A Google Health Coach alternative with no Fitbit required
Google Health replaced the Fitbit app you liked, and its coach needs a Fitbit or Pixel Watch before it says a word. PULS3 coaches from the Apple Watch, Garmin or Oura you already wear, and wakes you to a plan, not a dashboard.
PULS3 is an iPhone app with a head coach and nine specialists who keep one plan for your training, meals, sleep and stress, and change it when your week does.
Free until 31 October 2026. Nothing to pay until then, and nothing renews unless you choose to subscribe.
Last checked: 24 September 2026
Why people look for a Google Health Coach alternative
The redesign
23 of the 49 low-star Australian App Store reviews we read (June 2026) and 8 of the 37 low-star US reviews (September 2026) said the new layout is worse than the old Fitbit app. PULS3 gives you no dashboard to learn. Each morning it gives you one plan for the day, built from last night's sleep and your recent training, with the reason next to each item.
Sleep and sync
12 of the 49 low-star Australian reviews and 9 of the 37 US reviews reported wrong sleep data, and 7 of 49 and 8 of 37 reported sync or pairing failures. PULS3 has no device of its own to pair. It reads the sleep your Apple Watch, Garmin or Oura already writes to Apple Health, and connects to Oura directly.
A coach that forgets
One US reviewer said the coach "can't remember things from one comment to the next" (App Store, September 2026). Another said it asked how they were recovering from a surgery they never had. In PULS3, each of the nine specialists keeps its own memory of what you've told it, and a change to your plan is offered, never applied on a guess.
What you get with PULS3
Works with the watch you already wear
Apple Watch, Garmin, Oura, or anything else that writes to Apple Health. Nothing to buy.
One voice, nine specialists
Sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress, mood, lab results, women's health, menopause and men's health. Your sleep coach talks to your nutrition coach, and you hear one clear next step.
Dinner planned for the whole house
Food logging got harder for 10 of the 49 low-star Australian reviewers. PULS3 plans a week of dinners for everyone at your table, checked against each person's allergies. Log a meal with a photo and correct what it saw.
A$9.99, with no device on top
After 31 October 2026, PULS3 costs A$9.99 a month or A$89.99 a year. Google Health Premium costs A$14.99 a month in Australia, and the coach needs a Fitbit or Pixel Watch as well.
Free until 31 October 2026. Nothing to pay until then, and nothing renews unless you choose to subscribe.
Google Health Coach and PULS3 side by side
Swipe to see every column.
| Google Health Coach | PULS3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | A Fitbit or Pixel Watch feeding a Gemini coach in the Google Health app | A head coach and nine specialists, one plan |
| Needs its own device | Yes. A Fitbit device or a Pixel Watch for the coach | No. Reads Apple Health, with a direct Oura connection |
| Runs on | iPhone and Android | iPhone |
| Keeps a plan and changes it | Yes. Weekly targets and daily suggestions | Yes. A daily plan each morning. Changes are offered, never applied without your yes |
| Areas covered | Fitness, sleep, nutrition, cycle tracking, general wellness | Sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress, mood, lab results, women's health, menopause, men's health |
| Specialists for women's health, menopause and men's health | Cycle tracking. No named specialists | Yes, all three, inside the same plan as your training |
| Price in Australia | Premium A$14.99 a month or A$149.99 a year, plus a Fitbit or Pixel Watch | A$9.99 a month or A$89.99 a year after 31 October 2026. A$19.99 a month for a family |
| What reviewers complain about most | The new layout, in 23 of the 49 low-star Australian reviews read | What PULS3 does about it: no dashboard to learn. One plan each morning, with the reason for each item |
Facts from Google's help centre and blog, App Store reviews and Unstar.app, checked 24 September 2026.
Switching from Google Health Coach
- Keep the watch that writes to Apple Health. Apple Watch, Garmin and Oura do. PULS3 has no direct Fitbit connection.
- Install PULS3 on your iPhone and say what you want, in your own words. "Get through the afternoon without crashing" is a fine answer.
- Get your first plan, with the reason for each item, and a new one every morning.
Questions
Do I need a Fitbit to use Google Health Coach?
Yes. The coach needs a Fitbit device or a Pixel Watch. The base Google Health app works without one, but shows only the Today and Health tabs.
Can PULS3 read my Fitbit data?
PULS3 has no direct Fitbit connection. It reads Apple Health, so it uses the data your Apple Watch, Garmin and other devices write there, and it connects to Oura directly in Settings.
How much does PULS3 cost?
PULS3 is free until 31 October 2026. After that it costs A$9.99 a month or A$89.99 a year for one person, or A$19.99 a month for a family, in Australian or US dollars. Nothing renews unless you choose to subscribe.
Get a team that works with the watch you already own.
Free until 31 October 2026. Nothing to pay until then, and nothing renews unless you choose to subscribe.
Sources
- Google Health Help: what is new in the redesigned app (device requirement, tabs)
- Google blog: Google Health Coach for Premium users (what it covers, how plans adapt)
- Google blog Australia, 8 May 2026 (Australian price and launch)
- Google Health (Fitbit) on the App Store (50 US and 50 Australian reviews read 24 September 2026)
- Unstar.app, 16 August 2026 (3,349 negative reviews after the switch)
Google Health, Fitbit, Pixel Watch and Gemini are trademarks of Google. Apple Watch, Garmin and Oura are trademarks of their owners. PULS3 is not affiliated with any of them. PULS3 provides coaching guidance, not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.