Short answer
For most Garmin owners, the health basics don't need Connect+: Garmin says "all existing features and data in Garmin Connect will remain free," and that includes HRV Status, Body Battery and sleep score on watches that support them (1, 3, 4). Connect+, at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year after a 30-day trial, adds AI-powered insights, a customizable performance dashboard, extra coaching content and social and LiveTrack extras (1, 2).
The short rule: Connect+ is worth it if you'll read the AI insights or build custom charts every week. If you mostly check sleep, Body Battery and HRV Status, the free app already does that. Welltory isn't a replacement for Connect+; it's a separate wellness app that reads Garmin's activity and sleep through Apple Health or Health Connect and takes its own HRV readings.
If you've wondered whether your watch's free features are going away, you're not imagining the confusion: Garmin added a paid tier on top of a free app, and the two are easy to mix up.
Note: this article is for general education and is not medical advice. Neither app's wellness features are designed to diagnose a condition. Garmin's features and prices were checked on Garmin's official pages in November 2026 and can change by country and over time. This guide is published by Welltory, which makes one of the apps mentioned. Garmin, Garmin Connect and Body Battery are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. Welltory is not affiliated with Garmin.
What's free in Welltory — and what Premium costs
See the free version, Premium plans and the current discount for blog readers on one page.
What stays free in Garmin Connect
Garmin launched Connect+ in March 2025 and said that "all existing features and data in Garmin Connect will remain free" (1). On watches that support them, that covers the health features people use most:
HRV Status. Your watch measures HRV while you sleep, builds a baseline over three weeks and labels your seven-day average Balanced, Unbalanced, Low or Poor (3).
Body Battery. A running estimate of your energy through the day (4). Our explainer on Body Battery covers how to read it.
Sleep score and sleep coaching (4).
Pulse Ox for blood oxygen, which Garmin says "is not a medical device" (5).
Training readiness, training status and recovery time on supported devices (5).
Garmin's screenless CIRQA band, announced in July 2026, lists Body Battery, HRV Status, sleep score and training readiness "all without the need for a subscription" (5). Which features you see depends on your watch model.
What Garmin Connect+ adds
Garmin lists these Connect+ features (1, 2):
Active Intelligence. AI-powered daily insights and suggestions based on your data.
Performance Dashboard. Custom charts that compare your fitness and health data over time.
Live Activity. Real-time indoor workout data, videos and reps on your phone.
Training Guidance. Extra expert guidance and educational content for Garmin Run Coach and Garmin Cycling Coach plans.
Expanded LiveTrack. Text notifications when an activity starts and a personal LiveTrack page.
Social extras. Profile frames and exclusive badge challenges.
Garmin's list is about insights, displays and coaching content; it doesn't list new health measurements.
What it costs and how to try it
Price. Garmin lists Connect+ at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year in the US, after a 30-day free trial (1).
Renewal. Connect+ is billed monthly or yearly. Before you start the trial, check Garmin's checkout screen for the renewal date and how to cancel, and set a reminder a few days before the trial ends.
Simple math. The yearly plan costs $69.99, so over three years an active plan adds about $210 to the price of your watch. That's fine if you use it. If you don't, it's money for features you never open.
Is Garmin Connect+ worth it? Five questions to decide
Use the 30-day trial to answer these.
Did I read Active Intelligence most days? If the AI insights changed what you did that day, that's real value.
Did I build at least one custom chart? The Performance Dashboard rewards people who like to compare training and recovery over months.
Do I train indoors with my phone in view? Live Activity is for that setup.
Am I following a Garmin Run Coach or Cycling Coach plan? Extra training guidance helps only if you're on a plan.
Do people track me with LiveTrack? Text notifications at activity start matter for solo runners and riders whose family wants to know they're out.
Three or more "yes": Connect+ probably earns its price for you. One or none: the free Garmin Connect app covers your use.
