Fitbit app versus Strava - measuring distance and time

[bkuglich]

I have been using the Fitbit app to record/view my runs for quite a while. More specifically I want to see distance and time splits. I also sync the results up to Strava to share with friends. I have noticed significant differences between the two when it comes to time and distance for the same runs. Has anyone else seen this? Just doing the math manually, it would look like Strava is much more accurate and also comes close to what my watch is recording. The Fitbit app seems way off for time and that affects splits. Just curious. Thanks. 

[bbarrera]

@bkuglich yes, you are not alone. Read this post first for the short version. The bottom line is that Fitbit uses steps and stride to estimate distance, which can be hit or miss. Start tracking a run, jump in a car and drive a couple miles, and you'll get almost no distance. Run in place and you'll get more distance than you should. Unfortunately the only way to force Ionic to use GPS for distance is to track with bike mode.