The best fitness trackers – which one should you buy?

The Fitbit Charge 5 is bang up-to-date and has all the best features with an in-built GPS that tracks steps, miles, calories, heart rate, sleeping patterns, menstrual cycle, water intake, and more. The key is in its simplicity, a touchscreen watch where you can manage alarms, meditation and log your different exercises directly from the watch and then go more in-depth on the companion Fitbit App. It also boasts an ECG heart rate scan, an EDA stress test and built-in Fitbit Pay, who needs a phone? We're also a fan of the matte wrist "infinity" strap and vibrant colour display. 

Our review: "The Fitbit Charge 5 is sleek and very pleasing aesthetically, especially the cream and gold colourway. It has a bright OLED screen and a variety of options when it comes to tracking your workout. I love the new infinity fastening, which means my watch strap doesn't catch on my clothes, and the EDA scan that tests stress levels is a great bonus. You certainly get a lot for your money with a Fitbit Charge 5, but a Fitbit Charge 4 is still a great option!"

Read our full review of the Fitbit Charge 5 vs the Fitbit Charge 4

Amazfit specialises in high-spec devices at bargain prices. The Band 7 easily rivals the functionality of the better-known names in this article with a full suite of services, including a heart rate sensor, blood oxygen reading, sleep tracking and Amazon Alexa control, and it connects to a straightforward monitoring app called Zepp.

Our review: "It's simple enough to start an activity tracking session, but there are some flaws. The long, lean face sits flat over the wrist and feels bulky. Slicker rivals curve slightly for comfort and stability, and there is no 'always on' option, and the raise-to-wake and tap-to-wake functions are a bit hit-and-miss. The touchscreen also becomes sluggish in cold, wet weather, and there's no button for backup like you get on the Garmin. But battery life is very good. It claims to last 18 days between charges (a lot more than the Fitbit or Garmin). Although that does drop if you track activities every day. While there are some rough edges, you get an awful lot for your money with this."

Fitbit is a popular brand in this market and for good reason. This sleek fitness tracker gives you all-day activity tracking, heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking and calorie burn, with reminders to move and automatic exercise recognition. For the swimmers out there, it's water-resistant up to 50m, and you'll get up to five days of battery life from one charge. It's pretty accurate, although no fitness tracker will ever truly be able to tell you your exact stats to the decimal, and is comfortable and lightweight.

In terms of accuracy, the HONOR Band 6 seems to be realistic with step tracking and heart rate. For all your fitness needs, there are 10 workout modes, a step counter, exercise auto-detect (which takes around five minutes to kick in), stress level monitoring, SpO2 monitoring and heart-rate tracking, plus it's water-resistant up to 50m for up to ten minutes. The watch itself is wonderfully lightweight (18g without the silicone strap), and you soon forget you're wearing it. It's comparable to a Fitbit Inspire HR in terms of how it feels on the wrist.

Our review: "When it comes to battery life, I'm seriously impressed. After almost a month of testing, I've only needed to charge it twice - once just after it arrived on 70 per cent battery, which doesn't really count if I'm honest. It promises a 14-day battery life after a 65-minute charge, and it delivers easily with normal usage. I tracked a workout each day, set a daily alarm and had all of my notifications coming through, which it handles with ease. You can also get three days of usage from a 10-minute quick charge. The 'Do not disturb' feature is useful to turn off notifications overnight, as well as avoiding being woken up by bright light if you're particularly active when sleeping. Overall usage is smooth - it isn't glitchy, is simple to control and many users will pick it up quickly."

Read our full review of the HONOR Band 6

Designed for runners, the Fitbit Charge 4 tracker gets consistently good reviews, and it's not entirely surprising since Fitbit is hardly a newcomer when it comes to reliable wearable tech. This lightweight model comes with a fast built-in GPS and boasts a seven-day battery life, so you'll be running with this for quite a while between charges.

It's also compatible with iOS 12.2 or higher and Android 7.0 and higher, so pairing this with your device will be a breeze. But of course, this is all about unhindered portability, so the GPS will handle your route tracking as you go without the need to have your smartphone strapped to your arm. Also, although an Apple Watch or Garmin running watch has more functionality, not all runners want something as complex or weighty on their wrist. This weighs in at 30 grams with a slim bracelet design, so you'll hardly know it's there. There's a handy alert to tell you if you're reaching your heart rate targets, it's water resistant, and the wristband itself is reflective - always a nice touch for those running into the evenings.

The Garmin Vivosmart 4 isn't your regular fitness tracker, it also has advanced features like monitoring REM sleep and checking oxygen saturation levels at night with the wrist-based Pulse Ox sensor. Other monitoring tools include all-day stress tracking, a relaxation breathing timer, VO2 max, and a Body Battery energy monitor plus, it can connect to your phone's GPS for accurate tracking. A slimline tracker in four different colour ways is a great price point for under £100 with activities like walking, running, strength training, cardio, swimming, and yoga.

Fancy getting your kids involved and promoting a healthy lifestyle to them? The Fitbit Ace 3 is a brightly coloured tracker for your young ones, with fun fonts on the display and characters to appeal to their fun side. It lasts up to eight days on a charge, is water-resistant up to 50m, and tracks that they're getting enough rest, as well enough moments of activity.