The best fitness trackers in 2015 under $100: Fitbit, Moov, Misfit, and more

The sheer number of fitness trackers currently on the market can make it difficult to choose the best one for your lifestyle, especially when you are on a budget. But have no fear! You need not sacrifice your wallet in exchange for an accurate and helpful device. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 most affordable yet ultimately useful fitness trackers in order of price. Whether you are just looking to get moving or training for a triathlon, Wearables.com has you covered.

The best fitness trackers under a Benjamin

Xiaomi Mi Band

This one is exciting, because the Mi Band is the most affordable fitness tracker on the market by far, and it recently became available for sale in the United States. At a mere $15, the colorful band behaves as both a fitness tracker and sleep tracker, has a battery life of a whole month, and doubles as an alarm clock.

Standout feature: The price literally cannot be beat
Pros: Automatic sleep sensor and sleep tracking
Cons: Basic functions; only measures steps/distance… but again, that price!

Razer Nabu X

You probably haven’t heard about the Razer Nabu X, but at a retail price of $50, you’ll be glad you do now. Not just for gamers anymore, the sleek fitness band tracks steps, calories burned, and offers sleep tracking. While this list focuses on fitness trackers, it is worth mentioning that the Nabu also notifies the wearer of incoming messages, calls, and whatever other alerts you would want to discreetly see. That’s a pretty great package of capabilities for such a small price.

Standout feature: Good for gamers and social networking via band-to-band communication
Pros: Notification features
Cons: Its functionality as a fitness tracker actually comes second to its notification/communication abilities
Critics’ rating*: 3
(*Wearables.com compiles the top critic ratings online for an aggregate score)

Jawbone UP Move

The UP Move has a similar design to the Zip, but instead of a screen, Jawbone’s fitness tracker has LED lights. It also retails similarly to the Zip at $50. Aesthetically speaking, the Zip has a leg up — but it really comes down to a matter of preference. Jawbone’s UP Move does come with a wristband option, but that’ll cost you an extra $15. Neither of them can be worn in the shower or during a swim, but then again that is not their primary purpose. The UP Move offers coaching via Jawbone’s Smart Coach system, but is not compatible with Windows or any of the exercise apps you may already be using, like Run Keeper or My Fitness Pal.

Standout feature: SmartCoach
Pros: Helps motivate with SmartCoach
Cons: Nit-picky compatibility, kind-of sort-of ugly
Critics’ rating: 3.8

Misfit Flash

The Misfit Flash is an arguably less glitzy (it’s made of plastic) but more functional Misfit Shine, all at half the price ($50). Changing the battery is far easier than on the shine and the wrist option is more cohesive than its counterpart. It is also more lightweight due to the plastic design, is waterproof, and comes in 7 bright, “flashy” colors to choose from. So, whatever your wallet size, there’s a Misfit fitness tracker fit for you.

Standout feature: Good for a fitness wearable rookie
Pros: Affordable and durable, sleep tracking
Cons: Lacks any sort of motivational incentives on the app side, plastic hardware reportedly cheap
Critics’ rating: 2.9

Fitbit Zip

We count the Fitbit Zip among the best fitness trackers and not just because it’s the cheapest Fitbit product available, but because the it’s a great clip-on activity tracker for weight loss. The Zip lacks sleep monitoring and super accurate fitness tracking aside from step-counting. So if you are looking to monitor exercise aside from walking or jogging, look elsewhere. However, if shedding pounds is one of your goals, this Fitbit fitness tracker allows you to log food easily via scanning barcodes which you can do with handy and fun companion app. The biggest feature setting the Zip apart from similar devices is the LCD screen displaying a digital clock and vital signs, as well as its compatibility with all systems and most fitness apps. The Zip retails at $60 and is a cute, compact, handy little fitness tracker.

Standout feature: Diet monitoring capability
Pros: Nice weight-watching feature, LCD screen
Cons: Only for walking/jogging, clip-on only, no sleep tracking
Critics’ rating: 3.9

Moov

Moov is cool because not only is it a fitness tracker but it doubles as a coach. The $80 fitness band tells you when to increase your cadence or when to run faster if it senses you have slowed down. Furthermore, Moov’s companion app offers an enormous and versatile number of applications that cater to any sort of determined exerciser. Whether your thing is swimming, cycling, or running, Moov has got a plan to make you better at it.

Standout feature: Coaching specific to activity
Pros: Function versatility
Cons: Developer community still nascent due to delay in releasing developer SDK
Critics’ rating: 3.5

Garmin Vivofit 2

The Vivofit 2 has a leg up owing to its modular design. It’s easy to pop out and is now compatible with Jonathan Adler accessories (we are particularly fond of this black leather cuff). The Garmin fitness tracker has also got an LED display and a sleep tracking feature, albeit a fairly simple one. Down from $100 to $80, it has a useful app with accurate reporting and has a year long battery life.

Standout feature: Customization and long battery life
Pros: Reminds you to stay active, waterproof
Cons: Syncing to app is not automatic, app is not very detailed
Critics’ rating: 3.6

Misfit Shine

Retailing at $100, the Shine stands out as one of the best fitness trackers because its minimalism lends it an element of style, unlike some other trackers that look dinky in their simplicity. It is also waterproof, which is clearly a big advantage if you spend a lot of your time in the water. On the downside, it lacks a display.

Standout feature: One of the most futuristic-looking fitness bands out there
Pros: Wear it anywhere on your body, fully waterproof
Cons: Closed app ecosystem
Critics’ rating: 2.8

Runtastic Orbit

The Orbit is versatile in that it comes with a wristband or can be clipped onto clothing, and has general fitness tracker capabilities (step counting, calories burned, etc.) and sleep tracking. The Runtastic fitness tracker is waterproof and allows you to set daily goals; however, it forces you to use two separate apps — one for jogging and one for everything else (even so, the “everything else” app is very good looking). Originally priced at $120, the Orbit now retails at $100.

Standout feature: Happiness tracking component
Pros: Waterproof, good data-syncing with app, sleep tracking
Cons: Requires 2 apps
Critics’ rating: 3.5

Withings Pulse O2

This is a nice device if you are seeking a little bit more than basic activity function capabilities. Its high critic rating proves many experts view it as one of the best fitness trackers, as well. Using 4 LEDs, the Pulse measures heart rate and blood oxygen level, the latter feature being one not found in any other device on our list. The small tracker can be clipped into a wristband or worn on the body. It also has a comprehensive sleep tracker, and syncs to an easily readable and accurate companion app. We’re stretching our budget a little bit here as the Pulse retails at $120, but the extra cash is a small price to pay if monitoring vitals is a priority.

Standout feature: Vital monitoring, heart rate monitoring
Pros: Vital sign features, comprehensive and helpful app
Cons: Unattractive design, reports of difficult-to-read screen while in sun
Critics’ rating: 3.8

Samsung Gear Fit

The Gear Fit has a touchscreen, so no finicky scrolling through of stats via button. It has interchangeable wallpaper, nice for versatility, but the pretty bright display comes at the cost of battery life, which maxes out after three days. It also monitors heart rate and helps motivate via coaching. The feature that most differentiates it though is its ability to receive calls and texts as well as alerts from third party apps. Although its just over our budget for the most affordable, best fitness trackers at $120, it is still a good deal considering original retail was $150.

Standout feature: Large colorful screen with notification alerts
Pros: Text and call alerts, heart rate monitoring
Cons: Only compatible with Galaxy phone, requires 2 apps
Critics’ rating: 3.3