Fitbit has two of the best smartwatches you can buy in 2019 with the Fitbit Versa and the recently released Fitbit Versa Lite.
In this Fitbit Versa vs Versa Lite comparison, I’ll cover the differences in design, colors, features, and specs. I’ll also note a few alternatives you may want to consider and offer some final thoughts based on my personal experience wearing and using the devices in everyday life.
Fitbit Versa vs Versa Lite: Design
The Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite Edition look like your typical smartwatch and they both have a slim design.
As far as interacting with the devices, both the Versa and Versa Lite have an easy to use touchscreen as well as a physical button on the left side to help you navigate the display.
The only difference between the Versa and the Versa Lite’s design is the number of physical buttons. The original Fitbit Versa has two additional physical buttons on the right side that make interacting with the display even easier.
Winner: Fitbit Versa (for having two additional physical buttons)
Display
Both the Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite Edition have the same easy to use touchscreen display. It is a full color display that is made from Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Winner: Tie
Battery Life and Charging
The Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite both have a respectable battery life of 4+ days.
Both Fitbit smartwatches require a proprietary, non-standard charging cable, but the Fitbit Versa charger is the exact same as the charger for the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition.
The Fitbit Versa / Versa Lite charger has a typical USB (type A) plug on one end and a cradle attachment on the other end.
Winner: Tie
Fitbit Versa vs Versa Lite: Colors
Fitbit Versa Colors
The regular edition Fitbit Versa comes in five base color options:
- Black aluminum frame with black classic band
- Silver aluminum frame with gray classic band
- Rose gold aluminum frame with peach classic band
- Rose gold aluminum frame with periwinkle classic band*
- Rose gold aluminum frame with ruby classic band**
*The periwinkle version is only available from Target and Best Buy, but you can buy the periwinkle classic band on its own.
**The ruby edition is only available from Kohl’s and you cannot buy the ruby classic band separately as it is a limited edition band color.
Pro Tip: If you’re going to get additional Fitbit Versa bands, you’ll want to make sure you choose a frame color that will look good with your other band colors, too.
There are three different Fitbit Versa frame colors to choose from: black, rose gold, and silver. So, if you know you want a black and rose gold metallic knit band to go with your Versa, then you’d probably want to choose the Fitbit Versa with the peach band color.
Fitbit Versa Lite Edition Colors
The Fitbit Versa Lite Edition comes in four base color options:
- Silver aluminum frame with white classic band
- Silver aluminum frame with lilac classic band
- Marina blue aluminum frame with marina blue classic band
- Mulberry aluminum frame with mulberry classic band
Pro Tip: If you’re going to get additional Fitbit Versa Lite Edition bands, you’ll want to make sure you choose a frame color that will look good with your other band colors, too.
There are three different Fitbit Versa Lite Edition frame colors to choose from: silver, marina blue, and mulberry. So, if you know you want a silver metal band to go with your Versa Lite, then you’d probably want to choose the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition with either the white or lilac band color.
Fitbit Versa vs Versa Lite: Features
All-Day Activity Features
The Versa and Versa Lite are two of the best smartwatches you can buy in 2019.
As such, they can both track your all-day activity including your steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes.
However — unlike the Fitbit Versa — the Versa Lite Edition lacks an altimeter, so the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition cannot track your elevation gain or your floors climbed.
Winner: Fitbit Versa (for having an altimeter, which gives it the ability to track elevation gain and floors climbed)
Hardware Features
Both the Fitbit Versa and the Versa Lite are waterproof so you can wear them in the shower, pool, or ocean. They also both have an optical heart rate sensor and a relative SpO2 sensor, as well as a wide selection of interchangeable bands.
Unfortunately, neither have the ability to connect to an external heart rate strap nor do they have on-board GPS, though both can use your phone’s GPS to give you real-time pace and distance during your workout as well as a map of your route that you can view in the app after your workout.
The Fitbit Versa gets a leg up over the Versa Lite here with the ability to store and play music and to connect to bluetooth wireless headphones.
Also, non-US versions of the Fitbit Versa all have an NFC chip that allow you to make wallet-free payments from your wrist (in the US, only the Fitbit Versa Special Edition has this feature).
Winner: Fitbit Versa (for having music storage & playback and — for non-US versions only — wallet-free payments from your wrist)
Display Features
Both the Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite Edition have adjustable brightness, color touchscreen displays that can display the time of day. The also both have access to 3rd party clock faces and the ability to keep the display always-on during exercise.
