Fitbit Versa vs. Versa Lite: Which should you buy?

Fitbit Versa lineup
Fitbit Versa lineup (Image credit: iMore)

It comes down to bonus features versus price and color choices. If the added features are more meaningful to you, go for the Fitbit Versa. If a lower price point and more color options are more appealing, then the Fitbit Versa Lite is the way to go.

Features or price and colors?

The Fitbit Versa and the Fitbit Versa Lite are certainly more alike than different. Both of them will track how many steps you take and how many calories you burn. Both track your heart rate around the clock, allowing you to see your heart rate zones, resting heart rate trends, and more. Both are water-resistant up to 50 meters, making them swimproof and shower-proof. Both have over 15 different exercise modes, allowing you to record your workouts and get real-time stats. Both devices will connect to your smartphone's GPS so you can see stats on your wrist for runs and bike rides.

Since the battery on both can last over four days, you'll only need to charge the Versa or Versa Lite a couple of times per week. Because you're not charging it every night, you can wear it while you sleep. Both devices will track your sleep, both the duration and the time spent in light, deep, and REM sleep. Both offer female health-tracking, allowing you to log your periods and gauge ovulation.

Both the Versa and the Versa Lite let you get call, text, and smartphone app notifications. If you have an Android phone, you can send quick replies on both devices. Both Fitbits offer hundreds of apps you can use for workouts, sports, weather, and more. You also have a variety of watch faces from which to choose.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 Fitbit VersaFitbit Versa Lite
Steps and caloriesYesYes
Sleep trackingYesYes
24/7 heart rateYesYes
4+ day battery lifeYesYes
SwimproofYesYes
NotificationsYesYes
15+ exercise modesYesYes
Real-time pace and distanceYesYes
Female health trackingYesYes
Apps and clock facesYesYes
Floors climbedYesNo
Swim lap trackingYesNo
Store and play musicYesNo
On-screen workoutsYesNo
Color optionsTwoFive

So what makes them different, exactly? The Fitbit Versa has some extra features that most people will find quite useful. The Versa tracks your elevation — whether you're climbing stairs or mountains. The Versa will also track your number of laps, duration, and calories when you swim laps in a pool.

Best of all, the Versa can store and play over 300 songs. You can also download your favorite stations from Pandora and playlists from Deezer. You can download personalized on-screen workouts onto the Versa, which will coach you through each move and even adapt to you based on your feedback.

While the less-expensive Versa Lite doesn't offer these extra features, it still has plenty of features to offer. Plus, it comes in more colors. The Fitbit Versa comes in only two color options: Black Aluminum/Black band and Rose Gold Aluminum/Peach band. The Versa Lite comes in five colorways: Silver Aluminum/White band, Silver Aluminum/Lilac band, Marina Blue Aluminum/Marina Blue band, Mulberry Aluminum/Mulberry band, and Silver Aluminum/Charcoal band. You can indeed buy additional bands for different looks, but you can't change the color of the aluminum.

Overall we still recommend getting the main Versa because of all those extra features. However, if you want to save some money, you'll still get a solid device with the Versa Lite.

Keep in mind that the Versa has been discontinued by Fitbit, though it is still a perfectly good device and is available on Amazon. If you want the latest and greatest Versa, you'll want to check out the Fitbit Versa 2.

Karen S Freeman
Contributor

Karen is a contributor to iMore.com as a writer and co-host of the iMore Show. She’s been writing about Apple since 2010 with a year-long break to work at an Apple Store as a product specialist. She's also a contributor at TechRadar and Tom's Guide. Before joining iMore in 2018, Karen wrote for Macworld, CNET, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. She’s an early adopter who used to wait in long lines on release days before pre-ordering made things much easier. Karen is also a part-time teacher and occasional movie extra. She loves to spend time with her family, travel the world, and is always looking for portable tech and accessories so she can work from anywhere.