A GPS watch is a powerful tool if you're looking for a convenient way to navigate in the backcountry or you want to track how much progress you're making during workouts. And with the ability to monitor your heart rate, track how many calories you’ve burned, and gain insights into your sleeping patterns, you can see an accurate snapshot of your overall fitness level.

Whether you're looking for a mapping device, an advanced watch for marathon training, or a simple tracker to help you get in touch with your habits, we've got you covered. The world of GPS watches can be intimidating to get into, but don’t worry! We did all the research and testing for you, so you can easily find the best GPS watch for your needs.

Getting warmed up for a run with the Coros Apex (left) and Garmin Fenix 6 Pro (right)

Quick Recommendations

Check out this quick list of our favorites if you’re in a hurry, or continue scrolling to see our full list with in-depth reviews.

Running watches, like the Coros Pace 2 and Garmin Forerunner 945, provide a lot of data to help maximize your training routines

What’s Most Important To You In A GPS Watch?

PRICE - A GPS watch can be a big investment, but it’s one that’s sure to provide a lot of value for your active lifestyle. More expensive watches tend to have more in-depth sport tracking capabilities with a ton of fitness and navigation data, but budget-friendly watches are great for those needing a simple fitness tracker for things like counting steps and monitoring heart rate.

The Garmin Instinct Solar will charge itself while you’re out on bright, sunny days

ACTIVITIES - There are a whole lot of different types of GPS watches out there, and it can be difficult to make sense of all the features and specs. Use this quick guide to narrow down which watches will give you the most functionality for the activities you love.

A map of a trail running trail on the Garmin Forerunner 945

BATTERY LIFE - If you’re running a multi-day race or backpacking a long distance, you’ll want to make sure your watch battery will last as long as possible to track your activity.

The Suunto 9 Baro lasts for an impressive 120 hours in ultra GPS mode

COMFORT - You’ll be spending a lot of time wearing your watch, so comfort is an important factor to consider. Watches with hinged wristbands rather than arched wristbands tend to provide a more comfortable and accurate fit. It’s also important to make sure the watch face isn’t too large for your wrist, as this can cause it to feel heavy, and it can be difficult to roll your sleeves over a bulky watch.

The Garmin Venu 2 is comfy to wear and it’s just as at home on the trail as it is in the city

EASE OF USE - You’ll likely be a pro at using most of your watch’s features after a few days of wearing it, but some watches are easier to learn than others. Feature-rich multisport watches tend to take a little longer to get the hang of than simple fitness trackers, but the more detailed fitness and navigation data can be well worth it for some.

The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro is an awesome choice for those needing a do-it-all tool

STYLE - There's a lot of crossover between GPS watches and smartwatches. Whether you're style is sporty or sophisticated, there's a watch to suit your tastes.

Do you prefer the sporty look of the Coros Pace 2 or the stylish Garmin Venu 2?


Best GPS Watches


BEST GPS WATCH OVERALL FOR NUMBER OF FEATURES, BATTERY LIFE & PRICE

MSRP: $400

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 24 days in smartwatch mode, 30 hrs. in GPS mode (can be extended with solar charging or in ultra GPS mode)

BEST FOR: Hiking & mountain sports, but it’s exceptional for most activities

PROS: User friendly, exceptional battery life, lightweight & comfortable, waterproof to 100 m., excellent companion app, solar charges in bright sunlight, many sport profiles

CONS: A little bulky, sleep tracking isn’t as accurate as some

BOTTOM LINE: The Garmin Instinct Solar delivers amazing battery life and exceptional functionality for mountain adventurers. With its innovative solar charging capabilities, the Instinct can go the distance for multi-day races and extended backcountry trips. The watch face can be customized to show data for a huge array of activities, and the companion app (Garmin Connect) organizes it all into an easy-to-digest format for tracking your workout progress, hiking routes, and more. While its on-screen maps aren’t as sophisticated as those of the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro and Garmin Forerunner 945, we find the significant money savings worth the exclusion of topo data on the watch itself for most applications. 


