The best smart scales do far more than simply weigh you. Sure, they can do that too, but they also give you a detailed breakdown of your body composition, from muscle mass and body fat percentage to bone density and hydration status. Some smart scales can even measure your visceral fat, a type of fat that builds up around your vital organs, and which, in excess, is a risk factor for health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
That said, smart scales should not be treated as diagnostic devices. For the most accurate body composition measurements, the gold standard would be a DEXA scan (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, best known for its application in bone density testing). However, these are medical imaging tests and are not available for routine use. Smart scales are therefore the practical, budget-friendly way to track your body composition on a daily basis. You can find more information in the FAQs section down below.
But exactly which model should you buy? To ensure you get the best value for your money, we have tried and tested some of the best smart scales on the market. We thoroughly assessed each model's design and functionality, then compared its measurements with the data we obtained with bigger, more precise BIA machines. Scroll down to our How we test section to read more about our testing protocol.
Want to track your physical activity, too? Investing in one of the best fitness trackers can give you detailed insights into your sleep, exercise and general fitness.
The quick list
Best overall
We loved the Renpho smart scale. It is affordable, stylish and compatible with most major health apps, but more importantly, it was impressively accurate in our at-home tests. The fact that it is rechargeable was the icing on the cake.
Best on a budget
The Wyze Scale X punches way above its affordable price point with its detailed assessments of body composition and heart rate. Plus, it features various weighing modes such as for luggage and pets, making it an excellent family-friendly option.
Best looking
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale impressed us with its sleek minimalist design. However, we would warn that the categories you are placed in can be demotivating and might not be ideal for those with a history of eating disorders.
Best for large feet
The Withings Body smart scale was the largest scale we tried and tested offering a great surface for those with larger feet or balance problems. It is more basic than some of the other smart scales but still pairs with a number of major health apps.
Best for athletes
The Index S2 has all the high-end specs you would expect from a Garmin device, and is the most accurate of all smart scales in this guide. The app is designed for multiple weigh-ins, making this an ideal choice for athletes.
Best smart scales we recommend in 2025: From budget-friendly options to premium smart scales for athletes
Why you can trust Live Science Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best ones for you. Find out more about how we test.
Best smart scale overall
✅ You use multiple trackers: It can sync with more than 100 health and fitness apps.
✅ You want something reliable: It is relatively accurate and has good connectivity.
✅ You are on a budget: Great value for less than $35.
❌ You hate smudged glass: It smears easily.
🔎 Renpho Smart Scale: It is well made, affordable and offers relatively accurate measurements alongside useful insight into body composition, striking a great balance between price and functionality. ★★★★½
The Renpho Elis 1 Smart Scale easily claims the top spot in our round-up. It is lightweight, easy to use and comes with an excellent accompanying app, but more importantly, it delivers some of the most accurate and robust measurements of all the models we have tested — and it only costs $34.99. The fact that it easily syncs with all the main popular health apps, from Apple Health to Fitbit and MyFitnessPal, is another selling point for us.
We found the Renpho Elis 1 very user- and beginner-friendly. It measures 13 different body metrics, while the app gives you further context about those measurements, and how they relate to the average person. This in turn can help you get better insight into your fitness progress and general health as well as identify areas that may need some improvement. We also liked that this affordable smart scale made it easy to access all our health data in one place.
Unlike most smart scales we’ve tested, the Renpho refreshingly comes with a rechargeable lithium battery and USB charger (included) rather than triple AAAs. It also has unlimited users and baby and pet modes, making it a great choice for families and multi-person households.
But what we loved most about this device is its accuracy. Compared with professional gym scales, it put our tester at two pounds (lbs) heavier — a close reading. We found similarly accurate results with other body metrics during our full Renpho smart scale review. For example, our body water reading was only 5% lower on the Renpho scales than when measured with a larger, more precise BIA machine in our local gym.
Our only real complaint was that the glass on the black model smears easily and if you move it about it might need recalibrating. But if you’re looking for a budget-friendly gadget that delivers, this Renpho smart scale is an excellent choice.
- Read our full Renpho smart scale review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Stats | Weight, BMI, body fat (subcutaneous and visceral), lean body mass, body water, skeletal muscle, muscle mass, bone mass, basal metabolic rate and metabolic age |
Modes | Default, Baby and Pets |
Supported apps | Renpho app (free) and 100+ health and fitness apps |
Best budget smart scale
✅ You want multiple weighing modes: It can weigh babies, pets and luggage.
✅ You want to track your heart rate: It can turn your phone camera into a heart rate sensor.
