Google Health app vs Garmin Connect, as dashboards
Both apps show a morning readiness number, a sleep score, HRV and a training-load figure for free. Garmin Connect adds Body Battery and Training Status; Google Health adds Cardio Load, Target Load and Resilience. Each ties a paid tier to coaching. Neither exports its own scores to other apps.
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What each app puts on the front page
| Area | Google Health | Garmin Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Readiness | Daily Readiness, 1-100 (Low 1-29, Moderate 30-64, High 65-100) | Training Readiness, 1-100, with tiers from Poor to Prime |
| All-day energy | None | Body Battery, 1-100 |
| Training load | Cardio Load and weekly Target Load | Acute Load, Load Ratio, Training Status, Load Focus |
| Sleep | Sleep Score 0-100, sleep stages | Sleep Score 0-100, stages, Sleep Coach |
| HRV | HRV with a personal range from up to 30 days | HRV Status: Balanced, Unbalanced, Low, Poor |
| Stress | Resilience: Optimal, Balanced, Low (replaced a 0-100 stress score in May 2026) | A 0-100 stress score |
| Fitness estimate | Cardio Fitness Score (VO2 max) | VO2 max, Fitness Age, Endurance score |
| Paid tier | Google Health Premium, $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year | Garmin Connect+, $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year |
Two different philosophies
Google Health is organised around a few headline scores and a coach. The app hides a lot of detail, and its readiness page spells out HRV, resting heart rate and recent sleep as inputs. Garmin Connect is a larger instrument panel, built for people who run and ride, with load ratios, training effects and recovery time in hours.
That shows in how ratio and tier labels work. Garmin gives Load Ratio bands: under 0.8 low, 0.8 to 1.4 optimal, 1.5 to 1.9 high, 2.0 or more very high, shown after two weeks of data. Google uses its Cardio Load against a Target Load that follows your recent four weeks.
What neither app will do
- Show another brand's scores. Garmin's Body Battery or Training Readiness never appears in Google Health, and the reverse.
- Hand you its own scores through an API. The Google Health API lists 44 data types, including HRV, resting heart rate, sleep and heart rate zones, but no readiness, cardio load, sleep score or Resilience type.
- Move your history between them. A switch means starting a new baseline: both scores need a few weeks of wear before they settle.
Choosing between the ecosystems
The apps are rarely the reason to choose; the band is. A Fitbit Air or Pixel Watch means Google Health, and a Garmin band or watch means Garmin Connect. Within that, ask what you want to see in the morning. If it is one readiness number and a sleep score, both do it. If it is a load ratio and a recovery-time countdown for a race build, Garmin Connect shows more of it. If it is a weekly Cardio Load target that follows how you have been training, Google Health does that.
Price is closer than it looks. Both paid tiers add coaching to scores you already get free: Google Health Premium at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and Garmin Connect+ at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, as of October 2026. The bands differ more: the Cirqa is $199.99 against the Fitbit Air's $99.
Exporting data is a better test than features. Google documents a data export on its help pages, and the Google Health API gives developers raw data types. Check what any app lets you take out before you build years of history in it.
Where Pulse fits
Pulse is a separate self-hosted dashboard for Google Health data. It reads the raw data the API exposes and computes its own scores, such as Recovery, Strain and Training balance. It does not show Google's scores and it cannot read Garmin Connect. If you are already comfortable in either app, you do not need it. It exists for people who want a long, local history and a published method. Tested on the Fitbit Air only.
Sources
- Google Health Help: Daily Readiness
- Google Health Help: Cardio Load and Target Load
- Fitbit Help: Sleep Score
- Google Health API: data types
- Android Authority: Google Health Premium price and features
- TechRadar: Garmin Cirqa review
- Garmin owner's manuals and support: Training Readiness, HRV Status, Body Battery, Sleep Score (read via search excerpts)
Questions
Can I see my Garmin Body Battery in the Google Health app?
No. The two apps do not share scores. Body Battery is computed by Garmin and stays in Garmin Connect.
Is Garmin Connect free?
The core app and scores are free with a Garmin device. Garmin Connect+ is an optional paid tier for coaching features, listed at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year as of October 2026.