Fitbit Charge 3 vs. Versa: Which one should you buy?

As far as fitness trackers are concerned, there are many Fitbit options. For pure fitness trackers, there is the Alta HR and Charge 3, or for smartwatches, Ionic and Versa. Here's how two of the most popular Fitbits, Charge 3 and Versa, compare across the board, from formatting features to getting notifications from your phone.

Although the Versa was released in early 2018 and Charge 3 was released by the end of the same year, Fitbit OS 3.0 offered very similar fitness tracking capabilities to each device.

Fitbit Charge 3 vs. versa

	Fitbit Charge 3	Fitbit Versa
Display	Monochrome touch screen	Color touch screen
Resistance to water	Up to 50m	Up to 50m
Adjustable straps	Yes	Yes
Battery life	Up to 1 week	Four days
Sleep monitoring	Yes	Yes
Third-party applications	No	Yes
Music storage	No	Yes
Monitoring women's health	Yes	Yes

Fitbit Charge 3: to see on Amazon
Fitbit Versa: What to see on Amazon

Charge 3 is elegant, but Versa is more like a real watch

Charge 3 looks like a lot of previous Fitbit trackers. This is a thin band with a physical button on the side.

Both have touch screens, although the load 3 has a monochrome display with respect to the Versa LCD color display. You can slide your finger on the sides of the screen to access fitness features or settings. To go back, press the side of the charge 3. The Versa has three physical buttons that allow you to go back, start or stop activities and make selections.

You can change the faces of the watch on the Fitbit app. But Charge 3 has fewer dials to watch than the Versa, which offers many third-party options.

I had trouble seeing the Charge 3 screen in direct sunlight, regardless of the selected brightness setting (you can choose an automatic or normal brightness). For me, the Versa was easier to see on the outside and you had an extra brightness setting.

To change the look of your Fitbit, everyone offers interchangeable straps. Charge 3 has quick-release buttons on the back, while Versa uses a small metal bar that you need to switch to change the strap. It is much easier to exchange the Charge 3 than Versa straps, especially if you want to change quickly.

Each screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 3 to protect against scratches and shocks.

Winner: Tie, whichever size you prefer

The fitness tracking features are similar on both

Both Fitbits have an optical heart rate sensor, sleep tracking, a woman's health monitoring and a water resistance up to 50 meters. The GPS has not been integrated either. Instead, they use a connected GPS. So, if you want to follow your route, your pace and your altitude during an outdoor workout, you must take your phone with you.

They both have automatic training detection and you can set goal-based exercises to receive notification once you've reached a goal of distance, time, or calories.

Charge 3 lets you display six different workout shortcuts on the exercise screen, while Versa gives you space for seven shortcuts. You can choose from 19 types of workouts from the Fitbit app (running, hiking, walking, swimming, cycling, spinning, pilates, interval training, golf, elliptical, weight, workout, treadmill, stairs, yoga) , tennis, kickboxing, circuit training, martial arts, training camp). Both remind you to move, inviting you to take several steps in one hour to "win".

I found the Fitbit plastic and fabric straps quite easy to use during a Pilates session or a sweaty Pilates session.

Thanks to its larger screen, the Versa gives you more measurements of your training once you have completed your training program. This is also the only one that allows you to go back and display your previous few workout sessions from the watch face, rather than diving into the Fitbit application itself. even.

The Versa offers many third-party applications (which we will see in the next section), which makes it easier if you prefer to follow your workout in another application.

During the training sessions, I found that the charge 3 often gave a faster reading of the heart rate than the Versa. At an outdoor race, my maximum heart rate was over 200 beats per minute. Using previous heart rate monitors and smartwatches (and comparing them to the Versa), running at the same intensity on the same route had never given me a maximum heart rate over 190.

The Versa comes with the Coach app. Much like a personal wrist trainer, he guides you through a series of movements with quick visual cues on the screen. This is a good supplement if you want to train quickly. For similar workouts on charge 3, you must use the Fitbit Coach app on your phone.

Fitbit measurements are not synchronized with Apple Health. Do not forget this if you are an iOS user who wants to consolidate data in one application.

Winner: Versa

Both have smartwatch features, but the Versa does more

It's easy to get mirrored notifications from your phone on each Fitbit, and they both work with iOS and Android. That being said, you will only be able to respond to notifications if they are linked to Android. You can customize quick responses to messages from the Fitbit app.

Fitbit Pay is a mobile wallet that allows you to pay with NFC on compatible devices. It is only available if you buy the special edition of both (which is not free).

The Versa is the only one that can store music. There is room for about 300 songs, but the procedure for integrating them into the watch is tedious. You need to download a desktop application and then make sure the Versa and your computer are on the same Wi-Fi network to start the transfer.

If you prefer a streaming service, the only two options available are Pandora and Deezer, as long as you have a subscription. A third-party Spotify app is available, but it is only used to control playback from your phone.

There are also many more third-party applications available on the Versa than at its initial launch. Here is a list of some of our favorites. Charge 3 does not have third-party applications at the time of writing.

As the Versa was released in April 2018, a new edition of the watch, potentially called Fitbit Versa 2, could be imminent. We have no insider information, but we would like to see integrated GPS and Fitbit Pay integrated into the new version.

Winner: Versa

Battery life is stellar on the charge 3

There is no contest here. You will have about six to seven full days on charge 3 before you need to retrieve it, while the Versa will give you about four full days. Each has an exclusive clip-on loader. If you come from charge 2, the cable for charge 3 is different.

Winner: Charge 3

What about the price?

At the time of writing this article, the charge 3 costs $ 150 for normal editing and $ 20 more allow you to get the special edition with Fitbit Pay and additional tapes. The Versa costs $ 200 and the special edition, also with Fitbit Pay, costs $ 30 more. Since the release of the Versa, almost a year ago, it has been reduced several times at a price comparable to that of Charge 3 (the cheaper we saw it in the past is $ 90).

It is therefore not always easy to compare the prices of Charge 3 and Versa on, because you can get them at about the same price at certain times of the year.

Winner: Tie

What is the best Fitbit for me?

If you want to track your high-end fitness device with a heart rate monitor and without much hissing, get Charge 3. The battery will last a long time and your phone's notifications will be reflected.

If you're looking for a smart watch with a big screen, a more robust fitness track on the watch itself and the added bonus of a personal wrist trainer, get the Versa.