Ranking · Fitness trackers
The 5 Best Fitness Tracker Apps of 2026
Steps, heart rate and sleep in one place: the app that fits your phone and your goals, and why its calorie count is only an estimate.
A fitness tracker app is only as good as the device feeding it, so this ranking is really about ecosystems. Our top pick is Fitbit, whose app Google renamed Google Health in May 2026. It still puts steps, heart rate and sleep in one place for most people, on iPhone or Android, with trackers from about $100, and with a Fitbit tracker or Pixel Watch its free tier includes sleep stages and a daily readiness score.
Garmin Connect is the pick for serious training, Apple Fitness for iPhone owners, Samsung Health for Android, and Pacer if you don’t want a wearable at all. One caveat applies to every app here: step counts and heart rate are reasonably reliable, but calorie-burn figures are estimates. Prices are as of November 2026.
Our picks at a glance
- Best overallFitbit (Google Health)4.1/5
- Best for serious trainingGarmin Connect4.1/5
- Best for iPhone usersApple Fitness4.0/5
- Best free option for AndroidSamsung Health3.9/5
- Best without a wearablePacer3.7/5
Compare the apps side by side
| App | Our score | Price | Platforms | How it works | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitbit (Google Health) | 4.1 | Free; Premium $9.99/mo | iOS, Android | A Fitbit tracker or Pixel Watch; phone-only step counting is possible | Yes: steps, heart rate, sleep stages and readiness (with a Fitbit or Pixel Watch) |
| Garmin Connect | 4.1 | Free with a Garmin device; Connect+ $69.99/yr | iOS, Android | A Garmin watch or tracker (required) | Yes: sleep score, Body Battery, HRV and training metrics |
| Apple Fitness | 4.0 | Free; Fitness+ $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone motion sensors; an Apple Watch adds heart rate and the Exercise and Stand rings | Yes: the Move ring from an iPhone alone; all three rings with a Watch |
| Samsung Health | 3.9 | Free (some content paid) | Android | Android phone sensors; a Galaxy Watch adds sleep and heart data | Yes: steps, workouts and food logging |
| Pacer | 3.7 | Free with ads; Premium $49.99/yr | iOS, Android, Apple Watch | Your phone’s motion sensors (no wearable needed) | Yes: steps, distance, GPS walks and challenges, with ads |
Read calorie-burn numbers as estimates. Wrist trackers measure steps and heart rate reasonably well, but the calories they say you burned are modeled, not measured, and independent studies have found them to be well off. Use them for trends, not for exact targets. We haven’t measured any of these trackers ourselves.
The picks, in detail
Fitbit (Google Health)
- Not measured
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Price: Free; Premium $9.99/mo
Fitbit has long been the default for people who want a wearable without much fuss, and the app still covers the basics well. With a Fitbit tracker or Pixel Watch, the free tier gives you steps, heart rate and heart-rate variability, sleep stages and a sleep score, a daily readiness score and irregular-rhythm notifications. Without a device, it can count steps from your phone.
2026 has been bumpy. The app became Google Health in May, Fitbit-account sign-ins ended (you now need a Google account), and Google removed snore detection, Sleep Profile, badges and groups. Premium, now Google Health Premium at $9.99 a month, adds a coach built on Google’s Gemini AI.
Pros of Fitbit (Google Health)
- Steps, heart rate, sleep stages and readiness free with a tracker
- Works on iPhone and Android
- Trackers from about $100
Cons of Fitbit (Google Health)
- Renamed in 2026; a Google account is now required
- Snore detection, Sleep Profile, badges and groups removed
- The AI coach needs Premium ($9.99/mo)
Garmin Connect
- Not measured
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Price: Free with a Garmin device; Connect+ $69.99/yr
Garmin Connect is the most complete training app here, and its depth is free once you own the hardware. Compatible watches get Training Readiness, VO2 max estimates, training load and recovery time, plus Garmin’s sleep and Body Battery data, with no subscription. That makes it the pick for runners, cyclists and anyone training toward an event.
The costs are up front, and they’re creeping. Garmin’s devices generally cost more than Fitbit’s, the app works only with Garmin hardware, and newer features, from AI insights to nutrition logging, need Connect+ at $69.99 a year.
Pros of Garmin Connect
- Deep training metrics with no subscription
- Sleep, HRV and Body Battery data included
Cons of Garmin Connect
- Works only with Garmin hardware
- Devices generally cost more than Fitbit’s
- Newer features need Connect+ ($69.99/yr)
Apple Fitness
- Not measured
- Platforms: iPhone, Apple Watch
- Price: Free; Fitness+ $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr
Every iPhone already has Apple Fitness. Since iOS 16, it works without an Apple Watch: your phone’s motion sensors count steps and estimate active calories to fill the Move ring. Add a Watch and you get all three rings, heart rate and workout tracking, which is where it shines.