BEST BUDGET RUNNING WATCH

MSRP: $200

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 20 days in smartwatch mode, 30 hrs. in GPS mode (can be extended in ultra GPS mode)

BEST FOR: Runners on a budget who don’t mind ditching smartwatch features, like a touchscreen, for upgraded activity tracking

PROS: Affordable, exceptional battery life, good price for the features, very accurate GPS, waterproof to 50 m., comfortable, breathable wristband, easy to use, excellent companion app

CONS: Not as attractive if you prefer smartwatch style

BOTTOM LINE: The Coros Pace 2 offers incredible functionality for the price. It comes with premium features, like triathlon training, extended battery life, and the unique “muscle heat map” that shows you which parts of your body have been getting the most workout love - all for about half the price of other GPS watches. The Coros companion app is also one of our favorites since it’s so clean and easy to navigate. This watch isn’t the most “techie” one on the market, but it’s a welcome simplification for those who aren’t interested in all the latest smartwatch capabilities. Overall, we’re really impressed with the Coros Pace 2, and it’s an awesome value buy for runners looking for an easy, yet powerful watch.


BEST BUDGET FITNESS TRACKER WITH A USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE

MSRP: $179.95

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 7 days in smartwatch mode, 5 hrs. in GPS mode

BEST FOR: Those looking for something simple to track casual fitness/wellness goals

PROS: Affordable, very user-friendly, accurate sleep tracking, waterproof to 50 m., excellent companion app, easy to change watch bands & there are plenty to choose from

CONS: Included watch band isn’t as comfortable as others (we recommend switching to a woven band), battery life isn’t as good as some, some features require a paid subscription, arched wristband is harder to get accurate fit than hinged

BOTTOM LINE: The Fitbit Charge 5 is an excellent choice for those looking for a simple and affordable watch to track everyday wellness stats and casual workout routines. One of the standout features of the Charge is its highly-accurate sleep tracking capabilities, which help you get the best night’s rest. Some of the more advanced sleep tracking data and other features, like breathing exercises for de-stressing, require a paid subscription. This will eat into the savings of the base price of the Charge, but we find the baseline functionality to be plenty helpful for day-to-day fitness tracking. The Charge 5 is the most user-friendly of all the GPS watches we tested, and the companion app is equally elegant and easy to navigate. 


UPGRADED GPS WATCH WITH ADVANCED MAPPING & EXTENSIVE MULTISPORT FUNCTIONS

MSRP: $649.99

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 14 days in smartwatch mode, 36 hrs. in GPS mode (can be extended in ultra GPS mode)

BEST FOR: Backcountry sports and hiking, but its amazing for pretty much any activity

PROS: Good battery life, detailed on-screen topo maps, a ton of sport profiles, waterproof to 100 m., excellent companion app, highly customizable data fields

CONS: Expensive, not as user-friendly as some, sleep tracking not as accurate as some

BOTTOM LINE: With unrivaled detail in its onboard mapping, the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro is the ultimate backcountry navigation tool. It comes with full-color preloaded topo maps and has more dedicated screen space for viewing them than the Garmin Instinct Solar, so it’s a worthwhile upgrade if you have the extra $250 to spend. The Fenix 6 Pro also features one of the most extensive lists of supported activities - from all things running, biking, and swimming to less common inclusions like surfing, snowsports (with preloaded resort maps), and bouldering. The interface of the Fenix 6 Pro took us a little longer to master because of its wide range of capabilities, but we love that it allows you to tailor the data fields and menus to your specific needs. The Fenix 6 Pro is perfect for those needing a diverse pool of activity profiles and powerful mapping capabilities.


BEST VALUE RUNNING WATCH

MSRP: $350

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 30 days in smartwatch mode, 35 hrs. in GPS mode (can be extended in ultra GPS mode)

BEST FOR: Trail runners and triathletes who don’t mind dropping some premium features, like topo maps, to save a good chunk of change

PROS: Exceptional battery life, good price for the features, very accurate GPS, waterproof to 100 m., excellent companion app, user-friendly, highly customizable data fields, more stylish than other sport watches

CONS: Lacks some smartwatch features

BOTTOM LINE: The Coros Apex comes with premium features, like triathlon training and open water swimming, that are typically only found in higher-end watches with price tags upwards of $400, so it’s an awesome value. It’s a nice upgrade over the Coros Pace 2 since it supports more activities like trail running routes, mountain climbing, and snowsports. And it’s more durable and stylish than the Pace 2 with its aluminum bezel. We also tried a few of Coros’s free downloadable athlete coaching programs, which we found helpful for daily toning and strength training. With its awesome battery life, fully customizable data sets, and premium sport profiles, the Coros Apex is a great choice for dedicated runners and triathletes.


