I've run thousands of miles wearing running watches, and these are the six I'd recommend

As someone who's run thousands of miles over the past few years with dozens of smartwatches, I'm here to help you pick the best running watch available, specific to your budget and needs.

As much as I love the Garmin Forerunner 970, not everyone can or should spend $750 on a running watch. So the "best" running watch is relative to value and features; for some runners, the much-cheaper Forerunner 165 will be "best" because it has all they need: Good battery life, reliable GPS, and an app to keep them accountable.

My running watch guide will focus on speaking to every type of runner. Only you know if you need niche tools like a mic and speaker, or want an MIP display over AMOLED. Maybe you can make do with a daily-charge smartwatch, while others might demand a month of battery life.

My top six picks below (and six alternative picks) are all running watches I've reviewed or tested extensively, so you know I'm recommending them based on real-world experience, not marketing.

Michael Hicks

Michael Hicks is Android Central's resident smartwatch geek, having reviewed or tested dozens of wearables from Samsung, Google, Apple, Garmin, Fitbit, Coros, Polar, Withings, Amazfit, and others. He spends his free time running or hiking while wearing several watches at once, testing which is most accurate.

At a glance

Best running watch for beginners

If a couch-to-5ker, lapsed cross country runner, or cross-training athlete wanted to get more seriously into running, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is the first watch I'd point them to.

It gives you accurate workout data, daily run suggestions, post-run analysis, and recovery time recs, but doesn't overwhelm you with features. All you need to do with the Forerunner 165 is go out and run.

Structured runners can follow a Garmin Run Coach training plan, your calendar filled with weeks of personalized workouts designed to help you run a first 5K, hit a PR, or just improve your VO2 Max. If you prefer flexibility, the Forerunner 165 will suggest a workout every day, targeting different types (sprints, threshold, tempo, base, etc.) and setting the pace based on your fitness level.

The Forerunner 165 beat other cheap running watches for HR and GPS accuracy in my testing, and its battery life will easily withstand anything from a week of daily runs to an ultramarathon.

My old #1 running watch pick, the Forerunner 265, is objectively better. It gives you a lactate threshold, training load focus, training status, and improved dual-band GPS. But do runners need this enough to spend another $200? I think the Forerunner 165 will be enough for you, until you put in the miles to earn a more robust running watch.

Alternate pick: The COROS PACE 3 is another excellent, affordable running watch with longer battery life (24 days), dual-frequency GPS, and training load data. You'll have to accept the MIP display, very plastic-y look, and lack of contactless payments.

Best running watch for pros

Now let's target dedicated runners who don't flake out on their marathon training and track more than just their pace and mileage. If you want the best possible hardware and software, then seriously consider the Garmin Forerunner 970, the best running watch I've had the privilege to test.

It delivered fantastic GPS, HR, and step count accuracy in my testing, plus all the training tools the 165 has. On top of that, its training load focus graph helps self-guided runners determine whether you're neglecting low-aerobic or anaerobic training as you boost your VO2 Max, while hill and endurance scores quantify how your fitness level translates into real-world running performance.

The most compelling feature, however, is running tolerance. Most Garmin watches only take cardiovascular exertion into account when judging how long you need to recover; only the 970 judges your muscular and biomechanical load, warning you if you're overtraining and calculating how harder runs have a disproportionate impact load on your body.

Rather than splurge on a Fenix 8, grab a Forerunner 970 that's much lighter, easier to read outdoors, and will help you avoid injury while taking your training to the next level.

Alternate pick: Before the 970, the Forerunner 965 was my favorite to recommend to serious runners, and it's still tempting with its 23-day battery life. If you can do without running tolerance, a flashlight, 5th-gen HR sensors, and Bluetooth calling, maybe grab the 965 when it's on sale instead.

Best mid-range running watch

As much as the Garmin Forerunner series earns its reputation, it keeps getting pricier (the Forerunner 165 aside). Don't limit your running search to them when mid-range running watches like the COROS PACE Pro undercut them with similar perks.

COROS typically sells MIP watches to prioritize battery life, but it finally gave in to industry trends and gave the PACE Pro a 1,500-nit AMOLED, without ditching its trademark weeks of battery life. It's lightweight for long runs, and some runners will prefer its rotating dial to Garmin's up/down buttons.

Using maps on the PACE Pro is so much more seamless; it's easy to scroll in and out, both because of the crown and because the PACE Pro has a newer processor powerful enough for maps to run smoothly. And you can count on fantastic dual-band GPS accuracy, its results typically staying in lockstep with my Forerunner 970. The HR results don't quite keep up with a chest strap, but it's always reliably within range.

