Best Fitness Trackers with Heart Rate Monitors 2023

These days, it's more important than ever to keep maintaining an active lifestyle. Thankfully, to help one stay motivated, there are a plethora of fitness trackers out there to choose from. You have options from Apple, Fitbit, and even Garmin, with new models constantly coming out. While many of these fitness trackers are great for helping you track and log workouts, they also have continuous heart rate monitors to help you make sure your heart rate is where it should be. Whether it's the Apple Watch Series 6 or one of the many Fitbits out there, here are the best fitness trackers with heart rate monitoring.
For the Apple fans
The heart rate sensor on the back of the Apple Watch is accurate, fast, and able to scan your heart rate so you can always keep an eye on it. The Series 6 also has the all-new Blood Oxygen app, letting you check the oxygen levels in your blood, and the Workout app is a fantastic way to track all your metrics while you sweat at the gym. Plus, Apple Watch syncs up all that data with your Apple Health account, so you can keep track of your overall fitness level.
Hybrid fitness watch
If you're looking for a little more hybrid smartwatch and a little less fitness tracker, the Nokia Steel HR is a great option. It looks like a traditional analog watch with a round face and comes with a step tracker, workout tracker, heart rate sensor, calorie counter, sleep tracker, and more.
Best for most
The Fitbit Charge 4 is the best Fitbit for most people because it does almost everything well, is comfortable to wear for long periods, and doesn't break the bank. Its always-on heart rate sensor is accurate and doesn't eat into the battery, which lasts around seven-days.
Best for runners
The M430 can monitor the essential metrics that many marathon runners would be keen on, like pace, distance, speed, and cadence. However, that doesn't mean the M430 is a slouch when it comes to other activities. You can take it for a swim thanks to its 30m water resistance, it'll track your sleep for you, and its built-in GPS is good for pretty much any outdoor activity.
Fitbit's best smartwatch
The Fitbit Versa 2 has a sleek design; it's lightweight and looks equally fantastic with a sport or leather band. The touchscreen display is great, you can get at least six days of use in between charges, and you can get guided workouts right on the watch itself. The Special Edition version looks even better with the unique woven fabric band.
Value Apple Watch
The Apple Watch SE is a great entry-level smartwatch for those who want to upgrade from an older model or get their very first Apple Watch. With the Apple Watch SE, you get 24/7 heart rate monitoring, as well as Fall Detection and Emergency SOS, and you can track all of your workouts with the Workouts app. watchOS 7 also lets you track your sleep every night too.
If you're on a budget
Fitness trackers are great, but your options are pretty limited if you don't feel like spending a ton. Thankfully, LETSCOM makes an excellent budget tracker that'll set you back a lot less — it has heart-rate and sleep monitoring, all-day activity tracking, 14 different exercise modes, and shows notifications from your phone. You also get six beautiful colors to choose from, including pink and green.
Fantastic GPS
Want to take your fitness tracking to the next level? Check out the Garmin Vivoactive 3. Not only does it track your steps, calories, miles, and more, but it presents all of the data it collects on a gorgeous color touchscreen display. The Vivoactive 3 can also monitor your stress levels, has up to 7 days of battery life, and supports contactless payments via Garmin Pay.
Fitbit on a budget
If you want a Fitbit but are on a budget, then the Inspire 2 is a great option. It's a simple and sleek-looking fitness tracker with 24/7 heart rate monitoring built-in. You'll be able to track all of your daily activity with it, including steps, calories, workouts, sleep, and more. It can notify you of things happening on your phone as well and has a whopping 10 days of battery life.
Stay fit with the best fitness trackers with heart rate monitoring
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Having one of the best fitness trackers with heart rate monitoring is not only a great way to help motivate you to stay fit, but it helps you keep an eye on your overall health and well-being. All of these trackers that we've mentioned allow you to keep track of your workouts and daily activity, and they continuously monitor your heart rate 24/7 as well.
If you're already an iPhone user, then you can't go wrong with the Apple Watch Series 6 or even the Apple Watch SE. The Series 6 adds blood oxygen monitoring, giving you another insight into how well you're doing overall. The Apple Watch SE is a good budget Apple Watch, and it has workout tracking, heart rate monitoring, Fall Detection, and Emergency SOS, which can literally help save your life. It doesn't have the Always-On Display, ECG, or Blood Oxygen Monitoring, but it's still a great Apple Watch for the price.
For those who prefer a Fitbit, the best one for most people is probably the Fitbit Charge 4. It's relatively affordable, comfortable to wear, and has battery life that lasts around seven days on a single charge. But if you want a more budget-friendly Fitbit, then the Fitbit Inspire 2 is a great one. It's slim, sleek, tracks everything, and has battery life that lasts around 10 days.
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Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way.
Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz.
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