Platforms
IOS, ANDROID, WEB
Free Tier
Yes
Paid Price
Free (device required)
Sensors
4 supported
The Verdict
Polar pioneered consumer HRV tracking and their scientific approach shows. Nightly Recharge and the orthostatic test provide robust HRV insights, especially when paired with the highly accurate H10 chest strap. Best for users who want research-backed methodology.
Features
- Nightly Recharge recovery
- ANS Charge (autonomic balance)
- Orthostatic test
- Sleep Plus Stages analysis
- Training Load Pro
- Running and cycling metrics
Pros
- Free with Polar devices
- Excellent HRV science foundation
- Orthostatic test protocol
- Works with gold-standard H10
Cons
- Requires Polar hardware
- Some features limited to watches
- Interface less polished than rivals
- Sync issues occasionally reported
Nightly Recharge
Available on Polar watches (Vantage, Grit X, Ignite series), Nightly Recharge measures ANS recovery during sleep's first 4 hours. It analyzes HRV, breathing rate, and heart rate to show how well your autonomic nervous system recovered.
Orthostatic Test
Polar's orthostatic test is a classic HRV assessment: measure HRV lying down, then stand and measure again. The difference reveals autonomic function and fatigue levels—more sensitive than resting HRV alone for detecting overtraining.
Compatible Sensors
- Polar H10
- Polar H9
- Polar Verity
- Polar Watch