Garmin’s New Paid Tier Is Filled With AI, but Actually Seems Useful

If there’s anything we’ve been learning these last couple of months, all good things must end. Fortunately, Garmin isn’t putting an end to its free tier, but it is introducing a premium plan called Garmin Connect+. The perks will sound familiar if you subscribe to apps like Strava. And because its 2025, the paid features added to Garmin Connect+ all have something to do with AI.

For $7/month or $70/year, Garmin Connect+ will unlock personalized “Active Intelligence insights,” which seems to be Garmin’s attempt at a moniker for AI offerings. These features include suggestions based on your health and activity data history, a performance dashboard to compare your progress, and training guidance for runners and cyclists. The subscription also includes bonus LiveTrack notifications so that trusted family and friends know you’ve started a run, plus some unique social features, including special badges for completing activity challenges.

The company clarifies in its press release that this is about growing its platform. Garmin is competing with other fitness and training apps, like Strava, which offers many of the same features for nearly double the price of Garmin’s offering. And while longtime Garmin users may be disappointed to hear the brand embracing a trend we’re all barreling toward, at least this one offers useful features.

AI can be a hard sell right now because of general consumer reluctance, but it’s not as gimmicky as it may sound in the fitness world. I use Strava’s AI summaries and find them informative and encouraging, as the bot always positively spins the fact that I did any activity at all. But Strava costs me $12/month, which is a ton for someone who isn’t hiking more than four miles a week. Garmin’s cheaper subscription price is already making me consider jumping ship to save on the cash.

Garmin users can sign up for a 30-day trial to try out the features before opting in. Or, if you’re already in the Garmin ecosystem, you can ignore it all and stick with the free health data and abilities already offered, including performance metrics and buildable courses for rides and runs.