Otherwise, you're getting the training essentials like training load and status, time in HR zones, recovery time, race predictions, and Strava Live Segments. COROS doesn't have every tool that Garmin offers, but it doesn't price-lock features like Garmin does, so any new features over the next couple of years will come to the PACE Pro, along with its more expensive APEX and VERTIX watches.

Alternate pick: I would have recommended the Polar Vantage M3 before its price hiked up to $499 in response to tariffs, while the excellent Forerunner 265 skirts the edge of affordability at $449; certainly get the latter if it's on sale. I haven't personally used the Suunto Race S ($349), but I mostly liked the pricier Suunto Race, and I heard the Race S fixed many of the "better" model's flaws.

Best budget running watch

Now we're in the territory for people who think even the $250 Forerunner 165 is "too expensive." Amazfit is a collective Android Central favorite when it comes to budget watches, but its dedicated running watch, the Amazfit Cheetah Pro, has much more rigorous competition at $300. Instead, you could consider the Amazfit Active 2, a sub-$100 smartwatch with all the essentials.

This is my only "best running watch" pick that I've yet to review, so I can't give a fully confident recommendation yet. But I've taken it out for enough runs to know that I'm not getting duped. Despite being this cheap, the Amazfit Active 2 gives you built-in GPS, a bright display (with sapphire glass on the "premium" model), elevation tracking, personalized Zepp Coach training plans for specific race lengths, and super-basic maps.

Basically, this is the watch to look at if you're considering something cheap like the Fitbit Charge 6 but want a full-sized display and no mandatory subscription — something "good enough." It'll last at least five days with active use, and it'll tell you whether you're working out enough to improve. It also has a ridiculous number of sports modes if you're someone who likes to cross-train.

Alternate pick: The Fitbit Charge 6 doesn't qualify as a "watch" but it does give you adequate built-in GPS and excellent HR accuracy. Otherwise, try looking at other Amazfit watches like the uber-cheap Bip 6 (also with built-in GPS).

Best true smartwatch for runners

There's no perfect smartwatch solution for runners. The most obvious options are Apple Watches, Galaxy Watches, and Pixel Watches, each with positives and negatives. The battery life is usually unreliable, but many runners will choose them because they want their smartwatch to work just as well outside of workouts, or because they prefer third-party apps like Nike Run Club or Runna.

I lean towards the Pixel Watch 3, not just because this is an Android site, but because of its accurate, Fitbit-backed health sensors. Google made a point of catering to runners this generation with AI-backed run coaching tools that give you a few run workout options every day, based on your Fitbit cardio load and target load, as well as your daily readiness score. You can even create custom run workouts.

I'm still waiting for certain essentials like running power, and the GPS-only accuracy isn't very reliable, but it's still a good pick if you're an Android user who needs daily smarts like Gemini on a watch — and the Pixel Watch 4 should be even better. I had high hopes for my Galaxy Watch 8 Classic because of its dual-band GPS, but I was underwhelmed by Samsung's new Running Coach feature for anyone besides running newbies.

Alternate pick: I really like my Apple Watch Ultra 2, which delivered accurate results during a 20-mile race test and has strong battery life for a running watch. Of course, if I were spending $800 on a running watch, I'd lean toward the Forerunner 970, but that falls short on smarts and power. I'm reserving judgment on the new Workout Buddy, which sounds fun but a bit gimmicky.

Best running watch for battery life

The Garmin Instinct 3 isn't the longest-lasting running watch out there — especially the AMOLED model I'm recommending — but I'm once again trying to balance cost and value. My colleague Brady loves his Garmin Enduro 3, which lasts 36 days normally, three months with daily solar recharges, or 320 hours of solar-backed GPS tracking. But I can't fill this list with watches that cost as much as flagship phones.

At $500, the Instinct 3 AMOLED lasts 24 days or 40 GPS hours, more than enough battery life for the vast majority of runners to be happy. Or, if you're willing to trade away visibility for endurance, the Instinct 3 MIP Solar costs slightly less and has "unlimited" capacity if you spend your days outdoors or 40 days indoors.

Most importantly for this discussion, the Instinct 3 lineup has the same running essentials as a mid-tier Forerunner: daily suggested workouts that adjust to your training status or upcoming race, training load focus, and grade-adjusted pace. It's much lighter than it looks, and while it won't win any beauty pageants, it'll appeal to rugged watch fans and withstand any damage from the trail.

Alternate pick: The COROS VERTIX 2S lasts a whopping 46 days per charge and did respectably well in my accuracy testing against Garmin and Polar flagships. It's on the expensive side at $699, however, and it's more suited for true mountain climbers or extreme trail runners than your typical urban runner (like me).

