The best fitness tracker devices to keep on top of your health, from Oura Ring to Apple Watch

Best holistic fitness watch

As someone who’s not super into thinking about my wellness solely through the les of fitness (read: I like to have a life) the Huawei Watch 5 Pro is the most holistic fitness device I’ve tried thus far.

I wax lyrical about its many features in my full review here, but the TL;DR is that it not only tracks your workouts, but encourages you to take a well-rounded approach to your wellness.

The Huawei Health app, which you get for three months free when you get your device, boasts an impressive range of features, including personalised workout regimes and nutritional analyses.

You can use the watch just like an Apple or other smart watch – to make calls or pay for the tube, etc – but what’s special about this one is that you can completely customise the watch face.

I’m a fussy gal about accessories, and I love that there are hundreds of free designs to choose from so you can match its appearance to your outfit.

Swiping on the watch face home also unlocks an adorable ‘panda’ screen, which reminds you to do ‘mini workouts’ and take a break from your screen throughout the day – something we can all use, let’s be honest.

But it can also get hyper specific about your workouts, tracking everything from dives up to 40 metres, the strength of your forehand and backhand shots, auto-detecting when you pause on a cycle, and data from over 100 kinds of sports.

Rating: 4.7/5

+ Customisable

+ Syncs to third party apps

+ Doesn’t pester you

+ Tracks every kind of workout you can think of – seriously, it gets as esoteric as bobsleighing

- The watch face could do with being a tad less chunky

- There are a loooot of features to get to grips with (not that that’s an awful thing).

Specs:Colours available: Orange, white, black

Tracks: Stress, activity, heart rate, blood oxygen, emotion, sleep

In the box: Watch, charging cradle (including the charging cable), quick start guide, safety information, warranty card

Battery length: Up to 10 days

Dimensions: 4.5 × 4.08 × 0.95 cm

Wrist size: 13-21cm

Weight: 30.4 g without the strap

Waterproof: IP6X, can withstand up to 40m diving

Best everyday fitness tracker

If tracking your fitness is only part of what you want for a device, you might want to go for an Apple Watch. 

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but the Apple Watch can be used as a supplement for your phone – so for paying for the tube, making calls, looking at your calendar, and even playing games while you’re out and about. 

But on top of its usual functionality, you can use it to track your step count, heart rate, stress, heart rate, and sleep. Despite having tested a range of fitness trackers, our head of content Dayna says she relies on her Apple Watch for the daily use.

It also comes with your choice of a rubber, textile, and stainless steel straps, so it looks less like a tracker and more like a statement piece (apart from the fact everyone and their mum knows what an Apple Watch is these days). 

+ Most versatile fitness tracker around – there’s not much you can’t use it for

+ Uses fall and emergency detection to keep you safe

+ Can customise your notifications so you stay focused

+ Display is 2x more scratch resistant than previous generation

+ Charge can last overnight, but...

- Battery only lasts 24 hours on regular mode but you can charge it for up to 8 hours of use in 15 minutes

Rating: 4.8/5

Specs:Colours available: Rose gold, silver, space grey, jet black, slate, gold, natural

Tracks: Heart rate, activity, heart rate and rhythm, sleep, menstrual cycle, workouts, moods, blood oxygen, mobility and fall detection

In the box: Watch, strap, charging cable, quick start guide, safety information, quick-start guide

Battery length: Up to 38 hours in low power mode

Dimensions: 42 or 46mm case

Wrist size: S/M or M/L. Depends on strap and casing, you’ll need to measure your wrist to compare against the combinations available

Weight: 29.7g - 34.6g

Waterproof: IPX6, resistant up to 50m

Most loved fitness ring

There’s a reason Oura has become the go-to fitness ring: its simple interface makes staying on top of your health easy. Unlike other fitness devices, Oura’s latest model is slim and lightweight, so you’ll barely notice it throughout the day. 

If a metallic finish isn’t your thing, the fourth generation also comes in a selection of coloured ceramic finishes, if you don’t want to scream to the whole world that you’re obsessed with yourself – sorry, that came out wrong. That you’re obsessed with your health.

Although you have to pay £5.99 a month for the in-app subscription, it’s totally worth it because you’ll get access to 50 different health metrics, including in-depth sleep analysis, stress monitoring, and cycle tracking. 

But even though it has the ability to go super in-depth, the app also doesn’t over-complicate things, according to our tester, and it makes singling in on what’s important for you simple.

Our tester also notes that if you can get obsessive with checking your metrics, the Oura ring is a great option because you’ll only need to open the app once or twice a day.

