The Fitbit is one of the best trackers you can find for iPhone and Android devices. Whilst the Fitbit itself is a device, you really need the app to track a number of different fitness related stats, like your day-to-day activity and heart rate.
This allows you to not just keep track of those stats but can help you seeing where you can improve and then tracking that improvement over time.
And when you combine Fitbit with the best running apps, it’s a great match. You generally have the choice between the Free version of Fitbit and the paid version. We’re going to look at the difference between the two.
Fitbit Premium vs Free – What can Premium members expect?
We’re looking at the two different versions of the Fitbit software – Fitbit Premium vs the Free version. There are a few differences and benefits of upgrading to a Fitbit Premium subscription over the Free version. In short, they are;
- Increased tracking ability
- More activities like Mindfulness
- Fitbit Wellness Reports
- Challenges
Premium users get more health and fitness data, more advanced stress management tools, and an overall better experience – all for a small monthly fee.
These features could convince non-Premium users into parting with their cash each month. Let’s have a deeper look at what Fitbit Premium can offer you.
Pro #1 – Tracking activity
First things first, the ability to track activity is probably the most likely reason users purchase a Fitbit, as they want a detailed breakdown of their day-to-day. What does the free version tracking vs the Premium version?
The free version does your health and fitness stats. This includes your activity, weight, sleep and nutrition with the tracker. There is a tracking summary at the end of each week for you to compare your day to day activities and gives you an idea of your average daily activity.
Premium’s benefit with regards to tracking isn’t in its ability to track more, but the insights it gives with regards to the info it collects. For a start, your fitness trends are extended to 90 days. This gives you a much wider range of time to see trends and track your progress.
This is a incredible tool, not just because of its ability to keep track of your progress, but from a motivational stand point too. Seeing how far you’ve come over the course of 90 days is a huge boost.
This can be summarised into reports as well, with a downloadable PDF summarising your activity, sleep, heart rate, weight and menstrual health stats for the past month. This includes annual trends too, and these advanced insights may be worth paying for.
Pro #2 – Activities (like Mindfulness)
This is a section that is entirely for the Premium members. As part of your Premium membership, Fitbit not only provides workouts for you to do, but it also has integrated mindfulness sessions into the platform too.
The workouts are video and audio based – they’re made by Fitbit themselves, as well as other popular brands. These can be accessed either through the app, but you can also get them on your smart TV or speakers if you prefer.
The mindfulness sessions are essentially a collection of guided audio tracks. This includes sessions to help you relax your mind and ease into a restful sleep. This may not be needed for everyone, but if you find yourself struggling to sleep at night or feeling a bit of stress and anxiety then these could help ease those worries.
If you’re just looking for their daily tracking, these bonuses may not be necessary. For the monthly cost getting access a coach in your pocket can be invaluable.
Pro #3 – Daily Readiness Scores (Wellness Reports)
Along with the points we’ve already mentioned there are a few other benefits to the Premium version which we should mention.
First, if you have a Fitbit Sense then Premium allows you to also track your skin temperature. These advanced skin temperature details can provide relative information when sleeping about how restful your sleep has been.
Next, we have a daily readiness score. This is given to you each morning and is there to tell you whether you are ready to workout and exercise or if you are still in need of rest. Essentially, are you good to go now or should you wait until later in your day to exercise.
We also have a few different breakdowns of information for you to use, this includes a stress management score breakdown and a sleep score breakdown. Both of these can be looked into to help improve these aspects of your daily life.
When you sign up to a Fitbit Premium membership, you’ll also get access to a Wellness Report that gives you an analysis of your overall health. The Wellness Report looks at your Health metrics dashboard and gives insight into your heart rate, activity and a full sleep score breakdown too.
Finally, we have challenges, these are here to keep your exercises challenging, fun and help you reach your goals easier.
It’s a big thing that I have noticed when it comes to exercise that those who enjoy it the most are those who stick with it. So, any attempt at making a healthier lifestyle more enjoyable is a huge plus in my book.
Conclusion
In conclusion I’d have to say the premium version of the app is worth it. The overall benefits given really feel like they are completing the app rather that some last minute bonuses stuck on the end and labelled as a premium. And overall the app is reliable, although there may be times that the Fitbit won’t sync with the app.
My advice and recommendation would be to use the free version if you are unsure when first using your Fitbit and after a week or two if you feel like you’re doing just fine with the free version then stick to it.
If you’d like to try the premium version or are curious about how you may use the benefits, then there is a free trial currently available – take advantage of that while you can get a the full experience with the app.
