Comparison of chest straps – heart rate sensors

Tags: Selection Guide | Garmin | Suunto | Polar

12.3.2026

There are many chest straps on the market that, besides heart rate, offer additional features. Some measure power, and some can even be used for swimming. This article gives you an overview of all the straps we offer.

Most brands also make chest heart rate sensors for their watches. But it’s not necessary to use a sensor from the same brand as your watch. Almost all sensors use one of two standard transmission technologies (Bluetooth or ANT+), so they can be mixed and matched across brands. For instance, Coros supports pairing with chest sensors but currently doesn’t offer a strap of its own.

We already covered how a chest strap works and what advantages it has over wrist-based optical heart rate measurement in the previous article.

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Now let’s break down the technical specifications and features of all the chest straps we offer.

Garmin HRM 200

The Garmin HRM 200 is a basic chest strap for measuring heart rate. As the most affordable of Garmin’s straps, it does only the basics—and, really, the most important thing: measure heart rate. You can have the strap paired to your watch and, at the same time, for example, to your trainer. The sensor is, uniquely among Garmin’s lineup, detachable from the chest strap. You can connect to smart devices via Bluetooth or ANT+.

Its water resistance is just 3 ATM, so it’s suitable for any sport except swimming. It lasts up to 1 year on a single, replaceable battery.

Garmin HRM 600

HRM 600 is a premium strap with the advantage that it can be used for all types of activities (running, cycling, swimming, etc.). It meets a higher water-resistance rating of 5 ATM. It also has internal storage for activity recording, so you don’t need to have any smart device connected. The sensor can be used throughout the day in place of wrist-based optical heart rate measurement, and it can connect to smart devices via ANT+ or Bluetooth.

You’ll appreciate the internal memory for sports where a watch on the wrist gets in the way—such as climbing, basketball, soccer, or martial arts. In these activities you can use the internal storage, which then records heart rate, step count, and intensity minutes.

The storage can also be used for indoor sports when you start the watch but don’t want to wear it. After you finish, you can download the data from the chest strap directly to the watch.

In addition to internal storage, the strap also supports Running Dynamics (vertical oscillation, vertical ratio, left/right balance, …), which can help improve your running or reveal potential injuries. With compatible watches it also provides data on running effectiveness and stride-based speed loss.

Sample running metrics in the Garmin Connect analysis

On top of that, it has a rechargeable battery with up to 2 months of life—just unclip the sensor from the strap and connect it to the charger.

Garmin HRM-Fit

The HRM-Fit chest sensor is designed specifically for women. It has a specially adapted strap that can be attached to a sports bra.

When paired with a watch, it shows heart rate like any other chest sensor. It can also measure power, but only for cross-country skiing. It’s not suitable for swimming, as its water resistance is only 3 ATM. The strap can be paired via ANT+ and Bluetooth.

It typically lasts up to 1 year and uses a replaceable battery.

If you’d like to see the specifications more clearly, here’s a table with the key information:

Polar H10

Polar’s top-tier chest strap offers many advantages. The design uses a soft textile material (Polar Pro strap) with a detachable sensor. The strap is complemented by silicone elements that keep it firmly in place and prevent shifting or slipping. The closure is a classic buckle rather than the hook found in most cases.

The chest strap can also be paired with the Polar Flow app, which also handles firmware updates. The strap can work independently and record data to its internal storage (you’ll need the Polar Beat app for this feature). In addition to measuring heart rate, it can also record heart rate variability and supports ANT+ (unlimited) and Bluetooth (up to 2 devices simultaneously).

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Suunto Smart Heart Rate Belt

Suunto’s chest strap continues a great concept, with what is probably the smallest sensor of any strap on the market. Besides measuring heart rate, the strap can also measure heart rate variability. Suunto equipped the sensor with Bluetooth only, not ANT+.

The strap has its own internal storage, and you can save an activity to it and transfer it to a device afterwards. Its battery can handle up to 500 hours of activity; if you train an average of an hour a day, it will last more than a year. The battery can then be replaced.

Although the water resistance is specified at 3 ATM, this strap allows swimming and heart rate monitoring directly in the pool.

Sensors in everyday use

Each strap in our selection has its advantages and a few quirks. If I had to choose, honestly I’d combine all three brands and take the best of each. Suunto’s sensor is probably the smallest and thinnest in the world, which is a big advantage when wearing close-fitting clothing.

Polar, on the other hand, has a unique chest strap with silicone dots that prevent the strap from moving on the body. Garmin brings a wealth of additional features for Running Dynamics, and the top tiers also support power measurement (watts).

Other companies have a different philosophy from Garmin. They typically offer a single, universal chest strap, whereas Garmin aims to cover all segments—from an affordable, less-equipped strap to the most feature-packed one at a hefty price.

Feel free to tell us in the comments which strap you like best and whether you prefer additional metrics beyond heart rate.

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