Polar launches paid subscription plan just weeks after Garmin announced its own training paywall

By published

The new personalized training plan is available for $11 per month as an add-on to the Polar Flow app

Polar Vantage M3
The Polar Vantage M3 sports watch (Image credit: Polar)

Polar sports watch wearers can now sign up for a paid subscription plan, weeks after Garmin put up a similar paywall with its new Connect+ service.

Like Connect+, Polar's new fitness program uses your health data to design a customizable and adaptive training schedule tailored to your individual goals and availability that you can use with Polar watches like the Vantage V3. Although there's no mention of artificial intelligence in any press release, our sister site TechRadar reports that AI is being used on some level to personalize the training experience.

Users can also benefit from weekly and monthly "rewards" to motivate their progress, although it's unclear exactly what this means.

The new subscription-based programme is available as an addition to the Polar Flow training app. It'll set you back $11 (£8.50) per month.

Despite the launch of the new programme, Polar is adamant that the Polar Flow app and its pre-existing features will remain free, and users can still "fully enjoy" their Polar sports watch without the add-on.

"The new Fitness Program does not affect the development of other Polar services in any way," a Polar spokesperson confirmed to TechRadar.

The Polar Vantage V3 in the field

The Polar Vantage V3 in the field (Image credit: Future)

The new Polar launch comes weeks after Garmin announced its own paid subscription service. Connect+ charges users $6.99 (£6.99) a month, or $69 (£69) annually, to access the new Active Intelligence AI, which sends personalized health insights and suggestions to your Garmin watch based on that day's fitness data.

You'll also receive training benefits like a performance dashboard, sharable tracking data, and expert educational videos that aren't available to other Garmin Connect users.

Here at Advnture, we've reviewed multiple Polar watches and been consistently impressed with their wide variety of insightful health trackers and bright AMOLED displays.

The Polar Vantage V3 was one of our favorite GPS watches of 2024 and received a coveted four-and-a-half star rating in our review.

Will Symons
Will Symons
Staff Writer

Will Symons developed his love of the outdoors as a student, exploring every inch of Sussex’s South Downs national park and wild swimming off the Brighton seafront. Now a Staff Writer for Advnture, Will previously worked as a freelance journalist and writer, covering everything from cricket to ancient history. Like most Advnture staff, Will’s time is rarely spent indoors, he can often be found hiking, wild swimming or playing cricket.