Fitabase alternatives for studies that need more than a wearable data pipe

Fitabase is one of the most trusted ways to get Fitbit and Garmin data into a research study, and if minute level device data is the whole job, it does that job well. When the study also needs eConsent, validated ePRO, reminders and a participant app under your own brand, WeGuide puts the wearable data and everything around it in one managed platform, with native Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air integrations.

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No pressure, no hard sell. A 30 minute walkthrough with a research colleague who has run wearable studies like yours.

Where WeGuide differs

A whole study around the wearable data
Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air
Whitelabel participant apps under your brand

Used by leading research and medical institutes.

Why research teams look for a Fitabase alternative

The short version

Fitabase has been doing one thing since 2012: getting data out of consumer wearables and into a researcher's hands in a form that is ready for analysis. It now supports Fitbit and Garmin devices and says it has been used in more than 1,100 research studies.

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Why teams look elsewhere

The reasons teams look elsewhere are rarely about data quality. Fitabase's exports, sync dashboards and deidentified setup are well regarded. The pressure usually comes from the rest of the study. Fitabase is a data collection and management layer: participants authorise their device, data flows to the research team, and the team exports it. Consent, screening, validated questionnaires, education content and the participant relationship usually live somewhere else, which means a second or third vendor and a reconciliation step at analysis time. Fitabase relaunched Fitabase Engage in April 2026 to add surveys, EMA and prompts, and its Engage page still lists the mobile and wrist apps as a summer 2026 preview, so it is worth checking what is live for your protocol.

Device coverage is the other trigger. Fitabase lists Fitbit and Garmin devices. If your participants carry an iPhone and an Apple Watch, or an Android phone with Health Connect, that matters. And in 2026 every Fitbit based study has a deadline: Google turns off the legacy Fitbit Web API on 30 October 2026 and moves third party access to the Google Health API, and Fitabase is asking researchers to have every participant reconnected by 31 October 2026. That migration is a natural moment to ask whether the study needs a data pipe or a participant platform. If it only needs the pipe, Fitabase is still a strong choice, and we will tell you so.

The useful question is where the hard part of your study sits. If it is getting clean, well documented minute level data out of Fitbit or Garmin devices with as little participant effort as possible, a specialist like Fitabase is built for exactly that. If the hard part is everything around the device, such as enrolling and consenting people remotely, keeping them wearing and syncing for months, collecting validated outcome measures on schedule, and reporting all of it under one audit trail, then the wearable feed is only one module of the study, and that is the problem WeGuide was designed around.

Key differences between WeGuide and Fitabase

For teams whose wearable study has grown into a full participant programme, here is what changes when you move to WeGuide.

A whole study around the wearable data

Fitabase collects, monitors and exports device data. WeGuide runs the study around it: eScreening, eConsent with version control and reconsent, ePRO from a library of validated instruments, scheduling, education content and telehealth, all in the same participant app that syncs the wearable. One platform, one participant ID, one audit trail.

Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air

Fitabase lists Fitbit and Garmin devices. WeGuide integrates natively with Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air, so iPhone, Apple Watch and Android participants are covered alongside Garmin wearers, on their own devices or on devices the sponsor provides. On supported Garmin models WeGuide also collects raw accelerometer and gyroscope data at 25 Hz through the Garmin Health SDK. If your cohort is built on the wider Fitbit range, Fitabase has the deeper Fitbit history, and we will say so.

Whitelabel participant apps under your brand

Fitabase's core platform needs no participant app at all, which is a real strength for passive studies, and its Engage app is published as Fitabase Engage. WeGuide ships native iOS and Android apps under your organisation's own name and identity, and each study can be published under your own App Store account or run in the existing WeGuide app. For a cohort that will keep a study on their phone for months or years, the app becomes the home of the study.

