Garmin and Polar Now Charge for Previously Free Features: The Subscription Surge Hits Fitness Tech

Garmin and Polar Now Charge for Previously Free Features: The Subscription Surge Hits Fitness Tech

I’ve been covering wearables and health tech for over a decade, and let me tell you—this shift was inevitable. Just two weeks ago, Garmin shocked its loyal fanbase by announcing a new subscription tier inside its Garmin Connect app. Historically, we’ve relied on Garmin for detailed performance metrics and training plans with no additional costs. That’s changed now, and people are rightfully upset.  Image:Google Garmin's New AI-Powered Subscription Tier Raises Eyebrows Garmin’s recent move to place premium features—including AI-generated workout summaries—behind a paywall has users questioning the brand’s long-standing value proposition. If you’ve ever paid $600 to $1,000 for a rugged Fenix or Forerunner, you probably did so with the confidence that you wouldn’t be nickel-and-dimed after the fact. Polar Joins the Subscription Bandwagon with Fitness Plan Garmin wasn’t alone. Just days later, Polar followed suit with its Polar Fitness Plan. While it doesn’t offer AI features (yet), it doe…