If you are trying to decide between Garmin and Fitbit Watches, this “Garmin 3 vs Fitbit” guide is for you.
How Do Garmin and Fitbit Compare?
Fitbit is still releasing multiple fitness trackers each year while Garmin has slowed the rate of releasing new Garmin smartwatches.
As we speak, Garmin has only been able to release 4 fitness watches while Garmin has been able to release 5 activity trackers.
The releases made by Garmin are quite old and that is because they do not do frequent releases.
Activity and Health Tracking
No matter the smartwatch you go for, both of them will keep track of calories burned, steps taken, floors climbed, heart rate, and sleep.
The watches will also the distances traveled with the help of built-in GPS which is unfortunately not a feature you will find in all Garmin and Fitbit watches.
For Fitbits with built-in GPS to track your routes and paces try Fitbit Sense, Charge 5, Charge 4, Versa 2, Versa 3, and Ionic.
For those who are much into Garmin watches try Garmin Instinct, Venus Series, and Vivosport.
In addition, there are Garmin and Fitbit watches that have connected GPS that tracks routes and paces using your phone’s GPS.
They include Fitbit Charge 3, Luxe, Inspire HR, Versa, Inspire 2, and Versa 2 for the Fitbit watch. And Garmin Vivomove 3, Lily, Vivomove 3S, Vivoactive 3, and Vivosmart 4 for Garmin watch.
Fitbit and Garmin will both tell you how long you slept, sleep quality whether light, deep, or REM sleep, and the heart rate as well.
The Garmin Venu series, Vivosmart 4, and Vivoactive 4 feature a SpO2 sensor that will track your blood oxygen saturation levels. Fitbit Sense, Versa 2, and Ionic also come loaded with the feature.
Smartwatch Feature
Fitbit and Garmin smartwatches are both able to receive messages and call notifications from Android and iOS devices.
Unlike Android users, iOS users cannot reply to or delete text messages right from their wrists.
Some Fitbit watches like the Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2 are compatible with Alexa by Amazon and Google Voice Assistant by Google.
That means you can do voice replies and do internet searches. On the other hand, Garmin is also one of its watches, (the Gamin Venus 2 Plus) that offers voice assistant services.
Since Garmin does not have a voice assistant of its own, it uses your smartphone’s default voice assistant.
Storage Services
If you want a watch that offers onboard music storage go for Garmin because as of March 2023, Fitbit Watches could no longer support internal storage. Garmin Watches supports streaming on Spotify but the Fitbit watches does not.
App Downloads
Garmin and Fitbit watches will both let you download apps. For instance, on both watches, you can download the Strava App and the Uber App among others.
Contactless payment is also supported by the two brands.
Fitbit watches generally use Fitbit Pay for contactless payments while Garmin uses Garmin Pay for payment services.
Companion Apps
Apart from considering the number of fitness features offered by the watches, you must consider a smartphone app because it is from the app that you get stats on your daily workouts and wellness.
Of the two activity watches, Fitbit is the one that comes with a more user-friendly companion app. The homepage is far from overwhelming.
Ease of Use
The app is easy to understand and navigate, even those new to using Fitbit will find the app easy.
To the top, you will find a summary of your workout information of stats, and a scroll to the bottom will lead you to recent sleep and steps.
Click on the steps or sleep to have a deeper insight into your steps or sleep respectively. With Fitbit, you don’t scroll through tabs to get what you are looking for.
On the other hand, the Garmin app also features a good companion app but the app seems a little bit complicated to most users.
The Garmin app home screen will display your daily activity stats. When you click on the metrics each of them will provide further data as well as your history.
The information on the Garmin app is a lot denser than on Fitbit. This becomes even more challenging for users who are getting started with the Garmin smartwatch.
It seems Garmin couldn’t fit everything to the bottom tab so they came up with a slide-out menu that provides activities, performance stat, insights, custom workouts, and health among others.
The two companion app have their menus at the bottom. The menus let users connect to notifications, challenges, and more.
Calendars
From the Garmin Connect app, you will be able to jump directly to any date while on Fitbit you will need to scroll day by day.
