There are many Fitbits, and finding one that's right for you is easy. But the Charge 2 is the best Fitbit for most people.
Fitbit is an interesting company. Like Apple, it keeps a number of its products on the market after the new ones have been announced. In this case, however, Fitbit still sells some of the very first trackers it introduced more than five years ago. And why not? The idea of counting your steps and quantifying your life is still the foremost value proposition of wearing a Fitbit.
Best overall
Fitbit Charge 2
The Fitbit Charge 2 is the best Fitbit for more people (and the best fitness tracker in general) because it does almost everything well, and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Like all Fitbit products, it tracks steps, sleep and, if you want, workouts, but the Charge 2 does it in style. Not only does it improve upon its predecessor with a relatively high-density OLED display, but because it's not a touchscreen, it will operate properly when wet or sweaty. Its always-on heart rate sensor is accurate, and doesn't eat into the battery, which, in our tests, lasted longer than the the advertised five days.
Bottom line: The Fitbit Charge 2 strikes the right balance of style, performance, accuracy, features, and price, and is the best option for those who don't require smart watch features.
One more thing: It may not be a smartwatch, but the Charge 2 can display incoming call and text notifications from the iPhone.
Why the Fitbit Charge 2 is the best
I've often heard that people love their Fitbits — until they break, or stop working. It's often something to do with the band, or the charger, or both, and with the Charge 2, Fitbit is addressing those two major issues.
The Charge 2 tracks steps, sleep, workouts and food through its excellent iOS app, automatically adding them to the cloud through a sustained Bluetooth connection that, like the heart rate monitor, doesn't seem to negatively affect battery life. But the main improvements in the Charge 2 come from the replaceable straps, which range from sporty rubber to elegant leather and stainless steel, along with the much more robust claw charger — of which I was admittedly skeptical at first.
It also lasts more than the company's advertised five days of battery life, going as long as seven days in my tests. And while it's not totally waterproof, it never balked at my sweaty fingers or wrist after a workout, and a damp cloth cleaned the top and bottom of the core charger with no ill effects. And how 'bout those workouts? The Charge 2 accurately detected walking, running and biking, and let me easily correct it when it couldn't tell my downward dog was a poor attempt at yoga.
For most people, the Charge 2 will be sufficient on its own, but for those who want to dress it up, the leather bands are lovely, and not too expensive.
Best for runners
Fitbit Surge
The Fitbit Surge may not be the best-looking product in the company's lineup, but it has one major advantage none of the others do: a GPS chip. Specifically, the Surge, which has an enormous battery that lasts more than seven days when the GPS isn't engaged (and 10 hours when it is), can be used to track long runs without a phone, uploading accurate location data to the iOS app.
Like the Charge 2, the Surge 2 opts for a non-touch monochrome OLED panel that is navigated through the three buttons on the side. Its heart rate monitor is always on, tracking resting and peak heart rates throughout the day and during workouts, and is super comfortable to wear despite its relatively large size.
At $249.95, the Fitbit Surge goes up against proper training wearables from TomTom, Polar, and Garmin, but has one major advantage: its iOS app, which is far ahead of anything from those companies. And like the Charge 2, the Surge's screen can show text messages and notifications, and control supported music apps straight from the wrist.
Bottom line: A phenomenal fitness wearable for long-distance athletes and marathoners.
One more thing: The Surge has been constantly updated since its release two years ago, and I expect that trend will continue.
Best for beginners
Fitbit Flex 2
The Flex 2 is Fitbit's sequel to its most popular fitness band ever, and it's a huge improvement in almost every way. It still doesn't have a display — five LEDs, now colored, convey the number of steps taken during a day — but it is waterproof, allowing (for the first time) a Fitbit to be used while swimming.
While the Flex 2 is still a tiny module that fits into a small "pouch" in a replaceable band, Fitbit has augmented the standard rubber sports bands with metal bangle and necklace options, giving the wearable an aesthetic diversity it lacked in the previous version. And then there are the standard features: step and exercise tracking; sleep tracking; reminders to move every hour; and automatic synchronization to an excellent iOS, along with ample five-day battery. All it lacks is a heart rate monitor.