Rating: 4.7/5

+ Super minimal and doesn’t get in the way, unlike watches and previous Oura rings

+ More accurate and detailed metrics than other devices, as it tracks 24/7

+ App offers tailored plans for improving your health without being pushy or overwhelming

+ Comes in a big range of colours and finishes

+ Better battery life than the previous generations

- Battery life isn’t as good as watches, but still great at over a week

Specs:Colours available: Silver, black, stealth, brushed silver, gold, deep rose

Tracks: Recovery, heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen levels, HRV, skin temperature, menstrual cycle, workouts

In the box: Ring, charging port, charging cable

Battery length: Six to nine days

Dimensions: 6.09 x 2.28mm

Weight: From 2g

Waterproof: IP6X, up to 100m/328 ft

Most affordable fitness ring

Okay, so obviously £200+ is still a lot of money to spend on a fitness tracker, but this is the most affordable of the rings I’ve seen so far.

Not least because Gabit doesn’t require a subscription to use the app. All you have to do is sync it with your phone, and you’re good to go. The app itself tracks your sleep, stress, heart rate, and workouts and it even has an option to log your meals and monitor your nutrition.

While the ring is lightweight and the battery lasts for seven days, it’s noticeably quite chunky. That means that it’s also quite difficult to do any exercises that rely on your hands – like push ups, weight lifting, and burpees – as it gets in the way.

If you’re not as bothered by appearance or feel on your hands, though, it might be worth saving that £100.

Rating: 4.2/5

+ No subscription

+ Cheaper than other smart rings

+ Tracks nutrition

+ Has an in-app AI assistant to give you health and fitness advice

+ Battery lasts for seven days

- Not as attractive as other fitness tracking rings

- Flashing green light is quite irritating

- Only comes in three colour ways

Colours available: Graphite black, matte black, matte silver, gold, rose gold

Tracks: Sleep, stress, HRV, fitness, nutrition, skin temperature

In the box: Ring, charging case, charging cable, instruction manual

Battery length: Six to nine days

Dimensions: 22 x 22 x 8 mm

Weight: 2.8g

Waterproof: Resistant

Most customisable fitness tracker

There’s no reason you can’t have the best of both fitness tracker worlds. If you’re keen on the idea of a screenless interface – it is the year of analogue, after all – but simply can’t stand the sensation or appearance of wearing a ring, the WHOOP could be the perfect in between for you.

Worn around the wrist, ankle, or even on your bra strap, this tracker can’t quite claim to be a watch due to its lack of a face, but it does connect with your phone for detailed biometrics. After designing your very own ‘watch’ with your choice of strap and metal finishings, you’ll choose from three subscriptions, depending on the level of analytics you’re after.

The more expensive of the three subscriptions includes details like an ECG heart screener, irregular heart rhythm notifications, and blood pressure insights, as well the usual cycle, stress, sleep and workout tracking.

Like the Gabit and Oura ring, it’ll also give you a glimpse into your biological age, and give you tips into how to improve your habits to optimise it. But the tracking offerings aren’t the most advanced, and considering the price of a membership, it’s not the best value for money of all the trackers out there.

+ Comes with a lifetime warranty

+ You won’t have the urge to check it or play games on it all the time

+ Has one use and one use only

- Quite expensive if you want the most advanced membership

- Can get a little sweaty under the band during a workout

Rating: 4/5

Colours available: Too many to list – and a ton of different strap materials, and even bras

Tracks: Strain, stress, recovery, sleep, heart rate, HRV, blood oxygen, skin temperature, menstrual cycle

In the box: Sensor, band, charging cable

Battery length: 14 days

Dimensions: 34.7 × 24 × 10.6mm

Weight: Around 26.5g

Waterproof: IP68 rating, up to 32 feet

Best Google-powered fitness tracker

Google groupies, listen up. If you’re all about your devices being Google-compatible (not that the others on this list aren’t) you might want to go with Fitbit, which is owned by the tech giant itself.

When you buy the Fitbit, you’ll get three months of Google Health for free, which uses Gemini to create personalised coaching based on your analytics. 

Whether you’re travelling, recovering from an injury, or didn’t sleep well, the coach will adapt its recommendations to whatever you’re going through.

While you can pay for a premium subscription, testers note that it’s not worth it. In fact, a lot of buyers have commented that the app is too clunky in general, with a lot more text than is needed, and not enough graphs. Visual learners, look away.

+ Very lightweight and not bulky to sleep with

+ Comfortable to wear

+ Can charge one day of battery in five minutes

- The memory isn’t great, as it only stores one day of workout data at a time

Rating: 4/5

Colours available: Obsidian, lavender, berry, fog

Tracks: Activity, heart rate, sleep, workouts, blood oxygen, nutrition and water intake

In the box: Sensor, band, charging cable

Battery length: 7 days

Dimensions: 18.2mm thick, adjustable strap from 130-210mm

Weight: 12g with band

Waterproof: IP68 rating, up to 50 feet