I’m a lover of fitness trackers and smartwatches that move the needle.
And I reckon that you’ll agree with me when I say that Whoop and Fitbit are two brands that promise results and exceed our expectations.
In this Whoop vs Fitbit guide, I do a front to back comparison between these two wearables based on real-life testing and extended research to help you decide which band would be suitable for you.
Whether you’re a serious athlete who lives and breathes health and fitness or you’re a standard user who wants to immerse themselves into smart activity tracking, I’m confident you’ll find this comparison incredibly helpful.
Let’s get started.
Whoop vs Fitbit Comparison Table
I’ll go deeper into Fitbit and Whoop in a few.
For now, I would like you to scan the table below to get the first impression of how the two wearables compare.
| Fitbit | Whoop 4.0 | |
| What It Tracks | Tracks steps, counts calories, monitors heart rate, tracks workout | Tracks steps, counts calories, monitors heart rate, tracks workout |
| Workout Detection | Automatic | Automatic |
| Recovery score | Available on Fitbit Premium | Available without additional cost |
| Reminder to Move | Included | Not included |
| Guided workouts | Accessible via Fitbit Premium | Doesn’t include guided workout |
| Sleep tracking | Tracks sleep, sleep stages, and sleep quality core. Sleep stage analysis requires a premium subscription. | Tracks sleep, sleep stages, and sleep quality core. |
| Battery life | Up to 10 days in full charge in smartwatch mode | You get up to 5 days of battery life with Whoop 4.0 Strap on a single charge |
| Price | Click Here for Price | Up to $30/Month |
Now that you have a clear overview of what to expect from Fitbit and Whoop, let’s go into in-depth details on how the two models actually compare.
Are Whoop and Fitbit Smartwatches?
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you look at Whoop and Fitbit?
For some people, the assumption is that these are smartwatches with differing design twist. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Whoop 4.0 isn’t a smartwatch.
It doesn’t have a screen to display stats. So if you’re going to want to have this, forget about notifications, a vibration alarm, and smart features found in actual smartwatches.
In my eyes, Whoop 4.0 is a refined strap built specifically to capture data and show results in the dedicated app.
Fitbit is a different package altogether, with its series consisting of both fitness trackers and smartwatches.
So if you’re interested in smartwatch features, such as wrist payments, GPS technology, and everything in between, I strongly advise that you get a Fitbit.
Whoop vs Fitbit: Here’s How They Compare
Fitbit and Whoop aren’t exactly direct competitors. Or perhaps that just the way I see it.
Regardless of my perspective on the type of competition between the two brands in the wearable market, these health companions have features worth comparing front to back.
After a long stretch of looking at the two models, here’s how they compare:
Design and Display
For me, a lightweight smart band with an aesthetic appeal is an item I’d jump on. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.
From a design point of view, Fitbit and Whoop are ideal for users who are interested in comfortable fitness trackers that don’t entirely sacrifice a fashionable appeal.
And if you’re one of the folks looking for something to wear day and night, you just might find these two hard not to love.
But let’s not get too far ahead just yet.
Because…
While these two brands are fashionable enough to complete formal and casual outfit, they differ on design and display.
To begin with, Fitbit smartwatches such as Sense 2 and Versa 4 and fitness trackers such as Charge 5, Inspire 3, and Luxe are slimmer and lightweight.
Their touchscreen displays are sizeable and vibrant, not to mention that Fitbit has optimized them for clarity even under direct sunlight.
Although Charge 5 itself lacks buttons, the screen is so responsive to taps and swipes that you don’t have to wonder why Fitbit stripped the buttons in the first place.
Whoop 4.0’s design is far much different from what a typical fitness tracker looks like.
First, it doesn’t have a screen. This stuff is useless without the app. And while such an approach sets Whoop apart in the market in a way, a display for the strap would have been better – if not an overkill.
Second, it features a knitted strap seated in a metal buckle, which, again, brings Whoop’s creativity to light. Whoop 4.0 is bigger than most Fitbits. But the size doesn’t add much weight to the model.
Wearing Options
Whoop gives you the option of wearing its device on multiple location. And they give you an assurance that you’ll get accurate approximation of results regardless of where you wear the device.
You can wrap it around your wrist, use a strap to wear it on your ankle, clip it on your garment, or attach to your bicep using a compatible strap.
Things are different with Fitbit.
While I argue that you can wear a Fitbit on your ankle, I can’t give you the assurance that the stats estimate you get can be as accurate.
Fitbit devices are wrist-based fitness trackers and smartwatches by design. That means you have to wear them on your wrist and nowhere else.
Activity Tracking
Fitbit and Whoop entered the market with one goal. And that has always been to help you maintain your health as you take your fitness to the next level.
However, Whoop 4.0 strap and Fitbit devices have varying technologies, which means they track varying metrics and do so differently.
| Fitbit | Whoop 4.0 | ||
| 1. | Workout detection | Outdoor cycling, stationary bike, walks, runs, swimming, and aerobics | Only detects workouts that you logged previously. |
| 2. | Number of workouts | 20 | 80 |
| 3. | Calorie tracking | Tracks calories burned | Tracks calories burned |
| 4. | Step tracking | Counts steps | Cannot count steps |
| 5. | Distance tracking | Tracks distance covered and even maps route with GPS | Not able to track distance as it lacks built-in GPS technology |
| 6. | Heart rate broadcast | Doesn’t broadcast heart rate | Broadcasts heart rate |
| 7. | Workout detection time | Within 15 minutes | Within 15 minutes, with a max strain score of 8 |
Fitbit’s more refined models such as Sense, Luxe, Charge 5 and Versa are some of the best all-day activity trackers out there.
