Years ago, dive tables were the standard. These days, nearly all scuba divers wear a dive computer and they should.
Your computer tracks your depth, time, ascent rate, and NDL in real time. Tables give you a static plan. If you go shallower during a dive, the computer recalculates. Tables don't.
Wrist computers are what the majority of divers buy at this point. They're compact, readable underwater, and you'll use them as a daily watch too. Console computers are an option but fewer buyers choose them now.
Basic computers run about $250-400 and handle everything a recreational diver requires. You get depth, time, no-deco limits, log function, and sometimes a basic apnea mode. Mid-range gets you wireless air monitoring, better readability, and additional gas compatibility.
What buyers forget is how the computer handles. Certain algorithms are more cautious than others. A tighter computer means reduced no-deco time. Looser algorithms extend time but at a thinner safety margin. Both work. It just your style find out more and your diving background.
Talk to someone at a local dive store who dives with various brands before buying. They'll offer real-world feedback on what's good versus what's just marketing. Decent dive shops put out product guides and rundowns on their websites too