The Best Heart Rate Monitor for 2023: 5 Different Types

What is the best heart rate monitor for running? I’d say it depends on your goals, but right now the data shows that some versions are superior for accuracy.

So if you’re training by heart rate with zones or low heart rate and you need the data to be 100% then this post is going to save you some heart ache.

Make sure you read part 1: Understanding how to train with heart rate!

Reading part 1 will give you a good foundation to understand heart rate data and explain to you the 5 heart rate zones that lie between your resting and max heart rates. This will enable you to gauge the level of intensity of your training on any given day.

If like me, maybe you’ve been doing Low Heart Rate training a long time and are really in tune with your body, you tend to know roughly how hard you’re working. And it’s ok with you to have days (i.e. in the cold) where the watch monitor isn’t spot on, but is possibly more convenient, well-read on as well!

Regardless of which training method you’re incorporating you’ll find that it’s important to have accurate data when needed.

This article will focus on my personal recommendations based on decades of running experience and gear testing. I’ll give you options in the various categories of heart rate monitors that are available in the market.

What Options Are Available for Heart Rate Monitors?

You’ve probably heard of a few common options already, such as chest straps, armbands, multi-use fitness trackers such as the Apple Watch series etc. but you’ll be surprised to know just how many different types are available in the market today!

In this article we’ll take a look at what the options are, some of which might surprise you like earbuds!

And then talk about what plays in to accuracy and if your style of training could make certain tools better than others.

SPOILER ALERT: If you want the most accurate reading you need a chest strap.

✅ The Polar H9 is a great option.

It pairs with Polar Watches, Garmin, Peloton, apps and more, while being accurate and cost effective. Having tested it, I can vouch for this!

In the end, sometimes you may have to decide between ease of use and top of the line accuracy.

How Accurate are Wrist Heart Rate Monitors?

The two most common heart rate monitors include chest straps and optical heart rate sensors (usually on the wrist, but not always as you’ll see!!).

Optical monitors use sensors that detect the blood pulsing through your veins.

While more comfortable to wear, especially during a workout, they’re often not as accurate as chest straps. Particularly in cold weather running when your body is trying to pull blood towards the core and thus pulse might not be as strong.

The blood flow in your wrist is further from the source: your heart.
Further, poor reading can result if you flex your wrist or move your arm or travel down a bumpy road.
Wrist-based monitors are more convenient and can be worn all day long without discomfort, but can show bpm discrepancies up to 6 beats.
Some people notice a spike in the first mile of running. Doing a good warm up has eliminated that for me!
Cadence Lock is a new thing I learned recently which explains why suddenly during your run the watch is showing 165-180 and you’re still going easy! It’s showing your cadence for a few seconds.

👉Having tested a TON of running watches. Many of you know that I have found Polar Vantage V2 to be extremely accurate over many miles of running. Recently, I’ve also been quite impressed with the Garmin Enduro.

However, these are higher end watches and much more expensive than the options below.

5 Best Heart Rate Monitors for Running

There are five main categories that I’ll be going through in this article to give you a range of options to choose from. I’ll include my personal suggestions from experience as well as what you can expect from them in terms of performance.

So, let’s get started!

1. Heart Rate Chest Straps for Running

Chest straps are widely used by runners, including elite athletes. They work similar to an electrocardiogram (EKG) by reading the electrical signals your body sends with each beat of your heart.

They require a receiver like your GPS running watch to display the information. And you’ll need to ensure the one you buy works with your watch or the running App on your smartphone, as they have different technologies.

Cleveland Clinic researchers asked 50 healthy adults to wear various heart rate monitors, including an EKG while walking or running on a treadmill. When measured against the EKG, the chest strap heart monitor showed the most accurate readings.

As mentioned above, they tend to provide more accurate than wrist-based technology, however still come with a few cons:

They can feel uncomfortable
Can loosen during exercise
Cause chafing
Tough to adjust mid-run, resulting in inaccurate readings

If money is a concern, chest straps are more economical than wrist-based optical monitors. Especially if paired with a free running app like MapMyRun!

My main issue with chest straps, is they always chafe me! And I always got spikes at the start of my runs, so remember they are not perfect and you need to know your body and your max heart rate.

For example, if I see mine reading 160 during mile 1 I know that it’s the watch because I’m still warming up and breathing easy.

Which leads me back to my standard response of see what works for you because clearly majorly awesome athletes like Noel love ’em!

Option 1: Best Chest Strap for Running: Polar

When it comes to chest straps, Polar makes some of the best in the market! I have personally used the Polar H10 and it’s an incredible monitor. But I think the cheaper Polar H9 does the work just as well, so I often recommend it.

But if you want the newest and greatest, you can’t beat the Polar H10 as the overall best chest strap heart rate monitor on the market for runners.

It comes with enough built-in memory to store data from a single workout that you can then transfer to the compatible app, i.e., Polar Beat. It is also compatible with many other top fitness apps, so you have a wide variety to choose from.

If having two simultaneous Bluetooth connections is a priority for you, then pick the H10 over the H9. The other difference is that the H10 comes with in-built memory while the H9 does not. There’s also a slight difference between the straps for both of them.

