Oura is the best smart ring ever to hit the wearable shelf. But at $299, with a recurring $6 monthly subscription, it really isn’t for everyone. So if you’re looking for Oura Ring alternatives, I have some recommendations for you.
To be clear:
The best Oura Ring alternative is one that focuses on activity, sleep, and recovery. And it should be good enough to give you helpful insights that you can use to make reasonable workout decisions.
Of course, the wearable market spoils you for choice, and your options include alternative rings and smartwatches with the same functionalities.
Here are my recommendations:
- Go2Sleep Ring
- Circul Ring
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Whoop Strap 4.0
- AIO Smart Sleeve
Why Do You Need an Oura Ring Alternative?
There are several reasons why you might want an Oura Ring alternative.
You may want to:
- Cancel your Oura membership plan.
- Switch to a fitness tracker you can wear on your wrist.
- Get a smartwatch that collects more data than just sleep, recovery, and activity information.
- Switch to an alternative that doesn’t require a monthly or annual subscription.
Whatever your reasons are, I hope you find one of the following recommendations worth trusting with your wallet.
Best Oura Ring Alternatives Explained
The following is a summary of the best sleep trackers that you can use instead of going for the Oura Ring:
1. Apple Watch Series 8
Despite the presence of competitors like Oura in the wearable space, Apple still takes the lead for the best fitness trackers and smartwatches.
For example, the Apple Watch Series 8 is a sound alternative that, despite its steep retail price, doesn’t require a recurring monthly subscription to track your health and fitness metrics.
With Apple Watch Series 8, you can monitor heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen, respiratory rate, sleep, female health, and body temperature.
And as an all-in-one health and fitness tracker, this smartwatch can track sleep, steps, swimming, cycling, and so much more.
The Oura Ring has two times the water-resistance rating of the Apple Watch Series 8. But at 5 ATM, it’s still a decent option, as you’ll hardly find a 50 meters deep swimming pool in your area anyways.
The problem with Apple watches is they don’t have a decent battery runtime. Unless optimized to save battery, which in turn alters its overall performance, the Apple Watch Series 8 offers a runtime of 23 hours max on a single charge in normal to heavy usage.
2. Whoop Strap 4.0
The first noticeable difference between Whoop and Oura is the contact point.
Whoop goes around your wrist, but it isn’t a smartwatch by any mean. Oura goes through your fingers and stays locked in position provided you get the right Oura sizing.
Whoop tracks the same metrics as the Oura Ring, meaning their health and fitness metrics easily overlap. In other words, Whoop helps you to determine whether your body is ready to take on an intense exercise or whether you should focus on sleep and recovery.
You do get the strap free of charge, but you have to pay $30 a month for Whoop to keep tracking your health and fitness stats.
I’m aware that, given the pricing chart, the Oura Ring is an inexpensive model compared to the Whoop Strap. In fact, the only reason to get Whoop is if you need a fitness tracker that sits on your wrist.
One of the differences between Whoop and Oura Ring is access to data based on membership plans.
- With Oura Ring, you can still track and view basic health and fitness stats after your subscription expires.
- For Whoop, you won’t get access even to the most basic health and fitness stats when your membership plan expires. However, there is a 3-day grace period to upgrade your account.
Like the Oura Ring, the Whoop Strap 4.0 has a decent battery life. Expect somewhere between 4 to 6 days of battery runtime on a single charge depending on the frequency of use.
3. BodiMetrics Circul Sleep and Fitness Ring
Oura Ring costs $299 in retail price. Then you have to pay a monthly premium subscription of $6 or $72 per year.
That’s a lot.
An inexpensive alternative that may be worth a consideration is the Circul Ring by BodiMetrics.
It’s not such a revolutionary smart ring, and I don’t even think it’s a popular brand on the market right now. But you might want to consider it if you’re on a tight budget and can’t manage to pay a recurring monthly or annual subscription.
First, the Circul Ring features sleep, exercise, and daytime modes, but you can use only one mode at a time.
- Sleep mode: Circul monitors oxygen de-saturation index (ODI), sleep stages, heart rate, and blood oxygen level.
- Exercise mode: The tracker counts calories burned and steps taken while monitoring heart rate.
- Daytime mode: Circul monitors blood oxygenation and heart rate.
Unlike the most common pulse oximeters, the Circul Ring tracks blood pressure oxygen and heart rate continuously.
BodiMetrics takes the issue on battery life seriously. On a single charge, the Circul tracker last 4 to 5 days, the exact same battery runtime of the Oura Ring.
4. Go2Sleep Advanced HST Tracker Ring
Go2Sleep may not have been a big hit when it first debut. But it does three things incredibly well.
With this smart ring, you can get detailed insights into your sleep quality, information on sleep apnea, and useful tips to enhance your sleep’s quality.
Like the Oura Ring, the Go2Sleep tracker will monitor your blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and sleep stats. It also gives you resting heart rate and heart rate variability data.
Apparently, the Go2Sleep ring has some flaws.
First, it’s not fully water-resistant. You’re going to have to take it off in the morning before you go to the shower.
Second, it doesn’t have the best battery life. You get a runtime of up to 24 hours on a single charge, which is at least four days less than what you’d get from an Oura Ring.
Final Thoughts
The Oura Ring alternative that you get depends on the health and fitness metrics you would like to track and the subscription plan.
For example:
- If you need a fitness tracker that doesn’t incur recurring monthly or annual subscription, consider an option such as the Apple Watch Series 8.
- If you’re in the market for a fitness tracker that you can wear on your wrist but has a subscription plan, get the Whoop Strap 4.0.
Just keep in mind that every alternative you get has its own set of pros and cons.
I hope this helps.
