The best smart bathroom scales automatically record your weight and other body metrics in an app where you and your health care providers can view them over time. Wireless syncing makes recording your weight effortless, and you can't fudge the numbers. The $39.95 Pivotal Living Bluetooth Smart Scale is the least expensive smart bathroom scale I've seen, but you get what you pay for. Syncing was unreliable in testing, and if you can't count on that, what good is a smart scale anyway? I had a much better overall experience with the QardioBase and the Withings WS-50. While they're much more expensive, they remain our Editors' Choice picks.

Design
Every smart scale I've seen has a tempered glass top and comes in either black, white, or both, and the Pivotal Living scale largely follows suit. The basic aesthetic is contemporary, chic, and clean. The scale comes only in white, measures 12.8 inches square with rounded corners, and has four stainless steel pads where you put your feet. A small Pivotal Living logo appears at the bottom, and while it's noticeable, it's not garish.

Included in the box are four AAA batteries and scratch pads for the risers if you're concerned that the scale might scratch your floors. A tiny instruction manual says the scale supports up to 350 pounds. Most of the smart scales I've seen top out at 400 pounds.

The display at the top is fine, but not terribly bright. The scale reads out to the 0.1-pound, and you can switch between metric and imperial measurements in the settings of the app; the display will update accordingly the next time you step on. You cannot get your weight in stones, though. By comparison, the Garmin Index Smart Scale lets you measure in pounds, kilos, or stones by simply toggling a button underneath it. That's a nice convenience for guests.

Up to 16 people can use the Pivotal Living scale and have their weights tracked separately and privately. Most smart scales support multiple users, so this is a standard feature.

App and Usage

Setting up the scale and pairing it with the Pivotal Living Android or iOS app went smoothly as I followed on-screen prompts. My very first weigh-in read five pounds higher than the Garmin Index scale sitting right next to it, but subsequent weigh-ins were nearly identical.

You'll need your connected device with the Pivotal Living app open and within Bluetooth range (about 40 feet) to record the data. Just before you step on the scale, you have to hit Sync in the app, which is cumbersome. And in my tests, the syncing failed every third or fourth weigh-in. Unless you're paying close attention, this could mean you're missing out on logging important data.

When you step on the scale, the display shows weight and body fat, and that's all. To get the rest of your readings, you'll have to look in the app. There you'll find lean mass, basal metabolic rate (an estimate based on your height, age, and weight), and body mass index (BMI). The BMI number appears on a sliding bar scale with color-coded ranges so you can actually understand what it means. The scale doesn't record bone mass or body water.

If you'd rather see all these metrics, as well as bone mass and body water, right on the scale's display, the Garmin Index is the way to go. There's one more measurement you might like to know and automatically record over time, but only the Withings WS-50 measures it: heart rate.

All your data will be saved to the Pivotal Living app, which isn't the best health-tracking app I've seen. It's slow and unresponsive at times, and doesn't integrate with the Apple Health app, which lets you centralize health data from a variety of sources. Apps from Polar, Qardio, and Withings, all work with Apple Health, meaning you can send your scale data to the app.

Aside from mass, all the other readings rely on bioelectrical impedance, which is common in modern bathroom scales, but dangerous for people with implanted devices, such as pacemakers. It's also sometimes recommended that pregnant women not expose themselves to bioelectrical impedance. With the Pivotal Living scale, there's no way to temporarily disable it, as you can in many other scales. There also aren't any special features for tracking weight through a pregnancy, like the QardioBase can. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Pivotal Living scale syncs via Bluetooth only, which means your connected devices needs to be nearby in order to record a reading. We prefer scales that connect via Wi-Fi. It means you can step on the scale, and as long as your router is within range, the weigh-in will be recorded. You don't need to have your phone by your side, although if you do, you can choose to sync your latest body numbers directly to the mobile app. 

Comparisons and Conclusions

At $39, the Pivotal Living scale is one of the least expensive smart scales on the market. Another option in this price range is the Nuyu Wireless Scale, which performed marginally better in testing, but is still nothing to write home about.

There is a mid-tier, between $99 and $129, where you'll find scales such as the Polar Balance, the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, the Runtastic Libra (which uses Bluetooth only), and the Koogeek S1 Smart Health Scale. Each of these offer more bang for your buck than the Pivotal Living scale, and are a better place to start for beginners.

If price is your main concern when shopping for a wireless scale, the Pivotal Living Bluetooth Smart Scale is still worth considering, but it might leave you frustrated with its poor syncing. Plus, you can only use its app, which limits where you can save your data automatically. If you're serious about getting a good smart scale, consider spending at least $99 for something that will make you happier. PCMag's top two recommendations, the QardioBase and the Withings WS-50, both cost $149. They sync by both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which is a major perk in convenience and ease of use. They also have excellent apps, and come with a host of other useful features that make them worth the jump in price.