Garmin Forerunner 70 vs Garmin Forerunner 170
Get the Forerunner 70. Same Garmin coaching and screen, plus the training readiness score, for less. The 170 adds payments, music and an altimeter.
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Which one is for you?
Forerunner 70
Get the 70 if this sounds like you: garmin's running tools for the least money, flat routes, phone in your pocket anyway.
Is the Garmin Forerunner 70 worth it?Forerunner 170
Tap to pay, music without your phone, hilly runs? Then it's the 170.
Is the Garmin Forerunner 170 worth it?Key differences
Payments and music
Altimeter
Training advice
What owners say
Verified buyers only; every 1–3 star review read by us. How we do this
Forerunner 70
94%of 17 verified buyer ratings give it 4 or 5 stars
Owners are happy with it, many of them moving up from an older Forerunner.
- Tracks runs well
- A big step up from older Forerunners
- Easy to set up and use
Nothing came up often enough to list.
Forerunner 170
100%of 6 verified buyer ratings give it 4 or 5 stars
The few verified owners so far are all happy, mostly with how many features and how much training data it gives for the price.
- Lots of features for the price
- Good training data
- Works well
Nothing came up often enough to list.
Related pages
How we reached this verdict
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: Tom's Guide, TechRadar, TechRadar, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Tom's Guide, Android Central, manufacturer specifications.
Owner reports for the Forerunner 70: 17 verified buyer ratings at Takealot (South Africa) and Costco (Canada), read November 2026.
Owner reports for the Forerunner 170: 6 verified buyer ratings at Takealot (South Africa), read October 2026.