Best Fitbit 2020: which fitness tracker or smartwatch is right for you?
Fitbit may be synonymous with tracking activity from the wrist, but trying to decide which Fitbit is the right one for you is a considerable challenge.
With more choice than ever before, you’ll need to weigh up whether you want a fitness tracker or smartwatch, what kind of features you need from one of Fitbit’s wearables and, perhaps most importantly, how much you want to spend.
Luckily, there’s something for pretty much every type of user – even kids. We’ve also spent the best part of the last decade testing and reviewing every Fitbit, so we’re perfectly positioned to pass advice on which to buy.
If you needed any more encouragement, there’s also never been a better time to buy one, with Google recently announcing a deal to buy the company for around $2.1 billion. Should the deal go through, the stability and financial backing of Google should see Fitbit stick around for the long-term.
Until the pair get started on the wearables of the future, though, these are the best Fitbit trackers you can buy in 2020 – reviewed and ranked.
Update: We updated this article in January 2020 to re-order our picks, after the Fitbit Versa 2 was given a substantial update.
Fitbit trackers: Compare all the key features
| Device | Price | GPS | Heart monitor | SpO2 sensor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitbit Charge 3 | $149.95 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fitbit Versa 2 | $199.95 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fitbit Ionic | $249.95 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fitbit Inspire HR | $99.95 | No | Yes | No |
| Fitbit Inspire | $69.95 | No | No | No |
| Fitbit Versa Lite | $159.95 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fitbit Ace 2 | $69.95 | No | Yes | No |
1. Fitbit Charge 3
The best Fitbit fitness tracker
Fitbit Charge 3 features: Heart rate | VO2 Max | ConnectedGPS | SmartTrack | SpO2 sensor | Steps | Sleep tracking | Guided Breathing | Workout modes
The Charge 3 one-ups the Charge 2 in nearly every way, while sticking at the same price, making it by far the best all-round fitness tracker from Fitbit.
There’s an advanced Fitbit PurePulse heart rate monitor, interchangeable bands, a large touchscreen, data tracking and plenty more.
Cardio Fitness Level is one of our favorite features, giving you Fitbit’s version of a VO2 Max score and comparing to other people your age and gender.
There are over 15 exercise modes to help improve your score, too, including running, biking, swimming, weight training and even yoga. There’s a guided breathing exercise to help you calm down, as well.
With the inclusion of the SpO2 sensor, the Charge 3 is also one of the best Fitbit devices for sleep tracking. It has Sleep Stages, Sleep Insights, Sleep Score and Estimated Oxygen Variability – all metrics that far outweigh the rest of the competition.
The Charge 3 isn’t just one of the best Fitbit trackers you can buy, it’s one of the best wearables you can buy.
Price when reviewed: $149.95
Wareable verdict: Fitbit Charge 3 review
2. Fitbit Versa 2
The best Fitbit smartwatch
Fitbit Versa 2 features: Heart rate monitoring | SpO2 sensor | Swim tracking | Sleep tracking | Fitbit Pay | Notifications | App Gallery | Alexa | Music storage | Women’s health tracking | ConnectedGPS
Replacing the company’s best-selling Fitbit Versa is its successor, the Versa 2 – the company’s latest and greatest smartwatch.
One of the best compliments you can pay the Versa 2 is that it doesn’t mess with the winning formula too much, simply adding nifty new features and refining the design.
Alexa is chief among these, where a button press will summon Amazon’s voice assistant for alarm setting, timers, and quick check-ins on your goal progress. There’s no speaker – so all responses will be text-based – but it’s a great way of controlling your smart home and tapping into the smart assistant on-the-go.
As a smartwatch and fitness tracker, the basics are the still same – with heart rate, steps, sleep tracking all done within the Fitbit app. The SpO2 sensor is now live, too, adding insights into Estimated Oxygen Variability, as well as Sleep Score, Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights.
There’s still no built-in GPS, but it will take the connection from a paired smartphone if you’re out exercising. Or, you can leave your phone at home and let the watch use its accelerometer to estimate your distance.
Overall, the Versa 2 is a minor upgrade but adds a bunch of new features at a really competitive price. It’s a good buy if you’re looking to jump into Fitbit’s superb fitness and health tracking.
Price when reviewed: $199.95
Wareable verdict: Fitbit Versa 2 review
3. Fitbit Ionic
The best Fitbit for activity tracking
Fitbit Ionic features: Built-in GPS | Waterproof | Swim tracking | Heart rate | SmartTrack | Sleep tracking | Fitbit Pay | Notification support | Women’s health tracking
The Versa 2 may be Fitbit’s best smartwatch, but the top Fitbit for those who love tracking exercise is the Ionic.
With a sportier design and GPS, this makes it more of an Apple Watch rival, bringing all the usual frivolities in the exercise tracking department. Expect your steps and calories to be counted, alongside the option to make use of the altimeter, accelerometer, compass, GPS and heart rate monitor for more rigorous activity.
