Fitbit Flex vs Fitbit One vs Fitbit Zip

I have been curious for sometime about which Fitbit was most accurate and best for my needs. I started my Fitbit journey a year ago and just used the Zip. The Fitbit Zip is the cheapest one of the three, priced around $50. It is small in size, clips on to your clothes, and tells steps, calories, and gives fun faces letting you know how you are doing with your activity levels. It was great for me to start out with and I used it for 5 months before buying my Fitbit One. I bought the One because I liked that it measures stairs and also measures sleep. It’s a little bigger then the Zip, but is also a clip on. After having the One for a few months, I was curious about the Fitbit Flex and why a lot of my friends preferred it. I bought one and decided to go head to head with my One and see what it measured.

Before doing this, I was skeptical about the accuracy of the Flex because of things I had heard from friends. I heard that it did not track movement when you are pushing a cart or stroller and that it over calculated if you are a hand talker. (I am not a hand talker, so I knew it wouldn’t give me any extra steps here!)

Here are the head to head numbers for 6 days of wear:

One read 387 steps LESS then the Flex

One read 2388 steps LESS then the Flex

One read 1755 steps LESS then the Flex

One read 1430 steps LESS then the Flex

One read 2622 steps LESS then the Flex

One read 262 steps LESS then the Flex

Each day my activities were different. I wore both, as instructed and never took them off. You can see that the Flex consistently read higher then the One. The variables that make the Flex inconsistent worry me. I had to tell myself to NOT hold my daughters hand with that hand, or to not carry my purse with that hand, just to keep the step count consistent. I also had to charge the Flex within one week, where my One lasts 2-3 weeks at a time.

I don’t personally wear watches or like the feeling of things around my wrist in the hot summer…and certainly not when I am hot, expanding and sweating. After a sweaty workout, I took off the Flex to check it and found it inside the silicone bracelet, covered in sweat. I wonder if that would ruin it over time…especially if I didn’t take it out to dry it. You can see in the pict above…it’s got sweat on it… and I haven’t even worked out yet today. EWE!

The biggest difference with the Fitbit Flex vs the Fitbit One is that the Flex only shows you lights. You get so many dots for your activity. 5 dots and you have achieved your goal for the day. I am a numbers person, so I like to see actual numbers. Numbers motivate me. The Fitbit One displays numbers. You can see the time, step count, flights of stairs, miles, calories burnt, and it has a fun flower that grows with your activity level each day. The One also sends fun motivating messages throughout the day. Like “Step it up Courtney” which I love to see.

The choice for me is the Fitbit One. I am, however, giving the Flex to my 9 yr old who will earn activity bucks with it this summer. I am fleshing out the way it will work, but once she achieves her goals for a week solid she will earn $ to go do something (active) fun like rock climbing, aqua surfing, and such.

You can read more posts about my thoughts of having a Fitbit over the past year here.