Best Watch for Counting Steps

By: Owen Moore | 11.02.2024, 13:12

In an era where health is wealth, the quest for the best watch for counting steps in December 2024 has never been more pertinent. Whether you are a fitness enthusiast looking to fine-tune your workout regimen or someone keen on keeping track of their daily activity, the perfect step-counting watch is your ultimate companion.

Not only do these ingenious gadgets offer precision and convenience, but they also seamlessly blend into the rhythm of your daily life, ensuring you're always a step ahead.

If you're pressed for time, here's our top picks of the best watch for counting steps.

Editor's Choice
Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Series 9
The combination of an aluminum body and the latest Sport Loop band not only speaks to style and durability, but also reflects Apple's deep commitment to environmental responsibility. Apple Watch Series 9 is your dynamic partner for a healthier, more informed life.

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Best Overall
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker
The Fitbit Charge 6 is more than just a step counter, it's a complete fitness companion designed to motivate you to move more and better. With over 40 exercise modes, built-in GPS, and Active Zone Minutes, you'll make sure your every step counts and your every workout is measured with precision. A daily readiness score, automatic exercise tracking, and a workout intensity map make your fitness journey fun and exciting.

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Watches for Tracking Steps - Buyer’s Guide

Drawing from our experience when hunting for the best watch for tracking steps, several factors come into play. The market is brimming with options, each boasting unique features and capabilities. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you navigate this landscape:

Accuracy

The cornerstone of any step-counting watch is its accuracy. Look for watches equipped with advanced sensors that minimize discrepancies and offer a true reflection of your activity.

Comfort and Design

Since the watch will be your constant companion, ensure it's comfortable. Lightweight, skin-friendly materials and a design that suits your wrist and lifestyle are crucial.

Battery Life

Opt for a watch with a long-lasting battery to avoid frequent charging, especially if you're an outdoor enthusiast or have a busy lifestyle. For example, Apple Watch Series 9 with 18 hours of regular use or Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker with 7 days of regular use.

Connectivity

A watch that syncs seamlessly with your smartphone or fitness app is vital for tracking your progress. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility are key features to consider.

best watch for counting steps 2024

User Interface

A user-friendly interface with an intuitive display makes your experience more enjoyable and efficient. Whether it's a touchscreen or button-operated, ease of navigation is a must.

Additional Features

Modern watches for counting steps offer a plethora of additional features like heart rate monitoring, GPS tracking, sleep analysis, and even water resistance. Identify the features that align with your fitness goals and lifestyle needs. For example, Garmin vivomove Sport with Hydration Tracking, respiration Tracking, advanced Sleep Monitoring, connected GPS and more.

Brand Reputation and Reviews

Research the brand's reputation and read customer reviews. First-hand experiences can give you insight into the watch's performance and durability. By keeping these pointers in mind, you're well on your way to finding the best sport watch for step counting that not only meets your fitness goals but also compliments your daily routine.

Best Watch for Counting Steps - TOP 5

Dive into our handpicked selection of top-tier watches, each meticulously crafted to ensure every step you take is counted, analyzed, and contributes to your overarching health and fitness goals.

Editor's Choice Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Series 9
  • Advanced Health Monitoring
  • Enhanced Fitness Features
  • Innovative Safety Features
  • Seamless Integration with Apple Ecosystem
Best Overall Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker
  • Extensive Fitness Trackin
  • Advanced Health Features
  • Long Battery Life up to 7 days
  • Water-Resistant up to 50 meters
Premium Choice Garmin vivomove Sport
Garmin vivomove Sport
  • Elegant hybrid design
  • Extended battery life up to 5 days
  • Smart notifications
  • Comprehensive health monitoring
Best Budget Amazfit Band 7 Fitness & Health ...
Amazfit Band 7 Fitness & Health Tracker
  • Large HD AMOLED Display
  • Extended Battery Life
  • Diverse Sports Modes
  • Water Resistance
Best Alternative COROS PACE 2 Sport Watch
COROS PACE 2 Sport Watch
  • Ultra-Lightweight Design
  • Extended Battery Life
  • Customizable Training Modes
  • Advanced Training Features

Best Watch for Tracking Steps: Comparison

From premium builds to budget-friendly options, our comparison zeroes in on the unique features, performance, and value each watch brings to your wrist.

