Whether you’re looking to make a lifestyle change ahead of the new year or buy a gift for a workout-loving loved one, one of the best fitness trackers can help you out. Blending smartwatch features with advanced sensors for exercise, sleep, and stress management, these compact devices come packed with a wealth of technology.
As woman&home’s digital health editor, I’ve had my hands on close to 100 fitness trackers and smartwatches over the last five years. From the best Garmin watches and Fitbits to newcomers from Oura, Coros, and Huawei, I’ve tried them all.
Grace Walsh
I’m woman&home‘s digital health editor, a marathon runner, a cyclist, and a regular gym goer. I’m also a qualified fitness instructor and finishing up my Level 3 Personal Training qualification this year, so I know a thing or two about optimising an exercise routine.
In the latest update (18/11/2025) to this guide, I added details for the new Garmin Venu 4 and Coros Pace 4 as a replacements to the Pace 3 and Venu 3.
Table of Contents
The quick list
The Garmin Venu 4 is the latest of the Venu range, ticking all the boxes. It’s perfect for those who work out regularly and have the budget to spend, with multi-band GPS, over 80 workout modes, advanced sleep and stress tracking, and a premium design that doesn’t look out of place in the gym or at brunch. What’s not to love?
The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is a permanent favourite in my collection, with its 80 pre-loaded workout modes, accurate GPS tracking, sleep and stress insights, and limited smartwatch features. For those looking to get over their first 5km finish line, make progress in the gym, or simply do more steps every day, it’s an excellent option. This one is also in the Garmin sale.
The Fitbit Charge 6 is the newest Fitbit and arguably the brand’s best fitness tracker for women. It sits neatly on the wrist, connects to your favourite workout machines via Bluetooth for more accurate data insights, and is easy to use for both fitness tracking and daily life, with timers, alarms, and call and text push notifications on the screen.
I love the new Google Pixel Watch 4. Its futuristic outside perfectly matches the inside, with features miles ahead of other fitness trackers – especially in the smartwatch department. You’ll find seamless workout, sleep, and stress data alongside in-built Gemini AI functions and the complete suite of Google connectivity.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the only tracker I’d recommend under £100. It covers the basics with over 20 workout modes, sleep and stress sensors, and minimal smartwatch features like text notifications. It’s small but mighty, and the perfect starting watch for anyone looking to do more steps or hold themselves accountable in a routine.
Sleep insights are here in the Apple Watch Series 11! This premium tracker now offers a sleep score, helping you tune into your nightly routine and optimise your daily recovery. This comes alongside the full range of fitness insights and stress monitoring, as well as the most advanced smartwatch features around.
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The new Coros Pace 4 is an all-singing, all-dancing watch for runners, helping you keep an eye on your Training Load, Running Fitness, and Training Status to hit your next personal best, whether that’s in the marathon or 5km. The AMOLED screen is a new addition to this model.
HUAWEI
Watch Gt 5 41mm Smartwatch
The sleek and discreet appearance of the Huawei GT 5 will be the winning feature if you’re looking for a fitness tracker that can fly under the radar – but it’s not all about looks. With expert insights into your workout habits, 100 workout modes to scroll through, this watch excels in fitness and wellness tracking.
Oura
Ring 4 Fitness Tracker
The Oura Ring 4 is a game-changer when it comes to monitoring your sleep, stress, and activity habits. Working away under your finger, the multiple sensors track sleep stages, heart rate variability, body temperature, and so much more. It’s now also available with even better health insights in the app and a new ceramic case material.
The best fitness trackers for women, tested by the health team
The best fitness tracker overall
(Image credit: Grace Walsh / Future)
If you have the budget to spend, I can’t recommend the Garmin Venu 4 highly enough. You’ll get over 80 workout modes with insights dependent on activity, fitness insights to track your progress, sleep metrics (including Sleep Need, which takes your activity and recovery into account to reveal the sleep you should get on any given night), stress scores, and some smartwatch functions (like an LED torch, call and text notifications, and third-party app downloads).
I’ve tested most Garmin watches out there, and after spending two months with this watch, it’s official – this is my favourite of the bunch. It pairs expert insights with a friendly design that looks discreetly premium but stands up to daily wear. There are several colours available, including neutrals and a fun purple, and it’s available in two sizes, so you can find the perfect fit for you.
