Garmin Vs. Apple Watch (2025): An Expert-Driven Comparison of Two Top Fitness Trackers

In the realm of the best fitness trackers, we here at GGR have routinely held Apple and Garmin watches in high regard, thanks to the impeccable functionality, health tracking capabilities, and third-party app compatibility available in each of the brand’s gadgets. Naturally, then, these high praises lend themselves to a singular question—which is the better fitness wearable, Apple or Garmin?

As a data hound myself, I’ve used both Garmin and Apple devices in my personal training regimen over the years. Our expert team of certified personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and fitness aficionados also has experience with these high-tech workout tools. Below, we’ll outline the fine details of each respective silhouette to give you the full scoop on these training tech titans. For more information on how we test products for our content, be sure to read our GGR equipment testing methodology page.

Garmin Forerunner 965

Garmin Forerunner 965

GGR Score: 4.4

Check Price

Product Highlights

• Garmin running watch
• Color AMOLED display
• Features multi-band GPS and built-in maps
• Provides suggested workouts and training readiness
• Shows on-wrist running dynamics and training status
• Includes USB C cable and manual

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Available in 3 colors
• Both touchscreen and button control
• Live location tracking and incident alerts with location data
• Built-in maps and multiband maps
• Tracks sleep data and provides a readiness score in the morning

Cons

• Short 1-year warranty
• Expensive at almost $600 dollars
• No ECG heart rate tracking
• No wireless charging capabilities
• Very mixed reviews on the Garmin Connect App

Bottom Line

The Garmin Forerunner 965 is a running watch with multi-sport functionality. It features an AMOLED display, multi-band GPS, and built-in maps and tracks your activity, recovery, and sleep. Customer reviews for that watch are mostly positive. However, multiple customers dislike the Garmin Connect interface.

Apple Watch Series 10

Apple Watch Series 10

Product Highlights

• Pricing starts at $399

• 18-hour battery life

• Seamless integration with other Apple devices

• Tracks heart rate, steps, ECG, sleep apnea

• Can track body temperature and energy expenditure

• Optional data plan available

• Added data unlocks calls and texts without your phone

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Tracks heart rate, body temperature, ECG readings, and more
• Stream music, calls, and texts with a data plan
• Works seamlessly with other Apple products
• Fast charging and bright display

Cons

• Battery only lasts up to 18 hours
• Sensors don’t work well with tattooed skin
• Only a slight improvement from the Series 9

Bottom Line

The Apple Watch Series 10 is an excellent smartwatch that’s made some small improvements over the Series 9, including a larger, thinner screen and faster charging time. This is the perfect choice for iPhone users who want a watch that acts as an extension of their phone.

Comparison Chart: Garmin Vs. Apple Watch

It goes without saying that both Garmin and Apple offer more than one fitness watch profile. To help keep things as simple as possible, we’ve pitted the Garmin Forerunner 965 against the Apple Watch Series 10 for this comparative review. Both are the latest iterations of their respective lineups for around the same price point. For more information on each brand’s roster of wearables, check out our best Garmin fitness trackers and Best Apple Watch round-ups.

Additionally, we’ll admit that it can be difficult to stay up to date on every tech release. While our team, myself included, has ample experience with the Forerunner 965 watch face, we are less seasoned with the Series 10 from Apple. Our latest testing bouts involved the Apple Watch Series 9, the predecessor to this Series 10 silhouette. Thankfully, though, the Apple Watch ecosystem hasn’t changed drastically between these two profiles, so we feel we’re still able to provide worthwhile insight.

Quick Look: Garmin Vs. Apple Watch

Garmin has long been a staple in GPS and wearable tech, with the brand’s Forerunner lineup serving up some of the best running watches on the market. The 965 profile is the latest and largest Garmin has to offer from this stable boasting in-depth metrics for performance, sleep, heart rate, and more. Additionally, you can monitor incoming notifications for email, texts, and phone calls, although you’re unable to actually speak through the watch—you’ll need a connected smartphone for such responses. For more information on this high-tech wristwear, be sure to read our Garmin Forerunner 965 review.

While the Forerunner 965 is a fitness tracker that doubles as a smart device, the Apple Watch Series 10 is more of a smartwatch-first profile capable of connecting to all your Apple devices, keeping your daily controls within reach. From a workout perspective, the Series 10 is capable of tracking multiple workout disciplines across its interface and providing helpful insight to your performance, although the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the more training-focused profile of the bunch. That said, though, the starting price of $799 may be too rich for some athletes, lending to our focus on the Series 10 for this comparison piece.