✅ You are on a budget: It is the cheapest option in this guide.
❌ You want great accuracy: It is considerably less reliable than premium models.
❌ You hate smudged glass: It smears easily.
❌ You are a beginner: It does not fully explain the metrics.
🔎 Wyze Scale X: This budget-friendly smart scale offers heaps of body composition metrics and a heart rate monitor, but it may not be the best option for beginners. ★★★★½
The Wyze Scale X may not be the most wallet-friendly smart scale on the market, but it offers excellent value for money. At just $33.99, it tracks 12 body metrics (including resting heart rate) and offers body weight trend graphs to help you track your progress. The Wyze Scale X can cope with up to eight users and also has both a pregnancy and a weight-only mode, as well as luggage, pet and baby modes. It also syncs with FitBit, Apple Health and Google Fit.
While it did not wow us with accuracy during our full Wyze Scale X review, it still delivered a relatively good performance for such an affordable model. For example, the Wyze Scale X underestimated our tester's muscle mass by only 10% when compared to a recording from a larger, more accurate BIA machine in the gym. That said, we found its body fat measurements to be quite off the mark and we would not recommend this smart scale if fat loss is your primary concern.
We liked its easy-to-use app: simply tap on the different sections to see your readings. However, you will need to either know your stats already or do some research, because there is little insight into the data. And without that, some people may find it difficult to assess what your results may mean and how they relate to your overall health and fitness.
However, we’re big fans of the heart rate monitor feature. This works with your smartphone camera. You just put your fingertip on the camera lens, which becomes an optical heart rate monitor, giving you a resting heart rate measurement. This can give you some insights into your cardiovascular fitness and is a good place to start if you want to know how to get fit.
- Read our full Wyze Scale X review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Stats | Weight, BMI, body fat percentage, heart rate, lean body mass, muscle mass, visceral fat, BMR, bone mass, metabolic age, protein and body water percentage |
Modes | Default, Pregnancy, Baby, Pet and Luggage |
Supported apps | Wyze app (free), Google Fit, Apple Health, Fitbit |
Best looking smart scale
✅ You want lots of health data: It measures 13 body composition stats.
✅ You want to weigh objects as well: It has a dual weighing mode.
✅ You are on a budget: It costs approximately $60.
❌ You use multiple trackers: It does not sync with third-party apps.
❌ You need a big display: Most metrics are only shown in the app.
❌ You want Wifi connectivity: Some devices may not be compatible.
🔎 Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2: Sleek, good-looking and packed with tracking features, this smart scale is an exceptionally stylish choice for your home. However, some may find its metrics to be worded in a slightly offensive way. ★★★★
With its minimalist design, hidden LED screen and smooth edges, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2 certainly looks high-end, even if it is actually budget-friendly — it costs around $59.99. We liked its design so much that we gave it a solid 4/5 star rating in our Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2 review, even though we were slightly disappointed by its somewhat simplistic approach to assessing body composition.
It’s Bluetooth-enabled, so you will need to download and open the companion Zepp Life app to see your 13 body composition stats. On the scale itself, you will just get a basic weight reading, but the app has offers more insight, albeit in a way that felt a bit clunky.
For instance, the app gives you a “body age” and a body score out of 100, giving users a label (e.g. “good” or “poor”). It’s certainly a fairly simple ranking, but could be helpful to some people. Like most smart scales, you can view a section on how your weight and body fat has changed over time, but it doesn’t show info for the other metrics, which feels like an oversight.
Our tester also found the body type feature mildly offensive - based on your stats it puts you into a category like ‘thick set’, ‘skinny’ or ‘lacks exercise’. In simplistic terms this could be demotivating, but at worst it could be triggering for anyone with a history of body image issues.
Another quibble is that we would prefer a USB charger over batteries, but it’s a decent and affordable scale that gives some useful insight into health and fitness metrics.
- Read our full Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2 review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Stats | Weight, BMI, body fat percentage, water percentage, protein percentage, basal metabolic rate, visceral fat, muscle mass, bone mass, body age, ideal weight and body type |
Modes | Default, Baby, Objects |
Supported apps | Zepp Life (formerly Mi Fit app, free to use) |
Best smart scale for people with big feet
✅ You have large feet or balance issues: It has a large surface area.
✅ You use multiple trackers: It can sync with more than 100 health and fitness apps.
❌ You want multiple tracking features: For that, check out the brand’s Body Smart or Body Scan scales.
❌ You hate smudged glass: It smears easily.
