8 Best Heart Rate Monitors, Tested by Our Fitness Editors

Knowledge is power when it comes to performance, these picks help you get it.

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TRAINING WITHOUT TRACKING is like shooting a basketball without knowing where the hoop is. Many people come to a point in their fitness journey where they hit a plateau, and more times than not, that flatline is the result of not having the right information. So if you're hitting the gym on a regular basis and putting in the work, it's important to make sure that you are getting all the relevant health insights to make sure you're using your time efficiently. One of the most important insights is heart rate variability (HRV), which descibes the different in time between the beats of your heart, and heart rate monitors (HRMs) are the best way to get this data.

Understanding how to manipulate your heart rate variability (HRV) is the key to unlocking that next level of performance in your workouts. Generally speaking, your resting heart rate will become lower as your fitness level increases, indicating more efficient heart function and improved cardiovascular fitness. If your resting heart rate increases unexpectedly, then this may mean you’re overtraining and need to give your body some well-needed rest in order to reset. Ready to take your training to the next level? Read on to find the best heart rate monitors for you and what to consider when looking for a HRM.

The biggest determination you need to reach before purchasing is what your primary goal is for the heart rate monitor. Competitive triathletes may want to splurge on a top-shelf device that wraps around your chest for the most accurate data. Whereas those just getting started might opt for a more modest option they can wear throughout the day for daily health insights. Perhaps you are putting in a lot of time on the golf course, and want to know how your heart is handling hours of walking combined with the stress of making par. Of course, you may be one of those high performing individuals who has use for both kinds.

Beyond finding a device that fits your performance needs, you also need to find a device that fits well on your body. This changes depending on if you are going for a chest strap or a wrist band or a smart ring. In most cases, the sensors need to be tightly secured against your body to get the right readings. Be sure to do a proper measuring of your body before ordering offline, and if you are looking into smart rings, many of the options, like the Oura Ring we list, will ship out sizing kits for a small fee to get the correct fit.

Great data is useless if you don’t have an easy means of getting it. For the devices here that don’t have screens, make sure that you check out what smartphones and apps they are compatible with. They will usually connect with your personal devices through bluetooth. For the devices that do have screens, be sure to check out images of their user experience, to make sure it’s one you’ll enjoy. Of course, the devices that we are suggesting here have screens that will display all of the important information you’re going to want. But may have better compatibility with iOS or Android, something that you’ll want to take into account.

With the exception of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (two heart rate monitors that are equal parts smartwatch), the heart rate monitors we tested are all designed to run for days (even weeks) on a single charge. We love a heart rate monitor that needs minimal charge, and we also love a heart rate monitor that can run for a long time when running in their non-connected mode. Two heart rate monitors that surprised us when testing battery life include the Garmin HRM-Dual HRM (3.5 years if used for one hour a day) and the Oura Ring (7 days while on).

Our team of Men’s Health editors, including certified trainers and former athletes, have used all of these devices over our decades of work in the fitness industry. On top of that, we looked to our large network of experts, including our Advisory Board, for their insights. We combined this expansive experience with targeted testing of the top devices on the market, from upcoming and established brands. During this testing these devices were used to track our heart rates during intense runs, hikes, swims, and sleeps. Look below to check out our favorite picks for every kind of athlete.

While products like the WHOOP band and the Oura Ring are relatively new on the scene, Garmin has been making wearable fitness trackers for a long time now. This heart rate monitor transmits real-time heart rate data over ANT+ connectivity and Bluetooth, giving you the immediate feedback you need to take your performance to the next level.

This Garmin comes installed with a coin cell battery with a seriously long life (more than three years if you are using it for one hour daily). When the battery does eventually die, if you want to continue using the same device, you'll need to replace it using a Phillips head screwdriver.

We were also impressed with how comfortable this strap is to wear, made out of a lightweight nylon weave. For placement, you want to put the sensor in the middle of your ribcage against your skin, not over your clothes, so that it can get the best readings. Once you are done with your run, you will be able to connect it to your smartphone or Garmin watch via Bluetooth, and then pull up your stats from the menu option.