Key Similarities Between Garmin and Apple Watch

• Both watch brands feature mobile apps that sync to each respective watch face. Garmin uses Garmin Connect, while the Apple Watch Series 10 operates with Apple Fitness.
• The Forerunner 965 and Apple Watch Series 10 features multiple workout modules for tracking specific training disciplines.
• You can receive daily alerts on either device such as app notifications, texts, emails, and phone calls.
• Both Garmin and Apple feature multiple sensors for data tracking purposes, including swim sensors, making them some of the best waterproof fitness trackers available today.
• You can connect to multiple third-party apps with either wearable including Spotify, Strava, Zwift, and MyFitnessPal, among others.
• Both Garmin and Apple offer multiple watch bands, giving you room to find a style and look that suits your preferences.
• Each device supports wireless charging capabilities for added convenience.

Important Differences Between Garmin and Apple Watch

• The Forerunner 965’s battery life trumps the Apple Watch Series 10’s 18-hour stores. The Garmin profile can last up to 23 days between charges when operating in smartwatch mode.
• Garmin’s library is more diverse than Apple’s. The Forerunner 965 can track nearly 80 different activities, whereas the Series 10 can track only 25.
• While you can receive alerts on either device, you can only respond to texts, emails, and calls on the Apple Watch Series 10.
• You have more customization options with the Apple Watch profile. You can choose between a 42-millimeter or 46-millimeter watch face made from either aluminum or titanium—the Forerunner 965 is only available in a 1.4-inch titanium bezel.
• Garmin’s interface can track more health and wellness metrics such as body battery, a branded statistic that explains your training readiness and available energy stores.
• You can use the Forerunner 965 on both Android or iOS devices. The watchOS interface is only compatible with iPhones.
• There are more style options with the Apple Watch Series 10, giving athletes aesthetics options that could fare better outside of training. While the Forerunner 965 is available in multiple colors and features interchangeable silicone bands, the sports watch look is far more present that may not translate as easily to other social settings.

RELATED: Garmin Discount Code

Fitness Tracking

The trackable activities across both the Apple Watch Series 10 and Garmin Forerunner 965 are expansive and should be able to fit most general fitness needs. However, the Forerunner’s options are more specific to different modalities, meaning you can classify your training regimens better to your environments. For example, Garmin has modules for treadmill running, outdoor running, trail running, and more while Apple only lists a general “Running” module for such needs.

While it may seem like an unnecessary clarification, having these specific modules can be helpful for your fitness log, as each activity can pose different stressors and challenges. This can help you stay more informed on your progress and where your improvements are shining through most.

RELATED: How to Use a Fitness Log

Of course, though, the availability of these modules is only worthwhile if you actually think you’ll use them. The Apple Watch Series 10 can still provide helpful fitness tracking capabilities if you’re only looking for a basic monitoring setup. If you do prefer a more categorical layout, though, the versatility of the Forerunner 965 can be more appealing.

Health and Wellness Metrics

Both the Apple Watch Series 10 and Garmin Forerunner 965 are well-built smartwatches with plenty of health and wellness tracking capabilities. This is due to the high-quality sensors equipped across each silhouette. While either profile can be helpful with sleep tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, step counting, or determining how many calories you burn in a day, the Forerunner 965’s capabilities are more training-oriented than the Series 10’s capabilities.

Garmin’s trackable metrics include basic measurements such as calories burned, VO2 max, and heart rate—similar to the Apple Watch Series 10—but the watch’s abilities in other, more specific sports like cycling, hiking, and swimming provide additional readouts catering to specific workouts. For example, your swimming stroke power and cadence can be tracked with the Forerunner 965, while the Series 10 is not equipped for such measurements.

Of course, though, while we trust the metrics available through either watch face, we do recommend taking the data with a grain of salt. Studies report that data measured by wrist-worn activity trackers can be widely inaccurate at times. A 2022 study¹ states that energy expenditure on fitness trackers can be off by more than 30%.

Phone Notifications

What sets the Apple Watch Series 10 and Garmin Forerunner 965 as smartwatches rather than simply fitness trackers is their added capabilities beyond just tracking your calories and steps. You can receive alerts, emails, texts, and even pay for goods across each respective touchscreen—Apple Pay for Apple, Garmin Pay for Garmin. However, only the Series 10 grants you the ability to respond to your phone calls and messages directly through the watch face itself.

RELATED: Fitness Tracker Vs. Smartwatch

When you opt for a cellular-powered Apple Watch model (and pair it to an active service plan) you essentially turn your wrist-worn gadget into an extension of your smartphone. The Garmin, on the other hand, can only alert you of incoming notifications, similar to what you experience with other fitness trackers from the likes of FitBit or Samsung.

RELATED: FitBit Vs. Garmin

Battery Life

The battery life of the Apple Watch Series 10 is up to 18 hours, although you can sustain power for up to 36 hours if you use the device in low power mode. While this can be decent enough for many needs, the juice is nowhere close to the capabilities of the Garmin Forerunner 965. When used in smartwatch mode, this Garmin wearable can go for up to 23 days between charges.