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How to choose the best running watch for you

Hopefully, my best running watch selections have successfully targeted most types of runners. But if you're still feeling uncertain on which to choose, follow my step-by-step running watch buying guide below!

1. Choose your running watch budget

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Some smartwatch and fitness watch brands offer the same software across price ranges, only making you pay extra for better hardware. Others (most notably Garmin) price-lock software to the most expensive models.

Either way, you have to decide how much you're willing to spend. So I've broken down fitness watches and smartwatches into price tiers, so you can see the most popular options in your range.

2. Weight and design matter as much as features

Most dedicated running watches don't look that attractive. They give you extra buttons or crowns to avoid sweaty touchscreen controls, plus lightweight polymer materials instead of metal. It leaves them looking thick, sporty, and corny to non-runners.

True smartwatches, on the other hand, have heavy-but-powerful processors, extra sensors, and chunky batteries; companies leave band weight off of the spec sheet to trick you into thinking they're lighter than they are. But you may accept these trade-offs because they'll look more "normal" in professional contexts.

I find 57 grams or 2 ounces to be my cutoff point. Anything beyond that, and you're sacrificing comfort for better materials, power, or battery life. But you also may not want to go too light: As much as I love my Garmin Venu X1 for its 40g weight, I lean toward the 56g Forerunner 970 for its hours of extra GPS tracking.

3. What are the most important tools a running watch needs?

Many smartwatches don't offer a convenient way to connect with external HR monitors, gym equipment, cycling accessories, and so on. Make sure your chosen brand will work with your BLE or ANT+ tech before you buy a running watch.

Beyond that, consider that many cheap running watches don't have sensors or tools that you may find essential. So let's run through what you should look out for:

GPS: Built-in GPS is an obvious necessity, so you're not dependent on your phone GPS. But standard L1 GPS alone isn't that reliable in urban canyons, dense foliage, or mountain regions. Most watches offer multiple GNSS like GLONASS or Galileo, but they only use one at a time depending on where you live.

Dual-band GPS uses L1 and L5 frequencies to pinpoint your location and avoid signal errors, and it's the most accurate option available — though also the most battery-intensive. As a middle ground, look for watches that offer "all-systems GNSS," pinpointing with multiple satellite systems.

Health sensors: Any running watch will offer heart rate and sleep tracking. But if you care about recovery and energy estimates, you need one that judges stress levels or HRV. Skin temperature data is often useful to show warning signs about your body's health and sleeping conditions.

For heart health, ECG readings help you catch signs of arrhythmia, but you must choose to take those readings yourself. A few smartwatch brands and Fitbits have passive heart rate rhythm warnings; in particular, Google has Loss of Pulse emergency detection, while Samsung has Vascular Load data.

Blood oxygen is also a useful metric; I appreciate how Garmin lets you decide whether to measure SpO2 at night or all day, if you're trying to determine how well you're acclimating to higher elevations.

Fitness sensors: A running watch needs an accelerometer to judge your running power and form, but all other sensors are optional. If you want the best experience, make sure your chosen watch has an altimeter to judge elevation data, a gyroscope for more accurate wrist movement detection, and a compass to enable course navigation.

4. Which apps do you need?

Garmin is the "smartest" fitness watch brand. It offers contactless payments, music apps like Spotify or YouTube Music, Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation, Strava Live Segments, partnerships with brands like Komoot, and so on. But even this is fairly limited compared to what you'd get on an Apple, Galaxy, or Pixel Watch.

They let you directly use watch apps like Strava, Nike Run Club, MyFitnessPal, Strong, MapMyRun, and so on. They have the power to handle true smart assistants like Gemini or Siri, while brands like Garmin and Amazfit have much more limited assistants that tend to misunderstand your commands.

Only you can decide if you need these smarts more than you need extra battery life. Garmin is the best middle-ground option, but it's still a compromise.

5. How much battery life do you REALLY need?

My dad used to run 100 milers, and so he'd have needed a watch like the Enduro 3 that could last for over 24 hours of continuous GPS. For almost everyone else, a 5- or 6-hour marathon is probably the longest they'll ever run, and so extra battery life isn't as much a necessity as a wonderful perk.

Most of my fitness watch picks last at least one week, trending toward two weeks; the models that last longer aren't "running watches," per se, but adventurer's watches meant for long backpacking excursions. They tend to be more rugged and bulky, as well as more expensive, and they may use an MIP display in place of AMOLED.

I think the Forerunner 165's 11-day battery or 17-hour GNSS tracking is an excellent sweet spot for most runners, who can top off their watch every week or so while they're taking a post-workout shower. Everything else is gravy.