Fitbit's Inspire 3 tracker is a fantastic option for anyone looking for a capable fitness tracker for general use. It tracks all kinds of health metrics, including heart rate, blood oxygenation, skin temperature, and of course, activity. It's water-resistant up to 50 meters, and, despite its small size, the Inspire 3's battery lasts up to 10 days on a single charge, so you don't have to worry much about it while wearing it.

The Inspire 3 can track 20 different exercise types, though you can only choose from six at a time on the tracker's tiny screen; you'll have to choose which it displays from the Fitbit app. Though the tracker doesn't have a built-in GPS, it can use your phone's GPS connection to track outdoor activities like running and hiking. While it's a shame you can't use the Inspire 3 for outdoor workouts without your phone, skipping a built-in GPS is part of why the device is so slim — and so affordable. The Inspire 3 retails for a very reasonable $100, and is often discounted to $80 or even $70. At these prices, there's not a whole lot to complain about here.

The Fitbit Charge 5 is feature-rich, occupying a niche between simple fitness band and full-blown smartwatch. The Charge 5 launched at an MSRP of $180, but it's since come down to a more palatable $150. The design isn’t as sleek as the Luxe, but the Charge 5 is still comfortable to wear, and there are many color options.

The OLED screen here is also impressive, with it offering intense brightness levels and great colors, which means it’s easy to see your stats directly on your wrist. That’s even true in direct sunlight. We particularly enjoyed the extensive fitness features, including an ECG monitor to watch your overall heart health. There’s also stress management software to keep track of your daily routine outside of exercise.

In our review, we called the battery life on the Charge 5 exceptional, with it offering at least a week with the always-on display turned off. It can sometimes last longer than that if you’re using it sparingly. If you’re willing to spend money and like the slightly larger design than the Luxe, the Fitbit Charge 5 is a top choice for a new fitness tracker.

Looking for a cheaper alternative? The Mi Band 6 is remarkably less expensive than many of the other trackers we’d recommend, and while its features are more limited than the devices Fitbit offers, it still works remarkably well. The design isn’t as sleek as some other picks, but it’s still an attractive piece of wristwear. We found a 1.56-inch OLED display offered a tremendous amount of detail, and it’s easy to read.

Battery life averages around five days on the Mi Band 6, plus the design is waterproof. There are many fitness features here, including an impressive heart rate tracker. The catch here is that the phone app doesn’t work as well as a lot of the alternatives. Plus, the user interface on the tracker itself isn’t as reliable as you’ll find on products like Fitbit, Garmin, and others. If you’re okay with that, though, this fitness tracker is cheaper than a lot of the competition, so it is a perfect choice for some.

The Garmin Lily is a smartwatch designed for those with smaller wrists, and it’s the first device in our ranking you could technically call a smartwatch. Garmin sells simpler fitness trackers, but we’d recommend the Lily ahead of them as it offers everything you need on its screen in a slimline and small form. The design and the watch’s bright display are the highlights of the Lily, and if you like both of those elements, you’ll enjoy the experience here.

Plus, you get all the benefits of Garmin’s specialist app that works well on Android phones. Features here aren’t as extensive as you may expect from Garmin; the Lily offers exercise tracking, Body Battery to know when you’re too tired to work out, and sleep tracking, but there’s no onboard GPS, and you won’t get contactless payment technology either. Otherwise, it’s a suitable watch for anybody with slender wrists who wants a watch to match.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 tops the list of our favorite Android smartwatches thanks largely to its snappy performance and the fact that, along with the Watch 4 series and a profoundly pricey Montblanc watch, it enjoys semi-exclusive access to Wear OS 3. The Galaxy Watch 5 features automatic activity tracking, always-on heart rate monitoring, and body composition and SpO2 testing. It can even take ECG measurements when paired with a Samsung phone.

The smaller 40mm version's battery will last about a day and a half — average for smartwatches but low for fitness trackers. The 44mm version will last slightly longer, but it still doesn't come close to the week-long battery life you'll find in a proper tracker like the Fitbit Charge 5. But although it may not be a fitness tracker first, the Galaxy Watch 5 is an excellent smartwatch that also does a great job tracking your health stats. So if you don't mind charging more often, you can get a great fitness experience here.