Compare

Full comparison: WeGuide vs Fitabase

REDCap

Feature

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Primary use case

Participant platform: whitelabel app, eScreening, eConsent, eCOA and ePRO, engagement, wearables, telehealth

Wearable data collection, monitoring and export for Fitbit and Garmin research studies

Supported wearables

Native Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air, on participant owned or sponsor provided devices

Fitbit and Garmin devices, including the Garmin Index S2 scale and Index blood pressure monitor, on study controlled or participant owned devices

Apple Watch and iPhone participants

Native through Apple Health

Not among the listed supported devices

Fitbit

Fitbit Air supported natively

Core integration since 2012, moving to the Google Health API before the legacy Fitbit Web API is turned off on 30 October 2026

Raw sensor data

Raw accelerometer and gyroscope at 25 Hz through the Garmin Health SDK on supported Garmin models (Garmin only)

Not listed among its data types, data arrives through the Fitbit, Google Health and Garmin APIs

Documented data resolutions

Metrics as provided by each integration, with raw sensor streams on Garmin only

Daily, hourly and minute level exports, heart rate every 3 to 15 seconds, HRV at 5 minute readings, Garmin enhanced beat to beat intervals during sleep

Device sync and battery monitoring

Wear and sync reminders through push notifications and in app messaging

Dashboard of sync times, battery levels and connection status

Deidentified by design

Not a headline feature, data protection runs under ISO 27001:2022, HIPAA and GDPR

Deidentified setup profiles with custom study IDs, no GPS or location data collected

eConsent

Built in, with version control, reconsent workflows and audit trail

Not offered on the product pages we reviewed

eCOA and ePRO

Native, with a library of validated instruments

Surveys and EMA through Fitabase Engage, relaunched in April 2026, with the mobile and wrist apps listed as a summer 2026 preview

On wrist prompts

Prompts run on the phone through push notifications and in app messaging

Engage Wrist App delivers short prompts on Garmin watches (preview)

Participant app

Native iOS and Android, whitelabel under your organisation's brand, published under your own App Store account or the existing WeGuide app

No app needed for core data collection, Engage app published as Fitabase Engage

Participant engagement

Push notifications, in app messaging, scheduling, education content, gamification

SMS sync and charging reminders as a premium add on

Telehealth

Built in televisits

Not offered

Integrations

Two way REDCap sync, Salesforce, HL7 and FHIR, REST API and webhooks

CSV batch export, webhooks, Aggregate Data API as a premium add on

Security and compliance

ISO 27001:2022, HIPAA (BAA available), GDPR, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, TGA registered Class I medical device software

Hosted on Microsoft Azure with encrypted connections, no HIPAA, BAA or Part 11 statement on its public security page

Pricing

Project based, quote on request, includes hosting, support and modules

Custom quote per study, SMS and the Aggregate Data API are premium add ons

REDCap

Top alternatives to Fitabase in 2026

Here is the shortlist research teams evaluate when they are moving on from Fitabase, or adding to it. Some are participant platforms, some are deeper sensor platforms, and some cover far more device brands. Each one has a different sweet spot, so start from your protocol's hardest requirement rather than the longest feature list.

Alternative #1

Where WeGuide goes further

For teams that want the participant side of a study in one platform, here's what changes when you move to WeGuide.

eConsent in the same app as the wearable

Validated ePRO alongside passive data

Apple Health and Health Connect, not just two brands

Raw Garmin sensor data in the same study

Whitelabel apps under your brand

Engagement built for long studies

Telehealth and screening in the same platform

Integration Engine for the rest of your stack

Regulatory grade, managed for you

Built for regulated research

Every WeGuide study runs on our managed infrastructure. Your IT team doesn't patch servers, manage backups, or run disaster recovery drills.

TGA Registered

Registered Class I medical device software with the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

ISO 27001

Certified information security management covering access, audit, and incident response.

Data Hosted in Australia

Participant data is hosted in Australian data centres with sovereign data controls.

GDPR Compliant

GDPR, HIPAA, and 21 CFR Part 11 ready for multi-country and US-based studies.

Biometric Security

Participant access protected by PIN code and biometric authentication on device.

256-bit AES Encryption

All data encrypted at rest and in transit with automated backups and disaster recovery.