Communities
Both Garmin Connect and the Fitbit apps let users join groups. Fitbit is more fun because it links you with other Fitbit users who have fitness interests like yours. You also get to comment on other people’s photos and much more.
Third-Party App
The Fitbit app is much better with 3rd party applications. Fitbit supports third-party apps like MapMyRun, MyFitnessPal, and Weight Watchers among others.
You can have the Fitbit app sync with whichever of your favorite health and fitness apps. Garmin watches and fitness trackers can also pair with third-party apps.
You can access these apps from Garmin Connect IQ. Both Fitbit and Garmin also have third-party clock faces.
What is Fitbit or Garmin App for?
Fitbit is geared more to people who are getting started with fitness tracking because of its simple overview while Garmin is more geared more to people who want all the fitness metrics. You can also get full access to your metrics on Fitbit via the Fitbit website
Premium Features
Fitbit offers Fitbit Premium subscription fees that go from $9.99 per month and $79.99 each year.
Once you have either of the plans you are granted access to advanced fitness and health feature stats, advanced sleep tools, dynamic workouts, and guided program workouts.
Fitbit Premium also comes with a cancellable free trial to give you a test of the premium experience. On the other hand, Garmin provides most of the things Fitbit offers at a cost for free.
For example, you will train with professional runners under the Garmin Coach training plan at a zero fee. You only need to purchase the Garmin smartwatch.
Garmin Fitness Trackers
1. Garmin Vivofit Jr 3
This is the latest fitness tracker for kids by Garmin. The activity comes with a good display size that will let your boy or girl have a comfortable view of texts with zero strain.
2. Garmin Vivosport
Although Garmin Vivosport is old now, it still is one of the company’s most powerful fitness trackers.
The tracker will monitor the heart rate using the built-in heart rate monitor and map your routes using the built-in GPS.
This is the best Garmin for swimming because it features a water resistance rating of up to 5 ATMs.
3. Garmin Vivo 4
This is the activity tracker to opt for when battery life is the key feature. The smartwatch comes with 1-year battery life. Garmin Vivo 4 is water-resistant up to 50 meters thus the best Fitbit for swimming. Its display is always on and most importantly comes at an affordable price.
4. Garmin Vivosmart 4
Garmin Vivosmart 4 is yet another latest tracker that tries to improve its predecessors’ display.
The smartwatch features a built-in oximeter. It also monitors routes and paces thanks to the built-in GPS technology.
Fitbit Fitness Trackers
1. Fitbit Charge 5
Charge 5 is the latest Fitbit watch that comes with a colored AMOLED display. Texts are super easy to read through.
Apart from tracking the amount of oxygen running through your veins, the watch can also monitor your body temperature using the SpO2 and skin temperature sensors respectively.
2. Fitbit Luxe
If you like to customize stuff, the Fitbit Luxe might impress you. It is customizable from clock faces to wristbands.
The Fitbit is as good-looking as the Fitbit Inspire 2 plus it is waterproof and can be worn in the shower.
3. Fitbit Charge 4
Fitbit Charge 4 can track your location using the onboard GPS. This watch is loaded with smartwatch features you will find on Fitbit devices like the Sense and Versa 3.
The tracker is slim and weighs almost nothing hence feels comfortable while on the wrist. It features Fitbit Pay, which lets you make contactless payments for Fitbit Services.
Which Ecosystem Should You Invest In?
Unfortunately, none of the two watches is a bad watch. They both make perfect choices. Your choice depends on what features you are much into and what type of user you are. if you want something simpler consider the Oura Ring which tracks your activities from the finger. Click here to see how Fitbit Compares to Oura Ring.
Can Garmin Connect to Fitbit?
At the moment the Fitbit App is only compatible with Fitbit watches and mobile devices. So, connecting Garmin to Fitbit or Fitbit to Garmin is not possible.
Garmin and Fitbit are famous fitness tracker companies. Both watches come with various models and owners will in one word call them Fitbit or Garmin.
Google was able to partner with Fitbit and for that reason we expect Fitbit to release new wearables as time ages. If you would like to know more about the Google and Fitbit partnership click here.