When it comes to keeping an eye on your overall health, the Garmin Venu 4 has a new Health Status feature, which compares your daily metrics against your baseline. For example, if your skin temperature and heart rate volume (HRV) drop, the watch may flag that you could be getting ill. It also has Lifestyle Logging, a feature that allows you to see how your daily habits (like drinking alcohol or exercising late at night) impact your overall wellbeing. Two impressive upgrades that I believe bring the watch in line with many advanced health monitors, like the Oura Ring 4 (also included in this guide), which sit at a fractionally higher price point.
While these are great to have, the key difference between the Garmin Venu 3s, the previous model, and the 4 is in the details. Namely, the brighter display and dual-frequency GPS. These are two features you may not necessarily notice, but that make a big difference. Dual-frequency is a non-negotiable for me, as it helps keep distance, pace, and other geographical data more accurate in areas of the city that are highly built up or in dense woodland. It’s a must for commuters and trail runners alike.
Read my full Garmin Venu 4 review
The best fitness tracker for beginners
(Image credit: Grace Walsh/Future)
I wore the Garmin Vivoactive 6 for three weeks straight, and it’s quickly become the fitness tracker I recommend to my friends and family. Sitting at under £300, this watch is an impressive tool for monitoring your workout metrics, sleep, and stress scores and making positive changes in the months to come.
If you’re a runner (or you want to be) then this watch is a real winner. Going head-to-head with the Garmin Forerunner 165 (a specialist running watch), the Vivoactive 6 has advanced insights like PacePro (which predicts your finish time based on your fitness levels), and dynamics that help improve your form (like stride length and ground contact time), alongside workout-specific metrics for 80 other activities.
I loved the on-wrist workout animations in the Garmin Vivoactive 6, too. With certain sport profiles (I used it for Pilates), you can get a step-by-step guide to your session, cancelling out the need for pricey workout app subscriptions.
The Vivoactive 6 covers all the need-to-knows for sleep tracking, as well as a couple of extras. For example, it monitors naps to provide a more accurate overview of how you recover from the day’s stresses and your workouts. It was also one of the first Garmin watches to come with a Smart Wake alarm, which uses data from your Sleep Coach to pre-schedule an optimum wake-up time every day, helping you get the sleep you need.
The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is my favourite for beginners in particular, those looking to boost their fitness in the coming year, as it has genuinely useful insights and data, while being more budget-friendly than the Venu 4. However, it’s still worth weighing up the Garmin Venu vs Vivoactive before you buy either one.
For more, read my full Garmin Vívoactive 6 review.
The best fitness tracker from Fitbit
(Image credit: Ciara McGinley / Grace Walsh)
The Fitbit Charge 6 is the newest Fitbit and the best Fitbit out of all the models. You can trust me on that, as I’ve tried every single one. With 60% more accurate heart rate monitoring than the Fitbit Charge 5 (by the brand’s own admission), it’s a remarkable upgrade, and for those who want a one-and-done tracker that covers everything with ease – from recording workouts, step count, sleep and stress habits to lifestyle assistance with voice dictation and even in-built GPS with turn-by-turn navigation – it’s a great choice.
All those features make it sound like an advanced tracker, but that’s far from the case. The Fitbit Charge 6 is easy to use, with all the essential information on the home screen, including your heart rate and your pick of other features – anything from distance covered that day (runners, you’ll be pleased to hear that) to calorie burn. Any other feature, including workout modes, is available in a few swipes. So whether your goal is to do more steps or you want to train for your first 10km, you’re covered. Of course, gym workouts, Pilates, yoga, and more are covered in the 40+ workout modes. And just like any other Fitbit, all the key insights are available in the app.
The small screen is the only downside to the Charge 6, so it’s worth weighing up the Fitbit Charge 6 vs Versa 4 if this is a concern for you as this one has a larger, square screen. I found it hard to view my statistics on the move with this device, especially when walking or running. However, the smaller design means it sits discreetly on your wrist, so sometimes it’s not even obvious you’re wearing a fitness tracker. Plus, it sits among the more affordable trackers on the list at just under £140.
For more, read my full Fitbit Charge 6 review
The best sleep tracker
(Image credit: Grace Walsh)
In the ever-growing world of smart rings, Oura remains a standout. I put on my Oura Ring two months ago, and I haven’t taken it off since – the insights into my sleep and stress data are unmatched. For advanced sleep and stress insights, it’s truly the best on my list.
