Brands that become synonymous with the product they’re offering are few and far between, and Fitbit is certainly one of these golden brands. Whenever you think of fitness trackers, Fitbit is the first brand that comes to mind, and deservingly so considering their superb lineup of wearables.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Fitbit is the only formidable manufacturer in its department, it simply means that if you were to embark on a quest for the ideal fitness tracker for you, chances are you’ll be thunderstruck by one of Fitbit’s sophisticated units. That’s all we’re saying.
However, the obstacle lies in scanning through Fitbit’s extensive range of fitness trackers to find the most optimal unit for you, and that’s where we come in. In this article, we cover our top picks for the title of the best Fitbit for men, so you may want to stick around for a bit, pun intended.
List of the Best Fitbit for Men:
- Fitbit Inspire HR – Best Overall Fitbit For Men
- Fitbit Ionic – Best Fitbit GPS Watch for Men
- Fitbit Versa – Best for Workouts
- Fitbit Charge 3 – Best for Runs
- Fitbit Alta HR – Best for Achieving Healthy Goals
- Fitbit Versa Lite – Best Fitbit For Men With Advanced Software
Table of Comparison:
Product | Weight | Display Size | Battery Life | Onboard GPS |
Fitbit Inspire HR | 20 Grams | 37×13 mm | 4-5 Days | No |
Fitbit Ionic | 47 Grams | 38×12 mm | 4-5 Days | Yes |
Fitbit Versa | 38 Grams | 35×24 mm | 3-4 Days | No |
Fitbit Charge 3 | 29 Grams | 38×18 mm | 6-7 Days | No |
Fitbit Alta HR | 29 Grams | 36×15 mm | 6-7 Days | No |
Fitbit Versa Lite | 38 Grams | 35×24 mm | 4-5 Days | No |
The 6 Best Fitbits for Men in 2024
Selecting a small handful of fitness trackers from Fitbit’s excellent catalog of products to declare as the best Fitbit for men wasn’t an easy task, but we’ve managed to boil it down to five units.
1. Fitbit Inspire HR – Best Overall Fitbit For Men
Starting off our list is one of the sleekest-looking fitness trackers available, the Fitbit Inspire HR. Compared to the Fitbit Charge 3, which we’ll be going over in this article, the Fitbit Inspire HR is thinner and more lightweight. The unit’s color choices include white, black, and lilac.
Equipped with a silicone band, the Fitbit Inspire HR is perfect for casual occasions. If you’d like for it to look more formal, you have the option to upgrade to a variety of straps. The resolution of the monochrome OLED screen is 128×72 pixels. It’s quite sharp and vividly bright.
The Inspire HR is equipped with the basic fitness-tracking features that you’d expect to see in a steadfast activity tracker, such as a daily step-tracking feature. The unit also boasts several advanced features that include a heart rate monitor and GPS functionality.
Because the Inspire HR is designed mainly as a budget tracker, the unit is pretty accomplished, as it features over 15 exercise modes. The running mode, for example, gives you information such as the distance, average pace, calories burned, heart rate, steps, and time.
According to Fitbit, the Inspire HR can last up to 5 days on a single charge. However, it’s safe to assume that you’ll be able to get 4 days out of it with extensive use. To maximize battery life, we suggest you turn on notifications for calls and texts only. All in all, great bang for the buck.
- An accomplished budget-friendly unit
- Equipped with over 15 exercise modes
- Features a heart rate tracker and GPS
- Exceptional battery life for the price tag
- Very sleek and lightweight construction
- We’re not quite fond of the large bezel
- The unit isn’t equipped with Fitbit Pay
Final Verdict
The Fitbit Inspire HR is a budget-friendly fitness tracker that boasts all of the features needed to track most activities. However, if you’re looking for smart features, consider a different Fitbit.
Check Also: The 5 Best Fitbit for Kids
2. Fitbit Ionic – Best Fitbit GPS Watch for Men
The Fitbit Ionic is a pretty significant device in the world of wearables. It’s Fitbit’s only tracker to offer onboard GPS, it’s Fitbit’s heaviest smartwatch, and it’s Fitbit’s most expensive watch. It’s a lot more affordable now than it used to cost when it first dropped, thank goodness.
While we just mentioned that the Ionic is arguably Fitbit’s heaviest unit, it’s much lighter than a lot of smartwatches manufactured by other companies, thanks to its aluminum build. The straps are either made of leather or plastic, and they’re extremely easy to swap out.
