FIT file tools, compared
Six tools are worth knowing about, and they're good at different things. I build one of them, so I won't pretend to be neutral about the first row. The rest is what I'd tell a friend.
| Tool | Where it runs | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIT File Editor | In your browser, nothing uploaded | Free | Cutting any section, fixing bad data visually, merging, metadata |
| FIT File Tools | On its server (your file is uploaded) | Free | Quick single operations if you don't mind uploading |
| GOTOES | On its server (your file is uploaded) | Free, donations unlock larger files | Combining many files and format conversions |
| Fit File Repair Tool | Windows desktop app | About €20, one-time | Deeply corrupted files, on Windows |
| Garmin FIT Repair (kiesewetter.nl) | On its server (your file is uploaded) | Free | A quick first attempt at repairing a corrupt file |
| GoldenCheetah | Desktop app (Mac, Windows, Linux) | Free, open source | Deep analysis, with editing on the side |
Last reviewed 2026-08-24.
FIT File Editor
Reach for it when you want to see what you are changing.
This site. The whole activity sits on one timeline with the map above it, so you see exactly what you're cutting or fixing before you export. It crops any section including the middle, caps or smooths bad heart rate and power, repairs GPS points, merges files, and edits the device, sport, name, and start time. Files are decoded and re-encoded on your computer and never uploaded. I built it, so judge this row yourself: the editor is one click away.
FIT File Tools
Fine for a quick one-off if uploading doesn't bother you.
The long-standing default, online since around 2014. A set of separate single-purpose utilities: a section remover, a time adjuster, a device changer, a combiner. Each one does its job through a form, with no preview of the data. Files are processed on its server. It has earned years of forum recommendations, and it still works, but it shows its age: one tool per page, no visual feedback, and a known quirk where Garmin Connect can flag the output as a duplicate because the file header is left unchanged.
GOTOES
The one to use for 20-file combines and GPX or TCX input.
The combiner. It merges up to 20 files at a time and accepts GPX, TCX, and CSV as well as FIT, which nothing else on this page does. It can also add timestamps to a bare GPX track. The interface is dated and everything happens on its server, but for a big multi-file join or a format conversion it is the most capable option, and it has been maintained for years. Donations unlock larger file limits and direct uploads.
Fit File Repair Tool
The deep-repair last resort, if you have a Windows machine.
A paid Windows program, continuously developed since 2012, that goes deeper on repair than any web tool: error detection, structural fixes, format conversion, and combining. If a file is badly corrupted and the free tools have failed, this is the traditional last resort. The trade-offs are real: it is Windows-only, it needs Microsoft Access components, and Mac users are out of luck entirely.
Garmin FIT Repair (kiesewetter.nl)
Try it first for a corrupt file; escalate if it fails.
A free single-purpose repair service that has quietly fixed a huge number of corrupt Garmin files over the years. Upload the broken file, get a repaired one back. There is no editing and no preview, and it either works or it doesn't, but as a fast first attempt on a file that won't upload it costs nothing to try.
GoldenCheetah
Best if you want serious analysis and occasional fixes in one place.
A free, open-source training-analysis powerhouse. Editing FIT data is a side ability, not the point: you can fix values in a spreadsheet-like view and re-export, and its ride editor can rescue some broken files. The learning curve is steep and the interface is built for analysts, but if you already use it for training analysis, it can handle many fixes without another tool.
Which one should you use?
- Cut something out, including the middle of an activity: FIT File Editor.
- Fix bad heart rate, power, GPS, or elevation and see the change: FIT File Editor.
- Combine more than a few files, or start from GPX, TCX, or CSV: GOTOES.
- A corrupt file that won't upload: try FIT File Editor or kiesewetter.nl free first, then the paid Fit File Repair Tool on Windows.
- Deep training analysis with occasional fixes: GoldenCheetah.
- A quick single operation where uploading doesn't matter: FIT File Tools.
Questions
- What is the best free FIT file editor?
- FIT File Editor (fitfileeditor.com) is a free visual editor that crops, fixes, merges, and repairs .fit files in your browser without uploading them. FIT File Tools and GOTOES are free server-based alternatives with single-purpose utilities.
- What can I use instead of fitfiletools?
- FIT File Editor covers the same jobs (removing sections, changing the device, adjusting time, combining files) in one visual timeline, without uploading your file to a server. GOTOES is the stronger alternative for combining many files.
- How do I edit a FIT file without uploading it anywhere?
- Use an editor that runs client-side. FIT File Editor decodes, edits, and re-encodes the file entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer. Desktop apps like GoldenCheetah also keep everything local.
- What tool fixes a corrupt FIT file?
- Try the free options first: FIT File Editor can rescue many damaged or truncated files in the browser, and garmin.kiesewetter.nl is a free repair service. For deeply corrupted files there is the paid Fit File Repair Tool on Windows.
- Can Strava or Garmin Connect edit a FIT file?
- Only barely. Strava and Garmin Connect can trim the start or end of an activity and correct some fields, but neither can cut a section from the middle, fix sensor data over a range, merge files, or change the recording device. That's what these tools are for.