Best Activity Tracker for Weight Loss

​The Fitbit Flex is an activity bracelet that monitors your movement and your sleep pattern. The Flex is available in Black, Slate, Orange, Navy and Mint Green. Fitbit provides two wrist bands with your purchase, one small and the other large. Each band has various notches that ensure that, whatever wrist size you have, the notch will fit. ​The rubber band material makes the Flex very comfortable to wear all day. It is very lightweight and has a very flat, streamlined profile. The only computerized part of the band is the removable CPU. The only time you would remove the CPU from the band is when you need to charge it with the supplied USB cable. The battery will last about ten days on a full charge.Read more

The Fitbit Flex is water resistant, meaning that you can wash your hands and shower with the device still on your wrist. However, it is not waterproof, so you are unable to jump into the pool within on. The Flex does not have a word or number based display. Instead, it lets you know how you are progressing toward your goals by way of 5 LED illuminating dots.

​The Fitbit Flex syncs wirelessly via Bluetooth 4.0 to the free Fitbit app. The app will record your steps, distance walked, the minutes you were very active and calories burned. Tapping on any of these readings will expand the category. You are able to get a breakdown over the course of your day so that you can see when you were most active and when you need to do more.

​The Fitbit Flex will also monitor your sleep through movement. Once you are in bed, you simply open the Fitbit App and tell it that you are going to sleep. When you get up the next morning, you tell the band that you are awake, and a summary chart of your sleep activity displays. Throughout the night, it will track your sleep, restlessness and how long you are actually up.

The Fitbit App allows you to record your food and drink intake. You can access the food log through the calories eaten category. The app will find and record the foods that you have eaten, automatically logging your caloric intake.

​You can also log your workout on the Fitbit Flex. Unfortunately, there are no generic options, so all of your data will have to be manually input. The app will record your calorie expenditure and then provide you with a daily balance to allow you to check if you are in negative caloric balance in order to achieve weight loss.

​If you have friends with a Fitbit Flex, you can compare and compete with them through the app. The Flex also has a vibrating alarm. This allows you to set an alarm that will give you a gentle wrist vibration to wake you up, so you will not be disturbing your partner. You can also pair the Flex with the Fitbit Aria WiFi Smart Scale.

​The Withings Pulse fitness tracker is a small, chunky rectangular device that has a very comfortable soft-touch plastic feel to it. It is not water resistant, so can’t be worn in the shower. It has a small display on the front and a button on the top that, together, will allow you to navigate through the various bits of data that the device collects. The touch screen enables you to see your records and history. You simply swipe to the left and you can see all of the numbers that you have achieved in the past.Read more

The display on the Pulse can be difficult to see in the sun. The button on the top allows you to move from screen to screen. On the back of the device is a heart rate monitor that measures your beats per minute through your finger. It does not have the ability to track your heart rate 24/7. The heart rate sensor is quite reliable and easy to work with.

​The Withings Pulse is intended to be worn on your hip, on your wrist or in your pocket. It comes with a wrist band, which is primarily for sleeping, but which can be used day to day. It also comes with a waist clip. The waist clip is a silicone material which securely fits around your waistline. However, it is difficult to clip it onto your athletic belt. The wrist band, though comfortable, is quite cumbersome to put on. You also have to interact with the Pulse through a mesh lining once it is on your wrist.

​The Withings Pulse is very easy to use. It will track your calories burned, steps taken, elevation, distance traveled, heart rate, hours slept and the time. It doesn’t have a silent alarm or a stopwatch facility. Neither can it relay phone notifications. ​The Pulse has a very good application to analyze your data. It brings together all of the data from all of your Withings products, including your scale, blood pressure monitor and activity tracker. ​The Withings App has great social features. It will also connect with the most prominent fitness apps, such as ‘My Fitness Pal’. The app will stay open in the background of your Smartphone, allowing your pulse to sync via Bluetooth throughout the day. The app is fun and it easy to use, just like the actual fitness band.

​The JawBone Up Move is a lightweight wristband. It is made from a rubberized material that is very comfortable on the skin. The Move is an entry-level tracker that comes with a hip flip and a user manual. You may not get a watch strap but you can buy a strap separately. The Move has an attractive sleek design. The UP Move syncs automatically via Bluetooth low energy. The JawBone app is very detailed and includes a feature that allows you to record your food and drink intake. Jawbone’s app is more detailed than that provided by FitBit in that it will provide details about the protein, carbohydrate and fat levels of the foods you eat, whereas the FitBit will only give you the total amount of calories in each food. Read the full article where we compare these two brands.Read more

The app has a very good design, with excellent infographics and it is able to work with a large number of third-party apps. The app features a SmartCoach feature which will provide you with coaching tips.

