In the last few years, the fitness tracker market has grown exponentially. Now, you can find something for every taste, whether you prefer a discreet ring or a large screen, as well as for every personality, from the health metric-obsessed to the person who simply wants better sleep.

And in 2026, I tried many of the most popular devices on the market, from Apple, Oura, Garmin and more. Some days, I had a forearm-high stack of watches as I compared how they tracked my data for runs, strength training sessions, sleep and more. And I had some clear favorites.

Below, I’m sharing the top trackers that I tried last year, from screen-free options to the best pick for runners.

Best smart watches

Best affordable tracker:

If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that can give you all of the basics (and then some) at a relatively affordable price, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is one of the best devices out there, in my opinion. While it doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles that other gadgets offer, it really does quite a bit. Over the course of about a month of wear, I found the sleep, activity and general health data to be pretty accurate.

I also like that the device feels less bulky than many of the other trackers with screens that I have tried. The screen is 5 millimeters, which is just enough to show you the relevant stats during workouts, read notifications and texts and more without feeling like an eyesore on your wrist. However, that comes with the caveat that those with larger fingers may struggle with the small touchscreen.

To access all of your data, you’ll have to go to the app. It takes some playing around to figure out where to find everything, but once I did, it was easy to stay up to date on all my metrics. While you can access most of the basic data with just the app and watch, you’ll also get a six-month Fitbit Premium membership when you purchase, where you can see even more metrics and access additional workout videos as well.

Best for runners:

The Forerunner 55 tracks your workouts and sleep, with a special emphasis on monitoring runs.

Band size: 20 millimeters | Battery life: Up to two weeks | Water resistant?: Yes, up to 164 feet

What we like

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• Checks “all the boxes”
• “Battery life is amazing”

While I’ve tried a couple of Garmin’s devices and loved them all, for casual runners, the Garmin Forerunner 55 is a great entry point. That’s not to say you can’t use it for other activities. It allows you to log different activities and monitor sleep data, but I’ve found it to be the most helpful for running.

If you’re someone who regularly runs races, whether it be 10Ks or full marathons, you can find your race on the Garmin app and start a countdown and the app will even create a custom training plan for you with workouts that you can send to your device. I love the ability to create custom workouts with different pace and distance goals throughout your run (which is particularly great for anyone working on speed). If you’re running below or above your desired pace, the watch will send you an alert to keep you on track.

It has an impressive battery life of up to two weeks on a single charge, too, so I’ve been able to go on trips and leave the charger behind. In fact, on a 14-day trip, I got home and still had a day’s worth of charge left.

This is also the only device I tried without a touchscreen, which I really liked. That meant that I wasn’t fumbling with the buttons with sweaty hands on hot days or cold, gloved ones in the winter. The buttons are large enough that I could press them to pause or restart my workout, even when the watch was hidden by a jacket sleeve.

Best affordable Apple Watch:

Apple’s latest watch has tons of upgraded features and a longer battery life.

Battery life: Up to 18 hours | Colors: 2 | Memory storage: 64 GB

What we like

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• Easy to set up
• Great functions

The Apple Watch SE is the brand’s most affordable model, and I recommend it for the person who wants to stay connected, track workouts, monitor health and more, but doesn’t mind charging every day. (Though a big benefit of this new model is that it charges much faster than previous versions.)

New features include temperature sensing for more accurate vitals measurements, a daily sleep score to give you a better idea of how well-rested you are for the day, an always-on display and the ability to start workouts on your phone and track them on the watch.

Plus, if you have an iPhone, an Apple Watch is by far the best option out of all the available trackers for staying connected. You can easily respond to texts, check your email, use your Apple Wallet, answer calls and more. It makes functioning without a phone easy if I need to accomplish something without my phone nearby.

Best for iPhone users:

Apple released its Apple Watch 11 earlier this year, and for anyone questioning if they should make the upgrade, the new watch has one major perk: Extended battery life. According to the brand, you can get up to 24 hours of normal use from one charge, and I find that to be pretty accurate. But when you put it on low power mode (which I often do), you can get more than a day of use.

When looking at the other models, I would say the biggest draw of this one is that you get a much better battery life for just a little more money than the SE (considering that it’s on sale right now). Plus, like the other new models Apple released this year, the Series 11 includes the sleep score feature and can be used to spot signs of possible hypertension or high blood pressure.

I’ve also had issues with my Apple Watch screens scratching in the past, so I appreciate that the brand says this one is twice as scratch-resistant as the previous model.

Best for endurance athletes:

This Apple Watch is designed to be durable and easy to use, with a large screen and buttons.

Size: 49 mm | Memory capacity: 64 GB | Colors: 8 | Battery life: Up to 72 hours

What we like

• Easy to use while exercising
• Long battery life

If it weren’t for the high price, I would recommend the Apple Watch Ultra to everyone. But for those who are active and willing to invest, I consider it to be the all-around best option among Apple’s watches.

