Comparison

Garmin Connect™ vs Widgets for Garmin

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Activity tracking and health metrics
  • Detailed statistics analysis
  • Custom workout and course creation
  • Personalized home screen
  • Earn achievement badges
  • Sync with other apps
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Lock Screen widgets
  • Body Battery display
  • Stress and Recovery metrics
  • Sleep tracking integration
  • Steps and activity basics
Features
Read full description

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

Garmin Connect™4 screens
Widgets for Garmin4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Garmin Connect™ versus Widgets for Garmin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarmin Connect™Widgets for Garmin
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (59K ratings) — better4.2 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews39.4% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings59K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#21 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.218.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size693 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGarminFerran Echaves

Customer experience

Garmin Connect™

All ratings58,646 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews5,095 reviews
Positive39.4%
Neutral11.8%
Negative48.8%

Widgets for Garmin

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

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

None

Garmin Connect™

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Widgets for Garmin

Subscriptions2
  • WristGrid Plus Weekly$2.997 Days
  • WristGrid Plus Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
One-time2
  • WristGrid Plus Lifetime Offer$9.99
  • WristGrid Plus Lifetime$21.99

Questions

Is Garmin Connect™ free?
Garmin Connect™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Widgets for Garmin free?
Widgets for Garmin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Garmin Connect™ or Widgets for Garmin?
Garmin Connect™ is rated higher. Garmin Connect™ averages 4.4 out of 5 from 59K ratings, while Widgets for Garmin averages 4.2 from 6 ratings.
Do Garmin Connect™ or Widgets for Garmin have ads?
Neither Garmin Connect™ nor Widgets for Garmin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Garmin Connect™ or Widgets for Garmin?
Garmin Connect™ ships an update every 2 weeks, and Widgets for Garmin monthly. Most recently, Garmin Connect™ was updated on November 1, 2026 and Widgets for Garmin on October 31, 2026.

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