BEST VALUE SMARTWATCH WITH A TON OF FITNESS FEATURES

MSRP: $400

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 5 days in smartwatch mode, 20 hrs. in GPS mode

BEST FOR: Those wanting a feature-rich fitness watch with the sleek color display and functions of a smartwatch

PROS: Stylish, excellent features for the price, beautiful color display, waterproof to 50 m., excellent companion app, intuitive interface

CONS: Sleep tracking not as accurate as some, AMOLED display lowers battery life

BOTTOM LINE: The Garmin Venu 2 is a sleek-looking smartwatch that’s packed to the gills with fitness features not often found at this price point. It has the most attractive display of any watch on our list, and we love that it can be worn any time any day without looking like we just got finished with a trail run. With a plethora of preloaded and downloadable guided workouts, like yoga, pilates, and breathing exercises, the Venu gives you the power of a personal trainer right on your wrist. If you’re looking for a watch with a great balance of smartwatch and fitness features, the Garmin Venu is our top value pick.

MORE: The Garmin Vivoactive 4 and Vivoactive 4S (for smaller wrists) watches are very similar to the Venu but have a slightly less attractive color display to enhance battery life in smartwatch mode, and they offer more storage for fitness data. If you want a little more dedicated computing power for the fitness side of things, go with the equally stylish Vivoactive 4 or 4S.


BEST RUNNING WATCH FOR TRIATHLETES

MSRP: $599.99

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 14 days in smartwatch mode, 36 hrs. in GPS mode (can be extended in ultra GPS mode)

BEST FOR: Runners and triathletes looking for advanced mapping capabilities

PROS: Good battery life, a ton of sport profiles, more sleek and comfy than other large watches, waterproof to 50 m., excellent companion app, highly customizable data fields

CONS: Expensive, not as user-friendly as some, sleep tracking not as accurate as some

BOTTOM LINE: The Garmin Forerunner 945 is very similar to the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, but we find it to be quite a bit more comfy for activities like running thanks to its lightweight casing and less bulky bezel. The specs for these two watches are nearly identical, but the Forerunner drops a few features, like ski resort maps and tactical profiles, for a significant $50 savings. You’ll still get Garmin’s advanced topo maps and Strava Live Segment compatibility, so the Forerunner 945 is a good value over the Fenix Pro if most of your activity tracking falls within the realm of triathlon sports. With more advanced data sets and better mapping than the Coros Apex, the Forerunner 945 is the ultimate GPS watch for triathletes.

MORE: If having the most accurate heart rate data possible is critical for you, Garmin offers the Forerunner 945 Tri-Bundle, which comes with the HRM Tri and HRM Swim chest strap heart rate monitors. At $750, this bundle is a great deal since all these individual tools would cost about $830 if purchased individually.


POWERFUL RUNNING WATCH THAT PROVIDES CUSTOM TRAINING PLANS

MSRP: $499.95

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 7 days in smartwatch mode, 40 hrs. in GPS mode (can be extended in ultra GPS mode)

BEST FOR: Runners wanting a training assistant for marathons

PROS: Good battery life in GPS mode, very accurate GPS, more sleek and comfy than other large watches, a ton of sport profiles, waterproof to 100m., more user-friendly than other premium watches, generates personalized training plans

CONS: Expensive, arched wristband is harder to get accurate fit than hinged, companion app isn’t as detailed as some

BOTTOM LINE: The Polar Vantage V2 adds a wide array of performance tests that personalize your recovery metrics and heart rate zones for a nice upgrade over Polar’s popular Vantage M and Vantage V watches. Some of the standout features of the Vantage V2 include the FitSpark training guide, which creates daily personalized fitness routines for you based on your health stats, and the FuelWise assistant, which gives you reminders to fuel up with carbs and drinks at critical points in your workout routines. It also pulls from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS satellites to deliver some of the most accurate mapping of any GPS watch, but it won’t display them in full detail on the watch itself like the Garmin Forerunner 945 does. Overall, the Vantage V2 offers some of the most powerful tools available for run training in a very user-friendly interface. 


