Ranking the Best Waterproof Fitness Trackers of 2020

Waterproof fitness trackers are wearable trackers that can be used in a pool and similar, wet settings. They are often useful for tracking swimming, surfing, and other related activities. Plus, they can usually track your usual fitness activities as well, like walking.

Below you’ll find the best waterproof fitness trackers assembled by our expert panel.

Rankings

1. Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate Fitness Tracker

Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate Fitness Tracker

Check lowest price

Fitbit is one of the best-known names in the fitness tracker world – and for a good reason. This tracker is one of their more inexpensive models, but it is waterproof and can track many different metrics.

It is extremely accurate and comes with lots of features for an inexpensive price. Plus, it’s quite attractive and goes with nearly any style. For these reasons, it’s our #1 pick.

2. Lintelek Fitness Tracker

Lintelek Fitness Tracker

Check lowest price

This fitness tracker comes with a built-in heart rate monitor and can track 14 different exercises. It has a long-lasting battery and charges in only 1-2 hours.

Furthermore, you can receive certain notifications from your phone on it, so you can stay connected even while you’re working out.

3. L8Star Fitness Tracker

L8Star Fitness Tracker

Check lowest price

After charging for 2 hours, the L8ster fitness tracker can sustain its battery life for up to 30 days.

It can track your sleep and has six different sport modes and accurate tracking. You can also use it to monitor your heart rate, though it does not monitor it regularly.

4. LETSCOM Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor

LETSCOM Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor

Check lowest price

For a lower price than most trackers, Letscom provides just about everything you need. You can use it track your sleep and various exercises.

It can also keep up with your real-time heart rate, which is measures continuously.

5. Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Tracker

Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Tracker

Check lowest price

This fitness tracker comes with a 24/7 heart rate monitor and has a battery life that lasts for seven days. It also takes only 2 hours to charge.

This tracker is water-resistant up to 50-meters, making it the perfect option for swimming and other water sports.

6. Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music

Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music

Check lowest price

Out of all the trackers we reviewed, the Garmin Vivoactive one has the most features, including a GPS tracker and music storage.

However, it is also one of the most expensive on the market.

7. YAMAY Smart Watch

YAMAY Smart Watch

Check lowest price

While this watch isn’t advertised as a fitness tracker, it does have many fitness-related features and is waterproof.

You can use it to track your steps, calories burned, sleep stages, heart rate, and all the other standard fitness metrics.

8. PUBU Fitness Tracker

PUBU Fitness Tracker

Check lowest price

For a lower price than most, this fitness tracker watch provides multiple sport modes and is waterproof. Of course, it can also monitor everyday activities, like your steps, calories, sleep, and overall activity.

This watch also has a nifty USB built-in, so you don’t have to deal with a charging cable.

9. TagoBee Fitness Tracker B11

TagoBee Fitness Tracker B11

Check lowest price

This waterproof watch is about mid-range as far as costs go and come with a few extra features compared to other fitness watches.

It can track a women’s menstrual cycle and has a battery life of about 3-4 days depending on how much you use it.

10. FitFort Fitness Tracker Color Screen

FitFort Fitness Tracker Color Screen

Check lowest price

This slim watch is a perfect option for smaller wrists. It is waterproof and keeps up with the most basic metrics, like steps and calories.

This tracker also has 14 sport modes and has five different brightness levels.

How We Ranked

While many companies claim that their watches are waterproof, exactly how waterproof each watch varies. Some watches are only waterproof up to a certain depth, which others don’t have this information listed. In general, people are looking for a watch to use in a pool environment or other similar bodies of water. Because of this, we did not include watches that were just waterproof enough for the occasional shower or rainstorm.

On top of the waterproof factor, we also considered how accurate each watch was. Accuracy is particularly tricky in water. We only included watches that could track most, if not all, of these basic metrics. We considered other, uncommon metrics to be a plus but didn’t downgrade trackers if they didn’t feature them. If you must have a tracker that keeps up with one of these less-known metrics, like your menstrual cycle, then be sure the specific one you pick out includes it.