Read this: Fitbit Ionic tips and tricks
The company’s SmartTrack tech will automatically recognise a score of different exercises, but runners, cyclists, swimmers and treadmill runners will also have dedicated modes within the watch. And for those looking for a more structured workout, the Coach app is available to provide plans of varying difficulties and durations.
It’s not just activity Fitbit is helping you with, though, as its sleep technology and Fitbit Pay also work in the same way as the Versa 2 and Charge 3.
The design may be a sticking point for some, but this is a sporty smartwatch that represents the best of what the company has to offer. That includes the Fitbit app store, which Versa series owners can also peruse, and an impressive four-day battery life.
Price when reviewed: $249.95
Wareable verdict: Fitbit Ionic review
4. Fitbit Inspire HR
The best cheap Fitbit fitness tracker
Fitbit Inspire series features: Step tracking | Waterproof | Swim tracking | Heart rate (Inspire HR) | Sleep tracking (Inspire HR) | Screen and notifications | SmartTrack | Interchangeable bands
The Fitbit Inspire series replaces the long-standing Alta line, coming in two models: one with a heart monitor and one without.
The slimline, dainty activity bands are perfect for smaller wrists, yet they still manage to boast a relatively big touchscreen display. What’s more, they’re also waterproof, offering some basic swim tracking – making it more versatile that its predecessor, too.
It covers the usual fitness tracking bases, with the Inspire HR unlocking features like Sleep Stages, guided breathing and training with heart rate zones. You also get the goal-based exercise modes from the Charge 3 and SmartTrack tech to automatically recognise when you’re working out.
There’s notification support here, but that’s as far as the smartwatch features go. There’s no third-party app support, either, but you do get a decent handful of watch faces to choose from.
It’s a feature-packed fitness tracker that, crucially, doesn’t come at a great expense. This is now Fitbit’s cheapest tracker range, whether you go for the Fitbit Inspire or the Inspire HR.
Both now sit below the $100 price mark, with the regular Inspire closer to $50 and is the cheapest you can officially buy.
Combined with Fitbit’s great companion app that also unlocks additional features, like women’s health tracking, you’re getting a great overall fitness tracker that won’t break the bank.
Price when reviewed: $99.95
Wareable verdict: Fitbit Inspire HR review | Fitbit Inspire review
5. Fitbit Versa Lite Edition
The best cheap Fitbit smartwatch
Fitbit Versa Lite features: Heart monitor | Waterproof | Swim tracking | Sleep tracking | Notifications | App store | Women’s health tracking | ConnectedGPS
The original Versa was a massive success, so it came as no real surprise when Fitbit capitalized by releasing another variation of the model.
A great pick for those who want the core Versa experience for a little less outlay, the key differences between this and the newer Versa 2 are the boxier design and the strip-back of high-end features.
There’s no on-board storage for music, there’s no Fitbit Pay, there’s no swim lap tracking and there’s no altimeter. Everything else is still here, though, meaning it’s swim-proof, runs Fitbit OS, has workout modes and a heart rate sensor and SpO2 sensor.
It’s a near identical design to the Versa 1, though Fitbit has ditched the two side buttons, making it slightly more in line with the Versa 2.
On the software front, it’s largely the same experience, although you do miss out on Fitbit Coach support to download workouts onto the watch. Updating the watch is done a little differently, too, with Wi-Fi missing in action, doing it in the background when you sync the device to the app.
Sports tracking performance is pretty much identical to the first Versa, too, while battery life will get you through four or five days.
If you can live without those extras and just want that core smartwatch experience, then the Versa Lite definitely fits the bill.
Price when reviewed: $159.95
Wareable verdict: Fitbit Versa Lite Edition review
6. Fitbit Ace 2
The best Fitbit for kids
Fitbit Ace 2 features: Step counting | Swim-proof design | Sleep tracking | Activity | Challenges
The Fitbit Ace 2 is aimed at kids aged six and up, with the latest generation featuring a modular design that utilizes a bumper to keep the display a little more protected as kids run around and play.
The Ace 2 still does the fitness tracking basics. There’s steps and active minutes, and it can also log sleep duration and quality, telling you whether your child was restless, asleep or awake during the night.
There are new watch faces with animations that Fitbit hopes will keep kids motivated, too. And to make it a truly versatile tracker, it’s swim-proof so your kids will be able to hit the pool with it.
On the privacy front, Fitbit says the Ace is 100% applicable to all child privacy laws, and, when you set up the Ace 2 for the first time, it’ll make sure to walk you through its privacy policy.
Even better, your kids will get to grow up with the Ace. They’ll be able to pop out the tracker for the bumper and put it into bands from the new Inspire fitness tracker and even upgrade the UI to something less cartoony.
Price when reviewed: $69.95
Wareable verdict: Fitbit Ace 2 review
This article was first published in December 2015. However, we update it frequently to reflect the newest Fitbit devices, making sure that we’ve tested the latest and greatest devices available to buy.
