Two scales seem to be battling for the title of being the best smart scale of 2017. In one corner we have the Fitbit Aria, and in the other corner, with have the Withings Body Composition. In this Fitbit VS Withings battle we have two incredible weight and body fat scales from innovative manufactures.
This page will review both the Fitbit Aria scale, and the Withings Body Composition scale, so you can make an informed decision about which is the best scale for you. At the end of the day, they are both great scales full of innovative technology, so no matter which one you choose, you are going to find it absolutely invaluable for your achieving your fitness and weight goals.
Fitbit Aria Review
Fitbit is a well known name in the fitness industry, and nearly a household name in most countries by now. They are of course known for their Fitbit wristbands which count the number of steps you do each day. But these days, Fitbit also product the Aria WiFi Smart Scale.
A smart scale is one which can connect to other devices either via a WiFi connection, or Bluetooth. In the case of the Fitbit Aria, you can connect it to your home WiFi network which allows the scale to automatically send your data to your Fitbit account every time you step off it! By doing this, you can login to your account, or load the Fitbit App, and view easy-to-read charts and graph of your progress over time.
Why do I love smart scales so much? Monitoring your health trends over time is a huge motivator to achieving your fitness and weight loss goals. If you have to manually write down, or remember what your weight was each day or each week you measure yourself, you can lose sight of the long term progress you have been making. With a smart scale such as the Fitbit Aria (or in fact the Withings Scale reviewed below), you don’t have to deal with any of the hassle of recording your fitness data. Each and every time you step off the scale, your data is synced to your personal fitness profile.
When you login to your account, either on your PC or smartphone, you can see within a minute or two what progress you have made. You can trend your progress over the past week, month, or year, or set your own date range.
Alongside viewing charts and graphs of your progress, the Fitbit account provides a few other tools that will help you stay motivated. These include:
- Goal Setting: Using your own fitness account you can set your goal weight and body fat percentage. Once you have a target to reach you can actively strive towards reaching it, and the Aria scale will easily show each step of progress you take towards achieving your goal. You could also consider setting some fitness goals that the scale can’t track.
- Social Sharing: Your Fitbit profile can easily be shared with friends if you would like others to be able to see your progress. Sometimes this is a great motivator, if others are able to hold you accountable for reaching your goals! For those that want to keep their data private, no worries, sharing your info in completely optional.
- Fitbit Reward Badges: As you progress, but Fitbit offers small bits of encouragement along the way in the form of reward badges. You might earn a badge when. Say, you lose your first 5lbs.
Beside being a Smart WiFi Scale, what other features does the Fitbit Aria scale treat us with? Well typically a bathroom scale will just show your weight. Some of the best bathroom scales might have the ability to change from pounds to kilograms. But the Fitbit Aria takes it to the next level and lets you calculate some additional measurements of your health and fitness.
The first of these is body fat percentage. The Fitbit Aria enables you to accurately measure your body fat percentage at home. The average body fat percentage for men is about 18% to 24%. For women, the average body fat percentage is about 25% to 31%. This varies by age, but is a good general guide. If you’re into fitness, are an athlete, or want to be a bodybuilder, then of course you should aim for a lower body fat percentage.
The Aria also measures your BMI, or body mass index. Your BMI is simply a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. If you have a high BMI, you may be at risk of some diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, or high blood pressure.
Basic Fitbit Aria Features
- Measures weight, BMI, lean mass & body fat percentage
- Automatically recognizes up to 8 users
- Backlit LCD display for easy reading in low light conditions
- Weight units can change from pounds to kilograms or stones
Advanced Features
- Automatically syncs data by connecting to your home Wi-Fi network
- Displays weight stats & trends in simple easy-to-read graphs
- Works with Fitbit trackers and the Fitbit app
- Log food and calorie intake via the Fitbit app
- Record workouts, runs, and hikes to see your fitness progress via the app
Essential Facts & Figures
- Runs on four AA batteries (included)
- Best used on hard flooring (not carpet or soft rugs)
- Measurement range is 9kg to max 158kgs
- Fitbit app is available on Apple App Store, Google Play, and Windows Store
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Withings Body Composition Review
The biggest competitor to the Fitbit Aria is the Withings Body Composition scale (also sometimes called the Withings WS-50). The Withings Body Composition has essentially all the capabilities of the Fitbit Aria, just packaged in a different way, with a few key difference.
