# Garmin vs Fitbit: Which Fitness Tracker Should You Buy in 2026? > Garmin or Fitbit? Most people should get the Fitbit Charge 6. GPS, battery, subscription and owner complaints next to the Garmin vivosmart 5 on Amazon. Guide: https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/garmin-vs-fitbit/ · Updated 2026-10-17 · By TwelveTabs · Search it live: https://twelvetabs.com/?q=garmin%20vs%20fitbit&guide=garmin-vs-fitbit As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases. Our picks are independently researched, written by TwelveTabs AI and never sponsored. Prices and ratings change often: see the guide for today's. ## The top picks - **Most people: built-in GPS, a bright screen and Google Maps and Wallet for $10 less:** Google Fitbit Charge 6 - Fitness Tracker - Obsidian/Black, Google apps, heart rate on exercise equipment, 3-month Google Health Premium membership included. Fitbit's fitness band: built-in GPS, 24/7 heart rate, 40 plus exercise modes, a 1.04 inch AMOLED screen, up to 7 days of battery, Google Maps directions, Google Wallet and YouTube Music controls, and a 3-month Google Health Premium trial. - **Shoppers who want no subscription push and a tracker that leans on Garmin Connect:** Garmin vivosmart 5, Health & Fitness Tracker, S-M, Black, Monitor Your Health, Track Your Steps and Sleep, Smart Notifications, Up to 7 Days Battery Life. Garmin's slim fitness tracker: a 0.84 inch touchscreen with a button, up to 7 days of battery, Body Battery energy, sleep score, stress, respiration and Pulse Ox tracking, 50 meter water resistance, and GPS borrowed from your phone. Most people should get the **[Fitbit Charge 6](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/garmin-vs-fitbit/#pick-1)**. It costs $10 less, has built-in GPS and a bright screen, and ties into Google Maps and Wallet. Get the **[Garmin vivosmart 5](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/garmin-vs-fitbit/#pick-2)** if you want to avoid a Fitbit subscription and can carry your phone for GPS. We compared the best-selling fitness band from each brand that Amazon sells new today, both sold by Amazon.com. We did not compare either brand's smartwatches. ## The short version - **Want built-in GPS?** The [Fitbit Charge 6](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/garmin-vs-fitbit/#pick-1). The Garmin uses your phone's GPS. - **Want the lowest price?** The Fitbit is $132.99. The [Garmin vivosmart 5](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/garmin-vs-fitbit/#pick-2) is $142.99. - **Hate subscriptions?** Garage Gym Reviews says Fitbit's advanced insights need a paid plan, and Garmin's equivalents are free. The Garmin page mentions no subscription. - **Care about battery?** Both list up to 7 days, but owners of both report shorter. - **Want a bigger screen?** The Fitbit's is 1.04 inches. The Garmin's is 0.84 inches. ## How to choose between them Garage Gym Reviews says Garmin watches are usually sturdier, last longer on a charge and give more health tracking for free, while Fitbit asks around $10 a month for its most detailed insights, and it picks Garmin overall. It is comparing the brands as a whole, with long-battery Garmin watches in mind, so read it as a view on the brands. For these two bands, both list the same 7 days. - **Price.** The Fitbit is $132.99 and the Garmin $142.99 today. - **Seller.** Amazon.com sells both. - **GPS.** Built in on the Fitbit. Phone-connected on the Garmin. - **Screen.** 1.04 inch AMOLED against 0.84 inch. - **Water.** Both are water resistant, and the Garmin lists 50 meters. - **Subscription.** The Fitbit includes 3 months of Google Health Premium. The Garmin page shows none. ## Our picks in detail ### 1. Fitbit Charge 6: best for most people **Why it made the list** - Built-in GPS and 24/7 heart rate. - A 1.04 inch AMOLED screen. - Google Maps directions, Google Wallet and YouTube Music controls. - Up to 7 days of battery, per the listing. - A 3-month Google Health Premium trial. **Drawbacks** - Advanced reports need a paid plan. - Some units stop working, per Amazon's summary. - Distance, step and sync problems for some owners. - Mixed views on battery. **Skip it if** you refuse subscriptions, or you want the most dependable tracker. ### 2. Garmin vivosmart 5: best if you dislike subscriptions **Why it made the list** - Body Battery, sleep score, stress and respiration tracking. - Up to 7 days of battery and 50 meter water resistance. - No subscription on the page. - Incident detection with your phone. - Sold by Amazon. **Drawbacks** - No GPS of its own. - A small screen. - Mixed accuracy and battery reports. - Sleep and alarm features stopped working for one owner. **Skip it if** you run without your phone, or you want a larger, brighter screen. ## What owners complain about - **On the [Fitbit Charge 6](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/garmin-vs-fitbit/#pick-1):** units that stop working, syncing that fails, daily charging for some, steps and distance that read high, ads and extra features owners do not use, and an uncomfortable band for one. - **On the [Garmin vivosmart 5](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/garmin-vs-fitbit/#pick-2):** step counts that follow arm movement, shorter battery than listed, sleep and alarm features that stopped, a screen that died inside the warranty for one owner whom Garmin helped, iPhone pairing trouble, and a size too big for a small wrist. - **On both:** reliability and accuracy come up in Amazon's summaries. ## What we left out, and why We read two listings and 16 reviews. - **Google Fitbit Air.** A newer $99.00 screenless tracker on the Charge 6 compare chart. We did not open it. - **Fitbit Inspire 3 and Fitbit Versa 4.** Other Fitbits on the same chart. We did not open them. - **Garmin Vivoactive 5 and other Garmin watches.** Smartwatches in a different class and price. - **Renewed Fitbit Charge 6 listings.** Not new. ## Questions people ask ### Is Garmin better than Fitbit? For long battery and free health insights, Garage Gym Reviews prefers Garmin. For these two bands, the Fitbit has the built-in GPS and the better screen. ### Do I need a subscription for a Fitbit? Not to track basics, but Garage Gym Reviews says the most detailed sleep and readiness reports need Fitbit's paid plan. ### Does the Garmin vivosmart 5 have GPS? Not its own. The listing says it connects to your phone's GPS for walks, runs and rides. ### How did TwelveTabs choose between them? We read the Amazon listings for one Fitbit and one Garmin fitness band, their spec lists, Amazon's review summaries and the reviews we could see, plus Garage Gym Reviews' comparison. We put the facts side by side and checked each against its listing. For the wider choice, see our [Fitbit vs Apple Watch](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/fitbit-vs-apple-watch/) and [Apple Watch vs Garmin](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/apple-watch-vs-garmin/) guides. ## How we researched On October 17, 2026 we read the Amazon listing pages for the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Garmin vivosmart 5. We read each page's bullets and specs, Amazon's review summaries and the reviews we could see. We also read Garage Gym Reviews' Fitbit vs Garmin comparison and checked Google's top results for this question. AI wrote this guide from that research. Both listings pool colors and sizes, and the Fitbit page also pools a second model, the Inspire 3, so its ratings may not describe the Charge 6 alone. Many visible Garmin reviews are older, dating back to 2023. The Fitbit page gives no price for Google Health Premium, and Garage Gym Reviews' price is an estimate from an earlier date. Both pages list item weights that look like shipping figures, so we leave them out. We did not open the newer Google Fitbit Air or any Garmin smartwatch, which are a different kind of device. Garage Gym Reviews compares the brands in general, not these two models. ### Sources - [Garage Gym Reviews: Fitbit vs. Garmin](https://www.garagegymreviews.com/fitbit-vs-garmin)