A few months ago I saw a Facebook ad for this lovely little health tracker I had never heard of before. I clicked through to the site and sent it to my sister, gushing about how cool it looked.

I already owned a Fitbit Flex that I had worn every day for about a year and a half, so I was hesitant to buy a second tracker.

I contacted Bellabeat to see if I could test out the product, and to my delight, they agreed! The following review is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. The only compensation I received was the health tracker and accessories.

LEAF Health Tracker Review

From the Bellabeat LEAF website:

An entirely new way to take care of your body and mind

The LEAF brings a new level of quality to your life. A beautifully designed health tracker that helps you monitor your activity, sleep quality, stress levels, and understands your menstrual cycle. It helps you improve specific aspects of your daily routine so you can feel your absolute best.

The most personalized wearable device

You are unique in every way. The LEAF understands what makes you tick and gives you personalized insights for you to feel energized and ready to own your life. The LEAF is designed to allow you to be creative in the way you wear it. Wear it as a necklace or bracelet with LEAF accessories or items you already own. You can also clip the LEAF to any clothing item as a stylish accent. You choose what fits your style best in any given occasion.

We found a way to give technology the touch of nature

We shape the LEAF the same way nature shapes the curves of every single leaf on every tree. Made of 100% American wood, each LEAF is unique, just like the person wearing it. Its advanced technology is hidden inside a 100% American wooden housing, giving it a soft natural appeal that isn’t found in other wearables.

Bellabeat Leaf Tech Details

My experience with the LEAF:

Favorite aspects:

The design is truly beautiful, and I love the different ways to wear it.
The app interface is also really attractive.
The 6 month battery is an awesome feature. The Fitbit battery would last about a week, and I can't tell you how many times I forgot to charge it.
The LEAF is made with a woman's overall health in mind, with stress reduction and cycle tracking features.

How I wear it:

I clip it to my clothing whenever I'm sleeping or exercising, then usually wear the bracelet other times. The necklace is easier, but I love how the bracelet looks.

Bellabeat LEAF as a Bracelent

Activity Tracking:

For the first two days I wore both my Fitbit and LEAF to compare how the steps are tracked. They matched up pretty closely, so I'd say the LEAF is accurate. There is a bit of a difference depending on whether you wear it clipped to clothing vs. as a bracelet, but Bellabeat has recently updated the app so you can choose how it was worn.

The app was also recently updated to track activity (similar to the "active minutes" for Fitbit). There are limited activities you can input as well.

Health Tracking:

The LEAF automatically tracks your sleep (whereas you have to turn that part on for FitBit). It's almost always accurate too, but if not, you can adjust it.

I've never really tracked my cycle before, so that aspect was interesting. The app shows an estimate of when you're ovulating. I take an oral contraceptive, however, so I don't believe this aspect applies to me.

I'll be honest, I haven't used the breathing exercises, but I think it's a great feature. It will also buzz if you are inactive for too long.

There are many more features I haven't mentioned, so be sure to check out the website.

A Few Differences Between Fitbit Flex vs. LEAF:

The LEAF is 'splash proof' while the Fitbit is water resistant.
You cannot track food or water with the LEAF app. (I still use the Fitbit app to track my water intake). I am betting there will be an app update for this within the year, though.
The LEAF is able to predict your sleep for the night vs. manual tracking in Fitbit.
The silent alarms on LEAF are gentle and quiet.

**To be clear, I would recommend both the band the LEAF. It just depends on the functionality you're looking for. The LEAF has more support for your mental well-being, while the FitBit has more support for weight loss.

The LEAF is relatively new, so I expect even more great things to be available in the app during 2016.

My contact at Bellabeat has also hinted at a few surprises for the holiday season, so I'm excited to find out what those are! At $119, it would make a perfect gift.

These lovely trackers have a waiting list, so I recommend heading over to the website and signing up!