The awesome thing about the Fitbit Ionic is that it consolidates all of the features found in other Fitbit products under one roof. It features a heart rate tracker that the company claims to be the most accurate heart rate tracker amongst all Fitbits, thanks to the use of new algorithms.
The Ionic’s strongest selling point has to be its built-in GPS. The watch features antenna bands that are placed in strategic positions to ensure optimal tracking connection for the GPS function. While it may take some time to connect to GPS, it’s less likely that you’ll ever lose connection.
In terms of battery lifespan, the Fitbit Ionic can last 4+ days on a single charge on limited usage. If you use the watch extensively, you’ll probably get around 3 days’ worth of usage. Fitbit claims that it can last up to 10 hours with constant GPS tracking. Worth checking out!
- The only unit to feature onboard GPS
- Reliable battery life with limited usage
- Features a highly accurate HR monitor
- Light compared to other smartwatches
- The straps can be swapped out easily
- Not the most budget-friendly tracker
- The performance is a little bit slow
Final Verdict
The Fitbit Ionic is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a fitness tracker that features its very own GPS. It’s also ideal for heart rate monitoring. Not the most affordable unit, though.
3. Fitbit Versa – Best for Workouts
The Fitbit Versa is a smartwatch that combines pizzazz and practicality under one roof. The unit looks so aesthetically appealing that you won’t find it hard to wear it to any occasion. This Fitbit is also quite compact at 39 millimeters and lightweight at only 0.8 ounces. Quite impressive!
Compared to the Fitbit Ionic, the Versa is better suited for people with smaller and normal-sized wrists. However, to achieve such a slim design, Fitbit had to sacrifice the presence of a built-in GPS, which is arguably the biggest drawback that the Versa suffers from.
One of the features that set this smartwatch apart, however, is that it can store up to 300 songs. The process of storing songs on this device is quite simple, especially if you have a Pandora or Deezer premium account. Deezer offers a 3-month free trial for Versa users, just so you know.
The Versa utilizes the Fitbit OS software platform, which initially launched with the release of the Ionic. If you’ve already used a Charge or Altra, your experience with the Versa will be a new one entirely. The Versa offers a wide range of apps and clock faces to select from for customization.
In terms of battery life, you can squeeze up to 4 days of use out of the Versa with heavy use. It’ll offer you the ability to keep tabs on 3-4 nights of sleep, receive notifications, listen to music, and work out all on a single charge. If you’re willing to spend a pretty penny, the Versa is for you.
- Lightweight and compact construction
- One of the most stylish smartwatches
- Equipped with insightful sleep analysis
- Long battery life even with heavy use
- Boasts a host of apps and clock faces
- The unit doesn’t feature onboard GPS
- Actionable notifications are quite limited
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a smartwatch that strikes a great balance of stylishness and practicality, this is a unit that’s worth your money. Albeit, we would’ve loved to see it feature onboard GPS.
4. Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Activity Tracker – Best for Runs
The Fitbit Charge 3 is the company’s jack of all trades. While it’s not perfect, this unit is nothing short of remarkable. The Charge 3 features the same screen and band design as the Charge, but it underwent some tweaking and refining that helped enhance its overall look.
What kind of tweaking are we talking about? For starters, this unit is thinner and, therefore, more lightweight and a lot less chunky on your wrist. It’s also worth noting that the unit is constructed from aluminum rather than stainless steel, making it 20% lighter than its predecessor.
Another thing that’s worth noting about the Fitbit Charge 3 is that it doesn’t boast any pressable buttons. The reason why is that, contrary to the Charge 2’s tap-to-cycle screen, the Charge 3 features a full touchscreen. This means that all of the navigation will be done with your fingers.
The Fitbit Charge 3 is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. It can be synced with your smartphone via Bluetooth technology. Not only can you see calls and texts using this watch, but you can also reply to text messages and view app notifications, depending on the app itself.
According to Fitbit’s estimation, the Fitbit Charge 3’s battery can last for up to 7 days on a single charge, which is an additional 48 hours on top of the Charge 2’s battery life. When heavily used, the Fitbit Charge 3 is likely to last around 6 days, enough for you to lose your charging cable.
- One of the best in terms of battery life
- Arguably the sleekest Fitbit on our list
- Offers its user smartphone notifications
- The straps are easily interchangeable
- The tracker’s construction is waterproof
- Doesn’t have a GPS feature
- Deficient storage of 256 MBs
Final Verdict
As you can tell from our review, we’re big fans of the Fitbit Charge 3. It’s stylish, lightweight, and highly practical, so what’s not to like? The main drawback is that it lacks onboard GPS.
