Fitness trackers have changed the way we exercise. Not only do they motivate us to stay active, but the wrist-worn devices also record data so we can chart our progress.

All fitness trackers feature a pedometer for counting steps as standard. Alongside that, though, a heart rate monitor can be invaluable to help you reach your fitness goals.

Here are the best fitness trackers with heart rate monitoring available today.

Premium pick

1. Apple Watch Series 6

10.00 / 10
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Although most smartwatches come equipped with fitness tracking capabilities, they aren't made for fitness activities. However, there is one exception; the Apple Watch. The device focuses on health, wellbeing, and fitness, with a range of hardware and software to help you achieve your goals. Primary among them is the high-quality heart rate monitoring.

This feature is so effective, it can analyze your heart's electrical rhythms and determine if you are experiencing a medical emergency. In that event, the Apple Watch will even contact the emergency services on your behalf. Of course, this is a fail-safe only if the worst were to happen. There are plenty of other fitness features included on the Apple Watch.

As you'd expect, there is close integration between the Apple Watch, the data it collects, and Apple's other services. The data syncs to your iPhone and is collated in the Health app which can be accessed through your Apple account. It has GPS built-in for location tracking and real-time directions and is water-resistant up to 50 meters. You can personalize your Apple Watch with alternative straps, too.

Key Features
  • Always-on Retina Display
  • Water-resistant up to 50 meters
  • Tight integration with Apple Health and other Apple services
Specifications
  • Brand: Apple
  • Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
  • Color Screen: Yes
  • Notification Support: Yes
  • Battery Life: Up to 18 hours
  • Operating System: watchOS 8
  • Onboard GPS: Yes
  • Offline Media Storage: Yes
  • Customizable Strap: Yes
  • SIM Support: Yes
  • Lens Material: Ion-X glass
  • Display Size : 1.57 inches, 1.73 inches
  • Case Material: Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium
  • Water Rating : 50 meters
  • Calendar: Yes
  • Weather: Yes
  • Smartphone Music Control: Yes
  • Case size: 2
  • Colors: Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Blue, Product Red, Space Black, Titanium
  • Display: Retina LTPO OLED
  • CPU: S6 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor
  • Storage: 32GB
  • Health sensors: Blood oxygen sensor, ECG
  • Dimensions: 1.57 x 1.34 x 0.42 inches
  • Weight: 1.4oz
  • Audio: Yes
Pros
  • Best consumer-grade heart rate monitor
  • Integrated ECG monitor
  • Apple's watchOS operating system
Cons
  • The most expensive option
  • Many non-fitness tracking features
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Apple Watch Series 6
Editors choice

2. Fitbit Charge 4

8.60 / 10
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The Fitbit Charge 4 is the best fitness tracker available today. The company was the first to popularize the wearable device. Despite widening its range to smartwatches, it has always maintained a focus on its core fitness trackers. The Charge 4 is the latest in the Charge line up and has a range of features that make it worth the money.

Alongside a pedometer and heart rate monitor, the Charge 4 also includes built-in GPS so you can track your workouts without your phone. The heart rate monitor is always on, so it monitors your pulse throughout the day, and even while you sleep. There's an NFC chip too, which enables the company's contactless payment service, Fitbit Pay.

The Fitbit Charge 4 includes sleep tracking as well, so you can see how well you rested using the Fitbit mobile and web app. Unlike some wearables, the battery lasts up to seven days on a single charge, so you won't have to recharge it each night either.

The device is designed to be a complete fitness companion, so there are on-device workouts courtesy of Fitbit Premium, although this training service requires a subscription.

Before investing, take a look at our review of the Fitbit Charge 3, the previous iteration of the company's flagship fitness tracker.

Key Features
  • Built-in GPS
  • Continous heart rate monitoring
  • Fitbit Pay support
Specifications
  • Brand: Fitbit
  • Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
  • Color Screen: No
  • Notification Support: Yes
  • Battery Life: 7 days
  • Integrations: MyFitnessPal, Strava
  • IP rating: 50m
  • Small bands: Yes
  • Large bands: Yes
Pros
  • Seven-day battery life
  • Some smartwatch-style features
  • Comprehensive fitness tracking
Cons
  • Lack of color screen
Buy This Product
Fitbit Charge 4
Best value

3. Xiaomi Mi Band 4

9.00 / 10
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While the Fitbit Charge 4 is considered the best fitness tracker, it is also among the most expensive. Additionally, Google acquired Fitbit in late-2019, raising privacy concerns and casting doubt on the future of the brand. The Xiaomi Mi Band 4, however, makes an excellent alternative and is the best affordable fitness tracker available today.