Both smartwatches can also display for females where they are in their cycle and all of your health stats are displayed on a personalized dashboard called Fitbit Today.
Winner: Tie
Exercise Features
Both the Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite have multi-sport exercise tracking and can automatically detect certain exercises, including pool swimming.
They also sport customizable data fields during a workout and the ability to start a workout based on a goal (time, distance, or calories).
Both smartwatches also provide post-workout summaries, your minutes in each heart rate zone, and your cardio fitness level estimation.
The Fitbit Versa gets a leg up over the Versa Lite by having on-screen workouts as well as the ability to start a swim workout and see laps, calories, and duration during a swim workout (the Versa Lite can only auto-detect pool swimming and show summary stats after the workout has ended).
Neither smartwatch has customizable alerts during exercise, nor can either track open-water swimming.
Winner: Fitbit Versa (for having the ability to show real-time on-screen stats for swim workouts and having on-screen workouts)
Sleep Features
Fitbit trackers are easily the best wearables for tracking your sleep and the slim designs of the Versa and Versa Lite Edition might even make you forget you’re wearing something on your wrist while you sleep.
Both smartwatches can track your sleep automatically, measure your resting heart rate, and wake you with a silent vibration. They can also measure how much time you spend in each Sleep Stage and give you Sleep Insights. Additionally, the Fitbit app can help you set a Sleep Schedule and give you a Bedtime Reminder.
Finally, both the Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite have a relative SpO2 sensor, however, the data it collects is currently not being provided in any way to the user.
Winner: Tie
Smart Features
Both the Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite Edition can display call, text, and calendar notifications as well as push notifications from other apps on your smartphone. You can also accept or reject calls from your wrist and Android users can even respond to texts on the go with pre-populated or custom quick replies.
Both smartwatches can also control the music playback on your smartphone and have access to all of the 3rd Party apps in the Fitbit App Gallery.
Winner: Tie
Wellness Features
You’ll get Reminders to Move and Guided Breathing sessions on both the Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite Edition as well as the ability to customize the reminders and see your Hourly Activity history in the Fitbit companion app.
The app for both trackers also allows you to log your food, water, and weight.
Additionally, females can use the Fitbit app to track periods, record symptoms, see a predicted ovulation calendar and more.
Winner: Tie
Social Features
The Fitbit companion app for both the Versa and Versa Lite allows you to add friends and compare your step counts in a rolling 7-day leaderboard. You can also create challenges with some or all of your friends to see who can take the most steps in a day, workweek, or weekend.
If you want some extra motivation you can try Fitbit’s Adventures and take a virtual hike with your daily steps, or discover like-minded people through topic-specific communities with Fitbit Groups. Fitbit even has their own Feed where you can see updates from your friends and groups.
Winner: Tie
Fitbit Versa vs Versa Lite: Specs
 | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition | |
| MSRP | $199 | $159 |
| Release Date | April 2018 | March 2019 |
| Smartphone Compatibility | Android, iOS, Windows Phone | Android, iOS, Windows Phone |
| Battery Life | 4+ days | 4+ days |
| Hardware Features | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Interchangeable Bands |  | |
| Heart Rate | | |
| External Heart Rate Strap Connection |  | |
| Waterproof | | |
| GPS | Can only connect to your phone's GPS | Can only connect to your phone's GPS |
| Bluetooth Wireless Headphones Connection | | |
| Music Storage & Playback | | |
| Payments | Yes for all countries except the United States (in the US, only the Versa Special Edition has Payments) | |
| Relative SpO2 Sensor | Yes, but not currently providing any data to user | Yes, but not currently providing any data to user |
| Display Features | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Displays Time of Day | | |
| Customizable Clock Faces | | |
| 3rd Party Clock Faces | | |
| Always-on Display | Only during workouts | Only during workouts |
| Color Display | | |
| Touchscreen | | |
| Adjustable Brightness | | |
| Fitbit Today | | |
| View Fitbit Leaderboard | | |
| View Sleep Duration | | |
| View Female Health Stat | | |
| All-Day Activity | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Steps | | |