As I’ve said on other reviews, not too many people get excited about getting a bathroom scale for their birthday or at Christmas. But the Withings Body Composition scale may just be the best bathroom scale as a gift for any fitness or technology lover.
That’s quite a strong claim! So let’s review my reasoning for this.
The on screen display is one of the most innovate displays I have seen on a scale. And I have reviewed over 50 of the best bathroom scales over the past year. Why is it so innovative? What the screen does is keeps track of your previous eight weigh-ins and displays this in an on screen graph, while you are standing on the scale.
A simple feature such as this helps you keep track of the larger weight loss journey you are on. Most weight scales simply show todays weight on the scale, however being able to see your previous eight weights shows if you are trending in the right direction.
Sometimes if you gain weight since last time you’re stood on the scale you may be discouraged. But fact is, everybody naturally changes weight throughout the day. So if you are just looking at 2 days results you may not be getting an accurate and true record of your progress.
Essentially, the Withings Body Composition scale smartscreen helps boost motivation by showing longer term trends, and not daily fluctuations. LOVE IT! In my mind, this feature alone makes the Withings Body Composition scale one of the best scales for weight loss.
As with all of the best smart scales, the Withings Body Composition scale connects to other devices to give you further insights into your body’s measurements. All you need to do is connect your scale to your home network via WiFi, and your data will begin to automatically sync with the Withings servers.
Once your data have been automatically synced after each time you step off the scale, you can load the Withings Health Mate app to see how you are progressing towards whatever fitness goals you have, using beautiful and simple on-screen graphs and charts.
You can also get some personalized fitness advice from the app, win small award badges, view weekly reports, and generally keep a track of all your fitness vitals.
Not only is this great for data geeks like myself that love these type of features in smart bathroom scales, but there is growing evidence that setting fitness goals increases the chances significantly of you having a successful fitness regime.
Other than being one of the smartest Wifi connected weight and body fat scales you can buy on the market today, the Withings Body Composition scale also has a few other tricks up its sleeves, both of which I find quiet special in setting this scale apart from the Fitbit Aria.
Because many people lack the discipline to stand on the scale frequently, and at the same time each day, Withings have introduced a little trick to encourage this. Thanks to the scales Wifi connection, and smart display, it will show you the day’s local weather forecast if you jump on the scale before work in the mornings!
This simple feature ensures that every morning I take 1 minute to stand on the scale, let it record my body’s data, and check whether I need to take an umbrella or raincoat with me to work. But the main benefit to this is that I get daily data accumulating within my Health Mate app, so when I get on the bus a few minutes later, I can open the app and see how I am trending towards my goals.
Another innovative use of the scales screen is its ability to show how many steps you took the day prior. This is achieved by linking your Withings scale with one of the 100+ other devices and apps it can connect too. So if you choose to use apps such as MapMyRun, Runtastic, or Runkeeper, your Withings is all set to show yesterdays step count, while you are seeing today’s weight and body fat changes. What better way to see a direct correlation between the effort you put in, and the results you get out?
Last but not least, the Withings Body Composition scale has all the essential features many of the best smart bathroom scales have.
This includes automatic recognition of up to eight different users which makes this the perfect scale for larger households or personal trainers. Each user will be individually recognized and have their data synced automatically to their Health Mate profile. Most smart scales track about 4 people, so have the extra 4 is a bit of a nice bonus.
It is an accurate scale which can measure weight in 0.2lb increments, and runs on four AAA batteries. This ensures the scale can run for about 18 months before a replacement set of batteries needs to be installed. The scale comes in two colours, and is available for under $100. Final word is that this is perhaps one of the best Wifi scales we have reviewed, and also one of the best smart scales we have reviewed. We highly recommend the Withings Body Composition scale.
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Feature Comparison: Withings VS Fitbit
Price
Fitbit Aria: The price of the Aria scale is typically just under $130, which may be a little too high for some people. The cheapest weight scales and cheapest body fat scales can be bought online for under $20. But with the extra investment you get a lot of extra features. Not only do you get a quality scale but also one that will last for many years. You are also buying quality design that has given much thought to creating a simple to use product. Many of the cheaper smart scales can be frustrating to use, and you can tell little thought has gone into the design and functionality.
The convenience of owning a smart wifi scale also makes the extra investment worthwhile. I like to track trends over time, and using a smart scale the automatically syncs to my devices to graph my data seamlessly and effortlessly is priceless.
There are no ongoing costs with the Fitbit Aria. Just a few batteries every 18 – 24 months. The Fitbit account is free for all users. However one additional purchase you may want to make one day is a Fitbit wrist pedometer.