Where Fitabase excels

It has a long track record with consumer wearables in research. Fitabase has been running since 2012, has worked with Garmin Health since 2018, and says it has been used in more than 1,100 studies. Its knowledge base, data dictionaries and research library reflect years of answering exactly the questions an IRB and a statistician will ask about Fitbit and Garmin data.

Its Fitbit and Garmin data is granular and well documented. Exports come at daily, hourly and minute level, Fitbit heart rate is sampled every 3 to 15 seconds, and since early 2025 researchers can collect Garmin enhanced beat to beat interval data during sleep without an extra participant app.

It is built for passive, low burden studies. Participants authorise their device once. The research team gets a dashboard showing sync times, battery levels and connection status, with compliance monitoring and tags for participant groups. For studies where the participant should barely notice the research, that is exactly right.

It keeps identity out of the data. Setup profiles are deidentified with your own study IDs, the security documentation says no GPS or location data is collected, and the Engage mobile app needs no email or phone number. That design makes ethics review simpler for many protocols.

It keeps adding devices and tools quickly. In 2026 alone Fitabase has added webhooks, Garmin blood pressure monitor data and research guidance for screenless trackers such as the Fitbit Air and Garmin CIRQA, and it is moving its Fitbit integration to the new Google Health API ahead of the 30 October 2026 shutdown of the legacy Fitbit Web API.

If your study is a passive Fitbit or Garmin data collection with consent and questionnaires already handled elsewhere, staying on Fitabase is very likely the right call. We would rather tell you that than sell you something you do not need. The comparison only tips towards WeGuide when the study needs the participant journey around the data as much as the data itself.

Running WeGuide alongside Fitabase

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Fitabase is not among WeGuide's prebuilt integrations, so we will not pretend this is a one click setup. Some teams do run both: Fitabase for a Fitbit cohort's device data, WeGuide for screening, eConsent, ePRO, education and the branded participant app. The two datasets are joined on a shared study ID at analysis, or through custom work with WeGuide's REST API and webhooks and Fitabase's Aggregate Data API. If most of your participants use Garmin, Apple Watch, an Android phone or a Fitbit Air, it is usually simpler to collect the wearable data in WeGuide directly and keep everything under one participant record. One practical point for Garmin studies: a watch paired directly through the Garmin Health SDK can only pair with one app at a time, so decide which platform owns the Garmin connection before enrolment starts.

How the switch works

For teams moving a wearable study to WeGuide, or adding WeGuide around an existing device data setup, here is how a typical onboarding plays out.

Discovery Call

A discovery call with our research delivery team. We look at your protocol, which devices your participants use, whether you will provide devices or rely on their own, which metrics you need and at what resolution, and what currently sits outside Fitabase: consent, questionnaires, reminders. If WeGuide's integrations do not cover a metric your endpoints depend on, we will tell you on that call, and if keeping Fitabase for that part of the study is the better answer, we will say so.

Study Configuration

Our team configures the study alongside yours: screening, consent, ePRO schedule, wearable integrations and engagement content. If your eCRF lives in REDCap, we configure the Integration Engine at this stage. Typical timeline: two to four weeks.

Participant Onboarding

The whitelabel app launches, under your own App Store account or in the existing WeGuide app. Participants download it, complete consent, connect their Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect or Fitbit Air data once, and the study runs from there with reminders and education content ready to go. If you are moving an existing cohort, the timing of the move is agreed with you on the discovery call.

Ongoing Support

You get a named delivery contact, not a ticketing queue, for the life of the study.

Case studies: research teams that needed the whole participant journey

BRACE Trial (Murdoch Children's Research Institute)

An international randomised trial of the BCG vaccine in healthcare workers during COVID-19, run across several countries with thousands of participants. It was a hybrid trial, with vaccination and blood collection in person, and WeGuide supported the participant facing side of the study.

GenV (Generation Victoria)

A whole of state longitudinal birth cohort in Victoria, Australia, covering roughly 124,000 people (about 50,000 children and 74,000 parents). Long running cohorts like this need a participant relationship that lasts for years, not just a data feed.

