Charge 5 - What data/metrics are lost w/o Premium?

[OHBit]

Can anyone clarify exactly what data/metrics are lost without a Premium subscription.  This is my first Fitbit and I activated the free 6-month premium service right away (wish I had waited so I could compare).  After looking at the info I could find it is still not entirely clear what exactly is lost.  For example are all the metrics under "Health Metrics" gone, or is the ability to see anything past the current day lost?  Sleep - are sleep scores lost (not that it matters since I have yet to get one in 4 nights), what about sleep stages (again assuming I ever get the device to read it)? Note, I don't care about the videos, meditations, recipes and other fluff being removed, I'm just interested in understanding what data/metrics are lost.

I'm trying to avoid finding out at 6 months, when the free subscription is up, that the device is not so useful w/o the Premium subscription. If I'm honest I don't want to pay for Premium, if the likes of Garmin or Polar don't hide their metrics behind a paywall.  If Premium is required to make the charge 5 fully useful, I think I would rather take the $180 (device cost) + $160 (2 yrs of premium, also target life of the device) and put that towards a better $340 device such as Garmin or Polar device.  Thoughts?

[SilviaFitbit]

@OHBit Hi there. Thanks for the details mentioned. 

Glad to hear that you're new to the Fitbit world. 

The Daily Readiness score is only available with Fitbit Premium. The Health Metrics tile is available with your Charge 5, if you'd like to see historical data and your personal range for each metric,  upgrade to Fitbit Premium. More information can be found here. 

Take into consideration that sleep stages and sleep score aren't part of Fitbit Premium. However, you'll receive an analysis of sleeping heart rate & restlessness, Snore and noise detections if you're a Premium member. 

Let's ensure that your Charge 5 is tracking sleep stages by wearing it to bed and turn on heart rate. If you slept in a position that prevented your device from getting a consistent heart-rate reading or wore it too loosely. For best results, wear your device higher on your wrist (about 2-3 finger widths above your wrist bone). The band should feel secure but not too tight. If your Charge 5 recorded sleep stages, it will display sleep score too. 

Hope this helps. 

[tespeaks]

Is there anything that spells out each feature and what it does with premium and without premium?

[SilviaFitbit]

@tespeaks Welcome to the Fitbit Community. 

The features that require Premium are detailed on each feature described on the Charge 5 Product Manual. 

Hope this helps. 

[OHBit]

Thanks for the reply but that doesn't really help.  The manual is very general and vague so it is still not clear to me the difference.  Take for example sleep metrics, the manual says:

Learn about your sleep habits
With a Fitbit Premium subscription, see more details about your sleep score and how you compare to your peers, which can help you build a better sleep routine and wake up feeling refreshed.
For more information, see the related help article.

As I currently have the Premium trial, when I select the "Premium" icon in the lower right of the app, then select "Advanced sleep analytics" it takes me to the page I can access through the "Sleep" area on the "Today" screen.  It show light sleep, awake, REM, sleep score etc., all of which are mentioned prior to the "Premium" features in the manual, so I would assume those would be standard, not premium, however I'm failing to see anything that is premium, there is no "compare to peers" info and what does "more details about your sleep score" actually mean?  The old adage "a picture is worth a 1000 words" stands true here, having actual pictures of what you see in "free" vs "premium" would be much more helpful.  

[Wibby]

Hello OHBit,

I don't have premium.  I would be much more interested if there was a cheaper version just showing stats and not having the exercises etc.

For Sleep, I can see my score, the main stages and percentages spent in each stage.  I can also compare it against my 30 day average and the Benchmark for people my age.  I also get an estimated oxygen variation.

Behind the paywall is: Sleeping heart rate, and restlessness.

With stress management I get a score but you need to pay to get a full breakdown to show what affects your score.

In Health Metrics I can see everything for about a week.  Behind the paywall is: Personal ranges and 30-day trends.

This is what shows up when I click on Premium and what's available.

I don't know if that helps you at all... It's definitely possible to survive without Premium.  I would imagine it's a much better deal for people who want the exercises, recipes and relaxation.

[OHBit]

Thanks for the info.  That helps me better understand what sleep and health metrics are available without Premium.  Sounds like most everything I would want would be part of the Free mode