Scale that measures body fat and muscle

The best smart scales are packed with up-to-date tech which can give you a detailed analysis of how much you weigh and other health and fitness metrics. They work by using biometric impedance analysis (BIA) - meaning as soon as you step on them they send a current of electricity through your body. The BIA will then travel through your fat, muscle and bone - measuring your percentage of each - giving you a clear idea of what your body is made up of. Once you have the smart metrics, normally via its adjoining app, you can then track your weight loss or health journey over a period of time.

Of course, smart scales will have a larger price tag than normal scales, but they’ll also come with an array of data, such as body fat percentage and some can even look at your heart rate. It is easy to use a smart scale, as most give you your stats, simply by stepping on them, while some others can connect to an app, via wifi or Bluetooth, to give you a more detailed picture of your health.

Want something that looks good in your bathroom? Most smart scales look the part too, with sleek glass designs, that can either be tucked away or displayed next to your other bathroom accessories. If you’re also wondering how they work next to the best fitness trackers or best smartwatches, most are compatible with them - syncing with your smart scale to give you an all-round picture of your health and show your progress through the months.

Wondering which one is right for you? We’ve put the latest smart scales from Garmin, Withings and Eufy through their paces - so you can see the results. In our testing process, we looked at how easy the smart scales are to use and initially set up, if the readings are accurate, and also consistent, while we also looked at how they sync with their adjoining apps and if the information they present to us gives us a clear picture of our health.

Whether you are buying one for the first time or upgrading we have a selection of smart scales for everyone's tastes and budgets - read on to find the best one for you.

The best smart scales 2022

The best overall smart scale you can buy

Specifications

Max user weight: 150 kg

Connectivity: Bluetooth

Size: 300 x 300 x 25 mm

Reasons to buy

+

Sturdy and steady

Reasons to avoid

-

Doesn't measure heart rate

The Xiaomi Mi Body Composition Scale 2 takes our number one place as the best smart scale you can buy today. Not only is it a breeze to set up, it also delivers accurate and consistent body composition data that you can track easily in the Mi Fit smartphone app.

The design is sleek and minimalist, the display (which only appears when the scale is in use) is bright and easy to read while standing up, and the non-slip glass platform feels sturdy and stable underfoot.

In our tests, we were particularly impressed by the simplicity of the whole process. If you only want to see your weight then no setup is required at all, but the scale allows up to six people to keep profiles with comprehensive stats including fat and muscle mass, BMI, and even estimated basal metabolic rate.

Your weight and body composition stats will sync with Google Fit, Apple Health and Samsung Health automatically, and if you own a Xiaomi fitness tracker like the Mi Smart Band 6, it's even easier to recommend, as all your health and wellbeing data will be gathered together in one place.

Read our full Xiaomi Mi Body Composition Scale 2 review

The best budget scale for simple body composition tracking

Specifications

Size: 280 x 280 x 23 mm

Connectivity: Bluetooth

Maximum user weight: 180 kg

Reasons to buy

+

Fast, easy setup

Reasons to avoid

-

Fairly small platform

The Eufy Smart Scale C1 is refreshingly fast and easy to set up. Just install the app, enter your name, height and gender, and you're ready to step aboard and start weighing. It takes mere seconds, and the scale can track up to 16 users (it will identify each person according to their weight and body stats).

Weight and body composition data was in line with that recorded by professional scales at our gym, and results were consistent across multiple weigh-ins.

There's no Wi-Fi connectivity, which means you'll need to have your phone within Bluetooth range in order to sync your data, but that's not a serious hardship – particularly since the scale can store up to 100 readings between syncs if it's out of range.

This is one of the smallest scales we've tested, with a platform measuring 28 x 28cm. That makes it handy for small bathrooms where storage space is at a premium, but if you sometimes struggle with balance then you might find one of the many Withings Body smart scales a better choice.

