I have a Samsung watch active and I really like it. It keeps track of steps, a bunch of different exercises like swimming, running, rowing, etc.

It syncs with S health on my samsung phone where I can also keep track of blood sugar and blood pressure.

And it syncs with MFP

Oh my goodness, I'm sounding like my grandparents here, but bear with me!

It bothers me to lay down good money (can't you just hear your grandpa?!?!?) and have a piece of electronics not perform or, worse, break.

My solution is to be about two generations behind "the latest" and I've been very pleased that 1) most of the software bugs are resolved and 2) it is VERY inexpensive.

Three or four years ago I started with the original Fitbit and loved it for a good long time (2.5 years?). I wanted a device that I could swim with so now I have the FitBit2 which I am still getting used to - navigating the screens provides me a challenge that I am not always up for and end up manually logging my exercise in the app. My husband now uses the original Fitbit (with a cracked screen) and he seems to enjoy it, however he has not been successful in downloading the app to his iPhone (this may be a user issue, just sayin').

Finally, for work reasons, I use a Virgin Pulse olde-timey pedometer and I like that it not only syncs with my FitBit2 but also with MFP.

I bought the new Samsung Watch Active 2 that came out about a month or two ago. I really like it -- except once in a while it stops tracking gps/steps/etc during a workout session. I'm hoping that glitch will be fixed in software updates, but until it is I'm kind of hesitant to recommend it.

If not for that, though, it'd be phenomenal. The screen is great, the processor is snappy, and the battery life is miles better than the old Mobvoi Ticwatch S2 WearOS watch I had used previously (since February). The glitch has happened maybe 2-3 times since I bought the watch. Happened yesterday and I lost 2300ish steps off my count as it assumed I flew for part of my walk.

More on battery life:
Charged it overnight last night and it came off the charger at 6am. Actively tracked 90 minutes of walking and 40 minutes of running, received my daily 50ish notifications and it's down to 66% at the end of the day (11:45pm right now). My old watch would be down to maybe 20% by this point. Note: I don't keep the screen in always-on mode.

I have a xiaomi band. It cost about $40NZ. Battery lasts a good 4 weeks before needing to be recharged. It's waterproof (I wear it in the shower but haven't swum with it), and scratch proof. It doesn't have a GPS but I've found its step tracking is really accurate. It's heart rate monitor gave me exactly the same results as the apple watch when I compared them. I love it but I only wear it for the time, steps and activity tracking. I like seeing my VO2 levels when I've played squash or tennis, and the time spent in aerobic or anaerobic exercise. The sleep tracking is good but it doesn't always pick up when I'm awake in the middle of the night. It doesn't sync with MFP or MND which is my food tracking app. No bugs that I'm aware of. I'd highly recommend it for cost (cheap as chips) and it's battery life!

Considering Google is about to buy Fitbit, you'll likely have to leave the familiarity of Fitbit OS at some point anyway, if that helps your decision.

@katy9599 You might look into a step pedometer, such as the Virgin Pulse model that sells for ~$40 USD. It uploads to MFP, tracks steps and flights of stairs and gives the time. Nothing more. Straightforward and reasonably priced using a standard CR2016 battery (flat, round, nickel-sized, available in Walmart by the "other" batteries for hearing aids, pace makers, etc.). It is less than 2" in diameter and probably 1/2" in thickness.

It can be worn as a clip to a belt / waist band or worn from the six-inch tether (as I do, from my lanyard). Here's a picture:

I have an apple watch series 3. I love love love it. But not so much for fitness tracking. I don't like the pre programed exercises that they have for options. I do like some aspects like reminding me to get up every hour but for tracking my Zumba its not super awesome.

I haven't worn a watch in over 20 years but I did buy a fitbit3 early in 2019. I had a $50 gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond and didn't really need anything so I figured my out of pocket would not be that much so why not. I actually was mostly interested in the sleeping info as I don't sleep much/well and was curious what insight it could give me.

Pro - it has two bands, large and small so I started with the large and it's nice knowing when it's too big I can swap out to the smaller band and not have to pay again. The sleep info is there, shows duration in total, REM and light and awake. I am severely limited on movement so the step count doesn't really matter to me but it is relatively accurate from the tests I have done counting in my head and checking to the watch. Good customer service (more in the con section on that). It holds a charge for many days at least, it has diminished over time but that's expected with electronics. Unexpected pro - the heart rate monitoring. I really enjoy that. I started on here (again) in Sept so I have a long history of my heart rate before starting to lose and since I have been losing and that is really motivating to see I was in the mid/high 70s resting heart rate and now am mid 60s. Also there is a seemingly stupid breathing exercise you can use on it...I did it shortly after I got it after shoveling and was gasping. I sat down and did the breathing in/out per the watch face and it really helped settle me down, only used that a few times but it's there. I also use the stopwatch almost daily; I take CBD oil nightly and I use it to count my 90 seconds. I do not use it for an alarm but good to know I could in a pinch.

Con - I wore it in the shower and it was so sensitive I had to stop, washing my hair is not step counting! It does have the buzz if you haven't taken 250 steps by 10 minutes to the top of the hour but you cannot change that setting (eg if you want it at half-past you cannot). I take it off daily to shower and weekly to wipe it down with rubbing alcohol - it doesn't get a lot of heavy use - but the band broke which is related to the pro on customer service. I went online and put in a claim (no receipt, sent a photo though) and they sent out a new band right away - but before doing that I researched how to fix it and it seems this is not uncommon which is disappointing. The charger is specific to itself, so if you are traveling for a while you will have to remember to pack it. That may be due to it being water resistant and cannot have a standardized charge but it is very annoying. I leave it plugged into my laptop USB at home so it's there whenever I need it but if I travel I always forget to take it and cannot use my phone charger. The sleep info is interesting but not helpful....I still suck at sleeping, lol.

Overall I don't use it for what most people use it for. If they didn't replace my band I wouldn't automatically buy it again. For the week I couldn't wear it I didn't really notice the difference but putting it back on today I realized all the pros I do like about it.