With a Fitbit, you can:
- Count steps.
- Track sleep and use the SpO2 sensor to measure blood oxygen.
- Manage your stress levels with the EDA technology.
- Get an estimate for your heart rate as you workouts.
- Monitor indoor workouts on treadmills and stationary bikes.
- Check your skin temperature.
- Use the built-in GPS technologies on some Fitbit models for cycling.
And there’s so much more.
Even Whoop 4.0 has its own sensors. So if you choose to get the strap over a Fitbit device, you’ll be able to:
- Track skin temperature.
- Monitor resting heart rate
- Check heart rate variability.
- Monitor sleep.
- Check your blood oxygen.
Whoop 4.0 strap doesn’t track steps. So if step tracking is central to your workout routine, move on past the strap and get one of the latest Fitbit device instead.
Moreover, the lack of a built-in GPS system means you have to bring your phone with you and rely on connected GPS if you want to account for distance and map your routes.
Health Tracking and Reporting
My point of view on Fitbit vs Whoop health tracking and reporting is this:
The two brands equip their devices with powerful sensors developed to give you useful insights, which can help you to determine whether you’re in good condition.
Fitbit fitness trackers and smartwatches, such as Charge 5, Sense, and Luxe, have the ECG sensor, a powerful technology that detects heart issues.
The brand has shies away from making it clear whether the EGC technology can detect sleep apnea. But it does give an assurance that the technology can monitor your blood oxygen levels as you sleep.
I find the temperature sensor to be such an important addition to the Fitbit’s ecosystem. From where I sit, that kind of technology makes it easy for you to determine whether you’re unwell should your body temperature reading seem absurd.
The latest Fitbit models also include stress detector and management tool. And quite frankly, being able to measure your stress response before making an appointment with your physician is truly a game changer.
You aren’t going to get a ton of health monitoring techs from Whoop 4.0 strap. But what it has, despite lacking regulatory approval, can help you monitor your health just fine.
As it stands, Whoop 4.0 device include health-monitoring features that can tell you about your blood oxygen, respiratory rate, resting heart rate, skin temperature and heart rate variability.
Clearly, the two devices are good at monitoring and reporting health metrics. But if you’re looking for an option that can give you more tools and accurate estimates, you’re going to do much better with a Fitbit device.
Water Protection
I like to think of waterproof fitness trackers as invaluable. In addition to standing up to accidental spills, these models make the best options if you’re interested in tracking swimming workouts.
In this respect, Fitbit and Whoop Straps are water-resistant up to 5 ATM and 1 ATM respectively. What that means is the two devices can stand up to water pressure of up to 164 feet deep.
And as long as you’re not going to use Whoop or Fitbit for scuba diving, expect either device to be technically waterproof.
Battery Life
Tell you what…
I hate charging devices all the time. I like to deal with options that give me long hour runtime on a single charge. And I’m sure not the only one on this.
When it comes to picking a smartwatch or fitness tracker, battery life make a difference.
You can admire all the good features all you want. But if the device you choose doesn’t have a decent battery life, you just might have flushed your money down the drain.
In testing, Fitbit stayed true to its promise of long battery life in standard mode.
For example, while the sales ad for Fitbit Inspire 3 clearly states that you get a 10-day battery life, the runtime on a single charge latest about 8 to 9 days give or take. Clearly, the difference is negligible, and that’s fine for most people.
I should state clearly that, if active, the always-on display mode can drop the battery runtime to 6 or 7 days. And in GPS mode, the maximum runtime I’ve seen for a fully charged Fitbit battery is 12 hours.
Whoop states that its strap can last 5 days on a single charge. In testing, though, the battery runtime falls between 4 and 6 days.
That isn’t a bad runtime. But for a model that doesn’t have a display, I was expecting the battery runtime on a single charge to be better.
Price
Whoop has an interesting pricing model that I haven’t seen with any smart band brand yet – or perhaps I’m just reluctant to search.
Ideally, Whoop works on a subscription model, which costs up to $30 per month.
For the price, you get a free Whoop 4.0 device, access to the Whoop mobile app, and personalized performance reports. Moreover, Whoop guarantees you a lifetime warranty for the tracking band provided you have an active subscription with them.
Fitbit do things differently.
Instead of working on a subscription-based model, the brand requires you to buy the fitness tracker or smartwatch at retail price. Then, you’ll need to pair the Fitbit device to the app to access detailed fitness and wellness stats.
You could just buy a Fitbit device such as Sense, Charge 5, Charge 4, or Luxe and use the free features packed in the app.
However, if you want in-depth information to take your fitness, mindfulness, and wellness to the next level, you might want to look at the Fitbit premium offers.
Final Thoughts on Whoop 4.0 and Fitbit
Fitbit devices and Whoop 4.0 feature different design and built-in features. But they both come with the promise to help you get the most out of your investment.
While we can argue that none is better than the other is, a more practical approach is that a model that is suitable for you is one that has the features that you’re looking for.