Despite the low price, the device is feature-packed and has some of the best fitness tracking hardware. The Mi Band 4 uses Bluetooth 5.0, includes a 135mAh battery for 20-day usage, and is waterproof up to 50 meters. Unlike the competition, the tracker also includes a color screen, which makes it easier to quickly check your stats. Notably, there's even a swim tracking feature, so you can keep an eye on your underwater progress, too.

The heart rate monitor runs continuously, collecting data to the Mi Band 4. If you download the Mi Fit app on your smartphone, you can sync the data across and view it on your mobile device. The fitness tracker also supports notifications, so you can check messages, alerts from your favorite apps, and see incoming calls from your wrist.

If you're interested in this affordable fitness tracker, check out our review of the Mi Band 3, the predecessor to the Mi Band 4.

Key Features
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Continuous heart rate monitoring
  • Color screen
  • Notification support
Specifications
  • Brand: Xiaomi
  • Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
  • Color Screen: Yes
  • Notification Support: Yes
  • Battery Life: 20 days
  • Integrations: Apple Health, Google Fit
Pros
  • 20-day battery life
  • Waterproof up to 50 meters
  • Swim tracking features included
Cons
  • Chinese is the default language, although can be changed to English
Buy This Product
Xiaomi Mi Band 4

The Amazon Halo is a fitness tracking wearable, developed by Amazon. The wrist-based device is capable of tracking steps, sleep, and heart rate as standard. This may seem unremarkable for a fitness tracker. However, the Amazon Halo is one of the most intriguing trackers available today.

The gadget does not have a display or notification support. As a result, the Amazon Halo offers a distraction-free experience, with all data synced via Bluetooth to the Halo smartphone app. Amazon's unique offering leans heavily on this app by including a monthly subscription-based insights service.

The Halo insights are personalized and based on the data your Halo device gathers throughout the day. Your activity is converted into a points-based score, with 150 points set as your weekly target. Likewise, the Halo's sleep monitoring data informs an overall sleep score out of 100.

Most interestingly, the Amazon Halo has an integrated microphone, but not for interacting with your smartphone or taking calls. Instead, the Halo's Tone feature uses artificial intelligence to analyze your voice's tone for markers like energy and positivity and how this may come across to other people.

Purchasing the Amazon Halo automatically enrolls you in the monthly subscription offering. However, if you opt to cancel your membership, you can still use the Amazon Halo's basic fitness tracking features, like step counting, sleep monitoring, and heart rate measurement.

Key Features
  • Subscription service offers Halo health insights
  • Water-resistant
  • Pedomater, sleep tracking, and heart rate monitoring as standard
Specifications
  • Brand: Amazon
  • Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
  • Color Screen: No
  • Notification Support: No
  • Battery Life: 7 days (1-2 Days with Tone enabled)
  • Integrations: WW (Weight Watchers), John Hancock Vitality, Cerner Solutions
Pros
  • Basic fitness tracking available without membership
  • Points-based activity tracking
  • Distraction-free experience
Cons
  • No display, so data only accessible through Halo smartphone app
Buy This Product
Amazon Halo

Fitbit has positioned itself as a fitness brand for everyone. However, fitness enthusiasts often opt for Garmin's products instead. The Garmin vivosmart 4 is the company's primary fitness tracker. At first glance, the device looks like many other fitness trackers, but it's the internal hardware and Garmin's software that make this tracker worth the money.

It is one of only a handful of fitness trackers that can monitor your blood oxygen levels while you sleep. Although the vivosmart 4 is not a medical device, your nighttime blood oxygen levels may give an early warning of medical conditions like sleep apnea. This sensor is coupled with the company's well-regarded heart rate monitoring.

The built-in heart rate monitor informs some of the wearable's other functions. For instance, it can track your estimated stress levels and Vo2 Max. If you feel stressed, or the device suggests you might be, you can use the wrist-based relaxation breathing timer to take a moment for yourself. There are other wellbeing features like timers and tracking for walks, runs, strength training, swimming, and yoga.