Welltory vs Garmin Connect+: different jobs
People search "Garmin Connect alternative" when they want a different view of their data. Here's how Welltory compares as a separate app. It's not a ranking.
| | Garmin Connect+ | Welltory |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A paid tier inside Garmin Connect | A separate wellness app for iPhone and Android |
| Data from Garmin | All your Garmin data, in Garmin's app | Activity, stress level, energy level, sleep, blood oxygen, breathing and more through Apple Health or Health Connect (9) |
| HRV | HRV Status, free on supported watches (3) | Readings you take with the phone camera, Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch or Garmin HRM-Pro and HRM-Dual chest straps; Garmin watches aren't used for HRV (8) |
| Main paid feature | AI insights, Performance Dashboard, extra coaching (1) | Full HRV analysis with 21 metrics, unlimited readings, sleep analysis (11) |
| Free version | Garmin Connect with existing features | Daily indicators, one HRV reading a day, 30 days of data (11) |
| Price | $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year (1) | $99 a year (auto-renews unless canceled) or $599 lifetime on welltory.com (14) |
The difference in one line. Connect+ explains your Garmin data inside Garmin's app. Welltory adds a separate signal, an HRV reading you take on purpose, and puts it next to the activity and sleep your Garmin already records.
How Welltory works with Garmin
Here are the limits, plainly.
No direct connection. Welltory doesn't connect to Garmin directly. Garmin data reaches it through Apple Health on iPhone or Health Connect on Android: workouts, stress level, energy level, body composition, sleep, menstrual cycle, oxygen saturation and breathing (9).
Garmin watches aren't used for HRV. Welltory's compatibility page lists Garmin smartwatches and trackers for activity tracking only (8). Welltory's Help Center explains that some devices that measure HRV don't allow that data to be shared with other apps, and lists Garmin among them (10).
Garmin chest straps are. Garmin's HRM-Pro and HRM-Dual chest straps are supported for HRV readings in Welltory (8).
Or your phone camera. On phones where the camera and flash sit close together, you can take a short fingertip spot reading. It doesn't work on Google Pixel phones (12).
For a walkthrough of Garmin with Welltory, see our page on Garmin and HRV. To bring several devices into one place, read which app combines Apple Health, Garmin and Oura and our guide to the Health Connect app.
Using Garmin with Welltory: a setup that works
Keep Garmin Connect as your watch's main app. HRV Status, Body Battery and training stay there, free.
Turn on sharing to a health hub. On iPhone, allow Garmin Connect to write to Apple Health; on Android, connect Garmin Connect to Health Connect.
Connect the same hub in Welltory. Use one hub only, so data doesn't double up (9).
Pick your HRV source. The phone camera works on supported phones; a Garmin HRM-Pro or HRM-Dual works if you already own one (8).
Take one reading each morning at the same time, sitting still, before coffee. With the camera, cover the camera and flash with one fingertip and keep still (12).
Tag what happened. Hard session, alcohol, a short night, travel, a cold coming on.
After two weeks, compare. Put your morning readings next to Garmin's HRV Status and Body Battery for the same days.
Which fits you: five situations
"I train for races and love charts." Connect+'s Performance Dashboard and extra training guidance are built for you. Try them in the trial.
"I check Body Battery and sleep, that's it." The free Garmin Connect app covers it (1).
"I want a stress and energy check-in I take myself." Welltory's morning reading and daily Health, Battery and Stress indicators do that; the free version keeps one reading a day (11).
"I run alone and my family worries." Expanded LiveTrack with text notifications at activity start is a Connect+ feature (2).
"I don't want any subscription." Use free Garmin Connect, and Welltory's free version if you want morning HRV readings. Both have limits; neither costs money.
If you're also weighing a recovery band, see WHOOP vs Garmin.
Common mistakes with Garmin Connect+
Believing HRV Status or Body Battery went behind a paywall. Garmin said existing features remain free (1).
Expecting new measurements. Connect+ adds insights and displays, not sensors.
Letting the trial renew by accident. Set a reminder before day 30.
Expecting other apps to read Garmin's HRV. Welltory doesn't use HRV from Garmin watches (8, 10).
Comparing HRV Status with a morning reading. One is a seven-day overnight average against a three-week baseline; the other is a single morning value. Compare each with its own history (3, 6).
Connecting two hubs at once. It can duplicate your data (9).