The UP Move is a multi-location device that can be worn on the hip, wrist or in your pocket. It runs on a standard coin cell battery that should last up to six months before it needs replacing. The display has a network of LED dots on its face. When you press down on the screen, you will see if you are in sleep or active mode. You will also see the percentage of your daily goal that you have attained. Double tapping will start a stop watch or an activity so that you can analyze it later.

The UP Move will track your sleep, but you must enter and exit sleep mode manually. The device will not relay your phone notifications, nor does it have a silent alarm function. It cannot be submerged in water but you won’t have a problem taking it in the shower. It is quite difficult to get the Move in and out of the optional wrist strap. This means that it won’t fall out, but it makes it quite a pain to switch between the hip flip and wrist strap.

If you are in the market for an inexpensive fitness tracker that will accurately monitor your calories burnt and allow you to get a detailed breakdown of your calories from food and drink, then the UP Move is a good move for you.​

The Mi Band 3 is a simple little device that doesn't look all that impressive, but don't let that fool you! This budget-friendly tracker manages a lot of impressive tasks, all packed into a small display that is super easy to use. Its AMOLED touchscreen has three basic movements you have to master: swipe up and down, swipe left and right, and the simple touch, and that's all you need!Read more

The Mi Band 3 is an excellent calorie tracker and general well-being tracker, especially when combined with the Mi Scale. The Mi Scale, when you upload the data onto the Mi Fit app, will show you almost everything you need to. This dainty device is capable of a lot of things - first things first, it measures the number of steps you've taken, just like every basic fitness tracker does. It also measures the distance you've crossed thanks to the built-in GPS. The heart rate tracker is quite accurate, missing the actual number by only a few beats. This is all taken into account when the tracker calculates the number of calories burned, a very important feature for you!

The Mi Band 3 also monitors your sleep cycles, but this is a feature that is still not so accurate in any tracker that exists, so take these numbers with some doubt. This tracker has an excellent battery life, lasting up to 20 days even with moderate use, and it charges in about an hour or so. The display shows you messages, missed calls, and vibrates to alert you if you've got an incoming one. The silent alarm wakes you up gently without waking up the rest of the household, while the sedentary reminder reminds you to move. The tracker is water resistant up to 50 meters, so don't worry about water damage either! The wristband is rubbery and comfy to wear, while the lock body keeps the CPU safe!

If you ever wanted to look sublime while staying fit, this is your chance! The Garmin Vivomove Hr is a beautiful hybrid of elegance and fitness. The watch face does look like a regular watch, complete with precision handles. But the display hides wonderful features - the touchscreen is discreet, hidden underneath the handles. When you start to use the watch, if the handles are in the way, they will dynamically move upwards to not bother you!Read more

The watch monitors your steps and the distance you've crossed. The Elevate wrist heart rate technology monitors your heart rate all day long, continuously, so you always know just how well your heart is doing. Speaking of your well being, this tracker has a very handy feature - stress tracking! The watch will recognize when your stress levels spike, and it will gently nudge you to stay calm until the storm blows over, and guide you to breathe slowly and deeply to help calm you down. The relaxation timer tells you just how long you need to wind down, and once it's over you can safely get back to your day.

The watch monitors the calories you've burned, but it also estimates your fitness age, and with its guiding voice you can work towards lowering that number! One more thing many fitness enthusiasts appreciate is the VO2 max, and this watch can measure it to show you your full fitness status! The data uploads automatically on your device to the Garmin Connect app, and the watch gently vibrates to notify you if you have any calls or messages. You can also control your music with this watch!