5. Fitbit Alta HR – Best for Achieving Healthy Goals
The Fitbit Alta HR is no exception when it comes to abiding by Fitbit’s high standards of style. It features stainless steel construction with a robust, sweat-resistant rubber strap. The Fitbit Alta is 25% slimmer than the Fitbit Charge 2, as it boasts a thickness of only 15 millimeters.
The Alta HR’s design is gently curved to the arc of your wrist to ensure maximum comfort. Also, it’s one of the lightest fitness trackers on this list at about 0.8 ounces. The buckle does a superb job of remaining locked onto your wrist so that the unit never comes loose when jogging.
The unit features an inbuilt sensor pack that ensures accurate tracking. The optical sensor does a brilliant job of keeping tabs on your active and resting rates throughout the day. Generally, the unit offers the necessary metrics for ensuring ideal fitness progress and overall health.
One of the attributes that help set the Alta HR apart from other competitors is its compatibility. It can be paired with Android, iOS, and Windows devices. The unit allows you to break down your daily activities in a variety of standards, including distance, steps, time, and calories burned.
Considering its size, the Fitbit Alta HR offers a satisfactory battery lifespan. The unit can remain on for about 6 to 7 days on a single charge, which is superb considering it tracks your heart rate every 5 seconds. Also, the unit only takes 1 to 2 hours in order to be fully recharged.
- A highly accurate and detailed tracker
- An excellent lifespan of about a week
- The construction is simple and elegant
- It provides 24/7 heart rate monitoring
- One of the most comfortable trackers
- The unit doesn’t feature onboard GPS
- Quite difficult to perceive in bright light
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that provides precise heart rate monitoring and tremendous battery life, the Fitbit Alta HR is the way to go. Sadly, the unit lacks an onboard GPS function.
6. Fitbit Versa Lite – Best Fitbit For Men With Advanced Software
Design-wise, the Fitbit Versa Lite isn’t very different from the original Versa. It features the same rounded square face and the same chamfered edges. Similarly to the original Versa as well, the unit features bright and vivid display colors. We’re also quite fond of the contrast ratio.
One of the most notable differences between the Versa Lite and the original Versa tracker is that the former features only one button on the left-hand side in contrast with the latter’s three, which means that you’ll have to control most of the unit’s functionalities using the touchscreen.
The Fitbit Versa Lite utilizes the Fitbit OS 3, which is probably the reason why it’s so responsive. However, it’s not flawless, as it does suffer from a one-second delay whenever you try to pull up the Today dashboard. The delay is also present when opening apps like Weather and Exercise.
When it comes to cardio, we can safely say that the Versa Lite is much better suited for running than the Fitbit Inspire HR. This is due to its larger screens, which show a lot more data than the Inspire HR’s screen. There are two fixed stats and a third data field that you can customize.
Another attribute that helps set the Fitbit Versa Lite apart from the rest of its rivals is the fact that it’s water-resistant up to 50 meters, making it an ideal tracker for swimmers. The device features 15 different types of exercise, and it has a decent battery life of 4 to 5 days.
- The display is super vivid and bright
- Very smooth and responsive interface
- Offers a customizable third data field
- More affordable than the Fitbit Versa
- Extremely appealing and comfortable
- The device doesn’t feature onboard GPS
- Not the most precise heart rate tracking
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a watch that looks a lot like the Apple Watch at a much more affordable tag, the Fitbit Versa Lite is your best bet. It’s not the most reliable for heart rate tracking, though.
Check also: The 5 Best Smartwatches for Men
How to Pick the Right Best Fitbit for Men?
Sometimes it’s not enough to know which products to pick from. You need to know exactly what to look for to ensure the most value for your money. Here are the factors you need to consider.
1. How Much Money Can You Spend?
Whether you’re looking to buy a Fitbit or a unit from a completely different brand, you must know that fitness trackers vary greatly in pricing. The latest generation of fitness trackers offers tons of impressive features to pick from at pretty reasonable prices. So they’re not all expensive.
You should also know that with the emergence of third and fourth-generation fitness trackers, all of the older units are coming down in price and becoming a lot more affordable. Albeit, finding a budget-friendly fitness tracker of the latest generation shouldn’t come across as far-fetched.
How much should you expect to pay for a quality Fitbit? Well, the highest-priced Fitbit on our list is about $250, and the least expensive one costs around $90. Fitness trackers that are below the $90 price point tend to be equipped with fewer features and aren’t as precise as high-end units.