FSHD Global

A longitudinal patient registry for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy that combines patient reported outcomes with wearable integration. It is the kind of programme where device data only means something next to what participants report, over years rather than weeks.

Helping researchers transform ideas into discoveries.

Hear what our clients have to say!

"GenV trusted WeGuide to run a multi-year population health study with roughly 124,000 Victorians, about 50,000 children and 74,000 parents. Longitudinal engagement at this scale requires push notifications, multi-modal data capture, and a whitelabel app that families will keep on their phones for years.""

Susan Clifford

Senior Research Officer

“The main benefit of WeGuide is its convenience. I can’t imagine how we would follow thousands of participants and collect their data without WeGuide!”

Kaya Gardiner

Trial Project Manager

"WeGuide has transformed how we manage our patient registry. The ease of digital screening and obtaining eConsent has significantly improved our workflow."

Emma Weatherley

Managing Director

"The WeGuide trial offers staff a practical tool for recording daily COVID-19 symptoms and temperatures. For those in high-risk areas, daily reminders and alerts provide peace of mind and reassurance about their health."

Kate Cranwell

Manager

"It’s obvious that WeGuide is committed to develop technology that benefits people in the community. WeGuide has been a great partner in achieving this goal within Western Health."

Paul Eleftheriou

Chief Medical Officer

Questions

Straight answers on how WeGuide compares to Fitabase, what moving a wearable study looks like, and when staying on Fitabase is the right call.

Is WeGuide a direct replacement for Fitabase?

For Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air studies, WeGuide can collect the wearable data and also run consent, ePRO, reminders and the participant app, so for many teams it replaces Fitabase plus two or three other tools. For cohorts built on the wider Fitbit range it is not a like for like replacement, because Fitbit Air is the Fitbit device WeGuide supports natively. If you need data from other Fitbit models specifically, Fitabase remains a strong option, and so does MyDataHelps, which also lists Fitbit among its supported data sources. The honest test is which part of the study is hardest: the device data itself, or the participant journey around it.

Does WeGuide collect raw accelerometer or beat to beat data?

On supported Garmin models, yes for raw motion data: WeGuide collects raw accelerometer and gyroscope data at 25 Hz through the Garmin Health SDK. Raw sensor data is available through Garmin only, not through Apple Health, Health Connect or Fitbit Air, which provide their own processed metrics. WeGuide also logs Garmin beat to beat intervals. If your endpoint depends on accelerometry above 25 Hz or on ECG, ask us on the discovery call, and if a dedicated sensor platform is the better fit, we will say so. Labfront, for example, offers accelerometry at up to 100 Hz on its Advanced plan, and for actigraphy endpoints in regulated trials, Ametris CentrePoint is built specifically around raw movement data.

What does the Fitbit API change mean for my Fitabase study?

Google is retiring the legacy Fitbit Web API and moving third party access to the Google Health API. Google's release notes say support ended on 30 September 2026 and the old API is turned off on 30 October 2026. Fitabase is asking researchers to have every participant reconnected by 31 October 2026 so data keeps syncing, and says its exports gain UTC and time zone columns plus a column showing whether each record came from the Fitbit or the Google Health API. Check Fitabase's own guidance for your study. The change applies to any platform that reads Fitbit data from the cloud, not only Fitabase.

Can we use WeGuide and Fitabase together?

Yes, though Fitabase is not one of WeGuide's prebuilt integrations. Teams that run both usually join the data on a shared study ID, or build a custom link with WeGuide's REST API and webhooks. It works best when Fitabase handles a Fitbit cohort and WeGuide handles consent, ePRO and engagement.

How is WeGuide priced compared with Fitabase?

Both are quoted per study rather than published. WeGuide is project based and the quote includes hosting, support and modules. Fitabase prices each study individually, with SMS reminders and its Aggregate Data API offered as premium add ons.

How long does it take to move a study to WeGuide?

After a discovery call, configuration with your team typically takes two to four weeks, followed by launch and a named delivery contact for the life of the study.

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