Device Battery Life Water Resistance Special Feature
Apple Watch Series 9 Up to 18 hours of regular use Water-resistant up to 50 meters Advanced health features like ECG, Blood Oxygen, Fall Detection, and comprehensive fitness tracking. Built-in cellular connectivity.
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker Up to 7 days of regular use Water-resistant up to 50 meters Extensive health monitoring features, including ECG, stress tracking, and sleep monitoring.
Garmin vivomove Sport Up to 5 days in smart mode and additional day in watch mode Water-resistant up to 50 meters Classic analog design with modern smart features. Comprehensive health and activity tracking.
Amazfit Band 7 Fitness & Health Tracker Up to 18 days of regular use, and up to 28 days with battery saver mode Water-resistance  Large HD AMOLED Display, Amazon Alexa built-in, and comprehensive health monitoring features.
COROS PACE 2 Sport Watch Up to 20 days of regular use and 30 hours in full GPS mode Water-resistant up to 50 meters The lightest GPS watch on the market with customizable training modes and extensive sports support.

Apple Watch Series 9 for Tracking Steps

Editor's Choice

Powered by the S9 chip, the Apple Watch Series 9 boasts not just a bright, but a "super-bright" display that improves visibility in all conditions. An innovative feature that allows you to interact without touching the screen adds a layer of magic and convenience, setting a new standard in smartwatch technology. Combined with updated apps on watchOS, it ensures that important information is just a glance away.

Apple's commitment to health is made even more meaningful with advanced features designed to provide comprehensive health information. From monitoring blood oxygen levels and heart rate to the ability to take an ECG at any time, Series 9 is like having a personal health consultant on your wrist. Tracking sleep stages, measuring temperature for general well-being, and tracking cycles cover a wide range of health aspects.

Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or taking your first steps toward an active lifestyle, the Apple Watch Series 9 will prove to be an indispensable ally. The Workout app doesn't just track, it offers advanced metrics and a variety of workout methods to meet your unique fitness needs. The 9 Series understands the unpredictability of life and is equipped with features to handle emergencies. The Emergency SOS feature is a testament to Apple's understanding of the importance of safety in everyday life.

Apple Watch Series 9 is not just a watch, it's an extension of your lifestyle. From automatically unlocking your Mac to finding your iPhone with Precision Finding, it's seamlessly compatible with Apple devices for added convenience. With Apple Pay, you can make transactions with just one swipe. It's not just a device, it's a lifestyle tool.

Pros:

  • Advanced Health Monitoring
  • Enhanced Fitness Features
  • Innovative Safety Features
  • Superbright Display and S9 Chip
  • Seamless Integration with Apple Ecosystem
  • Customizable Design

Cons:

  • Overwhelming Features for Some Users
  • Dependence on Software Updates

Summary: As indicated by our tests the Apple Watch Series 9 is more than just a smartwatch; it's a comprehensive tool for a modern, health-conscious, and environmentally aware individual. With its blend of style, advanced features, and commitment to sustainability, it sets itself apart as not just the best watch for counting steps but as a beacon of innovation and responsibility in the tech world. It's not just a purchase; it's an investment in yourself and the planet.

Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Series 9
  • ​​Advanced Health Monitoring
  • Enhanced Fitness Features
  • Innovative Safety Features
  • Seamless Integration with Apple Ecosystem

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Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker Steps

Best Overall

The Fitbit Charge 6 is not just a step counter; it's a comprehensive fitness companion designed to motivate you to move more and move better. With over 40 exercise modes, built-in GPS, and Active Zone Minutes, it ensures that every step you take is counted and every workout is measured with precision. The Daily Readiness Score becomes your personal fitness advisor, suggesting when to push harder or take a rest day based on your activity levels, heart rate variability, and sleep. Automatic Exercise Tracking and a Workout Intensity Map keep your fitness journey insightful and engaging, while the Reminders to Move ensure you're always on your toes, quite literally.

The Fitbit Charge 6 understands that staying connected is crucial. With features like Youtube Music Controls, Google Maps, and Google Wallet, it ensures that you're never out of sync with your daily life, even during your workouts. Calls, text, and smartphone app notifications are right on your wrist, ensuring you're always in the loop. The vibrant color touchscreen isn't just about functionality; it's about personalization with customizable clock faces, adding a touch of your personality to your fitness gear.

The Charge 6 offers highly accurate heart rate monitoring, ECG, heart rhythm alerts, and SpO2 monitoring, making it a vigilant guardian of your health. With a battery life of up to 7 days and water resistance of up to 50 meters, the Fitbit Charge 6 is designed to keep up with your lifestyle, no matter how active or demanding.

The Fitbit Charge 6 goes beyond physical fitness. With features like Stress Management Score, Nightly Sleep Score, on-wrist mindfulness sessions, Smart Wake alarm, and Sleep and Do not disturb modes, it attends to your mental well-being and sleep quality, making it a holistic health and fitness tracker. The Fitbit Charge 6 ensures that no user is left behind, offering compatibility with iOS 15 or higher & Android OS 9.0 or higher, making it a versatile choice for almost every smartphone user.

Pros:

  • Extensive Fitness Trackin with over 40 exercise modes, built-in GPS, Active Zone Minutes, and Automatic Exercise Tracking
  • Advanced Health Features
  • Enhanced Connectivity.
  • Long Battery Life up to 7 days of battery life
  • Water-Resistant up to 50 meters
  • Mindfulness and Sleep Tracking

Cons:

  • Some advanced features and capabilities are available only to premium account members
  • Small display

Summary: Our findings show that the Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker stands out as a versatile, all-encompassing device designed for those who take their health and fitness seriously. With its robust fitness and health tracking features, seamless connectivity, and a focus on holistic well-being, it's more than just a gadget; it's a fitness partner that understands and adapts to your lifestyle, keeping you motivated and informed every step of the way. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast, someone embarking on a health journey, or just looking for a smart, reliable, and comprehensive fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 6 is designed to meet and exceed your expectations.

Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker
  • Extensive Fitness Trackin
  • Advanced Health Features
  • Long Battery Life up to 7 days
  • Water-Resistant up to 50 meters

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Garmin vivomove Sport for Counting Steps

Premium Choice

The Garmin vivomove Sport is a hybrid smartwatch that perfectly combines the timeless appeal of a 40mm analog watch with the intelligent features of modern technology. With 5 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and an additional day in watch mode, where the hands only show the time, vivomove Sport allows you to lead an active lifestyle without the constant need to recharge.

Staying connected is easy with vivomove Sport. It ensures that you're always one step ahead by providing smart notifications for incoming calls, text messages, and calendar events when paired with your compatible smartphone. With this connection, you'll always be up to date without taking time away from your daily routine.

The vivomove Sport is not just a way to stay connected, it's also a way to better understand your body. With extensive health monitoring features such as battery power level, Pulse Ox, advanced sleep monitoring, stress tracking, women's health tracking, and more, this smartwatch evaluates your activity and performance, giving you the information to make informed decisions about your health and fitness.

Whether you're taking a leisurely walk, jogging, doing yoga, strength or cardio, vivomove Sport ensures that your every step is counted. It connects with your smartphone's GPS to accurately track your walks or runs outdoors, and offers additional activity profiles, making it a versatile partner for all your fitness journeys.