Read our full Eufy Smart Scale C1 review

The best premium smart scale to collect your health data in one place

Specifications

Size: 327 x 327 x 23 mm

Connectivity: WiFi and Bluetooth

Maximum user weight: 180 kg

Reasons to buy

+

Large non-slip platform

Reasons to avoid

-

Not the cheapest option

The Withings Body+ is another superb smart scale, with all the essential features you need for monitoring your health and weight. Setup isn't quite as effortless as the Eufy Smart Scale C1, but it's still straightforward, and if you have any other Withings devices (like a Withings Scanwatch, for example), all the data from these will be collated with info from your scale in one convenient dashboard.

The app also pulls in data from third-party apps like Apple Health and Google Fit, letting you see stats like your activity levels, and compare them with your changing weight and body composition metrics. If you're interested in getting a detailed overall picture of your health and developing better habits, it's a great choice.

Like Withings' other scales (listed below). the Body+ is well designed has a particularly large, bright display that's easy to read when standing up, and a sizeable toughened glass platform that makes it easy to balance. Measurements are consistent, and comparable with those from professional gym scales.

It's not the cheapest smart scale around, but the integration with other apps, devices and services is exceptional, and makes it easy to recommend.

Read our full Withings Body+ review

A smart scale that helps with more than just losing weight

Specifications

Size: 327 x 327 x 18 mm

Connectivity: WiFi and Bluetooth

Maximum user weight: 180 kg

Reasons to buy

+

Detailed body composition data

Reasons to avoid

-

Expensive

The Withings Body Cardio is the company's most advanced smart scale. Not only does it give an accurate measurement of your weight, muscle mass, body fat and so on, it can also provide an indication of your overall cardiovascular health, and help you take action to improve it.

The scale can measure both standing heart rate and pulse wave velocity. A lower heart rate is generally a sign of better fitness, while pulse wave velocity indicates how flexible your arteries are. Stiffer arteries mean your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body.

If that sounds confusing, don't worry – it's all clearly explained when your data is synced with the Withings Health Mate app (via either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). together with practical advice to help you improve your readings.

This isn't a scale you'll want to be carrying often (it's much heavier than the others in this listing), but its two-layer design with no feet means it can be used on any type of floor. That's a real win if you want to weigh yourself in a carpeted bedroom – electric scales are usually only suitable for hard floors, 

This is a premium scale, and has a price tag to match, but if you're interested in making long-term changes and improving your fitness rather than just losing weight, it could be well worth the investment.

Read our full Withings Body Cardio review

Provides comprehensive health measurements for cheap

Specifications

Size: 280 x 280 x 26 mm (11.0 x 11.0 x 1.0 inches)

Water rating: IPX5

Connectivity: WiFi and Bluetooth

Maximum user weight: 180 kg

Reasons to buy

+

Incredibly good value for money

Reasons to avoid

-

Fat, resting heart rate and BMR readings are way off

Eufy's Smart Scale P2 Pro is a feature-rich full-body monitoring system that can measure 16 different metrics for multiple members of your household, including pets and babies. But this smart measuring device can do more than just measure weight and body fat – the P2 Pro can also measure resting heart rate, protein percentage and body age, among other things.

But wait, there is more! Via the EufyLife app, you can also log your food intake – just like in MyFitnessPal – and set goals, create weekly/monthly reports, check daily/weekly/monthly/yearly trends and more. Needless to say, the more you use the scale, the better, as frequent measurements will help the app and the scale build a more accurate picture of your body.

Sadly, not all measurements are accurate, especially fat calculations. During our testing, both visceral and subcutaneous fat levels were reported as high, despite the overall body fat level being in the normal range. Even more strangely, this overall fat level was also much higher than expected; our reviewer had a DEXA scan done and been given a fat score of 12% three months prior to testing the Eufy P2 Pro, yet the scale said he had 21% body fat – and that's without any visible changes in physique.

