Strava compatible watches: Best devices to help you ditch your smartphone

Strava is a great place to store your workout data, and beats even the best ecosystems hands down when it comes to analysing your workouts. Even if you don’t take a paid plan, we love aspects like tracking of segments and the way it shows how your workouts are improving over time.
Using Strava also offers greater flexibility. Forgot your GPS watch? No problem, just use your phone and you’ll still have your data contributing to monthly targets. What’s more, as it’s available on most devices, if you use an Apple Watch and a Garmin (for example), you can unify your data in one place.
We’ve listed our favourite Strava compatible watches below – and picked out the ones with special features.
Essential reading: Strava Summit essential guideGarmin (various)Pretty much all of Garmin’s watches are built to play nice with Strava, from budget watches like the Garmin Forerunner 35 all the way up to the likes of the Fenix 6 (pictured above) and the Forerunner 945.
The problem, of course, is that Garmin Connect isn’t nearly as fun, informative and motivating as Strava, despite its recent facelift. Thankfully, you can link your account with the app for seamless syncing of runs, cycles and swims.But some Garmin’s are more Strava-friendly than others. The following devices can detect when you land on favourited Strava Segments and display live progress, most importantly telling you how far ahead/behind your PB you are.
Garmin devices with Live Strava SegmentsForerunner 935 Forerunner 945Forerunner 645 MusicForerunner 735XTFenix 6Fenix 5Essential reading: How to connect Garmin and StravaThis allows you to get the best of both worlds: Garmin Connect’s handy insights and workout history and Strava’s impressive Segments, leaderboards and social features. It’s win-win here.Go budget: Garmin Forerunner 35: $134.99 | Amazon | GarminOur favourite: Garmin Forerunner 45: $199.99 | Amazon | GarminTop smartwatch: Garmin Vivoactive 4 Music: $349.99 |Amazon | GarminBuy the best: Garmin Fenix 6 $599 | Amazon | GarminApple Watch Series 5/Series 3It took some time, but we do have a standalone Strava app that’s compatible with the Apple Watch and it continues to improve over time.
And after initial accuracy issues, this can now be considered a strong addition to the watch’s third-party mix. There’s still limited customisation of the data faces, and you can’t view workout history from the watch itself, but much of what makes Strava worthwhile is provided through the companion app, so we don’t consider this a reason to avoid the smartwatch.
During our testing both on the bike and running, accuracy has matched up well to the both bike computers and running watches too so it’s becoming one of the better apps to download to your Apple smartwatch now.
Series 5: $399 | Amazon | AppleSeries 3: $199 | Amazon | ApplePolar (various)Just like Garmin, Polar makes sure that watches like the Polar M200, the feature-packed M430 and even the ageing Polar V800 offers Strava integration. The new Vantage V and Vantage M watches also integrate, though you won’t get Live Segments with those two.Those who enjoy using the Polar Flow app can sync runs and cycle rides, as well as take advantage of features such as Strava Segments.
To pair the two services, just log into the Polar Flow web account, head to settings and opt to connect the Flow account with Strava. Log into your Strava account and verify the connection to have your workouts transferred when you sync your device as normal. Then you’re good to get tracking.You can get Live Strava segments on a couple of Polar bike computers (M460 and V650) but only one watch – the ageing V800. It’s a little too dated for us to recommend – but if you’re fixed on a) Polar b) Strava it could be worth a look.Polar Vantage V: $499.90 |Amazon | PolarPolar Vantage M: $275.99 | Amazon | PolarSamsung Galaxy Watch Active 2While Samsung disappointingly doesn’t offer direct support for Strava, you can still sync your data to Strava from the Samsung Health app. And it’s in a special club of one because Strava is the only app with that privilege.The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 offers built-in GPS for activities like running and cycling, plus a host of sensors including a heart rate monitor, barometer and speedometer.Even before the update, Samsung’s Health platform has improved and the we’ve found the Galaxy Watch to be a solid device to work out with too.Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2: $279 Amazon | SamsungSuuntoSuunto’s Spartan watches are steadily becoming better rivals for Garmin and Polar’s top end devices, including the Spartan Sport Wrist HR and the newer Trainer Wrist HR, which offers similar features in a slimmer body. You can also include the new and the new Suunto 9 into that equation, which comes packing mammoth battery life.