Your safety is a priority for vivomove Sport. It includes incident detection while walking, running, and riding and sends a message with your location to emergency services. These features require setup and are dependent on network coverage and data transfer, but they give you peace of mind knowing that help is just a tap of your wrist away.

Pros:

  • Elegant Hybrid Design
  • Extended Battery Life up to 5 days
  • Smart Notifications
  • Comprehensive Health Monitoring
  • GPS Connectivity and Diverse Activity Profiles
  • Safety Features

Cons:

  • Dependence on Smartphone for GPS
  • Limited Battery Life in Smart Mode

Summary: Our research indicates that the Garmin vivomove Sport stands out as a sophisticated hybrid smartwatch that perfectly balances classic design with modern health and fitness tracking features. Its extensive battery life, comprehensive health monitoring, smart connectivity, and safety features make it a top contender for those who value style, functionality, and wellness. Whether you are deeply invested in your health and fitness journey or just beginning to explore, the vivomove Sport is equipped to be your companion every step of the way, proving that you don't have to compromise elegance for functionality.

Garmin vivomove Sport
Garmin vivomove Sport
  • Elegant hybrid design
  • Extended battery life up to 5 days
  • Smart notifications
  • Comprehensive health monitoring

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Amazfit Band 7 Fitness & Health Tracker Steps

Best Budget

The Amazfit Band 7 makes an impressive first impression with its large 1.47-inch HD AMOLED display with always-on functionality. Combined with a slim and lightweight body, this ensures that style and comfort are not compromised. Amazfit Band 7 is equipped with a 232 mAh battery that redefines efficiency. With up to 18 days of battery life in normal use and an amazing 28 days in battery saver mode, you can focus on your goals without being tied to constant recharging.

With an impressive array of more than 120 sports modes, Band 7 is your ticket to understanding and improving your athletic performance. Intelligent 4-sport recognition allows you to get up and running quickly, ensuring that no part of your workout is overlooked. Its 5 ATM water resistance and specialized Swim in the Pool mode make it the perfect companion for water adventures, reliably tracking your swimming data.

Band 7 doesn't just track your fitness, it's a vigilant guardian of your health. It measures three of your most important health indicators - heart rate, blood oxygen content, and stress levels - with a single tap, providing results in as little as 45 seconds. Tracking your sleep quality, including light, deep, and REM sleep, as well as monitoring your menstrual cycle, gives you a holistic view of your well-being.

The Band 7 is designed to simplify your day-to-day activities. It keeps you connected with Phone Calls, SMS, App Notifications, and offers Quick Replies. Control your phone's music and camera right from your wrist, and enjoy additional features like an Alarm Clock, Stopwatch, Weather updates, Sedentary Reminder, Screen Lock & Password, and more, making your daily routine smoother and more efficient.

Pros:

  • Large HD AMOLED Display
  • Extended Battery Life up to 18 days with typical usage and up to 28 days
  • Diverse Sports Modes
  • Water Resistance
  • Comprehensive Health Monitoring
  • Built-in Amazon Alexa

Cons:

  • Dependence on a smartphone for GPS
  • Visibility in bright light

Summary: The Amazfit Band 7 Fitness & Health Tracker is a powerhouse of functionality wrapped in a sleek design. With its expansive display, extraordinary battery life, extensive sports modes, comprehensive health tracking, and smart living features, it stands out as an exceptional choice for anyone looking to optimize their fitness journey and everyday life. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast, a health-conscious individual, or someone who cherishes efficiency and style, the Amazfit Band 7 is crafted to exceed your expectations and become an integral part of your daily adventure.

Amazfit Band 7 Fitness & Health Tracker
Amazfit Band 7 Fitness & Health Tracker
  • Large HD AMOLED Display
  • Extended Battery Life
  • Diverse Sports Modes
  • Water Resistance

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COROS PACE 2 Sport Watch for Counting Steps

Best Alternative

The COROS PACE 2 sets a new standard in the world of fitness tracking by being the lightest GPS watch on the market, weighing just 29g with a COROS nylon strap. This lightweight champion doesn't compromise on performance, boasting impressive battery life, offering up to 20 days of regular use and 30 hours in full GPS mode, ensuring that your tracking doesn't stop until you stop.