2. Which Activities Do You Want to Track?
Are you looking for a fitness tracker that can help you keep tabs on standard metrics, or are you looking to track something more specific? Most units will allow you to track distance, steps, and activity. Moreover, most units tend to give you a little buzz if you haven’t moved for a while.
The more advanced fitness trackers are often equipped with built-in GPS. Such units tend to be a lot more precise in their measurements than units that don’t. If your activities consist of hiking, running, or walking, then you’ll be fine with just about any of Fitbit’s fitness trackers.
On the other hand, if you’re into more complex activities such as swimming, mountain climbing, cycling, or working an elliptical, then you need to purchase a sophisticated tracker that can help you track such activities. The units on our list do a brilliant job of covering all sorts of activities.
Another feature that you may want to consider is sleep tracking since sleep plays a major role in ensuring our well-being. Fitness trackers can provide you with information such as the total time of sleep and the various stages of sleep, depending on how advanced the wearable is.
Last but not least, when it comes to features, you may want to consider buying a unit that boasts a heart-rate monitor. Such units can report information such as your average heart rate, periods of peaks and troughs, and the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2 Max).
If you’re someone who’s looking for a fitness tracker that can help you monitor the health of your heart, then make sure the unit’s readings are as precise as possible. However, if you’re simply a fitness enthusiast, you don’t need to worry about getting the most accurate heartbeat readings.
3. What About the Battery’s Lifespan?
Fitness trackers are different from smartwatches in the sense that they don’t have large screens and a lot of additional features, which is why fitness trackers have better battery lives compared to smartwatches. Most fitness trackers have battery lives that range from 2 days to 2 weeks.
It’s also worth noting that there are fitness trackers that utilize coin-cell batteries like a traditional watch. These units tend to function for several months before needing to replace the battery. All of the Fitbit units reviewed in this article are rechargeable and have exceptional battery life.
4. What Type of Display Do You Prefer?
Selecting the right display is a subjective topic. Some people like color display, others like black and white display, and a select few are into units that have no display. Those who require some sort of display view it as essential for keeping track of your progress during the day.
Those who are into trackers that don’t feature any sort of display claim that it helps them not to get addicted to reading the numbers on their wrist all the time. If you share the same viewpoint, we suggest you steer clear of Fitbit since most of their units offer some sort of display.
5. Which Smart Features Do You Want?
Contrary to popular belief, fitness trackers aren’t only used to track activities. Some units can be used to provide you with notifications when synced with a smartphone. You can also rely on one of these units to remind you of upcoming events with the aid of a calendar feature.
Some premium fitness trackers allow you to make contactless payments. Other trackers employ a feedback function that grants you badges or congratulatory emails when you accomplish your daily goals. You need to consider the features that are important to you before buying a Fitbit.
6. Is the Design/Construction Satisfactory?
Fitness trackers, especially the ones made by Fitbit, come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and styles. And since design selection is pretty subjective, you need to make sure that you purchase a unit that boasts a design that you can wear proudly, and that matches your clothing style.
As far as construction, you want to make sure that the tracker has a sturdy build, which won’t be a problem since Fitbit is known for its high-quality products. Also, consider whether you want the unit to be water and dust-resistant or not, as that can be a deciding factor for a lot of people.
Frequently Asked Questions:
As we were conducting our research for this article, we came across a few questions that keep on recurring, so we thought we’d clear the fog around these questions by addressing them.
Is Fitbit Worth Buying?
If you’re happy with just getting some exercise, then a Fitbit might be a waste of money for you. However, if you’re meticulous about your exercise and you want to keep track of things such as your steps and heart rate, then we highly recommend investing in a Fitbit fitness tracker.
Are Fitbits for Guys?
According to Fitbit, around 70% of their fitness trackers are sold to men. However, this is slowly changing as more and more trackers are manufactured with female fitness enthusiasts in mind. To put it simply, Fitbits are perfect for men, women, teenagers, and even younger children.
Is Wearing a Fitbit Dangerous?
The main problem with wearing a Fitbit or any sort of fitness tracker/smartwatch is that you’ll be exposed to radiation daily, and any sort of tech-related radiation is unhealthy. However, there are no reports that indicate any physical damage caused by a Fitbit fitness tracker.
Final Thoughts
No matter what you’re looking for in a fitness tracker, we’re quite confident that you’ll be able to find a Fitbit that meets your needs and budget. Hopefully, the information provided in this article has provided you with the insight you need on your quest to find the best Fitbit for men.