For a long time,
the only thing Fitbit charged was its devices and Fitbit Coach, the independent exercise app that offers guided workouts. But in 2019, Fitbit launched Premium, a new paid service that puts various features behind a paywall. Premium is designed to be an enhanced version of Fitbit's standard free app, but also includes workouts that were previously exclusive to Fitbit Coach.
There are many cool things about Premium, but the service is not for everyone. Below we will explain exactly what it does, how much it costs, and who we think it is for.
Fitbit Premium: how much does it cost?
Fitbit Premium normally costs €9,99 / €7,99 / €15,49AU per month. You can subscribe from the Fitbit app by tapping the Premium tab and following the instructions. It's not a cheap service, but the good news is that
Fitbit has extended its free trial from seven to 90 days, so you can try it for three months and, if it's not for you, cancel without it. Pay a fee.
Fitbit Premium - Free for 90 days
To help you stay healthy while you're stuck at home, Fitbit has extended the free trial of its premium fitness app, which is packed with information about your wellness, lifestyle, and about you. provides access to thousands of video and audio workouts so you'll never get bored. View the offer
Fitbit Premium: Guided Programs
Let's start with one of the first things you'll see if you sign up for Fitbit Premium: Guided Programs. It's also one of the best features of the service: It's where you can tailor your goals to the things that matter most to you. There are a number of programs to choose from, including one to get more sleep, one to kick the sugar habit, and another to help anyone new to the sport. Each program is several weeks long and each will require you to choose goals and reminders to ensure you stick to the schedule.
The Get More Sleep program, for example, lasts for two weeks and reminds you to go to bed, and even features soothing nature sounds to help you escape. During this time, the Get Active program will ask you to set daily step goals, as well as pick a day of the week to push yourself a little harder than usual. We love how these programs can be customized to fit your schedule and needs; they are not universal.
Fitbit Premium - Standby Features
If you track your sleep with Fitbit's free app, you're already getting some decent data to munch on and even interesting information. In Premium, you get two additional features: a "Sleep Score," which is a total number out of 100 that rates your sleep quality; and a "Restore" graph, which shows your heart rate while you sleep and how much time you spent rolling and rolling at night. Our opinion? The features on hold are still not good enough to justify the Premium subscription; the features available in the free tier are certainly quite good.
Fitbit Premium sleep program (Image credit: Fitbit)
Fitbit Premium: Workouts and Challenges
Premium also gives you access to a variety of in-app workouts, from 15-minute yoga and HIIT workouts to 30-minute cardio kickboxing and dance workouts. This all comes in the form of a video that you can watch in the app and work out, which is useful for honing your form and keeping you motivated, especially during those longer sessions. Each workout is marked as "Easy", "Medium" or "Hard" and gives you details of which body parts it will target and how many calories the workout should burn. Once you're done with a workout, you'll have the option to save the workout to the app. It is important to note that although
Fitbit Premium incorporates all the workouts found in Fitbit Coach, the Coach app is still standalone, and there are still Fitbit Coach workouts you can do on the device using Fitbit smartwatches. However, you'll need to open the Fitbit Coach app on the watch to do this, and then they'll sync. Go back to Premium, and Fitbit also offers special "challenges" that you won't get in the free tier, including a custom challenge that lets you set your own active minute, distance, or step challenge. Fitbit challenges are a way to compete with other users; think of them as another way to motivate yourself and others.
Fitbit Premium running (Image credit: Fitbit)
Fitbit Premium: information
Stats are one of our favorite Premium features that provide useful information about your activity and sleep. For example, it can tell you that your heart rate has been a little higher than usual and recommend ideas to relax. Fitbit will try to connect the dots between different factors here, like sleep, steps, heart rate, etc. for more advanced personalized information. However, at present, much of this information seems too generic. Our hope is that Fitbit's software gets smarter over time as it gets to know us better.
Fitbit Premium: Wellness Reports and Health Coaching
Another great feature of Fitbit Premium is that it will allow you to generate a fitness report with heart rate, weight, sleep and activity data in an easy to read 30-day overview, followed by graphs. more detailed for each. The idea is that you can share these reports with your doctor, nutritionist, or anyone else who has a vested interest in your health. Of course, its usefulness depends on the trust of your doctor or other people, but it is much better than showing them an app. Speaking of which, Premium's best feature may still be yet to come. When the service was introduced in 2019, Fitbit announced that it would eventually launch a health coaching section where subscribers could speak one-on-one with a certified health coach through the app. For starters, Fitbit will target users with chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, and trainers will work with users to create personalized programs to keep them on track. Unfortunately, this feature has not yet been implemented at the time of writing this article, but we hope it won't be too long.
Fitbit Premium calories (Image credit: Fitbit)
Fitbit Premium: for whom?
Right now, we think Fitbit Premium has two great features. First, guided programs, which can be effective for those who are easily overwhelmed by health and fitness programs, or for those who simply need to continue to be encouraged. The second feature to consider is the library of workouts that you can follow. Some people find it a more motivating form of exercise, and it's cheaper than paying for an actual class! However, Premium still feels a bit undercooked. The health coaching feature that will connect users with trained professionals hasn't launched yet, and the improvements to sleep tracking aren't worth the effort. For now, Premium will be most valuable to those who just want a little more structure to their fitness, and if that doesn't work out after a few months, you can always cancel.