Garmin Expands Subscription Strategy with Launch of Connect+ Premium App Tier (2025)

Garmin is expanding its presence in the subscription economy with the launch of Garmin Connect+, a new premium tier within the Garmin Connect app. While Garmin has long offered subscriptions tied to specific hardware—such as satellite communication via inReach or advanced mapping features—Connect+ represents the company’s first internally developed, app-only subscription offering, designed to add value directly within its core fitness app ecosystem.

Available now for $6.99/month or $69.99/year (with a 30-day free trial), Garmin Connect+ introduces a set of premium features targeting serious fitness users. Highlights include:

• Active Intelligence, an AI-powered system delivering personalized health and activity insights throughout the day

• A Performance Dashboard, offering advanced visualizations of training data

• Live Activity, enabling users to view heart rate, pace, reps, and workout videos in real-time via a compatible smartwatch and smartphone

• Personalized training programs with Garmin running and cycling coaches, complete with exclusive educational content and videos

• Expanded LiveTrack features, allowing contacts to follow a user’s progress in real time through personalized pages

• Social and motivational elements, such as exclusive badge challenges, including “Running Climbs” (500m elevation in a month) and “Power Cycling” (4 hours in power zone 3)

These features bring Garmin more in line with other fitness tech platforms like Whoop, Fitbit, and Oura, all of which offer subscription-based access to advanced features and insights.

“We are excited to provide even more personalized data and enriched features with the addition of Garmin Connect+. You can now learn even more about yourself, take on new challenges, train confidently and stay even more connected,” said Susan Lyman, Garmin’s VP of Consumer Sales and Marketing.

However, the rollout has not been universally welcomed. As reported by AOL, Garmin users on Reddit voiced concerns about the company’s shift in strategy, noting that Garmin previously positioned itself as a no-subscription alternative in the fitness wearables market. Some fear this may be the start of a broader paywalling trend.

“Getting sick of these tech companies trying to milk my money with low value crap like Connect+,” wrote one Reddit user. Others speculated that more essential features might eventually be locked behind a paywall, reducing the value of already-expensive Garmin devices.

Also, while some media coverage described this as Garmin’s first subscription product, longtime users and health tech experts quickly noted that Garmin currently offers a number of subscriptions—primarily tied to third-party services or hardware-based features. What’s new is that Connect+ is fully developed and managed in-house, offering software-only value within Garmin’s flagship app.

INSIDER TAKE

Garmin’s launch of Connect+ is a strategic evolution—not a first step—into the subscription market. Unlike previous Garmin subscriptions that were hardware- or partner-driven, Connect+ signals a move to monetize the software ecosystem directly, building recurring revenue through premium app features that require no external licensing or hardware add-ons.

This reflects a broader trend: value layering through subscriptions, especially in fitness tech, where Apple, Fitbit, Whoop, and Oura have built business models around premium app tiers. Garmin is wisely maintaining a clear boundary between free and paid features and leveraging its loyal user base by offering a free trial to reduce friction.

Still, the community reaction highlights the risks of shifting perception. While Garmin isn’t paywalling existing functionality, users are wary of “subscription creep”—the idea that future features will only be available behind a paywall, ultimately reducing the long-term value of expensive devices.

For subscription operators, Garmin’s rollout is a timely reminder: pricing models are as much about psychology and trust as they are about features. Done right, Connect+ could become a compelling case study in adding recurring value without alienating customers—but only if Garmin stays transparent and continuously delivers meaningful enhancements.

• By Kathleen Greenler Sexton
• March 27, 2025

• Filed inConsumer Services, Direct-to-Consumer, Industry Announcements, News