❌ You want top-end accuracy: It underperformed in our tests.
🔎 Withings Body smart scale: One of the largest smart scales we have tested, it offers excellent app connectivity and multiple weighing modes, but it does not measure any body composition metrics. ★★★½
The Withings Body smart scale is certainly well-designed, and with its unusually large surface area and up to 180 kg (400 lbs) capacity, it is one of the best options for heavier users, those with big feet and people with a poor sense of balance. But given it only measures your weight and BMI, some might reasonably argue it's really no different from a fairly basic digital scale. However, we beg to differ.
The Withings Body scale comes with some excellent smart features. It pairs with the intuitive Health Mate app and will sync with many of the other main health and fitness apps too. It can analyze your weight trends, tell you the weather or, if you have a Withings watch, even provide you with your step count for the day.
However, we had some reservations about its accuracy during our full Withings Body smart scale review. When compared with the professional body composition scales at the gym, the Withings Body scale showed wildly different readings. It also recorded our tester as 3.1 kilograms (kg) / 7 pounds (lbs) heavier than their home Renpho ones, a quite significant difference.
The Withings Body scale certainly does everything it’s meant to do well, but lacks any advanced metrics and gives no insight into body composition. If that’s what you want to track, you’re better off investing in the brand’s Body Smart or Body Scan scales instead — these models can track weight, BMI, body fat percentage, water percentage, and muscle and bone mass. However, they are two to three times more expensive than the basic Withings model.
- Read our full Withings Body smart scale review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Stats | Weight and BMI Withings Body Smart or Body Scan: weight, BMI, body fat percentage, water percentage, muscle and bone mass |
Modes | Default, Pregnancy, Baby and Athlete |
Supported apps | Withings Health App (free) and 100+ health and fitness apps |
Best smart scale for athletes
✅ You want precision: It offers the most accurate measurements of all the smart scales in this guide.
✅ You want detailed progress tracking: It is perfect for multiple weigh-ins.
✅ You use Garmin fitness trackers: It can sync with the Garmin Connect app.
❌ You are on the budget: It costs $149.99.
❌ You are a beginner: It does not explain the metrics in sufficient detail.
🔎 Garmin Index S2: One of the best-performing smart scales we have tested, it offers accurate measurements of body composition and impressive connectivity, but it also comes with a sky-high price tag. ★★★
If you are already a Garmin fan, you might well be temped by the latest version of their smart scales. The Index S2 offers an upgrade on the previous model, with a new color screen, upgraded sensors and more body metrics. However, at $149.99, we have to say there are much better devices out there.
Firstly, the pros. It syncs well to the Garmin Connect app (as well as MyFitnessPal) and is certainly well designed. Its lightweight and portable, and easy to use. It looks good, too.
However, for the price we would expect a lot more information about the metrics it records and what they mean. It's pretty standard, certainly, for smart scales to have a small screens and not much data on them, but the accompanying app then should offer a deeper dive. Unfortunately that's not the case here. The scales and app simply offer the same data, with no context or explanation. The only extra you get on the app is health trend graphs.
During our full Garmin Index S2 review we also found there was an emphasis on multiple weigh-ins, which could be useful for pro athletes but for the average person is not particularly helpful if you might be inclined to obsessive behaviors. On the plus side, it impressed us with its accuracy. For example, its body weight reading was only 0.1kg higher than the professional BIA machine.
There’s no doubt the Garmin Index S2 is well made and looks sleek, but it's expensive and simply doesn’t offer enough for the price.
- Read our full Garmin Index S2 review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Stats | Weight, BMI, bone mass, skeletal muscle mass, body fat percentage, body water percentage |
Modes | Default, Body weight only |
Supported apps | Garmin Connect (free) and MyFitnessPal |
Best smart scales: Comparison
Model | Rating | ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons | Size (inch) | Max user weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Renpho Smart Scale | ★★★★½ | Accuracy, design, smart features. | Glass smears easily, needs recalibrating. | 11.8 x 11.8 | 180 kg/ 396 lbs |
Wyze Scale X | ★★★★½ | Price, features, ease of use. | No WIFi, hard-to-read display. | 11.8 x 11.8 | 180 kg/ 396 lbs |
Xiaomi Mi Smart Scale 2 | ★★★★ | Price, design, ease of use. | Basic display, app. | 11 x 11 | 150 kg/ 330 lbs |
Withings Body | ★★★½ | Accessibility, surface area. | Smeary glass top, limited features. | 12.8 x 12.8 | 180 kg/ 396 lbs |
Garmin Index S2 | ★★★ | Ease of use, display, features. | Price, app. | 12.6 x 12.2 | 180 kg/ 396 lbs |
Our expert consultants
Dr. Daniel Atkinson is a general practitioner and clinical lead at Treated, an online healthcare provider. He obtained his medical qualification at the University of Southampton Medical School in 1999 and became a GP in 2004. Daniel supervises GPs in training and has extensive experience in upholding the highest standards of medical practice.