| Distance | | |
| Total Calories Burned | | |
| Active Minutes | | |
| Floors Climbed | | |
| Exercise Features | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Automatic Exercise Detection | | |
| Multi-Sport Exercise Tracking | | |
| Goal Based Exercise Tracking | | |
| Customizable Data Fields During Exercise | | |
| Customizable Alerts During Exercise | | |
| Post-Workout On-Screen Summaries | | |
| Minutes in Heart Rate Zones | | |
| On-Screen Workouts | | |
| Cardio Fitness Level | | |
| Pool Swimming | | Auto-detect only (can't see stats during a swim workout) |
| Open Water Swimming | | |
| Sleep Features | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Automatic Sleep Detection | | |
| Basic Sleep Tracking | | |
| Resting Heart Rate | | |
| Silent Alarm | | |
| Sleep Stages | | |
| Sleep Schedule | | |
| Bedtime Reminder | | |
| Sleep Insights | | |
| Sleep Score Beta | Currently not accepting new users | Currently not accepting new users |
| Smart Features | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Call Notifications | | |
| Accept or Reject Calls | | |
| Text Notifications | | |
| Quick Text Replies | Android only | Android only |
| Calendar Notifications | | |
| Smartphone App Notifications | | |
| Basic Apps | | |
| Weather App | | |
| 3rd Party Apps | | |
| Smartphone Music Playback Control | | |
| Wellness Features | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Hourly Activity | | |
| Reminders to Move | | |
| Guided Breathing | | |
| Female Health Tracking | In App | In App |
| Water Logging | In App | In App |
| Food Logging | In App | In App |
| Weight Logging | In App | In App |
| Social Features | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Friends | In App | In App |
| Groups | In App | In App |
| Feed | In App | In App |
| Challenges | In App | In App |
| Solo Adventures | In App | In App |
| Adventure Races | In App | In App |
| Where to Buy | Fitbit Versa | Fitbit Versa Lite Edition |
| Fitbit | Buy at Fitbit | Buy at Fitbit |
| Amazon | Buy at Amazon | Buy at Amazon |
Fitbit Versa vs Versa Lite: Alternatives
The Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Versa Lite Edition are both great smartwatches, but maybe you want a tracker that’s slimmer or looks more like a fitness tracker. Or maybe you really need built-in GPS or the ability to connect to a chest-strap heart rate monitor.
If so, here’s a look at some of the best alternatives to the Fitbit Versa and Versa Lite.
Fitbit Versa Special Edition
MSRP: $229
Release Date: April 2018
Smartphone Compatibility: Android, iOS, Windows Phone
Battery Life: 4+ days
The Fitbit Versa Special Edition is identical to the Fitbit Versa with two additions.
First, the special edition has an NFC chip, which allows you to make payments with your tracker.
And second, the special edition comes with a really nice lightweight woven band (small and large size) in addition to the classic black band (small and large size).
Pros:
- Has payments (Fitbit Pay)
- Includes a really nice woven band
Cons:
- More expensive
Fitbit Ionic
MSRP: $269
Release Date: October 2017
Smartphone Compatibility: Android, iOS, Windows Phone
Battery Life: 5 days
The Fitbit Ionic is the only (non-discontinued) Fitbit that has built-in GPS.
So, if you want to see you real-time pace and distance without having to take your phone on your workout, the Ionic is the only Fitbit you should consider.
Pros:
- Has built-in GPS
Cons:
- Heart rate tracking during high intensity workouts can be significantly lower than actual
Fitbit Charge 3
MSRP: $149
Release Date: October 2018
Smartphone Compatibility: Android, iOS, Windows Phone
Battery Life: Up to 7 days
Pros:
- Better battery life
- Tracks floors climbed and elevation gain
- Has swim tracking
Cons:
- No 3rd party apps
Fitbit Inspire HR
MSRP: $99
Release Date: March 2019
Smartphone Compatibility: Android, iOS, Windows Phone
Battery Life: Up to 5 days
Pros:
- Slim design
- Great price and value for money
Cons:
- No floors climbed / elevation gain
- No quick text replies
- No 3rd party apps
Fitbit Versa vs Versa Lite: Summary
The Fitbit Versa Lite Edition has a slightly smaller feature set for a $40 discount and is easily the best smartwatch under $200. You have to like the Versa Lite color options, however, as there is no traditional black version.
If you need one of the missing features or you prefer the regular Fitbit Versa color options, you’re still getting a great smartwatch for a pretty great price. Or, if you need to, you could always wait for one of the several yearly Fitbit sales to save some money.
Best Fitbit Smartwatch
Fitbit Versa
Cheapest Fitbit Smartwatch
Fitbit Versa Lite Edition
If you’re on a budget and you don’t need any of the features that the Versa has over the Versa Lite Edition, then definitely save the money and get the Versa Lite.