When the two are connected, you can track runs, rides and cross-training sessions with Segment support syncing the data to Strava.
The best way to get the two to play nice is to head into Suunto Movescount from the web application and choose the Connect with Strava option to get the ball rolling.
At the time of writing no Suunto watch supports Live Strava Segments.
Suunto 9: $599 Amazon | SuuntoSuunto Trainer Wrist HR: $279 | Amazon| SuuntoSuunto Sport Wrist HR: $549 | Amazon| SuuntoFitbit IonicStrava was one of the first standalone apps on board the Fitbit Ionic when it launched late last year, but it works slightly differently to the other smartwatches on this list.
Instead of recording activity within the Strava app itself, you’ll instead have to use the Ionic’s own running platform and then wait for it to sync across the data – assuming you’ve already synced your accounts through the Strava smartphone app.
Read this: How to connect Fitbit and StravaSo, what is the app actually good for? Well, unlike with other smartwatches, you can handily view recent activity and also take a look at ‘matched runs’ if you’ve completed the same route more than once. This allows you to view your progress over time and pinpoint where you may be improving or declining.
It’s not the simplest of procedures to initially link Strava and the Ionic together, and we’re not sure why you’re not free to simply run everything from the app itself, but you can get there eventually. And once you do it all works pretty nicely. It also works with the Fitbit Versa too, although we should mention that the Versa doesn’t have built-in GPS but can be tethered to your phone for more accurate route tracking.
Buy now: $299 | Amazon | FitbitCoros ApexCoros might be one of the more lesser known brands on this list, but the startup is starting to make a name for itself with its affordable, feature-packed sports watches.
Its Pace and new Apex (pictured above) watches all work with Coros’ own steadily improving companion app. But the startup also knows people love using Strava and it’s made sure there the integration is on board.
From the Coros app you can connect the two services together in the same manner as Garmin, Suunto and Polar watches letting you view your run, ride and swim data in Strava. You will of course need to sync workout data to the Coros app first, but it’s one of the quickest at doing it based on experience. So you can be poring over that Strava data in no time.
$300 (42mm) or $350 (46mm), Amazon | coros.comFossil Sport With Wear 2.0 and its standalone app goodness now spread across a whole host of devices, you’re free to enjoy Strava on Android without your phone for the first time.
Fortunately, pretty much any device rocking Google’s new OS can get involved including the Fossil Sport. The Wear smartwatch packs in built-in GPS, heart rate and crucially, a run-friendly design. Strava offers a standalone app letting you take advantage of those sports tracking features showing time, distance, pace, lap and split times. It will also work with some built-in heart rate monitors too.Elsewhere on the Wear front, there’s a whole bunch of new options from the Fossil Group that include Michael Kors Access Runway, Armani Exchange and the Fossil Q Venture HR that now all include GPS (sans smartphone) and heart rate monitors. So you can get something a little more stylish that will also track your workouts.Buy now: $255 Amazon | fossil.comIt’s an Apple Watch clone, for sure but Amazfit has got so much right on the Amazfit GTS – and it plays nicely with Strava to boot.It’s a health and fitness smartwatch that actually delivers, with good sleep tracking and a weekly rating of your activity and fitness using Mio’s PAI score. It’s a single number derived from all your weekly health and fitness activity – and we have a lot of respect for that technology and glad it’s seen the light of day here.
You get 14 tracked sports, with outdoor workouts tracked by GPS that passed mustard in terms of accuracy. And syncing to Strava is baked into the companion app – and it’s the only available API.
There’s an always-on display and you’re looking at around a week of battery life with all the advanced features turned on, which is certainly more than the Apple Watch’s single-day.
$149.99 | Amazon | Amazfit