Waterproof fitness trackers also come with a load of other features. They can often keep track of fundamental metrics, like steps, calories, distance travels, and sleep. However, some can keep up with more advanced considerations, like the TagoBee Fitness Tracker B11, which can track a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Finally, we also took into account whether or not a particular fitness tracker could receive notifications from your smartphone. This is a standard feature, but it usually comes with a price tag. Those who included this feature we given a little boost in their rating, like our #1 pick, Fitbit’s Inspire HR Heart Rate Fitness Tracker.

Benefits

Waterproof fitness trackers can help you stay motivated. If you’ve ever tried to work out or start a new fitness routine, you know that one of the hardest parts is staying motivated. According to one study that kept up with patients who were put on an exercise regime for particular health reasons, the amount of motivation was the most important factor that went into whether or not they stuck with the program (1).

Fitness trackers can be a way for you to improve your internal motivation, and therefore, increase the chance that you’ll stick with whatever fitness program you’re on. Even if you’re just trying to make healthier choices throughout the day, getting a fitness tracker can improve the likelihood that you’ll refill that water bottle.

This is mainly because fitness trackers provide instant feedback for your activities. Each step you make is instantly counted, instead of not coming into focus until you step on the scale weeks later. You can set daily goals, which all your actions automatically count towards. Furthermore, many fitness trackers come with some level of social interaction, usually in the form of competitions. If you strive off social situations, this can be a massive boost to your motivation.

Waterproof fitness trackers can improve your water intake. On top of helping you track your exercise and other activities, many fitness trackers can also track your water intake. Even moderate dehydration can have adverse effects on your mood and cognition (2). Not getting even moderately not enough water can impair your overall endurance and lower your strength.

On a cognitive level, dehydration affects memory and similar activities. Many fitness trackers can keep up with how much water you’ve drunk and even remind you to drink more water if you aren’t getting enough. While dehydration doesn’t typically have long-term effects when at a minor level, these reminders can help your mood and physical function.

Waterproof fitness trackers can help you make beneficial food choices. Many health conditions are directly related to diet. Type II diabetes is the most widespread and well-known disease of this sort, but there are plenty of others as well (3).

Heart disease is also linked with diet somewhat (4). Many of these diseases are treated with dietary changes, especially Type II diabetes. However, it can be challenging to stick to a new nutritional program, even if it doesn’t call for extreme changes.

A fitness tracker can help you keep track of your overall diet and encourage you to eat more fruits and veggies throughout the day. Many trackers allow you to set your own nutritional goals, allowing them to take special diets and programs into account.

Waterproof fitness trackers can keep up with data for your doctor. Getting data from everyday events is notoriously difficult for doctors. They can’t follow you around with all their gear every day, making it difficult for them to record all your symptoms. This is especially true if your symptoms aren’t always present. You never know when they’ll show up again and whether or not you’ll make it to the doctor in time for them to see them.

In many cases, doctors have to prescribe expensive monitors, which are often bulky and hard to use. However, fitness trackers are starting to be used more and more to get this data. Of course, not all fitness trackers can be used for this purpose. They must be tested for accuracy beforehand to ensure that they don’t give doctors incorrect readings. Out of all the brands out there, Fitbit, Garmin, Misfit, Apple, and Polar are used most commonly for this purpose. They are the most popular fitness trackers out there in many cases, which makes it easier for them to be tested in a scientific setting. Out of all these brands, though, Fitbit is by far used the most medical purposes (5).

Waterproof fitness trackers can help you sleep better. Perhaps one of the best features and tracker has is the ability to track your sleep. Many of the trackers on the market today come with sleep tracking built-in, allowing you to keep up with how much deep sleep you’re getting every night as well as how many sleep interruptions you experience each night.

Sleep affects nearly every level of our well-being. Studies have found that helping patients get enough deep sleep can decrease the frequency and severity of tremors caused by Parkinson’s (6). Furthermore, experiencing too many sleep disturbances each night has been associated with Alzheimer’s (7). Often, these disturbances are very slight, so you may not even realize you’re having them until you begin wearing a fitness tracker.

Besides these extreme consequences, not getting enough sleep also affects our cognition. While things like decision-making are not affected by minor sleep loss, cognitive functions that work with emotions are (8). This includes things like your mood and emotional regulation, as well as features you might not consider to be emotion-driven, like your memory.

