Best BudgetRank #5 in Heart Rate Monitors & Trackers
Garmin HRM 200 Chest Strap
by Garmin
Score
The Garmin-ecosystem answer to the Polar straps already here. If your watch is a Garmin, staying in-brand avoids the pairing and sync friction that turns people off chest straps entirely. On Amazon it is sold by a third-party seller at or under Garmin's price.
Strengths
- ↑Native fit with Garmin watches and Edge units
- ↑Replaceable battery and washable strap
- ↑Cheaper than the Polar H10
Weaknesses
- ↓Less compelling if you are not on Garmin
- ↓No onboard memory like the HRM 600
Full specs
- Protocols
- Bluetooth + ANT+
- Ecosystem
- Garmin
- Type
- Chest strap
Full buying guide
Best Heart Rate Monitors in 2026: Polar H10 Wins
Read the full ranking →Related Heart Rate Monitors & Trackers guides
Other heart rate monitors & trackers we rate
Ranked alternatives from the same category, with our score and the current price.
The chest strap every other strap is benchmarked against. Dual-band ANT+ and BLE, ECG-based and the accuracy reference in published validation studies, 400-hour battery. A stated exception: 4.1 on Amazon from 27K ratings, under our 4.3 floor, kept because it is still Polar's current flagship strap and the one validation studies use as the reference. Linked in the standard M-XXL size.
Polar's flagship multisport watch. Best-in-class wrist HR (Polar Precision Prime), AMOLED, ECG sensor, dual-frequency GPS. The pick for athletes who want Polar accuracy in a watch package.
Garmin's premium chest strap, launched in 2025 as the successor to the HRM-Pro line: a rechargeable battery, onboard recording so a session is saved even without a watch, running dynamics and HRV data sent to Garmin watches and bike computers. It is the step up from the HRM 200 for Garmin owners who want the extra metrics. 4.5 on Amazon from 1,467 ratings, linked in the M-XL size.
The budget chest strap, and the point worth making is that a budget strap and the flagship use the same measurement method, ECG at the chest, so this is the cheapest route to accurate HR. A stated exception: 4.2 on Amazon from 3,353 ratings and a 2018 design, kept because it is sold by CooSpo's own store and is the only step under $30.