The watch offers many customizable workout modes, including interval, structured, triathlon, and strength training. Access to training programs and plans developed by COROS athletes and coaches, available for free on COROS.com, allows you to tailor your workouts to your specific fitness goals, making PACE 2 a personal trainer that revolves around your wrist.

PACE 2 is not just about tracking, it's about enhancing your workouts. It serves as your best training partner by planning your sessions, providing instant feedback, and diligently recording your efforts during your workouts. With a comprehensive overview of your last 42 days of performance, PACE 2 makes it easy to track your progress and stay motivated to achieve your fitness goals.

Whether you're running on pavement, cycling through the hills, diving in the pool, or practicing water sports, PACE 2 will keep you on track. With dedicated modes for running, cycling, swimming, cardio, strength and water sports, this watch is a versatile companion for any physical activity.

Equipped with an optical heart rate monitor, barometric altimeter, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and thermometer, it offers all-around tracking. From monitoring your heart rate, sleep, steps, and calories to keeping you informed about your overall well-being, the PACE 2 ensures that every aspect of your health is accounted for.

Pros:

  • Ultra-Lightweight Design
  • Extended Battery Life up to 20 days of regular use and 30 hours in full GPS mode
  • Customizable Training Modes
  • Advanced Training Features
  • Multi-Sport Support

Cons:

  • Complexity for Casual Users
  • Learning curve

Summary: The COROS PACE 2 Sport Watch emerges as a frontrunner in the fitness tracking realm, offering a unique blend of lightweight design, personalized training features, multi-sport support, and comprehensive health monitoring. It's more than just a watch; it's a testament to how technology can be seamlessly integrated into the fabric of our fitness journeys. For athletes and fitness enthusiasts who demand excellence, precision, and versatility, the PACE 2 stands as a beacon of innovation and performance.

COROS PACE 2 Sport Watch
COROS PACE 2 Sport Watch
  • Ultra-Lightweight Design
  • Extended Battery Life
  • Customizable Training Modes
  • Advanced Training Features

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FAQ about Best Watch for Tracking Steps

Get quick answers to your burning questions and start your journey with the ideal step-counting companion.

best watch for tracking steps

What is the accuracy of step-counting watches?

While most modern watches offer a high degree of accuracy, factors like sensor quality and walking style can affect the count. It's advisable to choose watches known for their precision.

Can watches track other activities?

Yes, most of these watches come with multi-sport modes, tracking various activities like running, swimming, and cycling, along with health metrics like heart rate and sleep quality.

Are watches compatible with iOS and Android?

The majority of step-counting watches are compatible with both iOS and Android, but it's always best to check the product specifications for compatibility.

Best Watch for Counting Steps: Conclusion

In the quest to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, choosing the right watch to count your steps is a key decision. The market offers many options, each with its own unique set of features, design elements, and technological advancements. From the elegance and comprehensive health tracking of the Apple Watch Series 9 to the robust fitness and health features of the Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker and Amazfit Band 7, the lightweight design and detailed training features of the COROS PACE 2, or the perfect blend of classic aesthetics and modern tracking capabilities of the Garmin vivomove Sport, the choices are diverse and cater to a wide range of preferences and needs.

When choosing the best watch for counting steps, it's important to consider not only the accuracy and variety of fitness tracking features, but also how these gadgets integrate into your daily life. Factors such as battery life, design, compatibility with other devices, and additional smart features all play an important role in improving your overall experience and the value you get from the device.By balancing functionality, style, and personal requirements, you can choose a watch that not only counts every step but also makes every step count towards a healthier and more informed lifestyle.


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