Living with Garmin: the questions people ask next
Does Garmin require a subscription?
No. Garmin says all existing features and data in Garmin Connect remain free. Connect+ is optional (1).
Is Garmin Connect free?
Yes. The app is free with a Garmin device, and features like HRV Status, Body Battery and sleep score work without Connect+ on watches that support them (3, 4).
What's the difference between Garmin Connect and Garmin Connect+?
Connect+ adds Active Intelligence, a Performance Dashboard, Live Activity, extra training guidance, expanded LiveTrack and social extras on top of the free app (1, 2).
How do I cancel Garmin Connect+?
Cancel through the account where you subscribed, before the renewal date. Check Garmin's subscription settings for the current steps.
Can Welltory use my Garmin watch's HRV?
No. Welltory reads Garmin activity and sleep through Apple Health or Health Connect, and uses Garmin's HRM-Pro and HRM-Dual chest straps, not Garmin watches, for HRV readings (8).
Before you blame yourself
When HRV Status says "Low" or Body Battery barely recharges, it's easy to hear "you're not recovering because you're weak." Before you go there, look at your data.
The feeling: "I'm training hard and my numbers keep sliding."
The cause you can often see: a big jump in training load, short sleep, alcohol, a stressful work week, travel or a cold coming on. These lower HRV and raise resting heart rate, and Garmin's seven-day average carries them for a while.
One lever for one to two weeks: change one thing, say one fewer hard session a week or a fixed bedtime, and keep the rest the same. Then compare HRV Status, resting heart rate and your morning readings with the weeks before.
If nothing moves after a real change, that's a reason to look wider, at sleep problems, medications, thyroid or ongoing stress, not a verdict on your toughness.
When to see a doctor
A watch can start a conversation, not settle one. See a doctor if:
Your resting heart rate stays well above your usual level for more than a week with no clear reason.
Your HRV stays low for weeks and you also feel unusually tired, breathless or dizzy.
You feel your heart racing or skipping at rest, or you faint.
You snore loudly, gasp at night or feel sleepy every day despite enough time in bed.
Call 911 for possible heart attack signs: chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness (7).
How to bring this up with your doctor
What to ask for, by name. After episodes of a racing or skipping heart: "Can we check this with an ECG, and would a monitor I wear for a few days help?" After months of poor sleep: "Should I have a sleep study?"
What to bring. Screenshots of resting heart rate, HRV Status and sleep for two to four weeks, the dates of any episodes and a note on training load. Welltory's web app exports your charts as a CSV file (13).
What to say if you're brushed off. "I know a watch isn't a diagnosis. I'm asking whether these symptoms and this pattern are worth one proper test."
Start understanding your body
Learn what affects your energy, stress, sleep, and daily state. Get the app.
How Welltory helps — and what it cannot do
The limits first. Welltory is a general wellness product, not a medical device. It doesn't diagnose heart rhythm problems, overtraining, sleep disorders or any other condition, and it doesn't replace Garmin's features or a doctor.
A morning check-in you take yourself. A camera spot reading on supported phones, or a reading with a Garmin HRM-Pro or HRM-Dual, gives you HRV and heart rate for that moment (8, 12). The camera reading isn't an ECG and is unreliable with arrhythmias (12).
Your Garmin data next to it. Through Apple Health or Health Connect, Welltory shows workouts, stress, energy level, sleep and more from Garmin in the same charts (9).
What's free. After a three-day trial, the free version keeps daily Health, Battery and Stress indicators, one HRV reading a day with five core indexes and sleep duration; data older than 30 days is deleted (11).
What Premium costs. Welltory's plans page listed $99 a year, which "auto-renews annually at the regular price unless canceled," or $599 one-time for lifetime, on November 8, 2026 (14). You cancel where you paid, and access continues until the paid period ends (15). See what Welltory costs and is Welltory free.
See Welltory Premium with the blog reader discount
The annual plan renews automatically until you cancel; the lifetime plan is a one-time payment. The exact discount appears on the payment screen before you enter card details.
