Fitness tracker or smartwatch?
Pick a fitness tracker when the goal is steps, heart rate, sleep and long battery life at a low price, and pick a smartwatch when the student wants apps, built-in GPS, payments and calls on the wrist and happily charges every day or two. For anyone with an Android phone, a tracker such as MotionCred ($49) covers the everyday basics at a fraction of smartwatch prices, and it counts toward eFit classes and challenges too.
Key takeaways
- Trackers win on price, battery life, weight and comfort in bed.
- Smartwatches win on apps, built-in GPS, payments and replies from the wrist.
- Both estimate steps, heart rate and sleep with similar sensors.
- For an eFit PE course, MotionCred records every activity the class counts.
Side by side
| Fitness tracker | Smartwatch | MotionCred | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | About $25 to $80 | About $150 to $500 from major brands | $49 |
| Battery | About 5 to 14 days | About 1 to 3 days for most models | Up to 12 days |
| Weight | About 20 to 30 g | About 30 to 60 g | 21.9 g |
| Steps, heart rate, sleep | Yes | Yes | Yes, with light, deep and REM stages |
| Phone alerts | Calls and messages | Calls, messages and replies | Calls with decline, messages from chosen apps |
| GPS | A few models | Most models | Distance from steps |
| Apps and payments | A few models | Yes | Weather, four watch faces, vibrate-to-find |
| Charging | Often a proprietary cable | Dock or magnetic puck | USB plug built into the band |
| eFit class and challenge sync | Varies | Varies | Built in, through the free MotionCred app on Android |
When a fitness tracker is the smarter buy
- Battery life keeps the data whole. Twelve days per charge means the tracker stays on through nights, weekends and trips.
- Comfort in bed. A 22-gram band is easy to sleep in, which fills in sleep stages and resting heart rate.
- A price that matches student life. A tracker that rides through sports, backpacks and dorms costs less to replace.
- Focus in class. Fewer apps means fewer taps on the wrist, and MotionCred shows alerts from the apps you choose.
- Class credit. In an eFit course, MotionCred sends steps, heart rate and workouts to the class on its own. See how eFit counts tracker activity.
When a smartwatch earns its price
- Phone-free runs with built-in GPS and music.
- Contactless payments, message replies and a voice assistant on the wrist.
- Lap swimming with a 5 ATM swim rating.
- A household already invested in one phone maker's ecosystem.
The one-minute decision
- Charging habits. Happy to charge every night? A smartwatch fits. Prefer charging every week or two? Choose a tracker.
- Budget. Under $100 points to a tracker.
- Class. In an eFit class or challenge with an Android phone? MotionCred was designed for exactly that.
Where MotionCred sits
MotionCred is a fitness tracker at heart with a handful of smartwatch touches. It shows incoming calls with a press to decline, messages from the apps you pick, local weather from the US National Weather Service by ZIP code, move reminders and vibrate-to-find. It records 25 sport modes, sleep stages and resting heart rate, and its color screen wakes when you raise your wrist.
Buying it as a gift? Read our student fitness tracker gift guide for the three-question check and Christmas delivery dates.
Quick answers
Is a fitness tracker or a smartwatch better for a student?
A fitness tracker suits most students: it costs less, lasts a week or more per charge, and stays comfortable through the night. A smartwatch suits students who want apps, built-in GPS and payments on the wrist and happily charge every day or two.
Can a fitness tracker show text messages?
Many can. MotionCred shows messages from the apps you choose and displays incoming calls, which you decline with a press of the touch key. Replies and calls happen on the phone.
Which tracks sleep better, a fitness tracker or a smartwatch?
Both estimate sleep stages with similar optical and motion sensors. The bigger difference is wear time: a slim, light tracker with a long battery stays on through the night, and the nights you wear it make the fullest record.
What is the cheapest way to track activity for a PE class?
A budget fitness tracker that syncs with your course. For eFit courses, MotionCred ($49) sends steps, heart rate and workouts through the free MotionCred app on Android. The MotionCred app for iPhone is coming soon; until then, students with an iPhone use the free Google Health app with the iPhone itself, an Apple Watch or a Fitbit.