The best fitness trackers for crushing your workouts

Fitbit Charge 5 Specs: Display: 21.93 x 14.75 millimeters; AMOLED color touchscreen with 326 ppi | Battery life: Up to 7 days, 5 days when using continuous GPS  | Dimensions: 36.7 x 22.7 x 11.2 millimeters (sensor unit, not including band length) | Weight: 28 g | Water/dust resistance: Up to 50 meters, sweat, rain, and splash-proof | Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC | Sleep tracking: Yes

Fitbit has long been known as one of the leading brands for fitness trackers, so it is no surprise that it leads the pack as the best fitness tracker you can buy. Along with calorie tracking, the Charge 5 calculates Sp02, skin temperature variation, and heart rate variability (HRV). 

The Fitbit Charge 5's modern form factor is almost as impressive as its functionality with a display that's still versatile despite being a little over one inch wide. This is fantastic if you want a sleek, comfortable screen that doesn't engulf your entire wrist. 

"The display is small but feels large for a tracker with extremely crisp fonts and brilliant colors. It lies fairly flat against your wrist and the touchscreen is very responsive," said longtime ZDNET contributor Matt Miller in his Charge 5 review. 

Review: Fitbit Charge 5: Best fitness tracker with color display, GPS, and elegant form factor 

If you're directionally challenged or just want to track your running route, another standout feature of the Charge 5 is a GPS map. In Miller's experience, the GPS feature "did an excellent job with walks, but [had] a couple of inconsistent experiences on runs."

Built into the Fitbit ecosystem, you'll also get access to a suite of meditations, workout videos, and a "daily readiness score." However, after a six-month trial, you'll be required to pay a fee to access Fitbit premium features. 

Oura Ring 3 specs: Materials: Titanium with PVD coating | Battery life: 4-7 days, full charge in 20-80 minutes |Dimensions: 7.9 by 2.5 millimeters | Weight: 4-6 g, depending on size | Water/dust resistance: Waterproof and sweatproof | Connectivity: Bluetooth LE | Sleep Tracking: Yes 

Don't like the bulky design or constant notifications that come with wearing a smartwatch, but want wellness insights? Enter the Oura Ring. Taking up a fraction of the real estate, the Oura Ring tracks exercise, sleep, and more. While a bit thick, the high-quality titanium ring with PVD coating looks and feels more like an everyday accessory than a fitness tracker. 

ZDNET's Sherin Shibu recently purchased the ring for herself and was impressed by its minimalist design and comfortability along with its detailed and actionable insights, all without implementing a screen. 

The ring is even subtle and sleek enough to wear at night. In fact, you're supposed to. Equipped with Sp02 sensors, the Oura Ring tracks heart rate variability (HRV) along with overall blood saturation levels during the night. 

Much like its design, the Oura ring takes a more well-rounded approach to fitness rather than giving immediate stats. Using an intuitive app interface, you can access data on your own time, getting insight into data beyond activity tracked and calories burned. This insight includes recovery and readiness, and is quite comprehensive. 

"I think of the Oura as what happens overnight. It's more of a big level view of myself and my wellness, taking a step out and considering the consequences of what you've been doing for the past few weeks/days," said Dr. Jason Fanning, an assistant professor at Wake Forest University who researches the use of commercial and research-grade activity monitors. 

"If I'm training too hard or too little, getting sick, if I've had too much alcohol -- all those things show up and give an idea on how I'll be feeling," Fanning elaborated. 

The Oura Ring also features bedtime guidance, period prediction, and an "automatic nap" prompt. The only downside? In addition to the $299 price tag and custom fitting process, you'll need a membership fee to access the full suite of features. Non-paying members only have access to sleep, readiness, and activity. 

Review: Is the Oura Ring 3 worth buying in 2023? Yes, if you value these features

Apple Watch Series 8 Specs: Display: 396 X 484 pixels OLED | Battery life: 18 hours | Dimensions: 45 x 30 x 10.7 millimeters | Weight: 38.8g | Water/dust resistance: 50 m with IP6X | Connectivity: LTE cellular option, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 

Apple was an early adopter of the fitness-tracking trend, and the Apple Watch lineup continues to improve. I know, I know, it is a smartwatch, but with the right band, it can be more of a subtle statement than a techy eyesore. Plus, with upgraded battery life, top-quality performance, and a pretty accurate HRV, it's worth the consideration. 