How we made it
We based this guide on Garmin's Connect+ announcement, Garmin's HRV Status explainer, Garmin's vívoactive 6 and CIRQA announcements, an independent walkthrough of Connect+ features, a review of HRV metrics and the American Heart Association's warning signs page. Garmin's features and prices were checked in November 2026. Search questions came from what people in the United States most often ask about Garmin Connect+. For the product section, we checked every function against the Welltory Help Center on November 8, 2026.
Made with AI tools, then edited and fact-checked by the Welltory team. See our Editorial & AI policy.
Jane Smorodnikova, co-founder of Welltory, built the methodology behind how we read physiological data.
Written by Tatsiana Yashyna.
Discounts for blog readers: up to 36% off
See what affects your energy, stress, sleep, and daily state with Welltory
This page is published by Welltory, which makes one of the apps mentioned. Statements about Garmin Connect and Connect+ are taken from Garmin's official pages, checked in November 2026, and statements about Welltory from the Welltory Help Center and plans page, checked on November 8, 2026. Prices and features change; the official pages win. Neither app's wellness features are designed to diagnose any condition. Chest discomfort, shortness of breath, a cold sweat, or lightheadedness can be signs of a heart attack: call 911. Welltory is a general wellness product, not a medical device. This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.
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Written by Jane Smorodnikova
The founder and CEO of Welltory. A recognized tech leader with two Master's degrees and experience at MIT, she has scaled Welltory to over 17 million users.
Written by Tatsiana Yashyna
Deputy COO at Welltory. With a background in medicine and years of working with health data, she translates research and real physiological signals — sleep, stress, heart rate, and hormones — into clear, evidence-based explanations that help people understand what their bodies are telling them.
References
- Garmin — Elevate your health and fitness goals with Garmin Connect+ (March 27, 2025). https://www.garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/wearables-health/elevate-your-health-and-fitness-goals-with-garmin-connect/
- DC Rainmaker — Garmin Connect+ subscription walkthrough (March 2025; checked November 8, 2026). https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2025/03/garmin-connect-plus-subscription-walkthrough.html
- Garmin Blog — Understanding the HRV Status on your Garmin smartwatch (August 15, 2024). https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/blog/
- Garmin — Meet vívoactive 6, the latest health and fitness smartwatch from Garmin (April 1, 2025). https://www.garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/wearables-health/meet-vivoactive-6-the-latest-health-and-fitness-smartwatch-from-garmin/
- Garmin — Meet CIRQA Smart Band: the screen-free health and fitness tracker from Garmin (July 27, 2026). https://www.garmin.com/en-PH/newsroom/press-release/news-2026-jul-cirqa/
- Shaffer F, Ginsberg JP. An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms. Frontiers in Public Health 2017;5:258. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258
- American Heart Association — Warning signs of a heart attack. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/warning-signs-of-a-heart-attack
- Welltory Help Center — Is my device compatible with Welltory for HRV measurements and activity tracking? https://help.welltory.com/en/articles/4998580-is-my-device-compatible-with-welltory-for-hrv-measurements-and-activity-tracking
- Welltory Help Center — Data sources and how to connect them. https://help.welltory.com/en/articles/11130907-data-sources-and-how-to-connect-them
- Welltory Help Center — Why you can't use most fitness trackers and smartwatches to measure stress and energy. https://help.welltory.com/en/articles/3379398-why-you-can-t-use-most-fitness-trackers-and-smartwatches-to-measure-stress-and-energy
- Welltory Help Center — How long is the free trial period, and what does it include. https://help.welltory.com/en/articles/10080275-how-long-is-the-free-trial-period-and-what-does-it-include
- Welltory Help Center — Taking measurements with your smartphone camera. https://help.welltory.com/en/articles/4412277-taking-measurements-with-your-smartphone-camera
- Welltory Help Center — How to export data from Welltory. https://help.welltory.com/en/articles/3368391-how-to-export-data-from-welltory
- Welltory — Subscription plans (checked November 8, 2026). https://welltory.com/plans/
- Welltory Help Center — Managing your subscription. https://help.welltory.com/en/articles/3376353-managing-your-subscription