What is the "catch" for fitness trackers?

I see that most of them come.with a 6 month free program period.

Is the fitness tracker useless if you don't pay the monthly fee?

Depends on the company. Garmins don't come with a subscription and are also standalone capable without a smartphone. That's what I've been using for years.

Nike+ didn't have a subscription either until Nike got bored and turned off the service, which rendered their hardware useless. 

Way to go Nike+.

The Huawei smarties watches I've been wearing for the last few years have an app, but no subscription.

If the current one breaks - the last one didn't survive my motorcycle accident - I'm probably going Garmin.

The usual ones are privacy, subscription fees, vendor lock-in. Most have at least one, some have all three. If you don't like those, look into Rebble if they're still around.

I've tried two smartwatches that I liked, the PineTime which is a pretty basic one, good for notifications, just waterproof enough for daily use. In terms of fitness features they are pretty basic - pedometer, HRM and I think sleep tracking are in there, I use none of them myself.

Another one I tried that I liked was the BangleJS2. Awesome display, great features with a ton of customization possible down to coding your own apps, downsides are that the UI is a bit sluggish (pretty hefty OS running high-level code for a watch) and it is not waterproof enough for everyday use. Showering, hand washing, even rain can get water inside one. If it was as waterproof as the PineTime I'd be using one now.

My Fitbit has no subscription.

its useless as a fitness tracker for completely different reasons.

I'm a big fan of the Garmin fitness trackers, I've been using various models for the past 10+ years and have been using a Vivoactive3 for the past 3-4 years and still love it.

My TicWatch is pretty slick.  It's android only, and my only gripe is that sometimes I have to restart the app for it to track my health.  About once a week it will say "health app not synched" or something.  If I were a hardcore sportsing kind of person, it would bother me, but I just use it to keep track of heartrate, sleep health, and stuff like that.

ProDarwin said:

My Fitbit has no subscription.

 

 

its useless as a fitness tracker for completely different reasons.

Fitbit does have a subscription option, they also have a free option. 

/nitpick

Sidenote: Google/Android used to have the ability to track footsteps 

I don't need a tracker to tell me I'm out of shape. 

Mr_Asa said:

Sidenote: Google/Android used to have the ability to track footsteps 

Still do. Google Fit is free, as is Samsung Health.

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Mr_Asa said:

Sidenote: Google/Android used to have the ability to track footsteps 

Still do. Google Fit is free, as is Samsung Health.

Wasn't sure if Google had absorbed some company that competed with Google Fit

Mr_Asa said:

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Mr_Asa said:

Sidenote: Google/Android used to have the ability to track footsteps 

Still do. Google Fit is free, as is Samsung Health.

Wasn't sure if Google had absorbed some company that competed with Google Fit

In a way they have, they own Fitbit.

yes Fitbit has a premium option but it's not required.  I wouldn't recommend one for other reasons - worthless GPS, inaccurate HR tracking.  I'll be looking at garmin if I ever replace mine.

Well, there was that Russian officer who the Ukrainians killed, supposedly because they knew his morning routine due to his fitness tracking system...

Yeah, I don't publicize my data - no Strada or other community features. Same reason I don't post vacation pics until I'm back home from vacation.

iPhones can track fitness. Don't find it terribly accurate compared to a Garmin watch, but it works. Switched to a Garmin watch recently because polar wanted the info for no good reasons. 

From what I've read, the catch is they really don't help you lose weight or improve your fitness.

I found after a few months of using one that I had a pretty good idea of my level of workout.  I knew when my pulse was maxing out and when I needed to push harder.  The metrics were interesting to compare with my cardiac stress test but now it is back in the closet.  

Garmin is the way to fly.  App is free and feature-rich.  Devices are solid.  And this is Garmin's wheelhouse, not an afterthought from a sneaker company or a search engine.  

stuart in mn said:

From what I've read, the catch is they really don't help you lose weight or improve your fitness.

Depends on how you use them. My primary use for a long time was for cycling or running, and it helped me separate perceived exertion from actual. I didn't use it for specific training like trying to maintain a certain heart rate, but I will do a HR check mid-ride to see. Also, if I had a particular fast ride, I could figure out how or why. Also tracked my mileage - and if I went on a ride I hadn't done before, I'd have information such as the amount of climbing.

Now I've added hockey, which is a very anaerobic sport. If I have an off game, I can use the data to figure out why. Was it a lack of sleep before or incorrect fuel or was I actually working harder than I thought? My game last night, for example, had me feeling like I was off by about 10%. I was flagging early. Turns out it's because I was skating harder, not because I wasn't ready. It's hard to judge that when you're up against different people than usual.

My newest one (replacing a Garmin that's about a decade old) has much better sleep analysis and I'm learning what things affect the quality of my rest.

It's data acquisition, same as if you're on the racetrack. And just like on the track, it all depends on how you choose to use the data and how well you analyze it.

I'll chime in for Garmin being excellent. I found the best time to buy one is when a new version comes out and the old one gets steeply discounted. In my example, I got a Garmin Instinct Solar for about half of what it would've cost originally when the Instince Solar 2 came out.