Dr. Jane Glazebrook is a clinical team leader and consulting doctor at The Slimming Clinic, a UK-based online healthcare provider. She obtained his medical qualification at the University of Southampton in 2013. Jane offers medical-assisted weight management, guiding her patients through a successful weight loss journey while helping them manage and/ or prevent multiple chronic diseases.
Best smart scales: FAQs
What do smart scales measure?
Smart scales not only measure your body weight, but they can also provide you with a detailed analysis of body composition, Dr Daniel Atkinson, general practitioner and clinical lead at Treated, an online healthcare provider, told Live Science. "They essentially break your body weight into different components, such as water, bone, muscle and fat mass, to give you a better picture of what your body consists of," he said.
However, not all smart scales are created equal. While some devices only measure basic metrics like muscle mass and body fat percentage, others — such as the Renpho Elis 1, for example — can also track more in-depth stats like visceral fat mass (a type of body fat that accumulates around your internal organs, sometimes referred to as "hidden fat") and basal metabolic rate (a minimum number of calories your body needs to perform basic bodily functions, such as breathing and pumping blood.) Some premium smart scales can even track your water intake and measure your heart rate.
"In addition, many smart scales can be synched up with other fitness tracking devices such as smart watches, helping to provide users with a more comprehensive analysis of their weight, body composition and general fitness," Dr. Jane Glazebrook, clinical team leader and consulting doctor at The Slimming Clinic, a UK-based online healthcare provider, told Live Science by email.
What are the potential benefits of tracking your body composition?
Body composition analysis can give you more insights into your health than Body Mass Index (BMI), a calculation that uses only your weight and height, Atkinson said. "Having a BMI of 30 or above, for example, usually means you are obese, but it is also possible to have a high BMI and a low body fat percentage. For example, a bodybuilder carrying a lot of muscle may have a high BMI because of how much their muscle mass weighs — but this does not necessarily mean that their body composition is unhealthy," he explained.
Understanding how your body composition changes over time can also help you achieve your fitness goals. "The hard work you have put in and the lifestyle changes you have made might not show up instantly as a different number on your scales. It can sometimes take weeks, or even longer before you start to see a difference in your body weight, even though your body composition may have been continuously changing," Atkinson said.
Glazebrook also said, "Some people might find that their weight plateaus slightly at certain points, but this can be caused by many factors, from dehydration and increased muscle mass to water retention."
How do smart scales work?
Most smart scales use a non-invasive method called Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), or bioimpedance, where they send low-voltage electricity through your body and measure your body’s resistance to it. This electric current flows freely through muscle and other tissues with high water content, but it will meet resistance in tissues with low water content — such as body fat. Smart scales then convert this data into body composition measurements and send the results to your phone, Atkinson said.
How accurate are smart scales?
How accurate are smart scales? The answer to this question is not straightforward. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) is not as precise as Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and other clinically validated methods of measuring body composition, and as such, it should not be treated as a diagnostic tool. Moreover, plenty of factors can interfere with its readings, from hydration level and foot placement to skin temperature, and some smart scales may be more accurate than others, our experts agreed.
"Ultimately, smart scales do not take into account every factor that can influence a person’s weight and they do have their limitations. For an accurate picture of how your weight reflects your overall health, it is best to speak to a medical professional," Atkinson said.
That said, both experts agreed that smart scales can still help you identify trends — as long as you use them correctly. The reliability of these devices depends largely on their initial setup and tracking consistency. That is because your body weight can fluctuate throughout the day, and your smart scales can give you different body composition readings depending on when you use them. It is also vital to read the instructions manual to ensure you use the scales correctly, they said.
How we test smart scales
How do we test the best smart scales at Live Science?
All of the smart scales in this guide have been tested by our team of health and fitness writers. We evaluate accuracy and performance by comparing readings to a professional body composition reading at a gym. We also consider factors such as design, the range of body composition metrics, the quality of supporting apps and the information they provide, and portability. Each smart scale is then awarded a star rating.
Latest updates
March 25, 2025: We updated the FAQs section.
February 28, 2025: We added the Comparison table.
