What is an Activity Tracker?
If you’re shopping for a smartwatch or tracker you’ve been bombarded with lots of confusing terms like activity tracker, fitness smartwatch, running watch, and multisport smartwatch. Is there a difference? What is an activity tracker versus a running watch? Which is right for you?
No matter which category you decide is right for you, there are several capabilities they have in common which you can benefit from. They all detect your heart rate, and monitor the quality of your sleep. They all also have companion apps for iOS and Android, as well as website access to your data. Some allow you to exchange data with third-party services like MyFitnessPal and Strava. Different devices offer these functions at different levels of capability.
Read more about common functionality in our article on Running and Fitness Smartwatch Features.
Fitness and Activity Trackers
Fitness and Activity Trackers, also called Activity and Fitness Smartwatches, are intended for the more casual audience. Here are some signs that you are in the market for an activity tracker:
- You’re curious about your health metrics, like steps taken and calories burned throughout the day
- Your typical day is spent working in an office or home office
- Your typical exercise is going for walks or going to the gym two or three times a week
- You would categorize your physical routines as “exercise”, not “training”
Most people fall into this category. If that includes you, you are in the market for an Activity Tracker, Fitness Tracker, Activity Smartwatch, or Fitness Smartwatch.
Activity trackers offer some very sophisticated metrics and analysis. They’ll monitor your heart rate, estimate how many calories you burn during the day, and let you know how you slept during the night.
Some will automatically recognize exercises and track your progress. You can set goals, and the devices will let you know how you’re doing toward your goal, and offer reminders and encouragement.
The entry level devices do not include GPS, so can’t track the distance you’ve covered during the day or while running. Some mid-level devices can link to your phone and piggyback off of the phone’s GPS to track distance information. The challenge there is that you then need to have both the tracker and the phone with you. A few of the higher-end trackers have GPS on-board. They are able to track the distance you’ve covered, your speed, heading, and so on. You can overlay your routes onto maps after your run, ride, or hike.
Read more detail in our article on GPS Activity Trackers.
Multisport and Running Smartwatches
Running watches, or running smartwatches, are targeted at serious runners. Though most include support for other sports as well. Multisport watches, also called Mutlisport Smartwatches, feature the ability to automatically detect transitions between sports like running, cycling, and swimming.
Here are some signs that you are in the market for a Multisport or Running Smartwatch:
- You don’t “exercise”, you “train”
- You have scheduled cardio days, strength days, and at most one or two rest days a week.
- You’ve measured your VO2max
- You’re honing your cadence, stride length, and ground contact balance
- You have a personal or team coach
- You’re training for anything that ends in “…thon”.
If you identify with any of those statements, or are working to get there, you’re in the market for a running or multisport watch or smartwatch.
You’ll be able to measure every little thing, and track your progress in virtually any technical area. You’ll spend more than for an activity tracker, and you’ll get more capability than you likely could ever use.
Read more detail in our article on the Best GPS Running Watch Under $500.
About post author
