The 9 best fitness trackers for women to improve your health, tried and tested by the experts

One of the best fitness trackers can help you dig deep into your health and wellbeing routines, and improve your fitness, sleep, and stress levels day by day. Whether you're working towards a goal or just want to live healthier, these devices can help.

Blending smartwatch features with advanced sensors for exercise, sleep, and stress management, these compact devices are packed with a wealth of technology. As woman&home's digital health editor, I've had my hands on at least 100 fitness trackers over the last five years, from the best Garmin watches and best Fitbits to innovative new smart rings.

As a qualified fitness instructor, multi-marathon runner, 10,000 steps a day-obsessive, and someone who goes to the gym multiple times a week, I've also had plenty of opportunity to test over 30 watches to create this guide. I have updated it for 2026 with fresh testing insights, and I can confirm these are still the best fitness trackers for women.

The quick list

The best fitness trackers for women, tested by the health team

The best fitness tracker overall

After spending three months with this watch earlier in the year, I can't recommend the Garmin Venu 4 enough. Day by day, as I discovered more features, I was more impressed with how this watch manages to be a superb fitness companion, while also being very suitable for daily life.

You'll get over 80 workout modes with insights dependent on activity, broader fitness insights like Training Readiness, 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).

While many Garmin watches have a sporty design, this one fits in just as well at brunch and in the office as it does in the gym. The premium stainless steel bezel adds an elevated edge, and it's available in several colours, including neutrals and a fun purple. There are two sizes to choose from as well, so you can find your perfect fit.

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 to see how your daily habits (like drinking alcohol or exercising late at night) impact your overall wellbeing. These are 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 and don't have the same nuanced fitness tracking features.

Read my full Garmin Venu 4 review here.

The best fitness tracker for beginners

The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is the fitness tracker I most often recommend to my friends and family. It combines similar expert-level fitness tracking to what you'll find on the Venu 4, with a lower price tag and a sporty design, which many people can live with to save money. 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, cancelling out the need for pricey workout app subscriptions.

The Vivoactive 6 covers all the need-to-knows for sleep tracking, and 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 with a Smart Wake alarm, which uses data from your Sleep Coach to pre-schedule an ideal wake-up time every day, helping you get the sleep you need.

The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is my favourite for beginners and 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, just to check the details.

Read my full Garmin Vívoactive 6 review here.

The best fitness tracker from Fitbit

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 - aside from the soon-to-be-released Fitbit Air. With 60% more accurate heart rate monitoring than the Fitbit Charge 5 (by the brand's own admission), it's a remarkable upgrade. One 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. It does have advanced features, but this is also one of the easiest-to-use trackers around, 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 take 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 Fitbit app, with even more insights on the Premium version.

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. The Versa 4 has a larger, square screen, but the smaller design of the Charge 6 means it sits discreetly on your wrist, so it's often not even obvious you're wearing a fitness tracker. Plus, it sits among the more affordable trackers on the list at just under £140.

Read my full Fitbit Charge 6 review here.

The best sleep tracker

In the ever-growing world of smart rings, Oura remains a standout. I put on an Oura Ring for the first time about a year ago, and I haven't taken it off since. The insights into my sleep and stress data are unmatched by any other fitness tracker. Watch or ring. For advanced sleep and stress insights, it's truly the best on my list, and it only gets better the longer you wear it.

By default, you'll be able to see your total hours broken up into sleep stages (light, deep, REM), how long it took you to fall asleep (latency), and how efficient your sleep was. Every morning, you'll be greeted with your Sleep Score in the app, to give you a lowdown on how you should plan your day based on your overnight recovery. 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 time 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.

As the weeks tick by, you'll get access to your sleep chronotype data, which tells you your ideal bedtime and wakeup time, to further optimise this routine.

Alongside sleep data, the ring tracks basic activities like workouts automatically with (distance, pace, heart rate zones, and GPS route), and your step count. If you have another fitness tracker, it'll take your workout data from this (via the Apple Health app if you have an iPhone, for example), so it's very accurate.

This is also the fitness tracker I recommend the most for daily health tracking, with a clearly organised 'Vitals' section detailing your stress, activity, and sleep data in one place. The 'Symptom Radar' also deserves a shoutout - this unique feature picks up on details like your respiration rate to determine if you're about to get ill. Very handy for rescheduling your life ahead of a cold!

It's very accurate overall, but I'd recommend it most to those looking to improve their sleep, stress, recovery, and overall health, rather than those looking to go after fitness goals, so be sure to weigh up Garmin vs Oura Ring or Oura Ring vs Apple Watch before making a final decision.

For more, read my full Oura Ring 4 review.

The best fitness tracker for Android users

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

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

The Coros Pace 4 is my top pick of the best running watches, regardless of whether you're running a 5km for the first time or wanting to pick up the pace in your next marathon. I've been wearing this as my daily fitness tracker since it was released, and it's a worthy upgrade to my former favourite, the Coros Pace 3.

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.

Read my full Coros Pace 4 review here

The best fitness tracker for Apple users

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.

Read our full Apple Watch Series 11 review here.

The best discreet fitness tracker

The Huawei GT 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. It comes in this white ceramic design, a bold (and very sporty black), as well as the chic gold chain design that's my favourite. 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

I've put dozens of fitness trackers through their paces over the last few years, logging over 648 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 walker).

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.