Withings:
Setup
Fitbit Aria: Setting up your new Aria scale literally takes less than 5 minutes….from the time you start opening the box! You simply set it to connect to your home wifi network and then the scale can easily be setup from a computer or smartphone.
Battery Life
Fitbit Aria: The Aria scale takes four AA batteries to run, which are included in the package (don’t you hate products like this that don’t ship with the first set of batteries!). Most manufactures of scales will claim that battery life is 12 to 18 months, but I’ve found that the Fitbit Aria will run for a few years without it’s batteries needing to be replaced. My friend has had hers for just under two years, and it is still running fine! A cool little feature of the Aria scale is that it will send a push notification to your phone when the battery on the Aria scale is low.
Withings:
Ratings
Reviews
Both Withings and Fitbit scales have thousands of positive reviews from all corners of the internet. We looked at feedback from top retailers such as Amazon, and also discussions about these scales on various fitness discussion forums. Below is a quick snapshot of the type of comments these products attract.
Fitbit Aria Reviews & Comments
Withings Reviews & Comments
Brands
Fitbit is an American consumer health company that is perhaps best known for producing the Fitbit wrist devices that track how many steps you do in a day (the fancy name for this is of course a pedometer). They are a giant company valued at over $1.5 billion. You can buy any Fitbit product, including the Aria scale, knowing that much research and development has gone into it, and the manufacturer will stand the test of time and be able to honor the product warranty. The Fitbit brand was founded October 2007.
Withings was founded in France in June 2008, but is now part of the Nokia group after being purchased in early 2016. Withings make a range of smart products and multiple smart scales. Like Fitbit, they also invest heavily in research and development with the goal of creating great new innovative products. The Withings Body Composition and Body Cardio products reflect their passion for sleek design and digital innovation.
Warranty
Fitbit Aria: All Fitbit Aria scales ship with a one year warranty. This covers against defects in the materials, production, and workmanship of the product. This simply means that Fitbit agree to replace or repair the Aria scale at their expense, on the condition that it is broken due to reasons at their fault, and not due to you misusing the product.
If you drop your Fitbit Aria, it won’t be covered under warranty. If you drop something on it, it also won’t be covered. If you find it just doesn’t work one morning, then more than likely it will be repaired or fixed by Fitbit.
Withings Body Composition: The Withings bathroom scale also has a one year warranty, with all the same conditions as explained above.
Most bathroom scales we have reviewed on this site will have a one year warranty and this seems to be the norm.
Tips for using your scale
Regardless of whether you choose to buy the Fitbit Aria or the Withings Body scale, there are a few bits of advice I’ll give you to ensure you are getting the most out of your scale.
- Use the scales on a hard surface: Typically most people place their scale in the bathroom (hence why they are often called bathroom scales!). Most bathrooms have hard floors, so are the perfect place to get accurate readings. However if there is no room in your bathroom, perhaps tuck it away on any other hard surface in your home.
- Always use the scale at the same time: Your body changes quite a bit during the day. If you stand on the scales at 8am one day, then 8pm the next day, chances are you are not recording the most accurate data that you could be. Choose a time where you are always at home, and try to use your scale at this time each day. It doesn’t have to be exactly the right time, but I find the best time to use my scale is between 8am and 9am, so this is the hour I aim for.
- Don’t use after drinking large amounts of water: As this can affect some of the readings that smart scales can provide.
- Use the scales without socks or shoes: If you are in bare feet you will get the more advanced readings such as body fat. The scale won’t be able to work properly unless you have bare feet.
Final Word in the Withings VS Fitbit Battle
Which is better, the Fitbit Aria, or the Withings Body Composition scales? By now you should have a pretty good idea of which brand produces the best scale for you. They are two of the most innovative smart scales available today, from trusted brands that create great products.
I personally really love my Withings Body Composition scale, but if you are a Fitbit owner, or want to track heath health, the other scales listed on this page may be exactly what you are looking for, and we highly recommend them.
Brands mentioned in this review: Withings.com, Fitbit.com
I think if you have a Fitbit watch, then the fitbit is the obvious choice. If you use all the other apps, then the Withings makes more sense. Right?
Hi Cliff,
I agree. If you already have a Fitbit product, then the Fitbit Aria is a great choice. If you don’t have a Fitbit product, then I’m tempted to lean towards getting the Withings Body Composition.
Jason