’ll ensure your watch is always ready when you’re raring to run.

Enter: the Enduro 2. Garmin’s latest smartwatch promises unparalleled battery life—squeezing out 46 days of online time in smartwatch mode (provided you’re making the most of its solar harvesting tech). 

READ MORE: The 12 Best Wireless Earbuds for Working Out

However, you might think that this hardworking engine comes at the cost of other features. After all, the Achilles’ heel of many similar wearables is their obsession with squeezing out maximum performance (or pretty pixels) with little regard for how the battery might be feeling. The result? Your watch spends more time on life support than on your wrist.

Fortunately, the Enduro 2 has everything you need to measure your workouts (and then some). There’s the usual slew of health metrics—HR, steps, route tracking, you name it—plus countless others. You’ll even have helpful tracking data if you ever find a ski slope in SA or abroad.

5. Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro

Sporting a sapphire crystal display planted in a tough-as-nails titanium casing, this elite smartwatch is more rugged than most. Samsung has also managed to pack in a host of advanced GPS features like route planning, plus a respectable 72-hour battery life. Bottom line: it’s the ideal wingman for your outdoor efforts. Prefer the gym? A few taps will give you access to 90 different workout modes.

There’s not a lot to complain about here. The watch is feature-rich and will help you sweat, rest and recover better thanks to personalised sleep coaching, a sensor that measures blood oxygen levels and a full blood pressure management toolkit.

6. HUAWEI WATCH FIT 3

A seriously smart tracker doesn’t need to break the bank. The WATCH FIT 3 is proof that you can have access to all the features of its pricier counterparts while also nabbing bonus style points at a way more reasonable buy-in.

Its ultraslim design will sit comfortably on any wrist without snagging on sleeves, and a no-stone-left-turned collection of health management tools will make it easy to get your fitness on track. We like the comprehensive calorie tracking that’ll let you tap in macros while you feast backed by an in-depth nutritional analysis that’ll feed you suggestions for your feasts.

Not sure what workout to tackle next? Just want to shake up your routine? This smartwatch has you covered. The interface will recommend new activities based on your calorie consumption, workout habits and even the weather. Neat.

7. Apple Watch Series 9

Apple Watches come at a premium, and their battery life struggles to rival most of the smartwatches on this list, but there’s a reason you still see so many of the world’s gym elite flexing the latest Mac-derived timekeeper on their wrists. Bottom line: they’re a serious joy to use.

READ MORE: Sweat-Proof & Workout-Ready: The 9 Best Earbuds for Running in 2024

From fluid menus to easy synchronization with your other Apple products, the Apple Watch will gel seamlessly with your lifestyle. Their latest iteration packs in new running and hiking features, sports a collection of fresh watch faces and boasts their brightest screen yet. And that list of features is only scratching the surface.

If you’re a fan of Apple’s products, you won’t have any buyer’s remorse with the Series 9. 

8. Garmin Vivomove Trend

Merging smartwatch functionality with an analogue face, this is not your traditional GPS wearable. With the flick of your wrist, you can view all your stats and notifications, including all-important metrics like blood oxygen, heart rate, stress levels and sleep. On the Garmin Connect app, you’ll find tons of others, too. 

Our verdict? If you want something stylish that’ll take you from the office to the gym and back again, you can’t go wrong with this trendy timekeeper. The touchscreen can sometimes be difficult to navigate with sweaty hands, but this definitely isn’t a deal breaker. It’s also one of the most accurate watches we’ve tested when it comes to tracking distance. Bonus: it supports wireless charging so you can finally cut the cord on your charge times.

9. Fitbit Inspire 3

The OG of fitness tracking is still alive and kicking, albeit with a subtle facelift and a host of new features. Our favourite of their latest stable is the Inspire 3 which sports a minimalist exterior with a powerful engine.

What you get?  All-day activity tracking, 24/7 heart rate, 20+ exercise modes, move reminders, sleep tracking, stress management and tons more. It’s also incredibly comfortable thanks to its lightweight design (it clocks in at just under 19g) and the snug strap that won’t budge and chafe.

While the colour display won’t give you access to the advanced touch controls that are pretty much standard when it comes to the modern era of trackers, the stripped down, no-nonsense aesthetic does feel like a breath of fresh air. The screen gives you the time and access to the important metrics, giving you more headspace to focus on what matters most: moving. And thanks to those built-in movement reminders, you’ll be on your feet a whole lot more once you’ve got this strapped to your wrist.

10. Casio G-Shock Move

The G-Shock is a streetwear legend, but that doesn’t mean it can’t take on new dimensions. The proof: the new “Move” variety of this classic urban crawler that retains the watch’s iconic profile while packing in a host of smart features.

It’s a multi-sport watch that lets you track all sorts of workouts, measuring your heartrate, analysing your sweat sessions and keeping tabs on your blood-oxygen levels. The bezel and band are also engineered from an eco-friendly, bio-based resin, so you can do double-duty as a workout warrior and green gladiator.

We like the easy-to-read screen which stays true to the displays that helped cement the G-Shock’s legendary status while giving you quick access to all the important metrics. It’s also water resistant up to 200m. Is this your sign to take the plunge? At close to R20k you’ll have to be certain before you do.