Fitbit or Garmin? The Best Fitness Watches We've Reviewed, Compared

The fitness watch question almost always reduces to Fitbit vs Garmin, and the honest answer is that they're built for different people: Fitbit for health tracking and everyday wellness, Garmin for training and sport. We've published full reviews of four watches across both brands — here's the comparison that sorts out which one belongs on your wrist.

Quick Comparison

1. Fitbit Charge 6 — Best Everyday Health Tracker

The Charge 6 is the pick for people whose goal is health, not sport: steps, sleep staging, stress, heart-rate alerts and ECG in a slim band you forget you're wearing. Built-in GPS means walks and runs map accurately without your phone, and Google Maps and Wallet are on board. It's the least obtrusive way to get serious health data.

Buy it if: you want comprehensive health tracking in the smallest package.
Skip it if: you want a proper watch screen or structured training. Full Charge 6 review here.

2. Fitbit Versa 4 — Best Fitbit-as-Smartwatch

The Versa 4 takes the same health platform and puts it in a proper smartwatch body: bigger AMOLED-style display, calls and notifications on the wrist, six-day battery. For the £38 step up from the Charge 6 you're buying screen and wearability rather than new health features — worth it if you'll actually glance at it all day.

Buy it if: you want Fitbit's health tracking in a watch you can read at a glance.
Skip it if: you're run-focused — Garmin does that better at the same money. Our full Versa 4 review explains.

3. Garmin Forerunner 165 — Best for New Runners

At £177.99 the Forerunner 165 is the cheapest entry into Garmin's genuinely excellent training ecosystem: accurate GPS, training load, suggested daily workouts, race-time predictions and a bright AMOLED screen. Where Fitbit tells you how healthy you are, Garmin tells you how to get faster — and the 165 delivers that for Versa-4 money.

Buy it if: you run (or want to start) and care about improving.
Skip it if: you mostly want sleep/wellness data and notifications. Read the Forerunner 165 review.

4. Garmin Forerunner 265 — Best for Serious Training

The Forerunner 265 is the highest-rated product in this guide at 4.7 stars, and the step up from the 165 is real: multi-band GPS that stays accurate between tall buildings and under tree cover, training readiness scores, full triathlon support and a sharper AMOLED display. If you train with intent — intervals, race blocks, structured plans — this is the watch that keeps up.

Buy it if: you train seriously and the data drives your decisions.
Skip it if: you'd be paying £157 over the 165 for features you won't open. Full Forerunner 265 review here.

The Decision in One Paragraph

Want health data with zero fuss? Charge 6. Same but on a proper watch face? Versa 4. Starting to run seriously? Forerunner 165. Training for races? Forerunner 265. The most common mistake is buying Fitbit for training or Garmin for wellness — match the ecosystem to the goal and you'll keep wearing it.

Pair any of these with the RENPHO smart scale to close the loop on body metrics, or the Theragun Prime for recovery days. More in our Fitness section.

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