Some gear you wear. Some gear you depend on. Chest strap heart rate monitors? They’re firmly in the second camp. If you’re chasing gains, managing recovery, or just refusing to trust those flaky wrist readings during your third tempo interval—you want accuracy, not approximations. That’s why the Polar H10 and Garmin HRM Pro Plus keep showing up in elite training setups.
They don’t have screens, apps, or alerts. They don’t tell you to “stand up now” or serve you weather forecasts. They do one thing, and they do it damn well: track your heart’s electrical signal with surgical precision.
Now, we’ve spent time sweating with both. Running, lifting, swimming, getting real-world data on performance, fit, and ease of use. And while on the surface they might look like equals, the differences run deeper than you’d expect. Let’s break it all down.
Built to read your heart—not your wrist
Forget optical sensors flashing green light on your skin. These straps are ECG-based, which means they read your actual heart’s electrical signal, not blood flow variations. That’s why they’re still the gold standard for heart rate tracking, especially during HIIT, weight training, or long endurance efforts where wrist sensors often drift.
The placement is the same for both: snug around the chest, just below the sternum, right where it needs to be. Both are slim, minimal modules attached to soft, adjustable elastic straps. No flashy gimmicks here—just function-first design.
But look closer. The Polar H10 comes in two strap sizes: XS-S (58–71 cm) and M-XXL (67–95 cm). Good range, especially for smaller athletes. Garmin one-ups it, though: the HRM Pro Plus fits from 60 all the way up to 106 cm, which gives it a bit more flexibility for broader builds.
What Polar does better, though, is grip. The H10 strap has silicone dots embedded on the inside that stick better when you’re dripping with sweat, reducing slippage during high-impact work. It’s subtle but makes a difference when form and comfort matter.
One wins in longevity. The other, in optimization
Both use replaceable coin cell batteries (no rechargeables here), so you get long-term use with zero charging cables involved. But again—differences show up in execution.
Polar’s H10 squeezes out around 400 hours of usage, thanks to its slightly smaller but more efficient 165 mAh battery. Meanwhile, Garmin’s HRM Pro Plus lands closer to 365 hours, with a higher-capacity 225 mAh battery but more sensors and data output to support.
That said, Garmin promises a full year of battery life if you train about an hour per day, which holds up in real-world use. So unless you’re running ultras every weekend, you’ll likely replace the battery just once a year either way.
The data split: raw power vs layered insights
Here’s where they start to move in different directions. Both give you real-time, ultra-precise heart rate data—the kind that doesn’t freak out when you’re jumping, sprinting, or holding your breath during heavy reps.
But Garmin’s HRM Pro Plus? It digs deeper.
You get full running dynamics, including:
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Vertical oscillation (how much you bounce)
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Ground contact time
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Cadence
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Stride length
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Ground contact balance
This is stuff that pure runners and biomechanics geeks dream about. Want to clean up your form? Reduce impact time? Find the source of your inefficiency? The HRM Pro Plus is like a coach tucked inside your chest strap.
The Polar H10 doesn’t track any of that. It’s a heart rate sensor—period. If you want additional metrics, you’ll need another device to collect them.
Submerged? One’s slightly more fearless
Both are waterproof. But there’s a gap in the numbers that swimmers and triathletes should notice.
The Garmin HRM Pro Plus is rated at 5 ATM (up to 50 meters). Polar? Just WR30—30 meters. Now, most users will never test either limit, but that extra depth resistance gives Garmin the edge in confidence, especially for open-water swim sessions or long pool workouts.
Also, Garmin has fine-tuned its build for underwater sync and post-workout data dump. That’s helpful if you’re training device-free and want to sync after the swim.
More devices, more freedom
Connectivity is a big deal, especially when you’ve got a smartwatch, a cycling computer, and a Zwift session going all at once.
The Polar H10 supports two concurrent Bluetooth connections. Garmin gives you three. Not huge, but it’s that one extra channel that can make your setup seamless—or annoying.
They both support ANT+, so you can connect to gym equipment, apps, and wearables without issue. But if you’re juggling multiple connections, Garmin has the edge in flexibility.
Storage: it’s not even close
This is the big one if you train without your phone or watch.
Garmin’s HRM Pro Plus stores up to 18 hours of training data internally. You can go watchless, sync later, and not lose a single beat.
Polar’s H10? One session at a time. Do a workout, sync it, then you’re clear to record another. Forget to sync? The next workout overwrites it.
For casual users, that might be fine. But if you’re stacking sessions or out for an all-day event? Garmin’s onboard memory is a game-changer.
Comfort: small touches matter
Both straps are soft, flexible, and adjustable. But fit preferences vary wildly, and sweat plays a big role here.
The H10’s silicone grip dots give it an anti-slip advantage, especially if you’re doing explosive movements or drenched in sweat. It just stays put better.
Garmin’s Pro Plus is lighter—52 grams vs Polar’s 60 grams—and that can help over long-duration workouts. It’s also slightly wider and flatter, which some find more comfortable across the chest.
Honestly? It’s personal. If you train shirtless or sweat heavily, Polar might grip better. But for comfort over long sessions, Garmin’s lighter build wins.
Ecosystem and app support
No surprises here. The Garmin HRM Pro Plus plugs seamlessly into the Garmin ecosystem. If you’ve got a Garmin watch or bike computer, everything talks to each other automatically. Running dynamics show up live on your watch, and sessions sync effortlessly.
Polar Flow is clean, intuitive, and heart rate–focused. You’ll get zone tracking, heart rate variability, and solid post-workout breakdowns. But no advanced metrics, because the strap doesn’t collect them in the first place.
Both sync with Strava, TrainingPeaks, and other third-party platforms. But Garmin Connect is better for multi-sport integration and deeper data visualization across all kinds of training.
Durability and build quirks
Both devices feel bombproof. You can sweat on them, swim with them, and roll around on the turf—and they just keep working.
That said, Garmin’s battery door design wins points. No tools required. Twist it open with your fingers, swap the coin cell, done.
Polar’s H10 still requires a coin or screwdriver, which isn’t hard but adds friction.
What they don’t do
Neither of these straps is “smart” in the modern sense. No screens. No vibrations. No alerts. No GPS. No fancy tricks.
They’re purpose-built tools—designed to deliver one critical stat: your heart rate. And to do it faster and more accurately than anything on your wrist ever could.
And the winner?
If you’re just looking for pure, bulletproof heart rate data with rock-solid comfort, the Polar H10 still holds its place as the go-to for many athletes. It’s reliable, easy to wear, and damn near perfect for anyone who just wants elite-level HR tracking.
But…
If you want more—more data, more autonomy, more connectivity—Garmin’s HRM Pro Plus is the better tool. It doesn’t just record your heartbeat. It records how you move. How efficiently. How symmetrically. And whether you’re progressing or plateauing.
With extra storage, deeper analytics, better Bluetooth handling, and tighter Garmin integration, the HRM Pro Plus takes the win in this duel.
If you’re training hard and want your data to work just as hard? This is the strap you want on your chest.