AFFORDABLE & USER-FRIENDLY FITNESS TRACKER

MSRP: $200

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 6 days in smartwatch mode, 14 hrs. In GPS mode

BEST FOR: Those looking for something stylish and easy to use for daily fitness tracking

PROS: Affordable, comfortable, lightweight, beautiful color display, waterproof to 50 m., stylish, highly customizable watch face

CONS: Battery life in GPS mode isn’t as good as some, not as feature-rich as some, plastic housing makes the notification vibrations a bit annoying, doesn’t track stairs, sleep tracking not as accurate as some

BOTTOM LINE: The Garmin Venu Sq is very similar in design to the premium Apple Watch Series 6 smartwatch, but it’s considerably more affordable and isn’t confined to Apple’s IOS. We found this watch to be more lightweight and comfortable than other smartwatches, but the plastic housing makes it slightly less durable. While it has the most limited fitness functionality of all the watches on our list, its simple interface is great for tracking yoga workouts and strength training routines at the gym. The Venu Sq is perfect for those wanting a stylish fitness watch that won’t break the bank for casual fitness tracking.


BEST SMARTWATCH FOR IPHONE USERS

MSRP: from $399

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 18 hrs.

BEST FOR: iPhone users looking for a smartwatch with tailored IOS integration to track daily fitness stats 

PROS: Stylish, easy to change watch bands & there are plenty to choose from, very user friendly, beautiful color display, waterproof to 50 m., can use cellular without having phone nearby, premium fitness tracking features

CONS: Must own an iPhone to use it, battery doesn’t last very long, surprisingly heavy for how sleek it is

BOTTOM LINE: The Apple Watch Series 6 is a powerful smartwatch that gives you many of the most-used capabilities of your iPhone on your wrist. It’s one of the only watches on the market that can be connected to a cellular plan, giving you the ability to access Siri, make calls and texts, and use navigation even without your phone nearby. Surprisingly, it features more advanced health monitoring programs than many of the dedicated fitness watches on our list, like pulse ox and ECG readings. And, an Apple Fitness+ subscription ($80/year) gets you access to guided video workouts on your iPhone, iPad, or AppleTV. The fitness data from your Apple Watch can be imported into this program to monitor health stats in real-time while you complete your workout, and you can track progress over time. For us, the one issue with the Apple Watch is that it only works if you use IOS products. This integration is great for those already using Apple products, but it’s an expensive world to enter for anyone using a different mobile OS.


BEST GPS WATCH FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES

MSRP: $499

AVG. BATTERY LIFE: 7 days in smartwatch mode, 25 hrs. in GPS mode (can be extended in ultra GPS mode)

BEST FOR: Ultrarunners and other endurance athletes who need a watch that will last through a multi-day activity track on a single charge

PROS: Exceptional battery life in GPS mode, waterproof to 100 m., highly accurate GPS, more stylish than most performance-focused watches

CONS: Expensive, step tracker is very sensitive, heavy/bulky, not as user-friendly as some, companion app isn’t great, doesn’t work well for small wrists, must plug into computer for updates

BOTTOM LINE: The Suunto 9 Baro was purpose built for endurance athletes who need a watch that can last through a multi-day activity track with GPS. We’re talking ultra-runners and adventure racers who will really put this thing through the paces. Most of the technology innovations of the 9 Baro focus on extending battery life through intelligent settings that optimize consumption for the activity being tracked; it can last up to 120 hours in its most conservative GPS mode. One such innovation is their Fusedtrack feature, which uses algorithms to provide highly accurate GPS data without the need for continuous tracking. While all of this is very impressive, we find this watch to be overkill for most people’s purposes, and the companion app really needs some work. 

Rocking the Coros Pace 2 (left) and the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro (right)

Honorable Mentions

The following GPS watches didn’t make our final list, but they’ve still got a lot of good things going for them. You never know, one of these watches might be perfect for you:

  • Garmin Vivoactive 4 & 4S - A middle ground between a dedicated smartwatch and a running watch. We prefer the Garmin Venu 2 for its upgraded color display.

  • Fitbit Versa - Attractive smartwatch-style fitness tracker with a user-friendly interface. Ultimately we prefer the Garmin Venu Sq for its smaller price tag and lack of paywall for premium data analysis.