Resting heart rate and, therefore, basal metabolic rate (BMR) measurements also seem off. Nevertheless, we enjoyed using the Eufy P2 Pro, and considering the low price, it's easy to look past the scale's flaws and appreciate its many useful features. The P2 Pro might not be the best smart scale on the market, but it's worth the money – not to mention, it syncs with third-party apps such as Apple Health, Google Fit and even Fitbit.

Read our full Eufy P2 Pro review

6. Wyze Scale X

A great budget smart scale with lots of features

Specifications

Size: 29.92cm x 29.92cm (11.8in x 11.8in)

Water rating: IPX3

Connectivity: Bluetooth

Maximum weight: 180kgs (400lbs)

Reasons to buy

+

Big list of metrics

Reasons to avoid

-

Lack of differentiation in presentation

The Wyze Scale X is a solid budget alternative to some of the other smart scales in this list. With 13 different metrics (body fat, muscle mass, body water, lean body mass, bone mass, protein, visceral fat, BMR, metabolic age, muscle mass percentage, and pulse checker) it's a pretty comprehensive package, along with modes for pregnancy, babies and pets. It's a swish-looking machine, and definitely worth the money its retailing for.

However, there's a couple of small design issues here that stop it from being a must-buy. For one thing, the in-app presentation of these metrics can get a bit confusing. There's only a couple of ways the information is presented, and most of these use a green sliding scale without offering too much information about your results. Are they good? Bad? Average for your sex, height and weight? Sometimes, it's hard to tell, especially with the more esoteric metrics. 

Nevertheless, it's a good, solid smart scale for the price, effectively telling you your weight, body composition, body fat percentage and loads more. Well worth picking up if you're after a budget smart scale. 

Read our full Wyze Scale X review

The best smart scale for Garmin device owners

Specifications

Size: 320 x 310 x 28 mm

Connectivity: WiFi and Bluetooth

Maximum user weight: 181.4 kg

Reasons to buy

+

Tough, stylish build

Reasons to avoid

-

Expensive

The Garmin Index S2 is another Wi-Fi enabled body composition smart scale, and delivers accurate, consistent results. Its screen is particularly high resolution, which allows you to see detailed graphs of your weight over time.

Data from the scale syncs with the Garmin Connect app, which you'll already be familiar with if you own one of the company's running watches or fitness trackers, allowing you to see all your health data in one convenient place. Garmin Connect also synchronizes with a bevy of third-party fitness and diet apps, including MyFitnessPal, Nike+ and Noom to name just a few, so you don't have to enter data from your weigh-ins manually.

We'd appreciate a little more context around each of the metrics shown in the app (for example, it would be helpful to know whether your muscle mass is normal for your age and gender, and how close it is to the boundaries) but this is nevertheless a great smart scale if your budget will stretch to it.

Read our full Garmin Index S2 review

How to choose the best smart scale for you

The best smart scale for you is going to be one that suits your lifestyle. Firstly, there are budget considerations to be made. 

If you’re just looking for a simple body composition-measuring device that doesn’t cost the earth, you may want to check out the uncomplicated, relatively affordable Eufy smart scale C1. However, if you’re looking for a premium device, you might want to look elsewhere.

It’s also worth considering the tech you already own and factoring that into the decision you make. For example, if you’re already heavily invested in the Fitbit economy, you may want to pick up one of Fitbit’s Aria-branded scales, that uploads your data automatically to your Fitbit app. 

On the other hand, if you already own one of our best Garmin watch picks, the Garmin Index S2 might be the only scale that makes sense for you, as it interfaces in a similar fashion with the Garmin Connect network. 

How we test

As you can see in the entries above, we test each smart scale comprehensively. We look at the design of the scale, and that’s not just about looks: we check out whether it’s difficult or easy to set up, how complicated it is to operate, and the design of the companion app if it has one. 

We also examine its features, such as what metrics the scale gives you, how many of these are useful, and if the scale requires batteries to be replaced rather than recharged. Finally, we look at its performance, checking its accuracy against its competitors. 

Cat is the editor of TechRadar's sister site Advnture. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better)