Waterproof fitness trackers can help you meet your activity minimum for the day. According to studies, each person needs at least 15-minutes a day of moderate exercise, adding up to at least 90-minutes a week. This was the minimum that showed any improvement at all in a person’s overall lifespan and decreased to the probability of a host of health problems (9).

Those who exercised for at least this much extended their life expectancy by three years and had a 14% lower chance of death from all causes. Every additional 15-minutes of exercise lead to similar improvements in health as well.

Of course, reaching these minimum exercise requirements is difficult, primarily because it’s hard to remember how much you exercised five days ago. A fitness tracker can help you keep up with all your exercises and encourage you to move if you’ve been sitting still for too long. Plus, they can also increase things like your motivation, which we have previously discussed as the most crucial factor in staying active.

Waterproof fitness trackers provide personalized data. Because fitness trackers are constantly collecting information on what you’re doing, they can often provide personalized suggestions. This is something that most other fitness devices and plans simply cannot do. These personalized suggestions can help you get the most out of your fitness plan and take your routine to the next level. Plus, because the suggestions are personalized, you’re more likely to follow them.

Plus, you do not have to input your information into a fitness tracker directly, since it collects it by itself. Because of that, it can provide you suggestions even if you don’t tell it how long you ran yesterday or how much activity you’ve done thus far today.

Many fitness trackers can team up with certain apps to provide you with advice through those apps as well. Fitbit works with the Fitbit Coach app, for example, which is also packed full of exercise videos and other helpful features. If you currently have an app you like to use, consider purchasing a fitness tracker that can sync with that app.

Waterproof fitness trackers are versatile. While waterproof fitness trackers were obviously made to be used in the pool, they can track nearly any exercise. All fitness trackers can track basic things like running and walking. Most of those that are waterproof are good at tracking swimming as well. However, you can find a fitness tracker to keep track of practically anything, including less popular activities like mountain climbing.

Of course, many fitness trackers can keep up with more than just your exercises. They can track your food, heart rate, daily activity level, and a host of other metrics. The huge amount of information the tracker keeps up with from your daily life can be extremely helpful in arranging your fitness routine and finding your strengths and weaknesses.

Side Effects

Waterproof fitness trackers aren’t necessarily correct. Not all fitness trackers are accurate most of the time, and no fitness tracker is going to be accurate 100% of the time. There are just so many variables that can throw a tracker off that it is going to happen at some point. In most cases, these are not going to be huge pieces of inaccurate data. Instead, it’ll be more like your step count is one or two steps off.

For most people, this isn’t a huge deal. However, if you need to keep a strict count of your calories for whatever reason, you’ll likely need to keep track of it yourself as well just to make sure your tracker is accurate.

One of the major problems that cause a fitness tracker to be inaccurate is incorrect syncing. This occurs when it doesn’t sync correctly to your phone or has a bad connection for whatever reason. This can vary on your location, so you might find that your signal is excellent at home but not very accurate at the park.

Many devices require you to take a certain number of steps or something of that sort to help them figure out the length of your step. Sometimes, over time, these measurements change, or the device might just start miscounting your steps. In these cases, setting up the machine again can be very helpful.

Waterproof fitness trackers can cause skin problems. Sometimes if a tracker doesn’t fit correctly, it can rub up against your skin and cause inflammation and pain. In severe cases, it can even rub your skin raw, which can cause secondary infections (10). Luckily, this problem is typically not very serious and can be alleviated by merely taking the tracker off.

Allergic reactions are a slightly more serious problem that fitness trackers can cause. If you’re allergic to something the device is made out of, it can cause the skin around that area to become inflamed. This is very similar to contact dermatitis, except allergic reactions will happen even without rubbing and often occur suddenly. They also may have difficulty going away on their own and can cause things like welts and blisters. In some cases, a doctor’s visit might be in order.

Waterproof fitness trackers might create security problems. There is some evidence that fitness trackers can cause some security breach issues, though there have been no reports to our knowledge of this occurring in a real-world situation. This problem occurs because most fitness trackers rely on Bluetooth to communicate with your phone.

