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Add to SafariWhen comparing Fitbit Charge HR vs Garmin Vivofit 3, the Slant community recommends Fitbit Charge HR for most people. In the question“What are the best fitness trackers?” Fitbit Charge HR is ranked 3rd while Garmin Vivofit 3 is ranked 24th. The most important reason people chose Fitbit Charge HR is:
Throughout the day (and night), the Charge HR fitness tracker continuously measures your heart rate. On the app, graphs show your heart rate throughout the day, providing stats such as time spent in the different zones (peak, cardio, and fat burn) as well as your average resting heart rate for that day.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Continuously measures your heart rate and intensity level to give you 24 hour stats
Throughout the day (and night), the Charge HR fitness tracker continuously measures your heart rate.
On the app, graphs show your heart rate throughout the day, providing stats such as time spent in the different zones (peak, cardio, and fat burn) as well as your average resting heart rate for that day.
Pro Can track your elevation so you know how high you've hiked
When connected to the GPS on your phone, the Charge HR is able to keep track of elevation. This is a great feature for hikers who often like to know how much elevation was gained over the course of the hike.
Pro The app and web platform do an excellent job of keeping you motivated
The Fitbit app lets you set goals and milestones which reward you with badges and trophies when reached.
You can also challenge friends and family, competing against them for top spot on the leader board.
Pro Compatible with nearly every smartphone
In addition to Android and iPhone support, the Charge HR fitness tracker also supports Windows Phone which is fairly rare.
While not an issue most of the time, when upgrading your phone you won't have to worry if your fitness tracker will work with it or not.
Pro Completely safe for swimming and showering
The Vivofit 3 is waterproof up to 50 meters. You can confidently take it swimming, or wear it in the shower without risk of damaging the tracker.
Pro No need to recharge the tracker
The Vivofit 3 runs on battery so there is no need to worry about keeping it charged.
With a battery life of up to 1 year, it can go longer without a battery change than most other fitness trackers.
Cons
Con Band is poorly made and tends to fall apart
Usually after a few months of wear, people start having issues with the band falling apart. Bubbles will appear under the top layer of the band and then the layers start separating.
The Fitbit Charge HR does not have a replaceable band, so you have to replace the whole device if it is no longer wearable.
Con Notifications are easily missed
While the Charge HR fitness tracker will vibrate to notify you of incoming messages on your phone, the vibration is subtle and short. Sometimes you won't notice the buzz and you'll miss the notification.
Con Stats aren't always accurate
While good enough for most users, the data can be skewed because of physical limits of the fitness tracker. For example, an elevated pulse may just be because you chugged back a coffee, but the Charge HR may interpret this as physical activity. Also, measuring a pulse and steps from the wrist can only be so accurate.
Con Too unreliable for the cost
The Vivofit 3 has multiple serious issues impacting its reliability which means you're taking a gamble by purchasing it. At $80, you can get trackers with much better build qualities and a similar set of features.
Con Software that detects different activity often doesn't work
The "Move IQ" software in the tracker, which is supposed to detect different types of exercise, often doesn't work. Either it will track everything as walking, or will not start tracking them all.
Con It's easy to lose the watch because of the weak clasp
The clasp frequently comes undone during physical activity because of its poor design. If you aren't constantly paying attention to it or add re-enforcement to the clip, it would be easy to lose the tracker.
Con Syncs with a limited number of devices
Con Not for people with small wrists
The tracker is available in two sizes, regular or extra large. The regular band is too long for people with below average sized wrists.