This can be excellent for multisport athletes that need effective battery power to fuel different activities day in and day out. However, the Forerunner 965 is not the most powerful battery in Garmin’s stable of performance smartwatches. The Garmin Fenix 8—another latest release from the brand—can last up to 29 days in smartwatch mode.

Style and Aesthetics

The Apple Watch Series 10 is available in three watch face finishes for each case option (aluminum or titanium) on top of the 42-millimeter or 46-millimeter size choices you have. Pairing these selections with the abundance of band picks at your disposal, and you can quickly see how this Apple Watch silhouette is better suited for lifestyle wear than the Garmin Forerunner 965 from a style perspective, at least. Yes, Garmin does offer the Forerunner 965 in multiple silicone band colorations, and you have the power to accessorize with different quick-adjust band accessories, but the quantity is not there when it comes to putting together a watch that fits every wardrobe.

Company Policies

Garmin offers a one-year warranty from defects in materials or workmanship. Additionally, the brand grants free 30-day returns for the Forerunner 965, although third-party sites such as Amazon, REI, or Fleet Feet may offer more enticing deals for this wearable.

Apple also offers a one-year warranty package for the Apple Watch Series 10 which also comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support when purchased through the brand’s retail site. As with Garmin, though, you may be able to find better return policies on other third-party retailers—Apple’s current return policy allows for free returns up to 14 days from the original purchase.

Garmin Vs. Apple Watch: Final Thoughts

For fitness enthusiasts wanting to upgrade their understanding of health and wellness metrics, the Apple Watch Series 10 and Garmin Forerunner 965 are two of the best smartwatches available today and can be excellent wearables capable of tracking informative stats across your workouts. In my opinion, though, the Forerunner 965 is more of an advanced tool designed for training given its heightened emphasis on activity tracking without other conveniences like receiving phone calls, supporting style needs, and more.

The Apple Watch Series 10 seems to be a better fit for casual athletes wanting their gadgets to work in multiple environments, whereas the name of the game with Garmin is performance and training. The price point is also lower with the Apple Watch, although you’ll need to account cellular expenses if you truly want to turn your wristwear into everything it can be. In the end, be sure to take your personal preferences into question and decide on a wearable that suits your needs best—regardless of your choice, you’ll surely be on your way to more informed training.

Garmin Vs. Apple Watch FAQs

References

1. Germini, F., Noronha, N., Borg Debono, V., Abraham Philip, B., Pete, D., Navarro, T., Keepanasseril, A., Parpia, S., de Wit, K., & Iorio, A. (2022). Accuracy and acceptability of wrist-wearable activity-tracking devices: Systematic review of the literature. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(1). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35060915/

Ben Emminger, NASM-CNC, NASM-CSNC

Ben is a NASM-Certified Nutrition Coach and NASM-Certified Sports Nutrition Coach with over eight years of experience within the health and fitness category, specializing in areas such as strength training, running, recovery, nutrition, wearable tech, footwear, and apparel. His works have been previously featured by DICK’S Sporting Goods as well as Gear Patrol. Ben holds a B.A. in Print Journalism from Penn State University and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When not training, testing products, or writing content, Ben spends his time pursuing his other interests which include cooking, hunting, fishing, hiking, DIY projects, and intramural sports, among others.

Further reading

REP Bumper Plates vs Rogue Bumper Plates (2025): A Plate Is A Plate Is A Plate?

by Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1

The definitive guide to REP Bumper Plates vs Rogue Bumper Plates: Find out which plates you should buy for your home. Read more

A Home Gym Owner’s Dream Product: Bells of Steel Cable Tower Review (2025)

by Stephanie Lehner

In the realm of the best fitness trackers, we here at GGR have routinely held Apple and Garmin watches in high regard, thanks to the impeccable functionality, health tracking capabilities, and third-party app compatibility available in each of the brand’s gadgets. Naturally, then, these high praises lend themselves to a singular question—which is the better fitness wearable, Apple or Garmin?As a data hound myself, I’ve used both Garmin and Apple devices in my personal training regimen over the years.  » Read more about: Garmin Vs. Apple Watch (2025): An Expert-Driven Comparison of Two Top Fitness Trackers  » Read more

13 Best Low-Carb Protein Bars (2025): Our Picks of the Finest Carb-Conscious Bars On the Market

by Destini Moody, RD, CSSD, LD

A sports nutritionist weighs in on 13 of the best low-carb protein bars so you can choose the one that works best for you. Read more

Fitbit Aria Air Review (2025): Smart Scale Ideal for Fitbit Users 

by Lauren Strong, CPT

We enlisted one of our expert testers, who’s also a CPT and nutrition coach, to test this household name brand smart scale for our Fitbit Aria Air review. Read more