See the Polar H9 ($59.95) >>
See the Polar H10 ($89.99) >>

Option 2: Garmin Chest Strap

Some other popular options come from Garmin, such as the Garmin HRM-Pro and HRM-Run. From experience I’ve found that Garmin chest straps always work well, but I’ve had better luck with getting my Polar chest strap to pair faster and hit the correct readings from the start of the workout.

Plus, these are far more pricey than the Polar.

Again, if you have one then use it! They are a great brand, obviously I rave about their watch features.

See the Garmin HRM-Pro ($120) >>
See the Original Garmin Dual Strap ($70) >>

Option 3: Wahoo HR Monitor

An option that I haven’t personally used, but have heard my triathlete friends rave about is the Wahoo Tickr X. Largely because they use it with Zwift on the bike.

It’s said to be quite up there in terms of comfort because of the way the pod is attached.

It also allows up to 3 Blue tooth connections and has over 500 hours battery life.

And the Ticker X specifically records a number of other data points, so if you don’t have a smart watch it might do the work for you.

See the Wahoo Tickr Fit ($80) >>
See the Original Wahoo Ticker for a lower price ($50) >>

2. Activity Tracker or Smartwatch

There are so many activity trackers out on the market now, it’s a little overwhelming…and my question to you is do you need a tracker or do you need a great GPS running watch?

Activity trackers are great for determining resting heart rate, but not as precise during exercise. Which is why I don’t have a top pick here, but instead things to guide your choice.

These popular devices are great for recreational use and for helping users track steps and and gather estimated metrics on heart rate, but are not necessarily as reliable for accurate heart rate recordings.

They do record a lot of helpful data aside from your heart rate:

counting steps
calories burned
calculating elevation gained
tracking hours of sleep

If you already have an Apple Watch and now want to really understand the differences between that a GPS watch, I highly recommend you read my article on Garmin vs Apple Watch where I break it down for you.

Or checkout Fitbit vs Polar, again to better understand how a running watch is different than a fitness tracker.

Speaking of sleeves…get a hold of the fun tip I shared, which had more people tell me I’m a genius than maybe any other thing I’ve done, which is mildly concerning. How to see your watch during winter runs…use the thumbhole!

3.Polar Heart Rate Monitor Arm Band

There are probably other brands doing this, but Polar seems to have the top spot from my research. This isn’t a chest strap or a wrist based tool, instead it’s an optical sensor that you can wear around your arm or on your head if swimming.

Why? Well mostly based on the above idea I noted about eliminating the chafing and knowing this will work for swimming, as well by having a swimming goggles strap clip option and being water resistant up to 30m.

You can wear it on your upper or lower arm – whatever you prefer more and whatever feels more comfortable to you.

A number of Run To The Finish athletes have moved to this option recently and LOVE it.

It has a USB charging adapter with a long battery life. It has a built-in memory for up to 200 hours of training. You can then sync your workouts quite easily to Polar Flow via the Polar Beat app. It’s also compatible with other popular fitness apps on both iOS and Android, such as Strava and Nike.

See the Polar Verity Sense ($89) >>

4. Best Heart Rate Monitoring Headphones

Sport headphones now use optical heart rate trackers, which is great if you listen to music while you run because you can get an update on your HR too. They work using optical technology that senses your pulse with an LED.

Jabra Elite Sport is one of the best I’ve seen for this. They do a great job with fit and technology, plus they’re waterproof!

It has a pretty good battery life that delivery 4.5 hours of play time and comes with a portable charging case that gives you 13.5 hours of power to keep going.

You can track the heart rate data with the Jabra Sport Life app that integrates with these earbuds.

Obviously the downside is you’re still relying on an optical sensor and you probably aren’t going to wear them all day or for sleep, if you want continuous tracking.

In fact, some of you might remember when I tested out the Oakley Radar Pace. Not only does it tell you HR, but provides sunglasses and coaching.

Think a chest strap or watch are your only options for measuring HR on the run, checkout these tools! Click To Tweet

5.“Smart” Hats for Heart Rate monitoring

Relatively new to the heart rate monitoring scene, LifeBEAM “smart” hats use Bluetooth and ANT+ signals to record bpm and transmit the data to your phone or watch.

I actually learned about this during my trip to Israel, as it was developed there! They have some seriously amazing technology happening and I can vouch for it being a pretty normal fit hat, you won’t look at it an know anything is different.

Electro-optical sensors measure your heart rate, calorie burn, and running cadence. With a battery life of 20 hours.

The hat looks like a regular running hat, so if you wear one during runs anyway, it could be a cool addition that does a little bit more than just keep the sweat and sun off your face.

In terms of weather compatibility, you can use this weather it’s raining or the sun is shining outside – no problem whatsoever.

The technology can connect with your GPS watch, Strava, and just about any other device.

See Lifebeam hat ($65)>>

Hopefully this breakdown of heart rate monitors for running, gave you some ideas to figure out what’s going to be most comfortable for you and help you track your training!

There’s so much to know about HR training, but if you’re concerned about running with a high heart rate a good monitor is key.

Looking for more reviews to find the best things for your run?

Checkout our full page of my must have running gear reviews and guides to save you time searching and money! I share what’s worked for me and fellow runners, along with what wasn’t worth the price tag.

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