Garmin Connect™ vs Widgets for Garmin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Garmin Connect™
Track your health and fitness activities with detailed statistics and personalized insights. Create custom workouts, build courses, and challenge friends. Syncs with compatible devices and other popular fitness apps.
- Activity tracking and health metrics
- Detailed statistics analysis
- Custom workout and course creation
- Personalized home screen
- Earn achievement badges
- Sync with other apps
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The Garmin Connect™ app is your one-stop source for health and fitness data. Whether you’re training for a race, keeping active or just staying on top of your health, Garmin Connect provides the information and inspiration you need to reach your goals. Once you pair your phone(1)with a Forerunner®, Venu®, fēnix® or another compatible Garmin device(2), you can review your tracked activities and health metrics. Plus, you can create workouts, build courses and challenge your friends on the leaderboard. With Garmin Connect you can: - Personalize your home screen, so the most helpful information is instantly visible - Analyze your activities with detailed statistics(3) - Create customized workouts and courses - Review trends in health metrics like heart rate and steps - Earn badges for accomplishments - Sync with other apps like Apple Health, MyFitnessPal and Strava - Get support for Garmin devices and their features Learn more about Garmin devices and how they work with the Garmin Connect app at Garmin.com. (1) See compatibility requirements at Garmin.com/BLE (2) See a full list of compatible devices at Garmin.com/devices (3) See Garmin.com/ataccuracy Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Widgets for Garmin
Display your Garmin watch's health metrics directly on your iPhone's Home Screen and Lock Screen. Access Body Battery, Stress, Sleep, and more without opening the official Garmin app. Requires a compatible Garmin watch and Connect IQ bridge app.
- Home Screen widgets
- Lock Screen widgets
- Body Battery display
- Stress and Recovery metrics
- Sleep tracking integration
- Steps and activity basics
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WristGrid puts your Garmin watch metrics on your iPhone Home Screen and Lock Screen. See Body Battery, stress, sleep, recovery and steps at a glance, without opening an app. Used by 500+ Garmin owners. 55+ WIDGETS FOR GARMIN — Body Battery, stress and Recovery Time from your watch — Sleep stages from Garmin, with a sleep score calculated by WristGrid — Steps, distance, calories, floors and intensity minutes — Readiness and Sleep Debt, new in 1.3 — Weekly training and this week vs. last week — Home Screen and Lock Screen sizes ASK SIRI "How did I sleep on WristGrid?" or "What's my Body Battery on WristGrid?" — answered from your Garmin data. ALWAYS UP TO DATE Your data arrives as soon as Garmin syncs, so your widgets stay current without pulling to refresh. HOW IT WORKS 1. Install the free GW Bridge app on your watch from the Connect IQ Store. 2. Allow Apple Health access, where Garmin Connect writes your sleep and activity. 3. Add WristGrid widgets to your Home Screen or Lock Screen. YOUR VOICE SHAPES WRISTGRID Propose ideas and vote on what ships next in the WristGrid community, right from the app. WRISTGRID PREMIUM Widgets show your data with WristGrid Premium: an auto-renewable subscription with a free trial for new subscribers, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Available in English and Spanish. Requires a compatible Garmin watch, Garmin Connect, and our free Connect IQ bridge app. Your Garmin and Health data stays on your device. WristGrid sends anonymous usage and performance analytics, not linked to you, to improve the app; you can turn them off in Settings. Support reports are sent only when you choose to. WristGrid is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Garmin and Body Battery are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://gurfus.dev/apps/wristgrid/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Garmin Connect™ at none against Widgets for Garmin's 4. Garmin Connect™ also leads on ratings volume (59K vs 6) and rating (4.4 vs 4.2). Widgets for Garmin's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 39%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Widgets for Garmin sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Garmin Connect™ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Garmin Connect™ holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Connect™ has 59K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Garmin Connect™'s written reviews are positive against 50% of Widgets for Garmin's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Garmin Connect™ ships an update every 2 weeks, Widgets for Garmin monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Garmin Connect™ | Widgets for Garmin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (59K ratings) — better | 4.2 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 39.4% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 59K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #21 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 693 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Garmin | Ferran Echaves |
Customer experience
Garmin Connect™
Widgets for Garmin
Bugs and requests
Garmin Connect™
Reported bugs
5 issues- App constantly requiring device setup
- Weather data not syncing correctly
- Workout data not recording properly
- Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
- Inability to edit or customize activities
Requested features
5 requests- Customizable sleep tracking and goal settings
- Better integration with third-party apps
- Improved offline functionality
- More detailed workout analysis and planning
- Enhanced social features and challenges
Widgets for Garmin
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Garmin Connect™
No in-app purchases
Widgets for Garmin
- WristGrid Plus Weekly$2.997 Days
- WristGrid Plus Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- WristGrid Plus Lifetime Offer$9.99
- WristGrid Plus Lifetime$21.99









