If you’re on a fitness plan or just monitoring your weight for any reason, it’s best to keep track of your trends over time. A typical analog scale can measure your weight, but if you’re looking for more than that, it’s time you upgraded to a smart scale.
How Smart Scales Work
Smart scales give you a lot more data through apps or online services, most of which work with similar apps like Apple Health, Google Fit or Fitbit, syncing your data where you need it.
Once you step on the scale, it automatically tracks and records your information and then sends it to the accompanying app via a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. You can set goals and view your progress, which is displayed in simple charts so you can spot trends that are valuable to your fitness plan.
Besides measuring weight, many of them measure other data such as muscle or bone mass, body fat percentage (including visceral fat and BMI), heart rate and more. Some even track multiple users for larger households.
There are a variety of smart scale options you can pick from. The best one for your needs will depend on the features and metrics that are important to you, your medical history, how it pairs with your device, syncing abilities, and price.
We scoured the web and read reviews to pick out the best smart scales for 2020. Read on to see the scales that made our list.
1. Eufy Smart Scale
The Eufy scale is a silent weigh-in with a user-friendly app that’s easy to navigate. The app accurately tracks data and reports on measurements like weight, muscle and bone mass, body fat, BMI, water and more.
The app also measures these metrics on three different levels: low, normal or high, so you can tell how you’re faring compared to the average health and fitness standards for your age and height.
This scale uses Bluetooth, so you’ll need to have your phone nearby to send data to the app and record readings. It has a well-lit display that’s easy to read, with clear measurements and a ton of functionality available at a reasonable price.
It also syncs and integrates easily with Apple Health, Google Fit and Fitbit and supports up to sixteen users per account or device. Just select the correct user in the app, and all their data and metrics will sync to their profile.
Also read: What Is a Smart Home and How Do They Work?
2. Greater Goods Wi-Fi Smart Body Composition Scale
Unlike the silent Eufy scale, this one beeps during use and uses a Wi-Fi connection instead of Bluetooth, so you don’t have to keep your phone nearby for it to send data to its Weight Gurus app.
If you want to automatically track your weight, it’s a good pick. as it offers consistently accurate readings, plus its app reliably records your weight each time you use the scale.
It’s also less expensive compared to other top-rated Wi-Fi scales on the market, most of which are generally more expensive than their Bluetooth counterparts.
You can get historic data on an unlimited number of weights, plus other data such as body fat, water, muscle and bone mass, and BMI behind a menu off the homepage.
The app can also store data for up to eight unique users, but it does this across eight separate app accounts. This way each user’s profile is private to them, so no one can see another’s information.
Other extras include emailed spreadsheets, push notifications, and an option to go “weightless,” which means you don’t see the actual weight currently but changes from previous recordings.
The scale works with Apple Health, Fitbit and Google Fit plus supports Under Armor and MyFitnessPal.
3. Withings Body+
Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a smart scale that works with Alexa? Well, this Withings Body+ scale does. It’s a great pickup with a premium design and useful body composition technology that’s light enough so you can move it around the room.
Among the three different scales Withings offers, this is a mid-range option in terms of its price and feature set. It provides data on measurements like weight, body mass, water, bone and muscle mass, and BMI using a Wi-Fi connection.
It also has a mobile app – Health Mate – for up to eight users, which syncs all your data directly on your Android or iOS device. It’s user-friendly and delivers useful customization on the scale including pregnancy mode (disables BIA), IFTTT support and local weather reports.
4. Fitbit Aria 2
The Fitbit Aria 2 is another powerful smart scale that measures and tracks your weight, BMI, body fat, lean mass and much more. It’s best used if you have a Fitbit wearable, as it only syncs with the Fitbit app, giving you all your data on nutrition, activity, sleep, and more in one dashboard.
Besides being cute, you can also interact with the scale, and there’s a little animated face smiling at you while you’re at it. When the scale is not in use and in standby mode, the face will go to sleep.
Another unique feature is its lean mode, which is available for bodybuilders and athletes with different physiques from the average person.
You can use it with up to eight people who will each have their own profiles in the app. However, it’s pricier than some smart scales, but totally worth it for its accuracy, features, and compatibility with several devices like a PC, mobile devices and Fitbit among others over Wi-Fi.
5. Garmin Index
Like the Fitbit scale, the Garmin Index smart scale also works best if you’re already using a Garmin fitness tracker.
The scale gives you a holistic view of your health data and metrics like weight, activity level, body fat percentage, bone and muscle mass, water and more that it measures. It also includes charts so you can visually see and track your weight loss and data over different durations such as weekly, monthly or annually.
It supports up to sixteen user profiles and tracks their performance with personalized information and can be used with other apps like MyFitnessPal or GoogleFit.
Wrap-Up
Frequent weighing and tracking can be detrimental, though, especially for people with health conditions, eating disorders or pregnant women. In such cases, doing daily weigh-ins isn’t recommended. Similarly, some scales apply technologies that use electrical currents to collect and collate your measurements.
This is why you need to consult with your doctor before using any smart scale, especially if you have a pacemaker or other electronic medical device or are pregnant.
Image credits: Fitbit
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