I tested the Garmin Cirqa and Fitbit Air over 9,000 steps - one screenless tracker is best

Want to track your workouts, sleep, stress, and more without any digital distraction? The Garmin Cirqa and the Fitbit Air are two new releases for those who want to go screen-free and still reap the benefits of monitoring everyday activity.

I wore the devices for a few weeks over the summer. Recently, a friend asked me which they should buy, given the different features and price tags. To jog my memory and help me decide, I took these devices on a long walk around my local park.

From step counting to sleep tracking, they are among the best Fitbits and best Garmin watches you can buy to keep an eye on your wellbeing. The decision was tough, but in the end, one thing prompted me to recommend one over the other.

Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air

Specifications

What are the Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air like to wear?

The Garmin Cirqa and Fitbit Air have a screenless build with a nylon strap, secured with a loop and Velcro. They are both comfortable to wear, and after a few hours of initial testing, I forgot either of them was there.

The key difference between the two is the strap size. I opted for the S/M Cirqa strap, which fit me perfectly. However, the strap measures 24mm in width. The Fitbit Air strap measures 18mm in width. The difference doesn't sound huge, but the size was very noticeable on my wrist.

I am particularly excited that Fitbit has brought back metal band accessories - originally seen in the now-discounted Fitbit Luxe. These add a premium look, making the Air even more discreet and suitable for everyday wear. You just pop the sensor out and swap straps.

Winner: Fitbit Air

Tracking my walk

On my walk, I recorded about 9,000 steps on the Garmin Cirqa and on the Fitbit Air. I also wore my regular fitness watch. I'm happy to say the Fitbit and Garmin are very accurate. However, the automatic workout continued for longer on the Fitbit than the manual workout I pre-programmed on my Garmin.

Starting the walking workout was easy on both devices. They both record workouts automatically, but I liked that you could also use the side button on the Garmin Cirqa to start and stop the session.

The Cirqa feels bulkier as the sensor is thicker, while the Air feels slimmer and is noticeably lighter on the wrist. Over a decent walk like the one I did, it makes a difference.

I hadn't had much experience with screenless trackers aside from testing the best smart rings, so I wondered if I would miss the display for checking the time. I didn't, as I wore my regular watch and the devices on my other wrist. However, this meant my wrists were more occupied with accessories than usual, and they felt fairly bulky. I don't think I'd swap my regular Garmin watch or Fitbit for any screenless option anytime soon, but that's personal preference.

Winner: Fitbit Air

Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air: Fitness tracking

The Garmin Cirqa gets a spot on my guide to the best fitness trackers without a doubt. I found it simple to use: tap one button in the app to start a workout from pre-selected favourites. When you're finished, tap the button on the side of the device to finish it. That's it. All the data will be available in the Garmin app as usual. It's so seamless, whether you're tracking a walking workout or gym session.

You'll see a regular overview of your workout in the Garmin Connect app, with overviews of Training Status, VO2 Max and HRV, allowing you to dig into the details and find out how your training is affecting your fitness in real time. If you have a goal in mind, free training plans can help you in your chosen sport.

The Live Activity feature displays the live data from your wrist on your phone screen, so I could see my live heart rate, pace, distance, and other sport-specific metrics when I was doing a treadmill workout or a stint on the stationary bike. Admittedly, this isn't very helpful if you're exercising outside.

The Fitbit Air (without the Premium subscription) is a little simpler. While it still offers advanced insights like cardio load, HRV, SpO2, and readiness scores, you'll need to upgrade to get many of the features Garmin's Cirqa has for free, like coaching plans.

If you are happy to upgrade, you'll get a similar screen display on your phone when you start a workout, and Gemini AI can create fitness plans and dig deep into your data with simple overviews and suggestions. You'll also find a library of workouts (and recipes, if you want them) to follow along with. It's an impressive offering.

Needless to say, neither is a good running watch. But while I found the screenless design tricky to get used to, I can see its advantages. On my walks and runs, I could completely detach. No buzzing or flashing. I found myself moving just to enjoy exercising and going at my natural pace. However, if I wanted to, I could still check my stats for these sessions later on.

I also wore the devices around my ankle to see whether the step-count data would be accurate. Surprisingly, it was accurate for both. This could be an option for those who are in formal wear fairly regularly and still want to monitor their vitals. However, I would recommend a smart ring for truly discreet wear. It's a little more glamorous, and the Sekonda matches the Fitbit Air in price.

Winner: Garmin Cirqa

Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air: Sleep and health tracking

Screenless devices are great sleep trackers. In the past, I've found that even the most reliable smartwatches and fitness trackers can accidentally turn on in the middle of the night. If you're in the wrong position, you might find a screen flashing in your face.

With insights like duration, quality recorded in an overall Sleep Score, and sleep stages (REM, deep, light, and awake) on both devices, the sleep data you'll get on the Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air is fairly standard.

They also both have a Smart Wake Alarm, which is a recent, impressive sleep innovation and I've found it very useful. It wakes you up within half an hour of your pre-set alarm at the exact moment you're in your lightest phase of sleep, reducing the chance of a groggy wake-up.

With the Garmin Cirqa, you'll get three more nights of sleep from the battery before you have to charge it, which is worth considering if you're away from home a lot - or you just forget to bring your charger.

Winner: Both are great options

Health tracking on the Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air

The health tracking features on these devices are very similar. Both offer heart rate variability (HRV), skin temperature, oxygen saturation, and heart rate insights, and but neither has an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor. The Garmin Cirqa looks at these insights through a fitness lens, while the Fitbit Air focuses on everyday health.

If you're keeping an eye on your heart health or want to boost your wellbeing generally, the Fitbit Air with a Premium Google Health app subscription is the better option.

I found that the Gemini overviews make digging through the data much easier. While I'm really not the biggest fan of AI, the Gemini integration makes it easy to tell if something's not quite right. For example, if your overnight body temperature and HRV is abnormal, you may be getting a cold. This isn't diagnostic data, but if needed, you could bring the readouts to your doctor, who may run further tests for more serious issues.

Winner: Fitbit Air

Price of the Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air

The Fitbit Air is cheaper than the Garmin Cirqa at £84.99 RRP versus £179.99 RRP. It's a significant difference that's worth considering, whether you're shopping for yourself or looking to gift the fitness lover in your life.

However, for value for money, the Cirqa does slightly better. The Fitbit Air is at its best for tracking workouts, daily activity, sleep, and overall wellbeing when you invest in the Premium subscription. This costs £7.99 per month.

Winner: Garmin Cirqa

The w&h verdict: Which is better?

Deciding between the Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air for the top spot is a really tough decision. Ultimately, I recommended the Fitbit Air (with the subscription) to my friend. For me (and her), the features were too similar to push one over the other, so it came down to design. The Fitbit Air is slimmer and lighter. It has a smaller sensor that you can pop out and pop into another band to change styles, making it a genuinely everyday tracking option.

However, if you'd rather have a subscription-free tracker or one to help improve your fitness for an upcoming event, the Cirqa is the better option.

Overall winner: Fitbit Air

Convinced by the Air but not sold on screenless tracking? It's worth weighing up the Fitbit Air vs Fitbit Edge.