The various sensors track sleep stages, heart rate variability, body temperature, and more to deliver a Sleep Score every morning. I discovered that I struggle with sleep latency via my insights, meaning I’m not very good at getting to sleep quickly when I get into bed. I’ve used this to improve my sleep hygiene over the last few weeks and noticed a big change in how I feel in the morning. More than just a fitness tracker, the Oura Ring 4 helps make visible, tangible improvements to your life and routines.
Alongside sleep data, the ring tracks basic activities like workouts (distance, pace, heart rate zones, and GPS route) and your step count. It’s very accurate overall, but not as detailed as the watches on this list offer, so I’d weigh up Garmin vs Oura Ring or Oura Ring vs Apple Watch before making a final decision.
The only downside to the Oura Ring 4 is the subscription fee. If you don’t pay it, you’ll get limited insights that don’t make the ring worth the £300+ cost, but at £5.99 a month, I wouldn’t say it’s a dealbreaker.
For more, read my full Oura Ring 4 review.
The best fitness tracker for Android users
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If I weren’t 10 years deep in the Apple ecosystem, I’d be switching to an Android phone just to use this fitness tracker. The Google Pixel Watch 4 is the new and improved version of the Pixel Watch 3, it has the best of high-end technology with Fitbit’s reliability and ease of use, wrapped up in Google’s premium futuristic design.
I wore this tracker religiously for weeks, recording my runs, strength training workouts, and mobility sessions on the watch. I see cardio lovers getting the most benefit with advanced running metrics – like stride length, step cadence, and vertical oscillation – to rival any Garmin device and in-built GPS. But there’s plenty for everyone else too, with over 40 workout modes, the option to build a custom workout, and a quick-start option from the home screen. When your workout is done, you’ll get all the insights you need on your watch face in a scrollable format and in the Fitbit app. The same goes for your sleep metrics, provided you wear the watch to bed.
The only downside is the strength training mode. On the Garmin watches and the Coros Pace 4, you can log you reps, sets, and weights to hold yourself accountable in the gym and log your progress. You can’t do this with the Google Pixel Watch 4, unfortunately. This is something to consider if lifting weights is you main activity of choice, and if it is, then it’s worth weighing up the Garmin Venu vs Google Pixel Watch.
The complete integration with Google makes this a 4.5-star tracker in my eyes though. Along with the basic smartwatch features you’d expect – like weather reports and text notifications – you can navigate your way through your Gmail emails, check your schedule for the day via Google Calendar, pay for your coffee using Google Pay, and follow a route (in workout mode or not) using Google Maps, all from your watch face. You can also connect to Amazon Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music for wireless listening. The Google Pixel Watch 4 also has more natural AI integration, bringing it in line with the Apple Watch Series 11 when it comes to smartwatch features.
For more, read my full Google Pixel Watch 4 review
The best budget fitness tracker
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The Fitbit Inspire 3 is my other favourite Fitbit. While it doesn’t have the features of the Charge 6, it’s still a great option, especially for those looking to spend under £100 on their fitness tracker. With its 20 workout modes, discreet design, and (albeit limited) smartwatch features, you can’t go wrong.
What I love about the Fitbit Inspire 3 (aside from the price) is how easy it is to use, making this a great fitness tracker for beginners. All the workout modes are accessible via a quick swipe of your finger on the small screen, and at any time, I can glance down at my wrist and see my step count, heart rate, and calorie burn for the day, alongside the date and time.
However, if you’re a runner or a keen walker, I’d recommend spending a little more and opting for the Fitbit Charge 6, or weighing up Garmin vs Fitbit before buying. The Fitbit Inspire 3 doesn’t have built-in GPS, which means your phone has to stay seamlessly connected to the watch to get your route at the end of your workout as well as any distance, pace, or time metrics. That’s not a risk I’d be willing to take. For anyone just looking to get 10,000 steps in or record their gym workouts, this shouldn’t be a problem.
For more, read my full Fitbit Inspire 3 review here.