Key Features
  • Tracking for walks, runs, strength training, swimming, and yoga
  • Continuous heart rate monitoring
  • 7-day battery life
Specifications
  • Brand: Garmin
  • Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
  • Color Screen: No
  • Notification Support: Yes
  • Battery Life: 7 days
  • Integrations: Apple Health
Pros
  • Blood oxygen level monitoring
  • Heart rate informs estimated stress and Vo2 Max.
Cons
  • Unfashionable design
Buy This Product
Garmin vivosmart 4

The Fitbit Inspire 2 is the company's entry-level model and gives you access to the Fitbit ecosystem. The feature-packed device is the most affordable in the Fitbit range but still comes with automatic exercise recognition and all your favorite fitness-tracking capabilities.

The device looks similar to other wrist-worn fitness trackers, but its features are similar to those found on the Fitbit Charge 4. That said, the Inspire 2 is lower-cost, so there some omissions, notably Fitbit Pay, NFC support, and floors climbed tracking. Likewise, you can't use the quick replies function to respond to notifications from your wrist.

The fitness tracker is water-resistant up to 50 meters, so you should have no problems keeping it on throughout the day, or exercising out in the rain. The Inspire 2 syncs data back to the Fitbit smartphone app via Bluetooth. Using the app, you can assess your overall health, view sleep-tracking data, and monitor your food intake and weight.

Key Features
  • Heart rate monitoring
  • Sleep tracking
  • Exercise tracking
Specifications
  • Brand: Fitbit
  • Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
  • Color Screen: No
  • Notification Support: Yes
  • Battery Life: 10 days
  • Integrations: MyFitnessPal, Strava
Pros
  • 10-day battery life
  • Most affordable device in the Fitbit range
Cons
  • No support for Fitbit Pay
  • No on-board GPS
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Fitbit Inspire 2

If you're after an affordable, durable fitness tracker with heart rate monitoring for kids, consider the YoFit Kids Fitness Tracker. This brightly colored kid-friendly device comes equipped with all the standard tracking, including steps taken, distance covered, calories burnt, and minutes active. Additionally, there are also four sports modes; walking, running, cycling, and climbing.

You can sync the resulting data to any smartphone running the JYouPro app. The color display also supports customizable watch faces so that you can personalize the device for your children. Alongside fitness tracking, the YoFit Kids Fitness Tracker can monitor blood oxygen levels, display reminders, and activate time-based alarms. The waterproof tracker has a five-day battery life and takes just two hours to recharge.

The only downside here is the lack of third-party integrations. If you already use a Fitbit, Apple Watch, or device that supports Apple Health or Google Fit, then you won't be able to integrate your kid's data. However, as a standalone device, this is one of the best fitness trackers for kids available today.

Key Features
  • Bright and fun design
  • Data accessible via the JYouPro smartphone app
  • Waterproof and durable design
Specifications
  • Brand: YoYoFit
  • Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
  • Color Screen: Yes
  • Notification Support: No
  • Battery Life: 5 days
Pros
  • 5-day battery life
  • Customizable watch faces
  • Parents can set wellbeing reminders to drink water, move, and wake up
Cons
  • No integration with other platforms or software
Buy This Product
YoYoFit Kids Fitness Tracker

FAQ

Q: Do Fitness Trackers Measure Heart Rate?

The vast majority of fitness trackers can measure your heart rate. Although this used to be a premium feature, heart rate tracking is now available on even entry-level devices. Likewise, most will perform this function continously, so you can passively track your heart rate throughout the day. However, some cheaper devices may only offer on-demand heart rate monitoring, so you have to request a measurement.

Q: What Is the Best Fitbit for Heart Rate Monitoring?

All Fitbit fitness trackers offer heart rate monitoring. On the underside of the wrist-worn device, an optical heart rate monitor tracks changes in skin tissue to monitor blood flow throughout your body. Consequently, the best Fitbit for heart rate monitoring will depend on the other features you're interested in and your available budget.

Q: Which Is Better: The Apple Watch or a Fitbit?

Fitbit fitness trackers all offer continuous heart rate monitoring, as does the Apple Watch. Fitbit's trackers generate heart rate data that can be viewed using the Fitbit smartphone app. Likewise, data recorded by the Apple Watch is accessible via Apple Health. However, the Apple Watch is well-regarded for its recognition of potential health issues. For instance, the Apple Watch can notify you if it identifies an irregular rhythm.