Fitness
Fitness Trackers

Best non-watch heart rate monitors — keep your wrist free without sacrificing the data you need

Push yourself without limitations.
By Dylan Haas  on 
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Our Top 4 Picks

Polar H10 (opens in a new tab)

Best for most people

The Polar H10 was my favorite option out of all the heart rate monitors I tested. It's comfortable to wear, feels durable, and has an easy-to-use companion app with all the analytics I needed. I see myself using this one for all of my workouts to come.

The Good

  • Comfortable
  • Stayed in place during all of my workouts
  • Accurate data
  • App simplicity

The Bad

  • Strap tends to absorb sweat rather than wick it away
Pros & Cons

Garmin HRM-Pro Plus (opens in a new tab)

Best splurge option

The Garmin HRM-Pro Plus wouldn't be my first recommendation to those just getting into wearing a strap-style monitor, but if you have experience with one and you want to upgrade to something super durable with a variety of in-depth analytics, it's a great option.

The Good

  • Very durable
  • Great app with lots of extra features
  • Strap wicks away sweat
  • Variety of analytics options

The Bad

  • Strap comes undone often
  • Pretty bulky
Pros & Cons

Coospo H6 (opens in a new tab)

Best budget option

At such a low price, the Coospo H6 exceeded my expectations. It's nothing fancy, and certainly doesn't feel as high-quality as the other picks on this list, but it gets the job done in an accessible and budget-friendly way.

The Good

  • Gets the basics right at a reasonable price
  • *Mostly* comfortable
  • Stays secure during workouts

The Bad

  • App is a little wonky
  • Strap can get scratchy at times
Pros & Cons

Whoop 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Best app and analytics

The Whoop 4.0 is worth the membership fee for its sleep analytics alone, but you'll also get access to a bounty of other features like recovery and strain coaching, in-app journaling, and lots more. If you're really set on having the most data you possibly can, I think Whoop is the way to go.

The Good

  • Well-made strap can be worn on your bicep
  • App is amazing
  • In-depth sleep analytics
  • Strain and recovery coaching

The Bad

  • Expensive subscription fee
  • No chest strap
Pros & Cons

I have nothing against Fitbits, Apple Watches, and other fitness trackers that you can wear on your wrist. I actually think they're pretty cool. But, they just don't work for me — being the type of athlete I am (my regimen mainly consists of combat sports), I need to keep my wrists free so I can fit them inside of my boxing gloves, among other things.

If you're like me and can't sacrifice freedom of movement for a watch-style fitness tracker, I'm happy to tell you that there's another way for you to get the same valuable data and analytics without having to slap on any wrist bling: A heart rate monitor strap.

How do they work?

Heart rate monitor straps are pretty much what they sound like. It's an elastic strap that you wear around your chest that's equipped with electrodes, which then transmit your heart rate data using electrocardiography. Usually, each strap will have its own respective companion app that you can connect to via Bluetooth, which will store that data and analyze it for calorie burn, goal progression, and more (much like a fitness tracker). And because it's located on your chest rather than your wrist, you won't be impeded during your workouts nearly as much.

Are they as accurate as a wrist-based tracker?

They're actually more accurate. Monitor straps are able to get a much better read on your data because they're placed over your heart and track its electrical activity, whereas most wrist-based trackers use photoplethysmography to measure heart rate. Photoplethysmography involves shining a light into your skin to measure variations of blood circulation — it's a convenient way to collect heart rate data, but a far less accurate one. Wrist trackers are great for checking in on your real-time heart rate, but when it comes to post-activity analytics, you're going to get a lot more mileage out of a strap-style tracker with a much smaller margin for error

Are there any downsides?

There's really only one, and for a lot of people, it might not even be seen as a sacrifice. Most wrist-based trackers have a helpful display on them that can tell you your real-time heart rate, steps, and other analytics at a glance, but because of the nature of heart rate straps, you can't exactly have a display on them (that'd be a little silly). Thankfully, all you need to do to remedy that is pick up your phone and look at the strap's companion app to get the lowdown — trading a few seconds of convenience for better data collection without obstruction is definitely worth it, in my opinion.

What are the best non-watch heart rate monitors?

After a week of hands-on testing, I landed on four top picks that I think are worth checking out for people with varying budgets, goals, and personal preferences. Take a look below, and find the one that will suit your needs the best.

Best for most people
Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

The Polar H10(opens in a new tab) was my favorite option out of all the heart rate monitors I tested because of its simplicity, accuracy, and overall comfort. The strap is super durable and feels high-quality without squeezing too tightly or scratching my skin. This tracker was also the thinnest of the bunch, which was a nice change from some of the other trackers that were bulky and less flush to my chest. The strap itself continues to be super durable without any wear-and-tear or added stretch.