The best fitness tracker for runners
(Image credit: Coros)
The Coros Pace 4 is a beginner-friendly tracker that’s capable of elite-level performance. I wore the previous model, the Coros Pace 3, for eight months before this one came out, so it was a hard task to get me to switch. But after testing the new Coros Pace 4 for a few weeks, it’s certainly worth the upgrade.
It can take you from your first 5km to ultra-marathon training, making it perfect for runners of all kinds. It’s my pick as it combines an easy-to-use watch interface, allowing you to view your heart rate zones, pace, distance, and other essential metrics on your wrist on the move, with advanced technologies I’d expect to pay much more for.
You’ll be able to see your running cadence, stride length, elevation, and the effect every run has on your training on your wrist and in the app. Here, you can also plan a route on a 3D map and send it to your device for turn-by-turn navigation on your wrist. Only some of the top Garmin watches offer this, and these stretch into the £400+ price point, whereas the Coros Pace 4 sits at a comfortable £229.
On my wrist, along with the basics like step count, heart rate, and estimated calorie burn, I can also see my Running Fitness (with predicted race times), Training Load, and Intensity Trend, which offer valuable insights into my fitness levels, perceived exertion, and recovery time. I also wear my watch to bed for sleep insights and Heart Rate Volume (HRV) for the night, which I religiously check to see how well I slept.
But what makes this running watch stand out most for me is how accessible it makes running, winning it big points in the Coros vs Garmin debate. For example, if you’re not familiar with what HRV means, don’t worry – you’ll see a comprehensive explanation in the app, which is also very easy to navigate. The smartwatch features are limited, and the design is very sporty, but I can live with this for all the benefits this watch has.
The best fitness tracker for Apple users
(Image credit: Apple)
The Apple Watch Series 11 is the latest in the range from this premium brand. While it’s more of a smartwatch than a fitness tracker, its superb insights and connectivity with other Apple devices make it worth the spend. As normal, you’ll find all your favourite fitness tracking features, like the Activity Rings and workout modes, which you can use to track over 20 different types of exercise.
Recovery insights like the Training Load feature, also seen on the Apple Watch Series 10, and the addition of a Sleep Apnea detection feature make the Apple Watch Series 11 worth considering for those looking to get a balanced picture of health and wellbeing.
There are two major upgrades to the Series 11, however, that make it worth the upgrade. Firstly, the sleep score, which assigns a score out of 100 based on your bedtime consistency, sleep duration, and number of interruptions. It’s a feature that’s been on several other fitness trackers (including Fitbits) for years, but with this watch’s extended battery life, it’s now an option here, too. The second major upgrade is the Workout Buddy, an on-wrist AI-powered coach that supports you through your workout and provides audible post-workout summaries from Apple Fitness+ trainers.
Digital Editor Kerrie Hughes has worn an Apple Watch for the last few years, recording workouts, tracking her sleep, and making full use of the impressive smartwatch features, which is where this pick of the best fitness trackers for women really excels. “As a busy mum of three, the timers, alarms, reminders, to-do list, and nudges to move or take a moment to breathe are all ones I use every day, and I wouldn’t be without them now,” she says.
Don’t fancy all those smartwatch features? Try weighing up Garmin vs Apple Watch if you’re looking for something more focused on fitness tracking.
The best discreet fitness tracker
(Image credit: Grace Walsh)
The Huawei GT Pro 5 has a design unbeaten by any other smartwatch on this list, and it’s the go-to for anyone looking to seamlessly blend their fitness tracker into everyday outfits. While even the sleekest Apple Watch or Garmin will still look like a fitness tracker, I would challenge anyone to see through this watch’s disguise before tapping the screen.
It’s available in three colours: white ceramic or white leather (and black silicone or titanium, but these are much larger and typically designed for men). The watch has a real premium feel and is weighty on the wrist like any other ceramic timepiece would be, giving it an authentic feel, but it’s not too heavy to move with. It also has a sapphire glass screen and the watch faces are customisable in the app.
While I opted for the white ceramic GT 5 Pro, there’s a gold metallic band available in the regular GT5, which has very similar features but lacks the impressive battery life. If gold is more your style, I’d recommend opting for this one instead of the white ceramic.
Speaking of the impressive battery life, the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro lasts for 16 days (even when using it for workouts), which is much longer than any other device on my list of best fitness trackers.
