Fitbit vs. Apple Watch?

[BrittWentz]

I was considering getting a fitbit so i could measure my gym workouts more accurately (and to feel bad when i have a lazy/study day and realize i only walked 20 steps), but then realized that for 200 bucks more i could get the Apple Watch, which has much more functions and will work better with my iPhone. Which one is more accurate at measuring calories? Can anyone provide some intel about the different features they provide in day-to-day life? All i've managed to find online so far are comparisons of basic features like battery life, which i don't really care about as i'll probably charge them while i sleep anyways.

I sweat a lot during my workouts, won't that ruin the watch? (I know they're water resistant but still). Also work with weight-lifting and stuff, i'm extremely clumsy and i fear i'd somehow manage to break the watch. So far i haven't dropped any weights on my feet/hands, but it's only been a couple of months since i started...

Thanks in advance!

 

[sean000]

I had a Fitbit until I switched to the Apple Watch in 2015. From a fitness tracking perspective, there really isn't much difference. Studies have shown that the Apple Watch is among the most accurate in terms of measuring heart rate, but you shouldn't see a big difference there between the two. Each company uses their own formulas for calculating how many calories burned or how many minutes of exercise you've completed. I used and compared both for a while and none of the numbers were that far apart. The visualizations are different between the two. Personally I like the rings that Apple uses... closing the rings is still satisfying after 2.5 years. Both give you little challenges and badges for achieving goals or certain levels of activity, but I think Fitbit is more creative about it. Fitbit also has a community if you like to have encouragement or competition with others, but you can use either Fitbit or Apple Watch to participate in other communities in a similar way using third party apps. There are differences to be sure, but both are very good fitness trackers (although many seriously competitive athletes swear by Garmin watches for fitness).

Where things really differ are in terms of other smartwatch features, and nothing else on the market will compare with the Apple Watch in that regard (assuming you are an iPhone user). For me the best non-fitness reason to own an Apple Watch is that it allows you to receive silent notifications on your wrist using the haptic feedback. Fitbits will receive notifications, but you can't interact with them the way you can on an Apple Watch. I can easily reply to texts from my Apple Watch, or answer a phone call. I can also ask Siri to set a reminder or a timer. It really feels like a seamless extension of your iPhone, and handing off between the two is very intuitive. The Apple Watch lets you customize things much more when it comes to watch faces, complications, etc. And of course there are endless options for Apple Watch bands. Swapping bands is fast and easy.

Apple Watches are tougher than they look. My 2.5 year old Sport still looks like new, despite some impacts that I thought would absolutely break it. Even the original is water resistant enough to handle sweat and showering, and the same is true for the Series 1. The Apple Watch 2 and 3 are good down to 50 meters.

Oh... and one more thing that the Apple Watch can do that I don't think Fitbit can: it can ping your iPhone to help you find it when you don't remember where you left it. Can't tell you how valuable that feature has been.

 

[Resqu2]

I switched from Fitbit to AW and wouldn’t go back for nothing. And no sweat won’t hurt it and you can go for a swim to. There is just way to many things the AW can do that FB can’t touch.

 

[TechDiva]

I had a FitBit Charge 2 for about a year that I loved (I'll explain below why I'm not still using it)! One of the greatest things (that I really miss) is charging it once a week, and that's with wearing it continuously. The thing that I wanted with the FitBit is water resistance. There were times when I started getting into the shower and realized that I still had it on and would have to back out of the shower and take it off. On the days that I forget with my Apple Watch (SS series 3 with LTE), I don't worry about it. I purchased my AW in October 2017, and I love it as well. The only thing is that for the most part, I just my AW the same as I used my Fitbit. I get the notifications on my AW, and if I can't reply to a text with one of the built in responses, I still use my phone to respond. I don't use Siri in public on the AW, just like I wouldn't use Siri on my phone out in public. I've taken maybe 4 phone calls on the watch, and haven't made any. I wish that I could handoff calls from the watch to the phone. Maybe I would use the LTE feature more often. Needless to say, I'm considering canceling my watch phone plan. Going to give it more time but where it really comes in handy is when I'm out in the park exercising and I can stream music (but can't do that cause it's been too cold). I really got the LTE version because I wanted the SS version of the watch. I don't use too many apps but the health tracking is very good, with more features than the FitBit. Which leads me to why I'm no longer using my Fitibt...

Somewhere in the midst of the year that I used the Fitbit, I starting experiencing discomfort in my wrist. I tried wearing it more loose, switching wrists and even not sleeping with it (I would sleep with it for the sleep tracking, which is just as good as the AW). But, I would still get the discomfort in my wrist and it ultimately left a permanent mark on my right wrist (the one I normally wore the FitBit on). I stopped wearing it for a week to see if there was a difference. No more discomfort. Put it back on and it came back. Sigh. So, I decided to give it up and took about 2 months to decide on getting an AW. There are other reports online of the Charge 2 causing the same issues in other users, so I just decided to give up on it before it caused any sort of permanent damage. It has to be something with the sensors. I was hesitant about having the same problem with the AW, but so far so good. When I looked into FitBit's new smartwatch, I just can't get over the design, so that was not an option.