These Bluetooth signals are available to anyone that has a Bluetooth device. Because of that, anyone can tap into your signal with the right know-how. This signal changes its activity based on what sort of exercise you’re doing, allowing someone to pick you out from a crowd by comparing what you’re doing to the signal of your fitness tracker (11).

Waterproof fitness trackers do not replace professionals. Even with a fitness tracker, it is important to still consult with your doctor about your condition and before making any major changes to your exercise routine. This is especially important if you have any underlying medical conditions, which may be impacted by an increase or change in your exercise habits.

Furthermore, while fitness trackers can provide information about certain metrics, like your heart rate, they do not replace a doctor in analyzing that information. You should not attempt to diagnose yourself based on what your fitness tracker says. If you notice anything strange with the readings on your fitness tracker, you may want to consider calling your doctor. However, it is also possible that it is simply the fitness tracker being inaccurate.

Recommended Usage

Preferably, you should wear your waterproof fitness tracker as much as possible. It is waterproof, so there is no reason not to wear it, even in the pool and shower. By wearing your fitness tracker all day, it will more accurately be able to track things like your steps and the calories you’ve burned.

Most fitness trackers have very long battery lives, so you don’t even have to take them off to charge them. When they do need to be charged, we recommend doing it in the evening or during another time when you aren’t going to be moving very much. Many fitness trackers keep up with your sleep. Because of this, it is essential to wear them while you’re sleeping as well.

Of course, you should wear your fitness tracker during all exercises. If you don’t wear your fitness tracker during your exercise periods, the number of calories the tracker says you’ve burned will be off by quite a bit, as will the activity meters and other metrics.

FAQ

Which fitness tracker is best for swimming? Tracking your swimming requires a special kind of fitness tracker. Not only does the tracker have to be waterproof enough to withstand a pool, but it also has to track swimming accurately. This can be quite difficult when compared to things like running and hiking.

We reviewed quite a few different waterproof fitness trackers and found that the best one out there for swimming is the Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate Fitness Tracker. This tracker is entirely accurate and can also sync with your phone to get notifications, allowing it to double as a smartwatch. It can track just about everything, including swimming, making it the perfect choice.

Which Fitbits can I swim with? Most Fitbits are waterproof. The Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate Fitness Tracker is waterproof up to 50 meters, as are the Flex 2, the Ionic, and the Versa line. They are continually coming out with new models, so the list will likely continue to grow. Their models will likely continue to be waterproof in the future.

Which Fitbit is waterproof and has GPS? There are a few Fitbits that meet these qualifications. Many Fitbits are waterproof up to 50 meters, which is more than enough for a swim. Practically all of them have a GPS built-in as well. The real difference between each Fitbit is the price and versatility. For extra features, you’re going to be paying extra money. However, they all have the same functionality in the pool.

What does ip68 mean? IP68 as an indicator often used on fitness trackers. A watch with this rating is entirely waterproof. It can be stuck in water without any problems. However, this rating does not take water pressure into account. If you’re swimming on the surface of a pool, this should be no problem. However, if you’re going deep into the water, you will need something a little meatier.

Devices that are designed to withstand more water pressure are almost always more expensive. You can purchase a watch with an IP68 for pretty cheap, on the other hand. Keep this in mind when you’re choosing a watch and consider what you need.

Does Fitbit make a waterproof device? Yes. Most Fitbit watches are waterproof, though some are more waterproof than others.

Is the Fitbit Charge 3 waterproof for swimming? Yes and no. It depends on how deep you’re going. It can be used up to 50 meters deep before the water pressure will begin to mess with it. Technically, it is entirely waterproof in that the water itself isn’t going to affect the watch. However, this does not take water pressure into account, which can mess up a watch if you go below its rating.

Most fitness watches are waterproof up to 50 meters, though you can find some that reach 100 meters.

What is the best waterproof fitness watch? The Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate Fitness Tracker is the best fitness tracker we found on the market. It is waterproof up to 50 meters, making it suitable for swimming and most other water activities. Despite this, it is also quite inexpensive so that you won’t be paying an arm and a leg for it.