I wasn’t as familiar with Huawei as other brands like Apple, Garmin, and Fitbit when I tried the GT 5 Pro, but it’s quickly become one of my favourites – and not just for the design. You can track workouts like running, walking, and cycling (indoor and outdoor), alongside many other exercises in just three taps, making it easy to keep up with your exercise routine. In the Huawei Health (Europe) app, you’ll find your insights into your workout and insights into your day, in a panel that looks very similar to Apple’s Activity Rings – with scores for activity, exercise, and standing. You’ll also see your step count.
I also found the stress and sleep tracking features simple to use, with the ability to record your sleep and monitor sounds like snoring in the app for a better sleep assessment, which is very unique.
Testing the best fitness trackers for women
How we tested
(Image credit: Grace Walsh / Kerrie Hughes)
I’ve put dozens of fitness trackers through their paces over the last few years, logging over 598 hours in my walking shoes, running trainers, on my bike, and elsewhere in the last year alone. In that time, I put many of the fitness trackers on this list through their paces, assessing them for comfort, functionality, and ease of use.
I also enlisted the help of fellow woman&home team members, including freelance writers Ciara McGinley (a meditation practitioner and wellness expert) and Editor Kerrie Hughes (a keen weightlifter and gym-goer).
We looked at each of the watches in detail, focusing on the criteria below:
- Workouts: Personally, I used each of the devices I tested for two weeks straight, running and going to the gym at least three times a week. So, between myself and the three other testers, we’ve likely done close to 100 workouts testing these trackers. You can rest assured they’ve been put through their paces.
- Ease of use: There’s no point in having a fitness tracker that you struggle to use or see insights from. So, we ranked each device we tested for how easy it is to use, so anyone, whether you’re a beginner or have been working out for years, can benefit.
- Daily life functionality: Given that smartwatches and fitness trackers are almost one and the same, we ranked each of the watches on this list for their smartwatch features too. While price dictates heavily what smartwatch features a device will have, we noted the ones with the best functionality for daily life with third-party app integrations (like Google or Apple Maps) and useful features like timers, reminders, alarms, call and text notifications, and so on.
- Design: A fitness tracker is supposed to be worn every day so the design was something we considered carefully. We also looked how well the trackers fit on typically smaller wrists, whether it got stuck on our clothing easily, and how seamless it looked with an everyday outfit as well as with activewear.
- Battery: We wear our fitness trackers until the battery forces us to charge them, giving us an accurate idea of how long the battery truly lasts for while using them as they were designed for – so, no low-battery mode here. We used these watches in regular or GPS mode always.
- Price: You can spend upwards of £1000 on a fitness tracker, very easily. And while that works for some people, you don’t need to spend that much to get the job done. We balanced features, design, and functionality with price to assess whether pricier watches were good value for money.
How to choose a fitness tracker
- Goal: This is the most important consideration for choosing your pick of the best fitness trackers for women. Do you want to start being consistent with 10,000 steps a day at home or outdoors? Or do you want to start training for a marathon? The watch you’ll want for these will be very different.
- Lifestyle: Fitness trackers should fit relatively seamlessly into your lifestyle and what you wear outside of exercise. So, consider the design of the tracker – do you want an obvious fitness tracker? Or do you want something a little more discreet? That’s the choice between the Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro, for instance.
- Versatility: Are you a runner through and through or do you like to blend different activities into your workout routine? If you like to stick to one activity, a fitness tracker designed for that (like the Coros Pace 4 for runners) is a better idea than a catch-all (like the Garmin Venu 4, our top pick).
- Detail: Even if you’ve been working out for decades, you might want something simple. I certainly value the simplicity of many Fitbit types even though I’ve had hands-on close to 100 fitness trackers in recent years. Think about how much detail you want your watch to give you on your workouts.
Are fitness trackers worth it?
Yes, if you plan to improve your fitness levels or maintain your current activities, then a fitness tracker can be a hugely valuable tool. As someone who runs and goes to the gym multiple days a week, I wouldn’t be without mine.
Research by Loyola University looked into several studies examining the effect of fitness trackers and found that the devices were “a motivational tool that can help improve physical activity”. The studies found that the devices offer various psychological techniques linked to behaviour change, such as social support, feedback, badges, and notifications.
Plus, you don’t have to break the budget to see the benefits of using one, with options like the Fitbit Inspire 3, Charge 6, and Coros Pace 4.
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