A midrange entry in the Garmin portfolio, the Forerunner 255S Music retails for $400 — in either 41mm or 46mm sizes (though the 46mm is officially called the Forerunner 255 Music, no S). It's got all the Garmin trappings, including built-in GPS tracking for outdoor workouts, robust tracking of several fitness parameters, and excellent battery life of up to 12 or 14 days, depending on the size you get, plus the ability to save music from Spotify for phone-free playback.

It also has a handy feature for triathlon training that lets you seamlessly switch between running, cycling, and swimming tracking with a button. There's even support for contactless payments via Garmin Pay, a feature the previous-generation Forerunner 245 lacked. If you're a serious outdoor athlete, the Forerunner 255 Music should be on your shortlist for a new tracker.

This list would be remiss without including one of the best smartwatches around. There’s no denying that the Apple Watch is among the best products for tracking your health every day, and we’ve opted for the cheaper Watch SE for our roundup. Before digging into its merits, you must know that this device won’t work with an Android phone. You’ll need an iPhone to pair the Apple Watch SE, so don’t buy this if you’re an Android-only household.

If you are ready to dive into an Apple product, you’ll get a premium design that pairs perfectly with an iPhone. The Watch SE works seamlessly with iOS products, and it’s one of the best devices on this list for providing you with notifications and more. There’s no always-on display here, but its 1.78-inch display looks great on your wrist. It’s powerful enough to run any apps from the Apple Watch App Store, plus Apple continues to support this device. Again, don’t buy this if you own an Android phone.

The Withings ScanWatch is unlike any other product on this list and has a lot of other top fitness tracker choices. It’s designed to look like a traditional analog watch rather than a smartwatch, and it has hidden fitness tracking tech such as a heart rate monitor and a daily step counter. This watch even features an ECG monitor, which isn't a given outside top-end devices. The battery life is between two weeks and a month, depending on how much you use it — remarkably better than most other wearables you can buy right now.

What the ScanWatch can do is still limited, and its most significant limitation is the information it can provide you from a simple look at your wrist. There’s a step counter toward the bottom of the watch face, and a small screen provides you with some key details. These include your step count, current heart rate, ECG results, etc. It isn’t the most expansive set of results, but you can find everything neatly put away in the app on your phone if you want to.

Back to the budget end of the spectrum here, and the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is designed to offer a great pick of features but for a price much lower than other options. It features some basic fitness features, but this is much more for those who want the basics than a top-end Garmin or smartwatch. The design here is durable, but the LCD screen isn't the most eye-catching of any device you'd find on this list. We found it was comfortable to wear, and it certainly looks more premium than its price would suggest.

Fitness modes are impressive on the Redmi Watch 2 Lite as it can track over 50 different types of exercise. These include traditional activities such as running, cycling, swimming, and yoga, among some oddities that we think you might be unlikely to use. There's GPS built-in, and it's remarkably accurate as well. If you're not looking to spend much on your next fitness tracker, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is a step above the Mi Band 6 for only a touch more money.

Don't want a big screen on your wrist? The Whoop 4.0 is an acquired taste, but it may be right up your alley. Unlike everything else on this list, Whoop 4.0 is paid for through a subscription service. It's not cheap but gives you access to Whoop's unique platform and a "free" fitness tracker. The minimum term is 12 months with a monthly cost of $30 per month, or you can sign up for a two-year contract, which drops the monthly price to $20. This isn't for everyone, but it is a way to break down an expensive purchase into more affordable monthly payments.

The screen-less design is one of the unique elements here, and we particularly like it for anyone who wants a device that tracks but doesn't distract you during the day. These sensors work throughout the day, and sleep-tracking and menstrual cycle-tracking features also exist. However, we found it's better suited to endurance athletes than people who focus more on strength training.

Unlike every other fitness tracker on this list, you can charge the Whoop 4.0 while wearing it. That means you won't ever miss a moment of tracking steps and your heart rate. It works through an attachable charger, which you likely won't want to wear for long periods as it makes the device far heftier. It then charges the device in two hours, and Whoop estimates it'll last five days from that charge. If you want a screen-less device that can track an incredible array of statistics about your health, this may be the pick for you in this list.