What IP rating is waterproof? Different IP ratings mean different things. The waterproof ratings include IP67, IP66, and IP65. However, all these ratings indicate slightly different things, and it is essential to know the difference when choosing a waterproof device.

An IP65 rating means the device can protect against water jets from any direction. This is not water submersion, mind you, but just splashing water on the device. This is often called “water-resistant” instead of “waterproof.”

An IP66 rating means that is can protect against powerful water jets. The water jets used to test for this rating are quire powerful. However, again, this is not submersion.

Fitness trackers with a rating of IP67 can protect against immersion up to 1 meter. This isn’t very much, but it is plenty of activities like washing the dishes and similar activities.

Can you swim with a waterproof fitness watch? It depends on the exact rating. Some fitness devices are “waterproof,” but really can’t be submerged. Instead, they’re just resistant to things like rain. Others are incredibly waterproof and can be worn up to 100 meters deep. Most are somewhere in the middle – either rated at IP67 or up to 50 meters. The exact one you need depends on how deep you’re going to be swimming as well as how often you’re going to be swimming.

What is the difference between water-resistant and waterproof fitness watches? Water-resistant means that the watch can survive sprays of water. This type of watch is going to be fine during most rain showers and can withstand sweat. However, they are not made to be entirely submerged in water, while waterproof watches are. Of course, there are also different levels of waterproof.

With that said, though, all waterproof watches are fine submerged in water. Instead, it is the water pressure that affects their rating and how deeply you can swim with them. Some can only be used at 1 meter below the water surface, while others can be used over 100 meters below the surface. As the waterproof rating goes up, so does the price in most cases. Watches that are designed to be extremely waterproof typically don’t have many other features, since fewer moving parts means fewer things to make waterproof.

Which is better water-resistant or water repellent? A water-resistant fitness tracker can not be penetrated by water unless it is submerged completely. A water repellent watch can resist water somewhat but might get damaged due to high-powered water streams or during downpours of rain. Usually, water repellent products just have some sort of surface coating on them that keeps water from penetrating them instantly. However, this coating is only useful against minimal amounts of water.

Can you swim with a 200m water-resistant fitness tracker? Yes. However, there are some stipulations to this. You can swim laps on the surface of the pool and even go to the bottom of most pools without any difficulties. With that said, a 200m rating does not mean you can hangout 200m below the surface of the water however long and often you want. While this type of watch would not immediately break under that much pressure, it isn’t made to withstand it for an extreme amount of time. Over time, this rating will wear down.

Which Fitbits are for swimming? Various Fitbits can be used for swimming, though the exact one you get depends on how deeply you’re going to be swimming. For just surface-level swimming, there are lots of Fitbit that you can choose from. Many Fitbits are at least somewhat waterproof, and the vast majority of them can be used for surface-level swimming.

Some Fitbits are available for deeper diving. However, they are not as waterproof as some other brands – which can sometimes be used up to 100 meters. Some Fitbits are available for swimming down to 50 meters, though, like the Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate Fitness Tracker.

Does waterproof mean it can go underwater? Yes and no. It just depends on the company that is using it. There is no precise meaning of the term “waterproof,” so companies don’t have to do specific tests or anything of that sort to claim that their products are waterproof. Even if an item can be submerged underwater, that doesn’t mean that they can withstand the water pressure that comes with even descending more than a few feet.

To help codify exactly what waterproof means, many companies rely on IP ratings. These ratings describe just how waterproof a particular device is. However, they only focus on whether or not water itself can harm the device. They do not take into account water pressure, which is very important if you’re swimming. Therefore, many companies also give their device a particular depth that they can travel down to. Still, just because they can function at that depth does not mean that you should take them that deep regularly.

Related Articles

Recap

If you want to track your swimming, a waterproof fitness tracker is a must-have. These devices allow you to easily track your swim times, the number of calories you’ve burned, and plenty of other basic stats. Of course, not all fitness trackers are made the same, so be sure you choose one that is the perfect one for you. All of the fitness trackers in the rankings section of this article are perfect choices for you to choose from.

For FitBug’s #1 recommended waterproof fitness tracker, click here.

Recent Content