Outside of my issue with the FitBit (which I don't think is very widespread), it is still a great device. But, of course, the integration between the AW and iPhone can't be beat. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[charlyee]

I think most of the points that I thought of have already been covered.

One issue I would like to mention is that the screen on my Fitbit (Alta HR) must have been some basic plastic. It got scuffed up bad in the first month I had it, the AW watch has a much better screen quality, in my opinion.

 

[Nell]

I've been a Fitbit user for a good few years. Until early 2015, I used a series of Fitbit One trackers. They're excellent quality but small and easy to lose I ended up buying three or four.

Then I got a Fitbit Charge. The good thing about it was that it would sleep track without me having to tell it I was going to sleep. The bad thing about it was that the build quality was appalling: I had three warranty replacement even though I only wore it for sleep tracking once I got an Apple Watch (mid-2015); essentially Fitbit make cheap devices but you end up buying a lot of them so the actual cost is high. The Charge and Charge HR had a serious design flaw that mean the band would come apart in matter of months. They're also not great at step tracking: all sorts other activities (moving my hands while speaking, doing the washing up etc) would add to my steps but if I wore my winter coat I could sometimes walk miles and get credited with about 100 steps.

The battery life is better in that the battery lasts longer but worse in that it seems entirely random (anything from 2 to 4 or occasionally even 5 days). I've never been caught out with my watch out of battery but it happens regularly with Fitbit.

In terms of activity tracking I find the Apple Watch and Fitbit One to be very good at counting steps but wrist-based Fitbits are inaccurate and inconsistent in my experience. I find the Apple Watch approach of closing rings every day much more motivating than Fitbit and I also find the badges more motivating. Where Fitbit shines in this respect though is in allowing challenges between small groups of friends. Like many, this is something I'd happily pay Fitbit a fee to continue with as an Apple Watch user. As this isn't an option, I stay in Fitbit challenges by keeping a Fitbit One about my person. When I lose that I'll switch to Mobile Track to use the steps from my phone for Fitbit.

Overall, I'd recommend the Apple Watch as the better option. It's far more useful than just being a fitness tracker but it also works better as a tracker in my experience. And it lasts better so it's probably actually worked out cheaper (or it had until I decided to get a stainless steel S3 watch).

 

[44267547]

I think most of the points that I thought of have already been covered.

One issue I would like to mention is that the screen on my Fitbit (Alta HR) must have been some basic plastic. It got scuffed up bad in the first month I had it, the AW watch has a much better screen quality, in my opinion.

And that's a testament to Apples investment in materials they use for the Apple Watch are very durable. Being a Stainless owner, I am more than pleased with the results of the stainless and Sapphire combined.

 

[mk313]

FWIW, TwelveSouth sells an armband that you can use with the watch when weight lifting, etc, that moves the watch from your wrist to your upper arm. Amazon had(has?) them for $15. I picked one up last week & while I haven't used it yet, it does look like it would be great for what you're looking for.

 

[MJ22]

I have a Fitbit One and even though the One doesn’t have heart rate, my calories burned are still pretty close between the One and the AW. I still use the One in addition to the AW because I log my food in the Fitbit app and I do challenges with friends who have Fitbit (more Fitbit friends than AW friends).

Once my One breaks or I lose it I probably won’t get another Fitbit. The AW looks great, the Workout app is everything I want, and I use the LTE a lot as I am a runner and out on the streets without my phone almost every day.

 

[BarracksSi]

I don't have a Fitbit, but my wife got one over Thanksgiving. and I can vouch for this:

They [Fitbits] are also not great at step tracking: all sorts other activities (moving my hands while speaking, doing the washing up etc)...

When she's getting close to 10,000 steps, she'll stand up and dance around, wiggling her arms until it crosses the line.

Pretty funny, too.

And +1 to everything else so far.

 

[MJ22]

I don't have a Fitbit, but my wife got one over Thanksgiving. and I can vouch for this:

When she's getting close to 10,000 steps, she'll stand up and dance around, wiggling her arms until it crosses the line.

Pretty funny, too.

And +1 to everything else so far.

The AW gives me Stand credit if I do this for a minute or so. Nothing is infallible.

 

[Pseudo-Fed]

I'm an AW user and a Garmin user. I own S2 and S3 AWs and Garmin Fenix 3 and Fenix 5. You might also consider the Garmin Vivoactive 3 for your use. Very capable device and nice ecosystem. I find the Garmin calorie model works well for me also. Here you go, and a little less expensive than the AW:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/571520

And for the most in-depth review on this (or any workout tech) check out DCR:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/10/garmin-vivoactive-3-in-depth-review.html

 

[SoYoung]

One thing I dont like with the apple watch is if you walk with your hands on your pocket for exemple it wont calculate steps accurately. And for some reasons, if I play video games with my watch, it will calculate some steps even if I'm not walking. Probably because my wrist is moving when I constantly pressing a button.

