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The Fitbit Charge 5 and the Garmin Vivosmart 5. Both trackers are affordable and will help you keep an eye on your overall health and progress towards your fitness goals. But which fitness tracker is worth your money? We put the two popular trackers against each other to see which was better.
The best fitness trackers are smaller and cheaper than the best GPS sports watches. They can measure your heart rate, read your blood oxygen levels, track your steps, sleep, and workouts, and can even let you know when you get a text while you’re moving. Both the Garmin Vivosmart 5 and the Fitbit Charge 5 are popular choices for people who want to keep track of their steps. However, there are some big differences between the two.
Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Fitbit Charge 5 Comparison Table
| Garmin Vivosmart 5 | Fitbit Charge 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 0.76 x 0.42 x 8.5 inches (small), 0.76 x 0.42 x 10 inches (large) | 1.4 x 0.89 x 0.44 inches |
| Display | Grayscale OLED | AMOLED |
| Weight | Small/medium: 24.5 g Large: 26.5 g | 28 grams |
| Battery life | 7 days | 7 days |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Price | $150 | $150 |
Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Fitbit Charge 5: Design and display
Again, when it comes to the way they’re made, both trackers are pretty similar. They both have bands that can be swapped out and are easy to pop out. At the time this article was written, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 was a newer tracker, so there weren’t any third-party band options. This is likely to change, though.
But things start to be different when it comes to how they are shown. The Grayscale OLED screen on the Garmin Vivosmart 5 is 66% bigger than the screen on the Vivosmart 4. It’s easy to see in all kinds of lighting, texts can scroll across the screen so you don’t have to reach for your phone to read them, and you can see at least three stats at once. You can buy this smartwatch from its official website.
Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Fitbit Charge 5: Battery life
These aren’t fitness trackers that will last for weeks or months, but they should be able to track your activity for a good week. The Vivosmart 5 can be used for 7 days, but if you constantly use the Pulse Ox sensor, it will only last about 3 day.
The Charge 5 also has a battery life of up to 7 days, but in our tests, it lasted more like 5 or 6 days. When you use GPS, the battery life will go down quickly, and if you turn on the always-on display mode, that week will drop to about 3–4 days. You can get this smartwatch from its official website
Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Fitbit Charge 5: Tracking activity
The Garmin Vivosmart 5 can track your Body Battery energy. This will tell you when it’s best to be active and when it’s best to let your body rest. The Fitbit Charge 5 has a similar feature called the “Daily Readiness Score,” but you have to sign up for the Fitbit Premium service to use it (more on Fitbit Premium later).
Active Zone Minutes, on the other hand, is included for free with the Fitbit Charge 5. This feature tells you in a summary of your workout how many minutes (and when) you spent in the fat burn, cardio, and peak zones, as well as how much time you spent outside of those zones. You can also wear these on your wrist while you exercise to let you know when you need to speed up or slow down.
Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Fitbit Charge 5: Smartwatch features
Even though their screens aren’t very big, these trackers can act as smartwatches, and the Charge 5 does it better overall. In terms of features, you’ll be able to see app notifications, calls, and calendar appointments. Android users can respond to some notifications with either a default response or a custom one.
Fitbit Pay lets you make payments without touching the device, but unlike the Charge 4, there are no music controls on the device itself. The most important thing is that you can see and use these features on a colour screen. The Vivosmart 5 on the other hand supports notifications, has music controls, lets you see weather forecasts, lets you change watch faces, and now lets you see your calendar appointments.
Which should you buy?
Fitbit Charge 5 vs. Garmin Vivosmart 5. If you already have a Garmin smartwatch or fitness tracker and want to upgrade, and you like the design and features of the Garmin Connect app, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 is the obvious choice. You might also like the extra button if you like the feel of something other than a screen.
But if you’re buying something new, the Fitbit Charge 5 is not only the best Fitbit tracker on the market right now, but also one of the best fitness trackers you can buy, period. To get the most out of it, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee for a Fitbit Premium subscription. However, you can always try Fitbit Premium for free to see if it’s worth it for you.
Fitbit Charge 5 pros and cons
Pros:
- On-board GPS
- Excellent heart rate monitoring
- Clean, simple interface
Cons:
- No altimeter
- Expensive at launch
Garmin Vivosmart 5 pros and cons
Pros:
- Good sleep tracking
- Lightweight
- Improved design compared to Vivosmart 4
Cons:
- No on-board GPS
- Quite expensive
FAQs
What is the difference between Garmin and Fitbit?
Both of these brands have something that will meet your needs. Fitbit is a great tool for health, and Garmin has fitness products with more advanced features. Garmin trackers look like regular watches, while Fitbit trackers are slimmer and less obvious.
Is Garmin Vivosmart 5 worth it?
The Garmin Vivosmart 5 is a good fitness tracking band that offers more accurate tracking and better software than almost all other fitness trackers. Garmin makes sure that each of its exercise modes counts, and its heart rate results are accurate.
What is better than a Fitbit Charge 5?
The Garmin Venu Sq 2 is the best alternative to the Fitbit Charge 5 that you can buy. It looks like a smartwatch but has the same features as Fitbit’s top tracker. Xiaomi’s Mi Band 7 is the best alternative to the Fitbit Inspire 3 that you can buy. It’s cheap and does a good job of tracking your fitness.