The Fitbit Charge 3 is arguably the best Fitbit fitness tracker out there, and it would be in poor taste not to include it in our list, especially because you can connect it with the scale to track your progress in even greater detail. The tracker continuously measures your heart rate, and thanks to that you can know precisely how much calories you've burned and when.Read more

The battery lasts up to 7 days, connecting you with your fitness progress all day and night. The touchscreen is quite large, bright, and easy to read, even in direct sunlight since it automatically adjusts to the situation outside. The band itself is durable and lightweight, and quite comfy to wear. You can even swim with this handy little watch since it's swim-proof and it has special features that show you good of a swimmer you are. The Charge 3 reminds you to check your calendar, messages, and calls, and you can even quick reply to messages, albeit only on Android devices. You can choose 15 different exercise modes that enrich your fitness journey and make reaching that goal even easier.

The coach shows you real-time progress while you exercise. The Charge 3 automatically tracks your sleep, and it even reminds you to go to bed at preset times so you're lulled gently into a healthy routine. The reminders to move do not let you stay sedentary! If your heart rate ever goes up, the guided breathing helps you calm down and find your inner peace again. You can connect the watch with the Fitbit app and upload all of that precious data to see it summarized with colorful graphs and fun charts.

Garmin and Fitbit both create outstanding fitness trackers, so we must include one more Garmin tracker, and we decided to go for Vivofit 2. The battery lasts up to one incredible year, offering you insight into your life non-stop. The display is clear and backlit, so you can read it no matter where you are.Read more

The Vivofit 2 reminds you to move with a loud alarm, and a bar shows you just how much sedentary time you've got left until it's time to kick it again! As the watch learns your routine and life, it will gradually comprise personalized daily goals and show you just what you need to do in order to reach them. The tracker itself doesn't show you the heart rate, but if you combine it with a chest strap heart rate monitor expect to see a lot of accurate data. If you're connected to your device at all times, the watch will continuously upload data to the Garmin Connect app, so you always know where you're standing. The tracker is water-resistant, so you can shower with it or swim briefly, but you should still be careful with it around water. By connecting the Vivofit 2 to MyFitnessPal, you can get super detailed calorie tracking that is sure to keep you motivated.

The Polar Loop 2 is a neat band that has no display, thus making it small and very portable. The Loop 2 does display messages on it's "display" though thanks to the strategically placed LED lights. It shows you motivating feedback and helpful guidance, and with just one tap of a button, you can see all the data you ever need to.Read more

The Loop 2 also learns your habits and shows you personalized daily goals, just like the Vivofit 2 does. The motivating guidance we mentioned tells you just how to stay focused on your goals and it doesn't let you lose your goal out of sight. The band tracks your sleep and shows you just how well you rest each night. Of course, it measures your steps, distance crossed, heart rate, calories burned and everything else a standard fitness tracker tracks. Once connected to your device, it will show you standard notifications and remind you to look at your phone. The silicone wristband is pliable and very adjustable, so don't worry about your wrist size too much!

Apple Watches are quite popular fitness trackers, but keep in mind that they are only compatible with iOS devices. Right off the bat, this watch has a seriously big display that's very bright and colorful, and very easy to read. This does make it easy to use, but the watch itself might be too chunky for some users.Read more

The heart rate tracking is quite accurate, and the watch will notify you once your heart rate goes way up or down, or if your heart rate becomes irregular. The Apple watch 4 can even detect if you've fallen down, and it will send an emergency SOS if you stay down for too long! It will ask you whether you want to send a notification or not beforehand, so don't worry about rogue alarms going off when you don't need them to. The watch will detect when you've started working out, and it will recognize what kind of activity you are doing. Runners can enjoy even more benefits, like their cadence and their pace. You can see up to five different metrics on the display so you always know just how well you're doing. You can talk using this watch, message people, and listen to your favorite music.

The Samsung Smartwatch does not look like your regular fitness trackers do - it's disguised as a regular chunky watch, and you won't even know it has a touchscreen until you start to use it and all the colors start to flash. This watch is water-resistant, up to 50 meters, and you can enjoy it in the water without worries, but take it off when you go swimming.Read more

You can easily track your activity levels with heart rate tracking and GPS mapping. You can look into your calorie balance and adjust what you don't like for a fast and effective way to lose weight. Once you start working out, you can turn a personal coach on that guides you throughout different exercises. The Samsung Connect app lets you control every Samsung device (including the Gear Fit 2 tracker we also reviewed) you have in your house with the watch, making it super convenient! The Samsung Pay NFC allows you to pay using the watch. You can receive and make calls with the watch, and the same is true for texting. You can select various features just bu turning the bezel, no need to touch the display! This watch is both Android and iOS compatible, so don't worry if you change brands!