| Price | $299 | $229 | $229 |
| Product Announcement Date | Apr 24th, 2019 | July 1st, 2015 | Mar 14th, 2017 |
| Actual Availability/Shipping Date | Early May 2019 | July 31st, 2015 | Mar 14th, 2017 |
| GPS Recording Functionality | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Data Transfer | USB, Bluetooth Smart, WiFi | USB & Bluetooth Smart | Bluetooth Smart, WiFi, USB |
| Waterproofing | IPX7 | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Battery Life (GPS) | 20 Hours (40 in battery Saver Mode) | 15 hours | 15 hours |
| Solar Charging | No | | |
| Recording Interval | 1-Second or Smart | 1-Second or Smart | 1-second |
| Dual-Frequency GNSS | No | | |
| Alerts | Audio/Visual | Audio/Visual | AUDIO/VISUAL + LED's |
| Backlight Greatness | Great | Great | Great |
| Ability to download custom apps to unit/device | Yes | Yes | No |
| Acts as daily activity monitor (steps, etc...) | No | No | N/A |
Music | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Can control phone music | No | No | No |
| Has music storage and playback | No | No | No |
| Streaming Services | No | | No |
Payments | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Contactless-NFC Payments | | | No |
Connectivity | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Bluetooth Smart to Phone Uploading | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phone Notifications to unit (i.e. texts/calls/etc...) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live Tracking (streaming location to website) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group tracking | Yes | No | Yes |
| Emergency/SOS Message Notification (from watch to contacts) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Built-in cellular chip (no phone required) | No | No | No |
Cycling | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Designed for cycling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Power Meter Capable | YEs | Yes | Yes |
| Power Meter Configuration/Calibration Options | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Power Meter TSS/NP/IF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speed/Cadence Sensor Capable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Strava segments live on device | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crash detection | Yes | Yes | No |
Running | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | VO2Max Estimation | (CYCLING YES THOUGH) | (CYCLING YES THOUGH) | N/A |
| Recovery Advisor | (CYCLING YES THOUGH) | (CYCLING YES THOUGH) | N/A |
Triathlon | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Designed for triathlon | Sorta | N/A | N/A |
Workouts | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Create/Follow custom workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-unit interval Feature | Yes | Yes | No |
| Training Calendar Functionality | Yes | Yes | No |
Functions | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Auto Start/Stop | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Partner Feature | Yes | Yes | No |
| Virtual Racer Feature | Yes | Yes | No |
| Records PR's - Personal Records (diff than history) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Weather Display (live data) | Yes | Yes | No |
Navigate | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Follow GPS Track (Courses/Waypoints) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Markers/Waypoint Direction | Yes | Yes | No |
| Routable/Visual Maps (like car GPS) | Yes | Yes for maps (but not routable) | Sorta (Maps yes, but technically not routable) |
| Back to start | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Impromptu Round Trip Route Creation | No | No | No (But can create one-way routes from phone app) |
| Download courses/routes from phone to unit | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Sensors | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Altimeter Type | Barometric | Barometric | Barometric |
| Compass Type | GPS | GPS | Magnetic |
| Optical Heart Rate Sensor internally | No | N/A | N/A |
| Heart Rate Strap Compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ANT+ Heart Rate Strap Capable | YEs | Yes | Yes |
| ANT+ Speed/Cadence Capable | YEs | YEs | Yes |
| ANT+ Footpod Capable | No | No | No |
| ANT+ Power Meter Capable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ANT+ Lighting Control | Yes | Yes | No |
| ANT+ Bike Radar Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ANT+ Trainer Control (FE-C) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ANT+ Remote Control | Yes | Yes | No |
| ANT+ eBike Compatibility | Yes | No | Yes |
| ANT+ Gear Shifting (i.e. SRAM ETAP) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shimano Di2 Shifting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Smart HR Strap Capable | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth Smart Speed/Cadence Capable | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth Smart Footpod Capable | No | No | YEs |
| Bluetooth Smart Power Meter Capable | Yes | No | Yes |
| Temp Recording (internal sensor) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Temp Recording (external sensor) | No | No | No |
Software | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | PC Application | Garmin Express | Garmin Express | N/A |
| Web Application | Garmin Connect | Garmin Connect | N/A |
| Phone App | iOS/Android/Windows Phone | iOS/Android/Windows Phone | iOS/Android |
| Ability to Export Settings | No | No | No |
Purchase | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Amazon | Link | Link | Link |
| Backcountry.com | Link | | Link |
| Competitive Cyclist | Link | | Link |
| REI | Link | | |
| TPC | Link | | |
DCRainmaker | Garmin Edge 530 | Garmin Edge 520 | Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT | | Review Link | Link | Link | Link |