Using a running watch, like the Garmin Forerunner 945, can provide you with valuable data for analyzing your overall fitness

Critical GPS Watch Considerations

EXTENDING BATTERY LIFE - A lot of factors go into your watch’s battery consumption, but some of the biggest sucks on battery life include GPS usage, backlight, high-res color displays, and frequency of sensor tracks (heart rate, pulse ox, etc.). Many watches have battery saver modes or different battery usage profiles you can set for the activity you’re tracking. Make sure to look at a watch’s battery life in GPS mode to make sure it will work for the types of activities you want to record. 

Many GPS watches allow you to customize battery usage settings so you get the maximum tracking time

HEART RATE MONITOR ACCURACY - GPS watches use light sensors to track your heart rate. When the light passes through your skin, it measures when a larger volume of liquid runs through your wrist and counts that as a heartbeat. This method will never be as accurate as a chest strap monitor, but here are a few tips to make sure you’re getting the best reading possible from your wrist.

  • Watch fit & placement - Make sure the watch is tight enough on your wrist so that the optical sensors on the underside of the watch always make contact with your skin, but not so tight that you’re inhibiting circulation. You should be able to move the watch up and down your wrist a little, but your skin should move with it if it’s properly fitted. The ideal placement is on the top side of your wrist above your wrist bone.

  • Keep the sensors clean - Dirt and sweat can build up on your watch after hard workouts or prolonged periods of wear. Gently wash your watch regularly to get rid of any residue buildup.

  • Update your watch - In our experience, watch companies are great about keeping software up-to-date on their products. Make sure to periodically check for available updates (usually found under system settings on your watch or in the companion app) as they may include improvements that affect accuracy of data.

  • Warm up before you start an activity track - If it’s cold out or you’ve been inactive, you may have a smaller volume of blood flowing through your wrists. Doing a quick warm-up exercise before starting an activity track will get your blood pumping more and will improve accuracy.

  • Tattoos - Dark tattoos can prevent the sensor lights from penetrating skin to read your pulse. Switch wrists or change the placement of your watch if you can to avoid the sensors sitting on heavy spots of dark ink.

  • Chest straps - If having the most accurate heart rate possible is critical for you, you’ll want to get a chest strap heart rate monitor. Check which type of connectivity (bluetooth, ANT+) your watch has to ensure you get a chest strap that is compatible. Here are some of the most popular chest strap heart rate monitors:

Getting warmed up before starting an activity track will increase the accuracy of the heart rate monitor

COMPANION APPS - Make sure to download the companion app for your watch to get full data analyses and the ability to track progress over time. Many apps also include the ability to download new widgets, watch faces, and workout routines to your watch.

The Polar Vantage V2 is a powerful tool for runners that creates daily personalized training plans

CONNECTIVITY - Most GPS watches are compatible with other popular fitness apps like the social training app Strava and the workout building app Training Peaks. Only a few watches support the popular Strava Live Segments feature, which allows you to compete with others or your personal records on a particular running or biking route. If you often use the Live Segments feature, go with one of these watches::

Hiking the John Muir trail with the Garmin Venu 2

Need More Gear Advice?

If you liked this list, you’ll love theCleverHiker Gear Guide where we test and recommend tons of outdoor adventure gear from a variety of categories. here are some links to popular articles:

The Garmin Venu 2 comes with some preloaded workouts, like yoga, that include animated guides

Why Trust Us?

We fully understand how tough it is to find trustworthy gear advice, and that’s one of the main reasons we built CleverHiker. We live for outdoor adventure, and we take these guides very seriously. Here are some of the reasons you can trust us:

  • Our choices are completely independent and based on personal experience.

  • We’ve logged over 10,000 trail miles and test outdoor gear for a living.

  • We own and field test every product we recommend, which is sadly not the norm.

  • We travel to industry trade shows to learn about upcoming product innovations.

  • We constantly update our guides when new products launch.

  • We treat our recommendations as if they were for our family and friends.

  • We’re lifelong learners and we’re always open to constructive criticism. If you think we’ve missed a product or got something wrong, we’d love to hear yourfeedback.

We own and use all of the gPS Watches we recommend

More Information

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Thanks for reading and happy trails!



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