The app is free. Fitness+, at $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, adds guided video workouts you can follow with just an iPhone. It’s Apple-only, and with a phone alone you get one ring and an estimate.
Pros of Apple Fitness
- Free and already on your iPhone
- Works without a watch, and well with one
Cons of Apple Fitness
- iPhone and Apple Watch only
- Only the Move ring without a watch
- Fitness+ costs $79.99/yr
Samsung Health
- Not measured
- Platforms: Android
- Price: Free (some content paid)
Google is folding its Google Fit app into Google Health, so for a free activity app built for Android, we’d point you to Samsung Health. It counts steps with your phone’s sensors and logs workouts and food at no cost on phones running Android 10 or newer, including many that aren’t Samsung’s.
A Galaxy Watch unlocks its detailed sleep and heart data; without one, it’s a capable step counter and log. Some phones and tablets aren’t supported, and some guided content costs extra.
Pros of Samsung Health
- Free step counting, workout and food logging
- Deeper sleep and heart data with a Galaxy Watch
Cons of Samsung Health
- Detailed sleep tracking needs a Galaxy Watch
- Some phones and tablets aren’t supported
- Android only
Pacer
- Not measured
- Platforms: iOS, Android, Apple Watch
- Price: Free with ads; Premium $49.99/yr
If you don’t want a wearable, Pacer turns your phone into a step counter and adds GPS walks, distance and group challenges, free. The free version shows ads, and Premium, at $49.99 a year, adds an AI coach, video workouts and plans.
Your step count depends on your phone. Pacer itself notes that some phones can’t count steps while the screen is off or locked, so check your count against a walk you know before you rely on it.
Pros of Pacer
- No wearable needed
- Free GPS walks and group challenges
Cons of Pacer
- Ads in the free version
- Some phones stop counting with the screen off
How far to trust the numbers
Wearables are better at some measurements than others. A 2020 systematic review of 158 studies found step counts accurate in lab testing and heart-rate accuracy varying by brand, and concluded that “for energy expenditure, no brand was accurate.” A Stanford-led study of seven wrist devices found most measured heart rate within 5% during cycling, while none estimated calories burned to within 20%. A 2025 meta-analysis of Apple Watch studies found the same pattern: heart rate within 10%, calories off by more than that.
So use calorie figures for trends, not targets. If you eat back the calories your watch says you burned, an error of 20% or more adds up quickly.
How to choose
Pick the app that matches your hardware, or the hardware that matches your goals:
- Everyday steps, heart rate and sleep, on any phone: Fitbit, through the Google Health app.
- Training for a race or an event: Garmin Connect, with a Garmin watch.
- You have an iPhone: Apple Fitness, at its best with an Apple Watch.
- You have an Android phone and want free: Samsung Health.
- No wearable at all: Pacer.
If you already own a tracker, start with the app made for it. Most of an ecosystem’s value is in the device you wear, and switching later means new hardware.
How we tested
We haven’t lab-measured fitness tracker apps, so this ranking doesn’t rest on a measurement, and every app in it carries a “Not measured” label. We compared the apps on the features that matter for the job, what each free tier includes, what the paid plans cost and each app’s consensus standing: what independent reviewers and, where it exists, published research say about it. We checked every price against the app’s own plan pages and store listings in November 2026.
How we ranked: everyday tracking first, then what’s free, then price. Fitbit and Garmin Connect have the same score; Fitbit leads for most people because its trackers cost less and its free tier covers everyday health tracking, while Garmin leads for training. We left out Google Fit because Google is folding it into Google Health and has said it will invite Google Fit users to move their data.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best fitness tracker app?
For most people, Fitbit, now called Google Health: steps, heart rate and sleep in one free app, with trackers from about $100. For serious training, Garmin Connect. Read our Fitbit review.
What happened to the Fitbit app?
Google renamed it Google Health in May 2026. Fitbit-account sign-ins ended, so you need a Google account, and Fitbit Premium became Google Health Premium, at $9.99 a month as of November 2026. Fitbit is still the name of the trackers.
Are fitness trackers accurate for calories burned?
Not very. Step counts and heart rate are reasonably reliable, but a systematic review of 158 studies found no brand accurate for energy expenditure, and one study found errors of at least 20% in every device it tested. Treat calorie numbers as estimates.
Do I need a wearable to track my fitness?
No. Pacer, Samsung Health, Apple Fitness and the Google Health app can all count steps from your phone. A wearable adds heart rate and sleep tracking, and it keeps counting when your phone isn’t on you.
Is Google Fit being discontinued?
Google is folding it into the Google Health app and has said it will invite Google Fit users to migrate their data. Google Fit is still on Google Play as of November 2026, but we wouldn’t start with it now.
Prices as of November 2026. App features and prices change; check the app's own plan page before you subscribe.