Best Heart Rate Trackers and Watches

From calorie burn count to running pace and REM sleep time, there are few elements of your health and fitness that you can't keep tabs on with today's top-of-the-line smartwatches and fitness trackers. One of the original and most important data points, within that list, however, is heart rate.

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You might not realize it, but your heart rate can tell you a lot about your health and fitness. When you're stationary, your resting heart rate gives a good indication of your stress levels and overall heart health. When you're in motion, your heart rate details allow you to see if you are hitting your maximum target heart rate zone or if you could kick things up a notch.

When it comes to shopping for a heart rate monitor, you have two options. You can get a chest strap that is designed to track heart rate data and sync that up with other apps and devices, or you can get an activity tracker or smartwatch that provides heart rate tracking in addition to a number of other features such as app integration, sleep tracking, calorie burn counts, and beyond.

Here we curated a list that includes both of these options. These models range in budget and style, but all come with a high rating and rave reviews from users.

Best Heart Rate Trackers and Smartwatches

Amazfit Band 5 Fitness Tracker

If you consider Amazon’s Alexa to be your personal assistant, the Amazfit is the way to go. On top of providing access to the beloved AI assistant, this slim tracker measures your blood oxygen level, heart rate, and sleep quality. Fifteen-day battery life means you don’t have to worry about frequent charging, too.

$39.99 at Amazon.com

Fitbit Inspire 3 Health & Fitness Tracker

The Inspire 3 is one of Fitbit’s best-selling models, thanks to its minimal design and numerous health and fitness tracking capabilities. In addition to counting steps, distance, and calories burned throughout the day, this model has a 24/7 heartrate monitor. Within the app (that you’ll get a six-month premium trial for with your purchase), you can view all your stats, including your time spent in heart rate zones, so you can more easily structure your workouts to help you reach your goals. 

$98.95 at Amazon.com

POLAR H10 Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap

This chest strap heart monitor is not made to be worn all day, rather it is made to provide incredibly accurate heart rate monitoring when you're swimming (it is waterproof), running, cycling, or doing any physical activity. It can be connected to a smartwatch and fitness apps such as Strava and Nike, or you can view all your stats in Polar’s app.

$79.49 at Amazon.com

SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 6

You’ll never miss a beat with this smartwatch from Samsung. If it detects a high or low heart rate you’ll receive an automatic alert. This model also provides access to sleep monitoring, step counts, pace tracking, and phone apps and messaging services, so you don’t need to worry about toting your phone along on walks, runs, bike rides, etc.

$349.99 at Amazon.com

RELATED: How to Make the Best Use of Your Fitness Tracker

Apple Watch 9

Almost every iteration of the Apple Watch has been filled with extensive activity tracking capabilities and convenient access to apps, calls, and messaging platforms, but the 9 really takes it up a notch when it comes to health. On top of keeping tabs on your blood oxygen level, this watch allows you to check your heart rhythm with the ECG app at any time, boasts an always-on Retina display that's easy to read, even in daylight, and is made from refurbished materials to help make it carbon neutral.

$359 at Amazon.com

Garmin Vivosmart 5

Garmin is well-known for its durable watches that are made for outdoor adventures, but if you’re trying to focus on the heart rate specifically, look to this more budget-friendly option. With the Pulse OX sensor at your wrist, you can view an estimate of your blood oxygen saturation level and the Vivosmart 5 also tracks your HRV (the time interval between each heartbeat) to gauge your heart rate and stress level. After this data is collected, the tracker will share what fitness level you are at and provide recommendations for future activity.

$149.99 at Amazon.com

Wahoo TICKR Heart Rate Monitor

Light and slim, this heartrate monitor wearable won't inhibit you during a workout. Able to sync up with more than 50 apps, you can track your heart rate and send your heart rate reading to your Peloton or Runkeeper profile effortlessly. Unlike some heart rate monitor models, this option also keeps a count of calories burned if that's an area you want to focus on as well.

$50 at Amazon.com

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