Skip to main content TechRadar the technology experts Search TechRadar View Profile België (Nederlands) Deutschland North America US (English) Australasia New Zealand Tech Radar Pro Tech Radar Gaming MacBook Air M4 13in review iPhone 16e review Nintendo Switch 2 NYT Wordle today Best laptop Health & Fitness Garmin adds premium Garmin Connect+ tier with AI features – but promises your free experience ‘is not going away’ Matt Evans 27 March 2025 The new tier promises new AI features When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Mike Sawh) Garmin has introduced Garmin Connect+, a new Premium tier designed to paywall new features for the best Garmin watches in its free Garmin Connect app. Launching today (March 27), priced at $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$12 per month or $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$120 annually, with a one-month free trial available, Garmin Connect+ offers new features including AI-powered insights, a Performance Dashboard that allows you to view historic graphs, and improvements to Garmin’s LiveTrack service. Garmin’s AI insights, called ‘Active Intelligence’ – the naming is similar to Strava’s Athlete Intelligence – are designed to provide Connect+ users with "personalized insights and suggestions throughout the day based on health and activity data, powered by AI" according to a Garmin press release. "As customers use Garmin Connect+ more, the insights will become more tailored to them and their goals" Garmin adds. "The AI providing these insights and suggestions was built to help keep users’ data secure and is currently releasing in beta." It sounds like Garmin is putting user security at the forefront of its new service – the company has in the past had issues with the leaking of sensitive information, during a ransomware attack in 2020. Garmin is also keen to address concerns about the incoming paywall, as a Garmin representative emailed me the following: "The Garmin Connect app is a free, personalized experience, and that’s not going away." The Performance Dashboard that's listed as a Garmin Connect+ feature is confirmed to be different from the Performance Stats tab that's currently free on Garmin Connect, which also allows you to view data graphs based on your historic performance. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. I've reached out to Garmin, and the company confirmed that "all existing features and data in Garmin Connect will remain free. Nothing will be moved or blocked behind the GC+ paywall." Other new features available to Connect+ users include live training guidance during workouts, such as guidance on strength sets with videos, and expanded LiveTrack features such as notification via text. Social features such as exclusive badges and challenges for Connect+ members are also included. It has begun (Image credit: Garmin/Shutterstock) Back in 2023, in an article titled ‘I hope Garmin’s new subscriptions-based maps service isn't the start of a trend’, I wrote: "‘Garmin’s free Connect service makes its watches some of the best-value devices on the market. A move towards a larger subscription service would cheapen and devalue the brand, and possibly drive a huge portion of its user base away and into the waiting arms of Apple." Just like Fitbit, Garmin has opted to bring out premium features and charge an extra price for access to them. It's encouraging that Garmin isn't making its devices less useful, or locking anything we used to get for free behind a paywall – this is just an optional extra, like Garmin's Maps subscription service. The big difference between Fitbit and Garmin, however, is the prices of their devices. A Google Pixel Watch 3, the most expensive device on our Best Fitbit guide, costs $399 / £349 / AU$669, while the Garmin Fenix 8 starts at $999 / £949 / AU$1,699 (although you can pick up a cheaper watch, such as the very good Garmin Forerunner 165, for around $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$489.99). If someone told me that after buying a Fenix 8 I couldn’t get a particular feature without paying an additional premium on top, that watch would either be going out the window or (more likely) straight back to the store. Garmin will have to be careful to advertise its free and paid-for features accordingly. I’ve always lauded Garmin Connect as a shining example of a free companion app, one that makes its expensive watches an excellent-value prospect in the long run. Hopefully the free features we’re used to will remain free, otherwise I can see a lot of angry exercisers jumping ship to other brands. You might also like... Polar's latest software update might have finally convinced me to ditch my Garmin The Apple Watch SE 3 is apparently in 'serious jeopardy', and the news isn't much better for the Ultra 3 or Series 11 23andMe is bankrupt and about to sell your data See more Health & Fitness News Social Links Navigation Fitness, Wellness, and Wearables Editor Matt is TechRadar's expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech. A former staffer at Men's Health, he holds a Master's Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing. Matt's a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Latest in Health & Fitness Forget the Apple Watch Series 11, the Series 10 just fell to its lowest-ever price in Amazon's Spring Sale Garmin adds premium Garmin Connect+ tier with AI features – but promises your free experience ‘is not going away’ Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game The Amazon Spring Sale is a runner's paradise – here's an ultimate beginner bundle for less than $450/£450 The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are our top running headphones, and they just got their first-ever discount at Amazon Activity tracking on Oura Ring is about to get a whole lot better, but I've got bad news about your step count Latest in News Windows 11’s Game Bar gets a fresh coat of paint, plus a tweak to work better on handhelds – and I like the direction Microsoft’s heading in here NHS IT supplier hit with major fine following ransomware attack Most businesses are now fully embracing AI - but aren't always protected against the risks All three rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge colors shown off in ‘official’ images Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo is a playable character in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and it makes more sense than you think inZOI early access won't feature Denuvo DRM after all, 'we are committed to making inZOI a highly moddable game' More about health fitness Forget the Apple Watch Series 11, the Series 10 just fell to its lowest-ever price in Amazon's Spring Sale New watches, old tech: how Pebble is about to make a splash in a shrinking smartwatch pool I’ve driven the new Dacia Bigster – and it's the cult EV brand's best-value hybrid so far See more latest Most Popular Microsoft adds Copilot AI features to Windows 11's Photos app - and I actually don't hate them NHS IT supplier hit with major fine following ransomware attack Nintendo Direct live build-up: no Switch 2, but these are our predictions for what we could see Windows 11’s Game Bar gets a fresh coat of paint, plus a tweak to work better on handhelds – and I like the direction Microsoft’s heading in here inZOI early access won't feature Denuvo DRM after all, 'we are committed to making inZOI a highly moddable game' All three rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge colors shown off in ‘official’ images 'There is always room for more': Marvel drops big hint that it isn't done with its Avengers: Doomsday cast announcements Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo is a playable character in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and it makes more sense than you think Most businesses are now fully embracing AI - but aren't always protected against the risks Proton joins forces with Vivaldi browser to help you break free from Big Tech LATEST ARTICLES Garmin adds premium Garmin Connect+ tier with AI features – but promises your free experience ‘is not going away’ I’ve driven the new Dacia Bigster – and it's the cult EV brand's best-value hybrid so far We gave this Shark cordless stick vacuum a glowing 4-star review – and it's now 50% off at Amazon The 10 best Apple deals in the spring sales, picked by an expert – MacBooks, AirPods, Apple Watches, and more Microsoft adds Copilot AI features to Windows 11's Photos app - and I actually don't hate them TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Web notifications Accessibility Statement Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...