The best fitness trackers for monitoring heart rate

Yes, it's possible to work out *too* hard. These watches will keep your heart rate in check.
By Genevieve Scarano  on 
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Overview

Best For Tech Enthusiasts

Withings Steel HR Hybrid Smartwatch

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Best Of Both Worlds

Samsung Galaxy Fit

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Best On-screen Workouts

Fitbit Versa

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UPDATE: Jan. 19, 2024, 12:45 p.m. EST We are in the process of reevaluating the products in this story and will be updating it in the coming weeks with new fitness trackers for 2024. Please note, as of Jan. 18, Apple has removed blood oxygen monitoring features from its watches following a federal court filing from medical tech company Masimo, which accused Apple of stealing the aforementioned technology.

Wellness is a buzzy word lately. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a surge in all things health, wellness, and spirituality. Juice bars are popping up, boutique studios are becoming more accessible, and essential oils are chilling us out. Self-care is becoming more of the norm too, but amidst all this hype, it can be challenging to find the right routine that promotes good exercise, sleep, vitals, and mindset.

Fortunately, there is a potential solution to the wellness madness. If you’re determined to make your #healthgoals happen, fitness trackers with heart rate monitors can be a major help. These wearable devices are game changes for keeping tabs on physical and mental wellbeing. While some feature basic tracking, others come with advanced features like mileage reports and smartphone compatibility.

Finding the right fitness tracker can be challenging with so many options. You might be an avid athlete or more of an occasional gym rat, but regardless of what your activities are, there is a fitness tracker out there for your health needs. Before your drop major bucks on a fitness tracker, there are few things to you might want to consider.

Physical activity: What are your daily workout needs? Consider how a fitness tracker can benefit your exercise regimen. If you engage in activities like pilates, yoga, or walking, opt for a basic fitness tracker for heart rate monitoring and sleep data. On the other hand, if high-intensity workouts, including running and swimming, are more of your thing, choose a fitness tracker that can give you vital reads and remember your mileage.

Design: Wearables are meant to make our lives easier, yet some can be super clunky and uncomfortable. Invest in a fitness tracker that’s not an eyesore and fits nicely on your wrist. You don’t want to cut off your circulation or have it slip off while you’re on the move. Look for models that come in different colors too, so you can have one that goes with your activewear, casual, and work outfits.

Wellness features: A fitness tracker might already monitor heart rate, but what are its other wellness features? Some trackers give you stats on your sleep patterns, daily movement, and distance after workouts. Even though fitness trackers are not meant to cure or prevent any diseases, they can give valuable insights on your physical and mental state.

Smartphone compatibility: Your smartphone is probably one of the most important tech devices, so it might be helpful to find a fitness tracker that connects with it. If that’s the case, you can receive call and text notifications when you’re commuting, exercising, or moving around the house. This is a major plus if you're prone to miss phone calls from coworkers, family members, and friends. Plus, some trackers come with smartphone apps, so you can store all your data in one convenient place.

Power: Most fitness trackers run on batteries or need to be charged regularly. Check to see the power life of a tracker first before buying it. If it doesn’t last long, skip it and opt for another model. You don’t want to have a tracker that can’t keep up with your physical activity needs.

Warranty: Some fitness trackers might come with a guarantee or warranty. See what their policies are on defects in materials or workmanship. If they don’t come with either, consider how often you’ll need to replace or repair them.

Here are our top picks for the best heart rate fitness trackers, and the ones will be watching most closely come Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day, and all those other shopping days — make sure to hit the grey arrow at the top of each box to expand our full write-up on every product below.

Ease-of-use is a major factor in the wearable equation and Fitbit’s Charge 3 Fitness Activity Tracker makes wellness monitoring a breeze.

It’s personal dashboard makes navigation seamless, because you can see an integrated view of your health data. You’ll get up-to-date information on your heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, REM sleep rate, and reminders to move throughout the day. 

While you’re working out, you can select one of 15 exercise modes, including circuit training, biking, running, yoga, and more. If you’re a swimmer, this fitness tracker is waterproof up to 50 meters, so you can track your laps in the pool. 

This fitness tracker conveniently connects to your smartphone too. Access the Fitbit Health and Fitness App to improve sleeping habits and receive workout guidance. Plus, you can receive call and text notifications right on the tracker’s screen. 

Fitbit provides a 45-day guarantee and one-year limited warranty for this fitness tracker. If you’re not happy with your purchase, you can return it and request a refund. The one-year limited warranty is valid for certain cases and you’ll need to contact Fitbit to see if your model is eligible for repairs. 

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Withings' Steel HR Hybrid Smartwatch is a sweet hybrid of style, functionality, and cutting-edge wellness tracking. 

As a smartwatch and fitness tracker in-one, this sleek model tracks your heart rate in workout mode and monitors day and night heart rate for improved stats. It’s around the clock fitness tracking automatically notes your walk, run, and swim distance, plus the number of calories burned in each workout. Plus, you can analyze your sleep patterns with this tracker, which has a Smart Wake-Up feature to help you better your cycle. 

But, that’s not all. Unlike other models, this fitness tracker goes above the typical smartphone compatibility. It’s Alexa-friendly, meaning you can enable the virtual voice assistant to give you fitness stats with a few voice commands. 

The battery life is also important to point out, because you’ll get 25 days (No kidding!) of battery use. That’s way more than similar models on the market. 

This fitness tracker comes with a one-year limited warranty. It does not cover normal wear-and-tear and you’ll have to contact Withings if you need help filing a warranty claim. 

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Sitting somewhere right in between the Fitbit and the Apple Watch, the Samsung Galaxy Fit is at a comfortable price point for the features it offers.

Take it with you on all your activities — walking, running, cycling, and swimming are all part of the deal. What's more is that the Galaxy Fit can sense which workout you're participating in, and track it accordingly (borderline spooky, huh?).

Get real-time information at a glance from the Samsung's AMLOED display, including heart rate monitoring, text messages, calendar updates, and reminders. It'll also keep track of your daily steps, calories burned, water and caffeine intake, and sleep patterns.

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Fitbit Versa in black

Fitbit Versa

Best On-screen Workouts

Some of us need a little extra guidance when it comes to hitting the gym (okay, more than some of us), but we can't all afford a personal trainer to show us just what the hell we're supposed to do. Next best thing? On-screen workouts courtesy of the Fitbit Versa

They'll give you step-by-step instructions on how to make the most out of your fitness routine and get you closer to your goals. This wearable can track your activity, heart rate, and sleeping habits all on a four-day battery life (and you can leave it on while you swim laps in the pool, too). Connect it to your smartphone via Bluetooth for even more detailed tracking stats. 

It's also got all the apps you'll need, including sports, weather, messaging, calendar, and music (more than 300 songs can be stored on the device). There's even a special female-health-centric function that help log periods, record symptoms, and track cycles over time to discover patterns and trends. 

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