The Ultra is designed specifically with athletes and adventurers in mind. It has the longest battery life of any of the Apple Watches, with up to 42 hours of battery life (and up to 72 hours on low power mode), so it will last through long races and backpacking trips — or even just a couple of days of going through your normal routine. It’s also designed to be much more durable than other models, as it has a titanium case and a display made from sapphire crystal (which Apple says is one of the strongest naturally occurring metals on Earth). It’s also said to have a better-than-average GPS, so your data won’t be as affected when running in urban areas where there are a lot of tall buildings.

Another thing that I really love about the Ultra is the additional Action button, which is customizable, so you can use it to control your workout, start a new interval or mark a segment. You can pause and end your workout using the buttons as well, so you don’t have to fumble with the touchscreen (which, if you have sweaty hands, you know is a big win).

If you spend a lot of time off the grid — say, trail running or climbing in remote areas — you can use the satellite feature to stay connected and send texts or your location, even if you don’t have WiFi or cell service. It can also be used to get help in case of an emergency.

Best screen-free trackers

Best for the data-obsessed:

This screen-free wearable device offers in-depth insights into your overall health.

Battery life: 14+ days | Colors: 27+ (additional fee for other colors) | Membership fee?: Yes, one year included, then additional fee after

What we like

• Distraction free
• Discreet
• Long battery life

Something to note

• Additional membership fee

If you’re a true wellness obsessive who loves data and seeing how behavior changes affect sleep, workouts and more, this is a great device to consider.

For each activity you do, you get an estimated strain score that tells you how taxing the activity was on your body (the score can range from zero to 21). These all factor into your strain score for the day, which includes everything from workouts to general daily movement, as well as stress and anxiety. After a night’s rest, you’ll also get a recovery score — a percentage between one and 100 — which factors in your activities and stress from the day before, your sleep performance, HRV, heart rate and respiratory rate. Each day, you also get the option to journal, so you can track behaviors, like stretching or taking supplements, and over time, you can track how the habits affect your recovery.

The Whoop provides you with a lot of interesting data, but it also has features to help you understand it better. It uses AI to create a daily outlook, which will give you activity recommendations based on your sleep and activity data. There’s also a Healthspan feature, which takes your data (after 21 consistent nights of wear) and gives you your Whoop Age (a measure of your physiological age, which can be different from your actual age) and Pace of Aging (which is impacted by your daily lifestyle choices and can range from -1x to 3).

The battery life is also pretty hard to beat. The brand shares that you can get up to 14 days, and I’ve found that estimate to be pretty accurate. In fact, I’ve even occasionally gotten more than two weeks of use out of it from one charge. To charge the Whoop, you charge its battery pack separately and then can slide it onto the device while you’re still wearing it to add juice, so you don’t even have to miss a minute of data.

As someone who is super interested in using data to optimize health, I love the Whoop. However, as a runner who spends a lot of time focused on proper pacing during workouts, for those activities, I also typically wear a device with a screen, like my Garmin or Apple Watch, to make sure I’m meeting my goals.

When you purchase using one of the above links, you’ll get a year-long membership. After that, you can choose from one of Whoop’s three membership options: One ($149 per year), Peak ($239 per year) or Life ($359 per year).

The most discreet fitness tracker:

The Oura Ring has become one of the most trendy trackers of the last few years, thanks to its discreet — and I would even say, stylish — design. The ring features sensors along the inner band, which measure things like blood oxygen levels, temperature, respiration, heart rate variability and more.

In my opinion, one of the best things about the Oura ring (outside of its look) is how simply it breaks down the data. Each morning, it takes your data from the night and day before, and gives you three scores: Sleep, Activity and Readiness, all of which fall between zero and 100. Each one provides you with a broader view of how well rested you are for the day and how ready you are to challenge yourself.

If you’re in it for the workout tracking aspect, this is not the best option. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t have a screen (so you can’t actively see your stats while you’re in a workout), it doesn’t always sense lower-intensity workouts, like yoga or Pilates, so you often have to go into the app and add them after. Plus, in addition to the cost of the ring, accessing your data and all the features on the app costs $6 per month.

How we chose

Last year, I tried over a dozen fitness trackers, wearing them each for at least a week straight (most of the time much longer) for workouts, sleep and everyday activities. Throughout the year, I trained for multiple races, including a marathon and two half marathons, so I used many of the trackers for workouts related to my training. When choosing the best trackers, I kept in mind a range of factors, including price, battery life, connectivity and general features.

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Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY. She has over a decade of experience in digital media — with nearly half of that time being focused on the health and wellness space. She has owned multiple fitness trackers from top brands over the years. At Shop TODAY she covers a range of topics, from new tech releases to expert-approved beauty trends. She is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast with a personal passion for health.