Full Breakdown
Garmin Cirqa vs. Fitbit Air: How the New Screen-Free Trackers Stack Up
7/28/2026, 11:05:17 AM
Background & Context
Screen-free fitness bands are gaining traction as alternatives to smartwatches. Garmin’s Cirqa retails at £179.99 (? $199) and Fitbit’s Air at £84/$99. Both rely on a companion app for GPS and have no built-in display. Garmin offers core features without a subscription; Fitbit’s “Google Health Coach” costs £7.99/$9.99 per month. Whoop, another screen-less option, requires an annual subscription for any metrics.
Core Event – Step-Count Accuracy Test
A 7,000-step walk in Seattle compared the devices. The tester wore the Fitbit Air on the left wrist, the Garmin Cirqa on the right, while a Strava app on an iPhone 16 Plus recorded a reference count.
- Fitbit Air: 6,990 steps (-10)
- Garmin Cirqa: 7,070 steps (+70)
- Strava: 7,010 steps (+10)
Counts within ±100 steps of the manual total were deemed “outstanding.” By that metric the Fitbit Air edged out the Cirqa. The Cirqa failed to record distance, climb, or pace because it logged the activity as a generic workout. A separate 5,500-step test reported by BGR found the Cirqa about 16 % off, raising further reliability concerns.
Data & Statistics
| Metric | Fitbit Air | Garmin Cirqa | Reference (Strava) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steps recorded | 6,990 | 7,070 | 7,010 |
| Distance (miles) | 3.86 (GPS) | — | 3.86 |
| Elevation gain (ft) | 236 | 405 (Strava) | 236 |
| Avg. pace (min/mi) | 16 min 17 s | 16 min 35 s (Strava) | 16 min 17 s |
| Avg. HR (bpm) | 115 | 123 | n/a |
| Max HR (bpm) | 135 | 160 | n/a |
| Calories burned | 532 | 464 | n/a |
| Battery life (days) | up to 10 (claimed) | up to 10 (claimed) | n/a |
| Subscription for core tracking | No | No | n/a |
| Optional subscription | £7.99/$9.99 /mo (Health Coach) | £6.99 /mo or £69.99 /yr (Connect +) | n/a |
Official Statements & Responses
- Garmin says the Cirqa’s accuracy improves as it learns the wearer’s patterns and that Connect + adds AI-driven “Active Intelligence,” nutrition tracking, and other premium features.
- Fitbit notes the Health Coach service provides advanced coaching insights, while basic activity tracking remains free.
- Both firms confirm the devices need a paired smartphone for GPS; neither includes built-in GPS.
Criticism & Opposition
- The Fitbit Air’s climb data was described as “waaaay off” in the walk test.
- The Cirqa’s step-count errors—both the 7,000-step overcount and the 5,500-step test showing a 16 % deviation—are highlighted as a weakness for users needing precise totals.
- Heart-rate readings differed; without a control reference the test could not confirm which was more accurate, though the reviewer suspected the Cirqa’s higher max value reflected the hilly route.
Why It Matters
For screen-free tracker buyers, the trade-off is cost, subscription dependence, and measurement fidelity. The Fitbit Air offers marginally better step accuracy out of the box but locks advanced coaching behind a fee. Garmin’s Cirqa avoids ongoing fees for core tracking and promises longer battery life, yet its step-count reliability remains questionable and distance/pace metrics are unavailable when workouts are logged generically.
What’s Next
Garmin plans software updates to make live heart-rate data free, addressing feedback that the metric is currently behind Connect +. Further real-world testing across varied workouts is slated to gauge long-term accuracy and algorithm improvements.
