The Best Fitness Trackers Available in 2021 for Every Budget

Are you looking for a new fitness tracker to record your activity? Check out the best fitness trackers for 2021 — for every budget and activity level.

If you’re looking for only a dedicated fitness tracker, you might be tempted to skip the Apple Watch entirely. After all, if you don’t care for smartphone integration and notifications, why pay for those features?

There are numerous reasons, actually. User experience is the biggest. Apple Watch offers a user experience that PCMag describes as utterly unrivaled. Even if you never use the additional features, you’ll still get a fitness experience that’s functional, beautiful and intuitive.

Apple Watch also offers integrated health features in addition to its fitness experience. And if you’re already using an iPhone, smartphone integration is a thing of beauty. You can even use your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone now, perfect for those situations where your face mask gets in the way of FaceID.

The smaller Apple Watch size is barely larger than a dedicated fitness tracker. And, while the Series 6 remains fairly expensive, the SE and Series 3 offer a compelling experience at a more affordable price.

Not everyone is looking to drop $100 or more on a fitness tracker. If you’re looking for a decidedly cheaper option that still does what you need, check out the Xiaomi Mi Band 4. Typically priced at just $40 or even less, the Mi Band 4 offers a lot for the price. There’s an AMOLED screen, a battery that lasts two weeks or more on a charge, and even heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking.

Don’t expect the kinds of health integrations or early warning systems like you’d get in Apple Watch. Also, workout types are limited: if you’re running, swimming, biking or walking, the Mi Band 4 won’t track you accurately.

Sometimes you want to track your fitness without looking like a gym rat or a tech head. If your ideal fitness tracker looks more like a legit accessory (or even jewelry) than anything else, you should check out the Fitbit Inspire 2.

The tracker itself looks like a long, narrow digital watch that’s pretty stylish on its own. Fitbit has added to that a wide variety of bands that hit a range of looks and aesthetics, like a gorgeous stainless steel mesh band or several leather varieties.

The base Fitbit Inspire 2 costs just $70 and comes with a less impressive silicone band. The more attractive options must be purchased separately.

As far as features, the Inspire 2 is a little slim. There’s no GPS tracking here nor cellular connectivity, but you’ll still get robust (and automatic) workout tracking and heart rate tracking. There’s also a solid sleep analysis included here.

Fitness trackers tend to be built for action. Still, if you’re doing serious work outdoors, you’re going to want more. You’ll want more durability than Apple Watch and way more functionality than the cheaper units above.

There are several fitness trackers targeting the more serious and outdoor markets, and one of the best is the Polar Grit X.

Polar Grit X is a GPS watch that can track all sorts of sports and fitness activities. It’s not quite a smartwatch, though it can read your phone notifications at least. Instead, the focus here is on deep, serious fitness features. The Polar Grit X can track your ascents and descents, not just distance covered. There’s also route planning, fueling reminders for distance athletes, and training advice. There’s even a way to track your overnight recovery in addition to your sleep.

The screen is always on, with a dedicated button to light up the screen when needed. The entire device is ruggedized, so it should keep up with you no matter what you do for exercise.

As far as downsides, there are two: it isn’t cheap, and it’s big. Those with smaller wrists are going to have a hard time with the dimensions, even if there are good reasons for the added bulk. And if you don’t need the hardcore durability, it’s fair to consider whether paying Apple Watch prices for a less-integrated tracker makes sense.

Your fitness tracker is built to withstand a lot. Even still, you’re putting it to the test every time you go out for a workout. Accidents happen, and even durable devices can fail when under stress. Especially if you’re investing in a higher-end fitness tracker or Apple Watch, consider purchasing an extended smartwatch and fitness tracker warranty to protect your device.

Upsie’s extended fitness tracker warranties protect your device from defects, failure and even accidental damage. If you need to make a claim, you only pay a small deductible, and Upsie repairs or replaces your device, up to the purchase price.

Ready to get protected? Get Upsie now.