Choosing between the Fitbit Versa 2 and the Versa Lite is a decision many people struggle with when looking at Fitbit's two smartwatches

At first glance, the Fitbit Versa 2 and Fitbit Versa Lite look almost identical, but there are a few differences between the two devices, starting with the price: the Versa Lite can be had for as little as $99, half the price of the $199 Versa 2 While the Versa 2 has a brighter AMOLED display, built-in Alexa, and several other features,

the Versa 2 has a brighter AMOLED display, built-in Alexa, and several other features

Compare the Versa 2 and Versa Lite to help you decide which is best for you

Editor's note: Fitbit is phasing out the Versa 2 in favor of the new Fitbit Versa 3 ($229) with a larger, clearer display, built-in GPS, Alexa and Google Assistant, and 6-day battery life Stay tuned for our comparison

Most Fitbit Versa 2 models are $19999, but there are two special editions with braided (rather than rubber) bands, usually $229

The Fitbit Versa Lite is normally $159, but the all-Mulberry-colored version is $99 If you don't mind the color, that's a good price Be sure to check out Fitbit's deals page for the latest sales and discounts

Both watches have square displays, but the Versa 2 is slightly larger at 0987" versus the Versa Lite's 09478" It is doubtful that one would notice this difference

Both displays are capable of 1,000 nits brightness, perfect for viewing in sunlight, and are protected by Gorilla Glass 3

Also, both displays can be customized with different watch faces, although only the Versa 2 has an always-on mode 17]

The reason the Versa 2 and Versa Lite exist is to help people shape up Both have a strong feature set, but as one might expect, Versa 2 has a few things going for it

First, the similarities: both have 24/7 heart rate monitoring, resting heart rate, heart rate zones, automatic exercise recognition, goal-based exercise mode, and all-day activity tracking Both watches also have women's health tracking and guided breathing sessions

However, the Versa 2 can also connect to the GPS on your phone to know your exact pace and distance while running or cycling It also displays workouts on the screen so you can see proper form for yoga and other activities (only a few are available for free, but if you purchase a Fitbit Premium subscription, you can see even more workouts) Versa 2 also displays daily calories burned to give you a better idea of how active you are

In addition, Versa 2 can record the number of laps as well as floors climbed during a swim workout

Versa 2 and Versa Lite can record light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep, and each watch has a sleep mode that allows notifications to mute and prevent the screen from turning on by itself in the middle of the night

Versa 2 helps extract better information about you with its Sleep Score This rating is based on time spent sleeping, heart rate, and restlessness on a scale of 1 to 100

What sets the Versa 2 and Versa Lite apart from other Fitbit fitness trackers like the Fitbit Charge 4 is their large, smartwatch-like displays that make it easy to see notifications from your smartwatch Both can view calendar alerts and, when connected to an Android phone, can send texts and quick replies

Both models can also display and add apps to the watch, such as sports, weather, and news Currently, there are over 600 apps in Fitbit's app store

With built-in NFC, the Versa 2 also includes Fitbit Pay, which allows the watch to be used at compatible contactless payment locations

And as a final benefit, Versa 2 has Alexa built in If the watch is connected to a smartphone, it will be able to say "Alexa to the Versa 2, allowing the user to control Amazon's voice assistant from their wrist

One of the biggest differences between the Versa 2 and the Versa Lite is the way it handles music

The Versa 2 has onboard music storage and can load about 300 songs on the device itself; it can also download and sync playlists from Pandora and Deezer; it can play Spotify playlists, but it cannot download them to the device itself Spotify playlists can also be played, but cannot be downloaded to the device itself

The biggest difference between the Versa 2 and the Versa Lite is battery life With a rated duration of about 6 days, the Versa 2 should last 2 days longer than the Versa Lite However, if you plan to use the Versa 2's always-on display feature and stream music from the watch during your workout, expect battery life to decrease fairly quickly

When looking at the Versa 2 and Versa Lite, the final decision is one of price versus features; if you can get the Versa Lite for $99, it is a bargain for those looking for a cheap smartwatch But at the regular price of $159, it's not a bargain, especially considering that the similarly priced Fitbit Charge 4 has built-in GPS

Given its more robust feature set, including onboard music storage, the $199 Versa 2 is a better buy as long as you take advantage of its features

Both the Fitbit Versa 2 and Versa Lite are showing their age, as they were released in August and March 2019, respectively For example, the Fitbit Charge 4, which was introduced in early 2020, has built-in GPS, a feature not found in either Versa model

Given the stream of product announcements to date, we would not be surprised if Fitbit announces a newer fitness tracker/smartwatch with GPS this fall Until then, the Fitbit Versa 2 remains the more attractive of the company's two smartwatches