Smart watch or fitness tracker: 5 On Your Side helps you decide

If you still wear an analog watch, this may be the year you finally trade it in for a smart watch or fitness tracker.

Before you add one to your gift list, you need to know which wearable will work best for you.

Look at any wrist and you're bound to find one, whether it's fitness trackers or a smartwatch.The good news is they're getting cheaper and offering more features.

"It gives me text messages, alerts, things like that," said Consumer Reports Tech Editor Bree Fowler.  "It give me an alarm, too. I don't have to have my phone on me all the time. So it just makes it a little bit more convenient."

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When debating between the two, think about how it will be used.

"If you just want something that's going to count steps, maybe track your heart rate, a fitness tracker probably covers what you need," Fowler said. "If you're going to do more reading emails, if you want the latest sports scores, the weather, you might want to look at a smartwatch."

Some trackers have text and call notifications. And, also consider how tech savvy your recipient is. Lots of bells and whistles won't mean much if they don't know how to use them.

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"The good thing about devices that don't do as much, is they're often times a lot easier to use," Fowler said. "Fitness trackers are a good example of this. They're easy to pair, they can count steps, they can track your heart rate, they'll even track your sleep patterns. And you really don't have to do a whole lot."

With charging, fitness trackers will last for days.. some smartwatches need to be charged each night. But those with cellular service do let you leave your phone in your pocket - or even at home.

"Now that comes at a price," Fowler said. " Not only does the watch cost more, you're gonna have to pay your carrier more for that privilege."

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For a smartwatch, Consumer Reports recommends the Apple Watch Series 4. And for a fitness tracker, Consumer Reports likes the Fitbit Charge 3.

You can find both at good prices on Black Friday. Kohl's and Target advertise the Fitbit Charge 3 on sale for $120. And although we haven't seen a sale on the Apple Watch Series four, the Series 3 is $80 off at Target and also did well in Consumer Reports's tests.