At just under $100, the Flex 2 is a great way to get indoctrinated into Fitbit's excellent ecosystem and popular social network, and is comfortable to wear all day. Even better, even though it supports call and text notifications (though without a screen you can't see who it is or what they're saying), it can be worn alongside another smartwatch or analog timepiece. Best of both worlds.
Bottom line: A fantastic entry into the fitness wearable world, and one of the best deals around.
One more thing: Flex 2 is the first Fitbit that's completely waterproof, so you can wear it in the shower or take it swimming.
Best for smartwatch fans
Fitbit Blaze
Not quite a smartwatch, not quite a fitness wearable, the Blaze is Fitbit's attempt at a "smart fitness watch," and it mostly works. It's the only Fitbit with a color capacitive touchscreen, and though you won't be downloading apps and games like you can with the Apple Watch, there's enough functionality built in to satisfy most people.
Like the Charge 2, the Blaze offers replaceable straps in all sorts of materials, from rubber to nylon to leather and stainless steel. Its five-day battery life, which is more than double most smartwatches, is what will get you in the door, but Fitbit's excellent FitStar guides workouts (a company it bought a few years ago) will keep you coming back every day.
Bottom line: A great almost-smartwatch at a price below most real smartwatches.
One more thing: The Blaze's leather and metal replacement straps are of very high quality and are definitely worth a look.
Best overall
Fitbit Charge 2
The Fitbit Charge 2 is the best Fitbit for more people (and the best fitness tracker in general) because it does almost everything well, and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Like all Fitbit products, it tracks steps, sleep and, if you want, workouts, but the Charge 2 does it in style. Not only does it improve upon its predecessor with a relatively high-density OLED display, but because it's not a touchscreen it will operate properly when wet or sweaty. Its always-on heart rate sensor is accurate, and doesn't eat into the battery, which in our tests lasted longer than the the advertised five days.
Bottom line: The Fitbit Charge 2 strikes the right balance of style, performance, accuracy, features, and price, and is the best option for those who don't require smart watch features.
One more thing: It may not be a smartwatch, but the Charge 2 can display incoming call and text notifications from the iPhone.
Reader comments
Best Fitbit
Great post. Good timing as with the new Fitbit announcements of the Charge 2 and Flex 2 I was wondering if I should "upgrade" from my Alta.
I noticed the Alta didn't make the list. When I first got my Alta, I really disliked it - mainly because the clasp on the band was annoying to put on (I also hate the charging attachment for it - trying to plug it in to charge at night when the bedroom lights are off is basically impossible). Eventually the clasp wore in and I also bought a few additional bands for it. Now I actually LOVE the Alta. I'd almost add a "Best for Fashion" section to your picks. I typically wear a nice wrist watch on my left wrist (and more recently an Apple Watch again), so I wear the Alta on my right wrist with the face turned down to the bottom side of my wrist. This makes it look less techy, and just more like a bracelet. I used to be adamant about having the heart rate checking on my Fitbit, but I'm kind of over that now - just want to make sure my steps are tracked morning till night so I can beat my nieces in nephews in the weekly and daily challenges they always invite me too in style! :) :)
Charge 2 needs to be waterproof. It's insane that we are still being sold devices that can't get wet.
$100 for the Flex 2 is still asking too much for what it provides.
Agreed! But it's still the only waterproof one!?!
I have the charge HR in fuschia which I hate btw. It was a gift. But I use it for the gym. I'm not a fan of replacing my regular timepieces so for all other times I just got my Fitbit Zip. I love it and I don't have to charge it. Just replace the battery every once and a blue
I have the original Charge in black and love it. Got it as a holiday gift from my mom last year. It's definitely very motivating to moving around a lot more. Over this year, I've noticed the battery life has decreased by a day, though. At some point, I'll definitely look for a new Fitbit.