I have a FitBit one laying around, I'll test it this week to compare the two. The thing I like with the AW is the workout app, it work really well with live heartbeat and distance you walked.

 

[sean000]

One thing I dont like with the apple watch is if you walk with your hands on your pocket for exemple it wont calculate steps accurately. And for some reasons, if I play video games with my watch, it will calculate some steps even if I'm not walking. Probably because my wrist is moving when I constantly pressing a button.

I have a FitBit one laying around, I'll test it this week to compare the two. The thing I like with the AW is the workout app, it work really well with live heartbeat and distance you walked.

Weird. I have never experienced this problem. I walk about six miles a day, including walking to work and home. During winter I often walk with my hands in my pockets and it counts the same number of steps as when I’m swinging my arms. I think the only time I’ve had it count steps it shouldn’t is when I used to push my kids on the swings (they no longer need my help).

 

[Newtons Apple]

My Fitbit records my HR better than my AW. Way better.

 

[rusty2192]

One thing I dont like with the apple watch is if you walk with your hands on your pocket for exemple it wont calculate steps accurately. And for some reasons, if I play video games with my watch, it will calculate some steps even if I'm not walking. Probably because my wrist is moving when I constantly pressing a button.

I have a FitBit one laying around, I'll test it this week to compare the two. The thing I like with the AW is the workout app, it work really well with live heartbeat and distance you walked.

There is a setting in Health for which device is primary if two are detecting steps, i.e. iPhone and Apple Watch. If you have your iPhone in your pocket while walking, you can give it a try. I had to change mine to use my iPhone since I was missing out of thousands of steps while pushing a stroller. This won’t affect the Activites app or your rings, but I’ve found the steps in the Health app to be much more accurate this way for me.

 

[Pseudo-Fed]

I learned a long time ago with Fitbits, then Garmins and now AWs that "steps" is an irrelevant thing or at least a misnomer. I prefer to think of them as "movement units". All wrist worn devices may record steps when you wash the dishes, guide airplanes into position, do shoulder presses. Also, some will not record steps while pushing a shopping cart, baby stroller, hospital gurney, etc.

An average day/week/month will include a mix of these activities for most folks. If you look at your "movement units" count and determine what is average, what is a stretch goal, etc., then you can try to increase that number. It will be a mix, but it still generally evidences more or less activity.

I can see steps right away on many Garmin apps/complications on their watches. I can walk 15 steps, and watch the step count update in seconds on my screen--+15. With the AW, which doesn't focus on steps, I can add "Watch My Health", or "Pedometer" app or others to a complication on the watch, but most of them it seems don't update in real time and I have to tap them to get them to sync with the phone quickly to update. I currently use Watch My Health because I can pick 3 items to show, including calories consumed from MyFitnessPal.

Good luck with measuring your "movement units"...... ;-)

 

[roncron]

I’ve been using a Fitbit Alta HR for about a year and just got an AW Series 3 (sans LTE) about 10 days ago. I track sleep, resting heart rate, active heart rate, and steps with both. (Of course, the AW does lots more, too.). I also use a Polar chest strap during exercise, which I have more faith in than any wrist-based heart rate monitoring.

During exercise, as my actual HR increases, the Alta stays about the same and only after 15 minutes of heavy exercise starts increasing and eventually matches the readings of the Polar strap, +/- 10. The AW closely matches the Polar strap on some days but on others, AW also lags the Polar strap (though not as much as the Fitbit).

For sleep monitoring, the Fitbit does a respectable job, but the AW is better: for one, there are several good apps for tracking sleep using the AW, but only one for the Fitbit. Also, AW with the AutoSleep app is more accurate than my Fitbit Alta (and I’ve worn both at bedtime for the first 5 days of owning the AW).

The Fitbit only needs to be charged every 5 to 6 days. My experience in my first 10 days with AW is that AW consistently gets 36 to 48 hours of battery life, with medium-light usage (including workouts) and sleep monitoring. When my AW needs a charge, I don’t mind taking it off, I usually charge it while showering, and it charges to 100% pretty quickly. So frequent charging of the AW sounded like it would be a drag but has been no problem in my experience.

If you want your activity tracker data to integrate into the Apple Health app, which I do, the Fitbit is a non-starter. That was a big reason for me to get the AW, combined with better HR accuracy, more/better data about sleep tracking, and the chance to participate in the Apple Heart Study (which I registered for but have not been invited to participate in yet).

The Fitbit is a good option for people who can’t afford an AW or are looking for an affordable tracker. But if you can afford it, the AW (even without LTE) is better, at least in the ways that matter to me. Plus it does a lot of other cool stuff that the Fitbit can’t do, like let you check weather or pay with Apple Pay or check news headlines.

Good luck with your purchase decision!