Because this Garmin has Bluetooth, it is also able to connect pretty easily to cardio machines at your gym like treadmills if you want to track your workouts there. If you are a Garmin fan, and want even more functionality and access to the Garmin Connect app, you may want to spring for the Garmin HRM Pro model (about $60 more).

Read more: Best Fitness Trackers, Tested by Us

This is a subtle and sleek way to monitor your heart rate throughout the day. Most people aren't going to wear a ring like this while lifting weights, which is why we love the Oura Ring to track those important metrics during the 23 hours of the day that you're not at the gym. What's most impressive about the Oura Ring is its small size, and how one small ring can monitor your sleep, steps, and heart rate.

This ring gives you all the information you need to make improvements in your daily health and well-being. For those looking to try a smart ring for the first time, it doesn't get better than Oura, which is why it took the top spot in our Best Smart Rings story and this head-to-head piece against the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

When it comes to heart rate monitors, the chest strap is by far the most accurate piece of wearable tech. The Polar H10 works with all your favorite devices and apps (Polar, Garmin, Apple, Suunto, Strava, etc.) to provide precise metrics that you can use to inform your fitness goals.

There is a reason this bas been named our favorite pick for multi-sport athletes. It's perfect for those taking on triathlons, because it is much better waterproof rating than other chest straps on the market like the Garmin HRM.

For a more affordable option, check out the CooSpo Heart Rate Monitor. It monitors your performance in real time and is compatible with fitness apps, bike computers, sports watches, and even gym equipment like the Peloton. The sensor is waterproof and sweatproof, so you can take it with you on those cold or wet training days.

That being said, don't try to track any of your swims with this device on, unless you want to emerge from the water with a useless brick attached to you. For the price point though, this HRM is a great deal for anyone looking to track any above sea level efforts.

The Versa 4 Health & Fitness Smartwatch from Fitbit is packed with useful features. One of our favorites is Active Zone Minutes, which uses your resting heart rate to gauge exercise effort and give you a buzz when it's time to step up the intensity so you can make the most of your workouts. It monitors activity, sleep, and nightly blood oxygen levels, tracking your trends over time to see important changes in your overall health.

This is a great pick for anyone looking to get great health insights from a wrist piece, but want to avoid the high cost of an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch. Fitbit is now owned by Google, which means there is a lot of great integrations if you have a Google account. Because of their new ownership, their future pairing with iOS devices is questionable. Something to take into consideration if you're an Apple user.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is essentially a wearable personal trainer. With built-in pace coaching and a heart rate monitor, you can add and customize your workouts for maximum efficiency, helping you reach your fitness goals in no time. It connects to your smartphone so you can easily take calls, receive texts, or pull up directions with the flick of your wrist.

That being said, despite the fact that the Galaxy Watch 7 supports iOS and iPhone users through its companion app, those users might be better over going for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for the additional integrations. The heart rate measurements and sleep tracking is where this device really shines, which is perfect for those looking for a new HRM.

The Apple Watch is by far one of the most popular smartwatches on the market, and like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, it also tracks quite a lot of data, including heart rate. Although not as accurate as the chest bands, the Apple Watch 10 gets the job done well enough for the casual fitness goer.

In addition to heart rate, it also features an SpO2 sensor to monitor blood oxygen level readings, an ECG to test for atrial fibrillation, fitness tracking, sleep monitoring, and all the run-of-the-mill smartwatch features. Our editors have already spent some time with this latest release, and it's fair to say we're suitably impressed.

We've been raving about WHOOP for years, and it's still one of our favorite fitness trackers, simply because it collects so much useful data. This stylish and understated device tracks your heartbeat 100 times per minute to measure your heart rate variability, as well as your sleep.

Every day it delivers a recovery percentage and suggests the level of activity you should aim for, whether that a five-mile run or a rest day. This kind of data is useful to anyone, even high performing individuals like Patrick Mahomes and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are fans of Whoop.

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