Just recently switched from the Blaze to the Apple Watch. The Blaze just could not keep up with my heart rate during workouts and it was driving me crazy. Plus I love how much more the Apple Watch could do and the ability for it to sync with other Bluetooth devices.
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The Nike Apple Watch...ftw
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Battery instability issues and charging is big issues
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Really wish you would have mentioned the Alta as that is the one I was considering as a gift for my wife--perhaps you could update the article to include the Alta?
I had the original flex and LOVE my Alta. Its small enough to wear with all my other brackets and provides me just the right amount of data. Heart rate monitoring would be an added bonus, maybe there will be a updated model that has this feature in the future.
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Recently cracked the screen on my OG Apple Watch. While this bit of misfortune irritates me, I believe it's made me put into perspective what I want out of a fitness tracker/smartwatch. I'll be doing the unthinkable and going back to Fitbit. I'm really hoping the Surge will get updated before the holidays (which is looking increasingly unlikely given this week truly starts the holiday shopping).
I thought the Apple Watch would make things a little more convenient for me in my mobile life, but it's turning out to be more detrimental than anything. I feel like checking your phone is an acceptable social thing we participate in. I cannot count how many times I've checked my watch for notifications and people say something like, "Are we boring you? Do you have some place to be? You constantly check the time." And then I have to be the snoody ******* like.. "Oh no. I'm getting my notifications on my fancy watch" and people just roll their eyes.
I wanted to believe in the Apple Watch and the benefits it would provide me. However, I'm just not seeing the return on investment. My biggest gripe would be me leaving my phone behind all the time. Since I rarely have to interact with my phone, I'll set it down on a counter and forget about it. Then, for some ungodly reason, the watch doesn't beep or let me know the bluetooth connection has been cut when I get in my car to run an errand. It's only when I'm nearly to my destination that I go to look for my phone and low-and-behold it's sitting at home still. Also, in my opinion, the Activity app is just not up to par with competitors and I really hate that the Move ring is not based on steps. I know it's to have an "overall better picture" of your health. Whatever. As someone who prioritizes a healthy lifestyle (i.e. food, hobbies, activities) anyways and works from home and in front of a computer most of the day, I really only care about my steps and Apple makes it difficult for me to quickly check that metric and adjust my schedule throughout the day so I'm not trying to make up 10k steps at 9 pm.
I'm not opposed to going back to the Apple Watch in the future, however, at this point in the game, Fitbit delivers a better experience for what I'm PERSONALLY looking for in this realm of devices. Right now though, I'm looking forward to getting back into health challenges with my partner and friends.
I notice you give the Surge a highly favorable rating. I have to disagree with that based on the experiences that I've had with it. It has a design flaw with the band on it. It has a habit of cracking around the screws that hold it place. I've had mine for just over a year, and the cracks started. I contacted Fitbit for a replacement band. Guess what? They don't offer them. Their only solution for out of warranty Surges is to offer a 25% discount on any item in their store. I thought mine might have been an isolated incident, so I went on to their forum page to discuss it. Turns out this is a very common problem with the Surge. It is happening on a regular basis both to new units as well as older ones. If it is under warranty, they replace it. Some users have had their replaced 2-3 times. FitBit just doesn't seem to care that they have a problem. There are after market bands available, but when they're mentioned by users in the forum, the mods delete them. Very poor customer service, IMHO.
The *only* waterproof Fitbit is the Flex 2 -and *it* does a terrible job at tracking swimming.
I returned mine, and upgraded to the Watch.
On Black Friday I originally got 2 Charge 2 for my fiancé and myself and they were fine especially seeing that we were coming from the Gear Fit 2 but within a week of owning we found ourselves missing some of the functionality we had with the Gear Fit 2 like The capacitive screen and being able to control the music app on our phone from the Watch so we ended up returning and bumping up to the Blaze and have been happy ever since and with the huge eco system for third party bands and accessories we ended up getting a couple of colored frames and bands including the Milanese bands which allows us to pretty much match the device up with our personal style whether be out for a walk together or spending the night out on the town.