I reviewed the Apple Watch Series 8 in October and was quickly impressed with the quick charge time despite having a shorter battery life than competitors. The more advanced workout features, like showing your mile split and debuting a multi-sport function, also make the Series 8 a standout tracker. And, along with tracking your stride the Series 8 also made strides in women's health and sleep tracking features. 

Review: Apple Watch 8 is a sleeper hit, even if it doesn't match Samsung's sensors 

I found the sleep tracking stats to be extremely insightful, and the bedtime feature got me on a much-needed post-grad sleep schedule. While sleeping with a watch took some getting used to, I'm now conditioned to wake up from it buzzing on my wrist. 

If you're an Apple user, this fitness tracker will work seamlessly with your device ecosystem and introduce new healthy habits aside from the typical workout tracking it's known for. 

Garmin Vívomove Trend specs: Display: 240 x 240 pixels, AMOLED | Battery life: up to 5 days | Dimensions: 42 x 42 x 11.9 millimeters | Weight: 42g with silicone strap | Water/dust resistance: 5 ATM | Connectivity: Bluetooth and ANT+ 

If you prefer a timepiece with a timeless look, the Garmin Vívomove Trend is the perfect work-to-workout watch. Upon first glance, you might not notice that Garmin's latest hybrid watch is equipped with workout modes, oxygen monitoring, heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, and step counting capabilities.

The Garmin Vívomove Trend marries a traditional analog watch design -- motorized hands and all -- with a one-inch touchscreen display. 

ZDNET Technology Editor June Wan tested the Vívomove Trend, and while he didn't put the watch through a tough mudder, he commended the watch's unique approach to tracking.  

"It's a clever, fun scoring system that's calculated based on your sleep data, stress levels, physical activity, and more, to suggest when your body is capable of exerting more energy and when you should take a back seat," he said.

Review: Garmin's new Vívomove Trend fixes my biggest issue with its smartwatches

Aside from performance and aesthetics, the Vívomove Trend also packs an impressive battery life. During testing, Wan averaged about four days of use per charge. Along with ditching the massive display screen, you can also say goodbye to yet another charging cable, because the Vívomove Trend totes wireless charging.

Whoop 4.0 specs: Display: None | Battery life: 3-5 days | Dimensions: 1.7 x 1.1 x 0.4 inches | Weight: 2.8g | Water/dust resistance: Up to 10 meters | Connectivity: Bluetooth

According to an article from Johns Hopkins, sleep trackers can be a useful tool for identifying sleep patterns. However, sleeping with a bulky screen on your wrist can potentially have the opposite effect. The Whoop 4.0 is a screen-less band that calculates your sleep performance by measuring the sleep you got versus the sleep your body needs. 

Review: Whoop 4.0: Screenless wearable helps you avoid injuries, track sleep details

Given the detailed bodily insights, it makes sense why Whoop wearables are so popular among athletes. Former University of Notre Dame softball athlete Quinn Biggio started using the Whoop after hanging up her cleats for good and witnessing it successfully keeping her teammates in tune with their bodies. 

"No longer was anyone telling me to wake up at 6:00 a.m. and go run or lift. I became fully in charge of my own workouts and schedule," she said. 

The Whoop employs a nuanced sleep-tracking approach to how it tracks exercise. Rather than simply displaying workout stats, the Whoop calculates what it calls "strain" on its proprietary 0 to 21 scale. Strain accounts for exercise as well as lifestyle factors that make up our overall health: work, anxiety, travel, parenting, and more. A "strain coach" uses that score to make daily exertion recommendations to prevent burnout, which Quinn said helped evaluate her workout habits. 

While the band itself is only $30, it requires a monthly membership that starts at $30 with a 12-month commitment. Annual membership goes up to $239 for access to the full Whoop suite.