The Polar Beat app is exactly what I need: Simple and easy to navigate. The main page includes your real-time heart rate, and the option to begin an activity so you can start collecting data, including caloric burn, average heart rate, max heart rate, and calories burned from fat. You can also set training goals, measure overall fitness, and more in the app if you choose, but I really liked the no-frills experience of the default tracking page.

The only thing I didn't love about the Polar H10 was that it didn't do a great job of wicking away sweat, absorbing most of it instead (gross, I know). But, that was pretty easy to overlook when stacked up against all the other things it does so well.

Best splurge option
Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

The Garmin HRM-Pro Plus(opens in a new tab) is pricey, but you get quite a bit for your money. For one, it's extremely durable. I can say with confidence that this strap is never going to break, and the tracker on the front is solid as a brick. This adds some bulk to it, but it didn't necessarily weigh me down during testing. Unfortunately, the strap did come undone more than once during use, which was annoying considering the price and the fact that this didn't happen with any of the other (cheaper) options.

The real good stuff is in the Garmin Connect app, though. It's very in-depth, and features a bevy of analytics options aside from your usual calorie tracking (sleep stats being a standout). There are also in-app challenges that you can use to gamify your workouts for additional motivation, a calendar for logging activities and goals, and more. For me, some of those bonus features were a little superfluous, but I could see how they would enhance the overall experience for others. (What can I say? I like simplicity.)

If you're just getting into wearing a strap-style monitor, the Garmin HRM-Pro Plus wouldn't be my first recommendation. But, if you're already experienced and looking to upgrade, this one is a safe bet.

Best budget option
Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

For less than $40, the Coospo H6(opens in a new tab) is a pretty solid heart rate monitor. It's not fancy by any means, but it'll get the job done for most people. The companion app, called Heartool, isn't my favorite — it does include the necessities, though. It's wonky and very bare-bones, but if you only care about calorie tracking, it shouldn't be an issue for you.

Overall comfort is OK. It stays secure, which is important, but the elastic band can get a little scratchy after a while (not to a degree that makes it unusable). The strap hasn't shown any signs of deterioration yet, but it certainly feels lower in quality than the others, which you'd probably expect at more than half the price.

All in all, if you're looking for something super basic and budget-friendly as your first heart rate monitor to test out the waters, I recommend starting here.

Best app and analytics
Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

OK, so I cheated a little bit with this one. Technically, the Whoop 4.0(opens in a new tab) still uses photoplethysmography to measure your heart rate, like other fitness trackers. And most people do wear it on their wrist. But, it qualified for my top picks because there is a way to wear it on your bicep(opens in a new tab), which officially ushers it into the "non-watch" category in my book.

Also, Whoop is just great. The band itself isn't anything too revolutionary, but it's comfortable and well-made. Where things really get impressive, though, is the Whoop app. The amount of data you can get here is truly remarkable, especially the sleep analytics that can then be used to set alarms (which wake you up at the optimal time with a small vibration), as well as the strain and recovery metrics. You'll also have access to an in-app journal, goals for performance optimization, Whoop communities, and a whole slate of other features. It's a bummer that you have to pay an expensive membership fee to experience it, but it's worth the money if you value having all that data (to me, I'd pay the price for the sleep coaching alone).

I wish that there was an option for a chest strap, because I think that's the most convenient way to wear one of these things, but maybe Whoop will put one out in the future. I still recommend it in its current state, though.

How we tested

While sourcing for this roundup, I chose to hands-on test products that varied in budget and features — from cheaper trackers that didn't offer much besides calorie-tracking, to pricier picks that could give in-depth recovery and sleep analytics. During the testing period, I used each heart rate monitor for about a week during each of my workouts (about four or five times per week).

While testing each pick, I took a few factors into consideration:

  • Fit: Anything you're wearing during physical activity should be comfortable and secure. Some heart rate monitors have the propensity to slip around or even chafe against your skin, so I made sure to only recommend products that didn't do those things to a noticeable degree.

  • Durability: Since all of these strap-style trackers are made from elastic, I made sure to take notice of their durability and longevity. Did the elastic loosen over time? Did the strap fray? Luckily, all the picks on this list made the cut in that department.

  • Accuracy: This was a bit hard to track, but I made sure to keep an eye on the accuracy of the analytics of each monitor, especially when it came to calorie burn. If they were all in the same ballpark as the others except for one of them, then I knew that specific option may have a larger margin for error.

  • App: Finally, did each monitor have a good companion app? Was it easy to use, or overcomplicated? I also took notice of any unique features that each app had to offer.

Dylan is a reporter for Mashable Shopping. Follow him on Twitter @iamdylanhaas, or send him an email at [email protected]


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