Smartwatches · owner-verdict comparison

Garmin Forerunner 970 vs Vivoactive 5: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Garmin Forerunner 970: 68% of 75 owners recommend it, vs 55% of 56 for the Vivoactive 5.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Garmin Forerunner 970

68%of 75 owners recommend
68% recommend · 9% neutral · 23% don't
Owners praise
  • Remarkably light, slim, and comfortable for all-day and 24/7 wear
  • Packs the full Fenix-level feature set into a smaller, cheaper package
  • Strong battery life in typical use, often a week or more
Owners complain about
  • Ghost touches and an oversensitive touchscreen, sometimes unusable until disabled
  • Battery can drain badly, dying mid-run or dropping to around 30 hours
  • Reboots and reliability issues during workouts, with slow Garmin support
Full owner report →

Vivoactive 5

55%of 56 owners recommend
55% recommend · 27% neutral · 18% don't
Full owner report →

What Garmin Forerunner 970 owners say

“I just upgraded from the 935 to the 970 and I am very happy with this decision!”
— @WolfgangUllrichPhoto on YouTube
“getting the Flashlight for a forerunner is amazing!”
— @vpnconsult on YouTube
“Garmin overpriced the 970.”
— @mccask on YouTube

What Vivoactive 5 owners say

“I'm very happy with my vivoactive 4 and will likely ask for the vivoactive 5 for Christmas.”
— @tinwhiskerSC on YouTube
“This watch seems like amazing value and a great choice for the more casually gym-go'er/runner/moderately active person”
— @martinjrgensen8377 on YouTube
“So disappointed they removed Stairs. I feel like I need to stick with the Vivoactive 4 for this reason.”
— @dianacrabtree6546 on YouTube