A $12 fitness band? Yep. And it looks good.

SAN FRANCISCO — What would it take to get you to wear a fitness band? How about one that costs $12?

Entrepreneur David Donovick's Pivotal Living startup is taking on market leaders Fitbit and Jawbone with the Life Tracker 1 — a wristband and smartphone app that promise to do the things modern fitness bands can do, at the cost of about $1 a month.

Slapping on any one of these lightweight bracelets can help you get fit by counting your steps, helping you track sleep, weight or even how much water you drink. They all work with companion smartphone apps.

For anyone who has tried one (I wear a Jawbone UP24), it's a no-brainer proposition. They really can motivate you to get up from your desk, move around, get more sleep (or try) and generally get on track to better health goals.

So far though, the market is growing fast but still very small. In a recent report, research firm Canalys said shipments of basic "wearable" bands will grow to 15 million in 2015, up from 7 million in 2014. (Consider: Apple sold 10 million new iPhones in their first weekend.)

Donovick — a nine-year Microsoft veteran before jumping to the startup world — said he thinks his Pivotal Living company can change the equation by making the cost of entry relatively painless. Life Tracker puts the Pivotal Living app in charge of the physical horse, with a new membership model pricing structure.

You pay a $12 annual fee for the app, and the company comps you the tracker, Donovick said in a visit to USA TODAY's San Francisco offices. Say you lose the band, or crush it somehow: You can renew at any time and Pivotal will send you a new band.

The company is taking pre-orders now, with apps for Android and Apple devices. The company is promising delivery of Life Tracker bands in time for the holidays if you order by Dec. 10.

The skinny on the band: It's a nice-looking (think Fitbit-like) device with an OLED screen that displays calories burned, steps, distance, sleep mode and the like at the touch of a button. Yes, watch-wearers: It will show you the time. It is water and sweat resistant (don't swim with it). The battery will last five-seven days on a charge, the company says.

Social tools in the app include the ability to create teams — for family members, say, or colleagues at work.

As attractive as the band is, Seattle-based Pivotal has broad aspirations. "What Nest has done for the smart home we want to do for mobile health tech," says Donovick.

Donovick is Pivotal's CEO. He and co-founder Eli Almo started the nine-person company this year and have self-funded it so far. Life Tracker 1 grew out of research begun in 2010 at the University of Washington, Donovick says.