I wore the Fitbit Air and Whoop band to see which is best

Google made a splash recently by overhauling the Fitbit app and renaming it Google Health, and at the same time released a brand new fitness track under the Fitbit brand. The Fitbit Air is a screenless activity band similar in design to the early Fitbits of the 2010s, and at £84.99, the cheapest Fitbit in the range.

Given its design, it has been compared to Whoop, a range of fitness straps also aimed at being worn 24/7 to collect health and fitness data. The firm has a good reputation amongst fitness fans thanks to its concentration on strain and recovery metrics rather than steps and distance.

But the big downside to Whoop is the price. The latest Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG bands come free when you sign up upfront to a yearlong subscription, but it ain't cheap: there are three tiers that start from £169 per year and go right up to £349 per year.

That's a lot to pay, and the Whoop bands don't function at all unless you keep paying.

This is partly why the Fitbit Air has got a lot of attention, as it looks like a Whoop but does not require a monthly or annual payment to function.

I've been wearing the Fitbit Air and Whoop MG together for a month to find out if the Whoop is worth the wedge, or if the thrifty Fitbit will suffice for most.

In my initial review of the Fitbit Air when it launched in May, I said the lack of screen, contactless payments and GPS were downsides considering the Fitbit Charge 6 has all these features and is often on sale for about £100.