The Quick Answer
Choose Fitbit if: You want simple, accessible fitness tracking with excellent sleep analysis, stress management, and a supportive community. Best for general wellness, weight loss, and casual fitness.
Choose Garmin if: You're training for specific goals—races, PRs, competitions. Best for runners, cyclists, triathletes, and data-obsessed athletes who want deep analytics.
| Feature | Fitbit Sense 2 | Garmin Forerunner 265 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 | $449 |
| Battery Life | 6+ days | 13 days |
| GPS | Built-in | Multi-band (more accurate) |
| Sleep Tracking | Excellent (Sleep Score, stages) | Good (stages, Body Battery) |
| Training Analytics | Basic (Active Zone Minutes) | Advanced (Training Status, Load) |
| Stress Management | EDA sensor, stress score | HRV-based stress |
| Best For | General wellness | Serious athletes |
Sleep Tracking
This is Fitbit's crown jewel. For over a decade, Fitbit has been the gold standard in consumer sleep tracking.
Fitbit's Sleep Analysis
Fitbit provides comprehensive sleep data including sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep score, time asleep vs. time in bed, and personalized insights. The Smart Wake feature wakes you during light sleep within a window you set. Premium subscribers get even deeper analysis with sleep profiles.
Critically, Fitbit's 6+ day battery means you can wear it every night without charging anxiety.
Garmin's Sleep Analysis
Garmin's sleep tracking has improved significantly but still trails Fitbit in depth and accuracy. Garmin tracks sleep stages, provides a sleep score, and integrates sleep data into the broader Body Battery metric. It's good—just not as refined as Fitbit's.
Garmin's battery advantage (13+ days) means even less charging concern.
Industry-leading sleep tracking with more detailed insights and better accuracy.
Training & Workout Analytics
This is where Garmin dominates—and it's not close.
Garmin's Training Ecosystem
Garmin treats your body like a system to be optimized. Their training analytics include:
Training Status: Are you productive, peaking, overreaching, or detraining?
Training Load: Acute vs. chronic load to optimize periodization
VO2 Max: Fitness level estimate with trend tracking
Recovery Advisor: Recommends rest time between workouts
Race Predictor: Estimates finish times for 5K, 10K, half, and full marathon
Body Battery: Energy level throughout the day based on HRV, sleep, stress, and activity
For runners specifically, Garmin adds PacePro (pacing strategies for races), running dynamics (with compatible HR strap), and course navigation with turn-by-turn directions.
Fitbit's Fitness Tracking
Fitbit's approach is simpler: track workouts, earn Active Zone Minutes (time spent in elevated heart rate zones), and celebrate achievements. There's no training load management, no recovery advisor, no race predictions.
This isn't a weakness—it's a different philosophy. Fitbit is for people who want to move more, not optimize training blocks. And that's most people.
Garmin's training analytics are years ahead for serious athletes.
GPS Accuracy
Garmin's GPS heritage shows. Their multi-band (dual-frequency) GPS, available in Forerunner and Fenix models, delivers accuracy that Fitbit can't match.
Fitbit's GPS is perfectly adequate for casual runs and walks. But if you're training for a race and need precise pace and distance data, Garmin's GPS is more reliable—especially in urban areas and dense tree cover.
Decades of GPS expertise and multi-band technology give Garmin the edge.
Stress Management & Wellness
Both brands now include stress tracking, but with different approaches.
Fitbit's Approach
Fitbit Sense 2 includes an EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor that measures skin conductance changes associated with stress. Combined with heart rate variability, it provides a stress management score and tracks your stress patterns throughout the day.
Fitbit Premium offers guided mindfulness sessions and deeper stress insights. The emphasis is on awareness and management.
Garmin's Approach
Garmin tracks stress through HRV (heart rate variability) analysis, displaying a stress score throughout the day. The Body Battery feature combines stress with sleep, activity, and HRV to estimate your energy levels.
Garmin's approach is more about understanding how stress affects performance than managing stress itself.
Dedicated EDA sensor and focus on stress management give Fitbit the edge for wellness.
App & Community
Fitbit App
Fitbit's app is designed for everyone—clean, colorful, and motivating. The community features (challenges with friends, badges, group competitions) create social accountability that keeps people engaged. Fitbit Premium ($9.99/month) adds personalized insights, guided workouts, and advanced analytics.
Garmin Connect
Garmin Connect is powerful but overwhelming for casual users. It presents massive amounts of data across dozens of metrics. Athletes love the depth; beginners often feel lost.
Garmin's community features exist but are less prominent. The focus is on personal improvement through data rather than social motivation.
Better app design and stronger community features for general wellness users.
Battery Life
Both brands excel here compared to Apple Watch and Samsung, but Garmin wins on sheer endurance:
Fitbit Sense 2: 6+ days
Fitbit Charge 6: 7 days
Garmin Forerunner 265: 13 days
Garmin Fenix 8 Solar: 48 days (with solar)
Both are "set it and forget it" devices compared to daily-charging smartwatches. Garmin's advantage matters most for ultrarunners and adventurers who need multi-day battery without access to chargers.
2x longer battery life, with solar options that can last weeks.
Price & Value
Fitbit is generally more affordable:
Entry Level: Fitbit Inspire 3 ($99) vs. Garmin Forerunner 55 ($199)
Mid-Range: Fitbit Charge 6 ($159) vs. Garmin Forerunner 165 ($249)
Premium: Fitbit Sense 2 ($299) vs. Garmin Forerunner 265 ($449)
However, Garmin's higher prices include more advanced training features. Athletes training for races may find Garmin's premium justified. General wellness users will get everything they need from Fitbit at lower prices.
Final Verdict: Which Should You Buy?
Choose Fitbit If:
• Your goal is general fitness and wellness
• Sleep tracking is important to you
• You want stress management features
• You're motivated by social challenges and community
• You prefer a simpler, more accessible app
• Budget is a consideration
• You're not training for specific race times
Choose Garmin If:
• You're training for races (5K to ultramarathon)
• You want deep training analytics and recovery data
• GPS accuracy matters for pace/distance
• You do multi-sport activities (triathlon, cycling)
• You want multi-week battery life
• You're data-driven and want maximum metrics
• You're willing to pay more for advanced features
The Bottom Line
Fitbit and Garmin serve different masters. Fitbit is for everyone—approachable, affordable, and focused on helping people live healthier lives through awareness and community support.
Garmin is for athletes—sophisticated, data-rich, and focused on optimizing performance through detailed training analytics.
There's no wrong choice—just different tools for different goals. Know what you want to achieve, and the right brand becomes obvious.