Fitbit Versa 3 vs Fitbit Charge 4: Which is the best Fitbit fitness wearable?

With summer coming up and lockdowns seemingly coming to an end, getting a fitness wearable is a really good idea. Fitbit makes some of the best fitness wearables on the market and we've spent hours comparing them to find the best Fitbit for most people. Today we're comparing the Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Charge 4.

While other companies produce some great fitness tech (we're looking at you, Apple Watch), Fitbit has over a decade of experience making cheap, well-designed, and fully-featured fitness wearables that go from simple trackers to complex smartwatches.

Fitbit was recently acquired by Google for $2.1 billion, ensuring that the company will continue to make and support its fitness wearables for a long time into the future. Which, in other words, is great news for anyone tracking their fitness and activity.

Today, we're comparing the Fitbit Versa 3, the best overall Fitbit for most people, and T3 Award winner Fitbit Charge 4, the best 'simple' fitness band going. Let's get into it.

BLACK FRIDAY UPDATE: The Versa 3 is the cheapest ever on Black Friday in the UK, now only £139 at Amazon. It's also cheaper in the US: get it for $179.95 at Amazon US, down from $229.95. The Charge 4 is also cheaper in the US, only $69 at Walmart!

Fitbit Versa 3 vs. Fitbit Charge 4: features

Given that these are fitness-focused wearables, the first thing we need to consider is the range of activities that can be tracked. Both the Versa 3 and Charge 4 (unsurprisingly) excel, offering GPS support (via smartphone in the Charge 4's case), sleep and heart rate tracking, waterproofing, and a lot more besides. Wherever you're going, these two devices will be able to come with. 

The differences begin with the different purposes. The Versa 3 is must more akin to an Apple Watch-like smartwatch, with a touchscreen and support for showing notifications. The Charge 4, meanwhile, is a much more classic fitness band that has a smaller screen that can display the time, notifications, and so on.

Both offer up to five days of battery life – impressive in both cases, but more so for the screen-toting Versa 3 – and support for NFC payments, women health tracking, and more. 

• The best smartwatches, ranked

Fitbit Versa 3 vs. Fitbit Charge 4: design

As we mentioned, the two fitness wearables offer fundamentally different things and will appeal to different people based on what they want. Some people might prefer the aesthetic of the Versa 3, which is much more akin to other smartwatches and comes in a variety of bright colours. 

Other people might be looking for something a bit more minimal and subtle, a fitness band that will likely go unnoticed with most outfits. The differences are quite stark in this way and it really comes down to personal preference. 

Fitbit has managed to cram basically the same features into the Versa 3 and Charge 4, so aesthetics are really just that: aesthetic. 

• The best cheap smartwatches

Fitbit Versa 3 vs. Fitbit Charge 4: price

Having all of the best features and a nice design is all very well, but what about the price? It won't surprise you to learn that the Fitbit Versa 3 is more expensive than its Charge 4 sibling, mostly because of the touchscreen and smartwatch design. 

Luckily, retailers are liable to offer some great deals on both models and so if you're patient, you can get a Versa 3 for relatively cheap. The Charge 4 will always be the more 'budget' of the two, though, and so it really comes down to whether you're willing to pay a little extra for more smartwatch-y features.

Plus, with Google at the helm, the discounts will likely only get deeper as the deep-pocketed search company takes on Apple, Samsung, and everyone else directly.

The best Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Charge 4 deals

• The best Fitbit models, ranked
• The best fitness trackers
• The best Fitbit deals for cheap devices