Whoop vs Oura: Best Tracker For Sleep & Recovery

In-Depth Comparison – Whoop VS Oura

In order to gain a deeper understanding of each package, we though it be best to do an in-depth comparison between the two:

Tracker Comparison Whoop vs Oura
Design	Strap	Ring
Sensors	Heart-rate sensor & accelerometer	Body temperature sensor, 3D accelerometer, gyroscope, & infrared pulse measurement
Price	The strap itself is free, but there is a monthly fee starting at $18/month to access the app and community	Anywhere from $299 to $999 for the device itself, with the free application
Trackable Metrics	Heart Rate Variability Heart Rate Calories Burned Off Sleep Quality & Sleep Phases Rest Heart Rate	Heart Rate Variability Heart Rate Calories Burned Off Sleep Quality & Sleep Phases Rest Heart Rate Respiratory Rate Body Temperature
Battery Life on One Charge	Five Days	Seven Days
Return Policy	Exchange or refund within 30 days of purchase	Exchange or refund within 30 days of purchase
Waterproof Or Not?	Waterproof up to 100ft	Waterproof up to 330ft
Community	Big community available	No community
App Platforms	Android, iOS & Windows	Android & iOS
Warranty	One Year	Two Years
Website	Visit Whoop	Visit Oura

After putting them under the microscope, let’s start off by mentioning the most obvious difference between them: The design.

As you might know, Whoop is a strap, while Oura is a ring. In this sense, Oura seems very revolutionary to me, since I haven’t seen that many rings that offer this caliber of data. However, this difference will be the of utmost importance in the upcoming discussions, since there are people that prefer rings or straps consecutively.

Also, for something as small as a ring, Oura seems to pack a lot of features and sensors. Offering a bit more data than Whoop.

Getting Whoop or Oura – How Does It Work?

The way you get either Whoop or Oura is quite different. To be honest, we only thought it be best to showcase how getting each device works since Whoop has quite an unusual model, in which you get the actual Whoop Strap 3.0 for free.

However, there are other things that need to be taken into account, so let’s get to it.

Whoop Strap 3.0

OK, so you get the Whoop Strap 3.0 for free, so what’s the catch? Well, the catch is that you do get the strap for free, but indeed, you need to be a member of the Whoop community in order for the strap to work.

So, instead of paying for the strap itself, customers pay a monthly fee to become a member, and the Whoop Strap 3.0 comes “free-of-charge”. We put “free-of-charge” in double quotations, since over time, you do pay for it. So, it is actually a marketing trick.

But nevertheless, the whole community behind it is actually quite astonishing. In the end, the membership starts at only $18 up to $30, depending on the longevity of the package you choose.

Many are often confused as to how the whole Whoop process goes, so that’s the reason we wanted to clear things up. Indeed, it is quite interesting, and while I had my doubts about the process, I actually prefer it over Oura’s.

Oura Ring

Getting the Oura Ring is simple. Customers pay a fixed fee for the ring, anywhere from $299 to $999, and then the application for the ring comes free.

But what if you don’t know your exact ring size? This is a common problem with ordering any type of ring online whether it be a tracker or just an ordinary ring, and Oura knows this.

That is why Oura offers a free sizing kit to anyone who doesn’t know their exact ring size. Once you order the kit, it comes to your door within seven days, and Oura recommends that you wear the ring for 24-hours in order to find the exact size for yourself.

In the sizing kit, there are also instructions as to how to properly do so. After determining your ring size, you can order the Oura ring, and that will also be shipped to your door approximately one week after confirming your size.

Comfort – Whoop Strap 3.0 VS Oura Ring

This is one of the most important aspects for trackers that improve your sleep quality. Now, this is why these are more commonly preferred rather than your usual bulky smart watches.

Indeed, they’re both made to be as comfortable as possible. It comes down to whether you prefer a ring or a strap. For me, a strap feels like a much better idea, since being myself, I already have a few rings that I commonly wear.

Swapping out for the Oura Ring might seem the most reasonable choice, but I would rather keep the ones which mean so much for me. For some though, it might be better to go with Oura Ring.

This depends only on what you prefer to wear, whether it be a strap or a ring. It is fair to mention that the Whoop Strap 3.0 is the most comfortable wrist wearable we’ve come across, since the whole device seems to be relatively long, and lays perfectly on your wrist.

The Whoop Strap 3.0 is what you see is what you get, whereas the Oura Ring has two different shapes to choose from: Balance and Heritage. With balance you have a pointy shape on the top of the ring, and with heritage, you get a flat top which smooths up the ring’s top.

Community & Why It Is Important – Whoop VS Oura

Not many are sold on the idea that the community of Whoop is such a big deal. Honestly, I was one of those people as well. But weirdly, there is something to it.

It can be easily summed up as: “Something which cannot be seen that it has a direct influence on someone’s drive, but it seems to push you forwards”. At least, that is the experience we had with it.

So, it pushes you forward and motivates you to do better each day, but what are some of its core features? Well, here’s a list of Whoop’s membership features:

• Join and create teams. People can create teams with their close ones, friends, or like-minded fitness enthusiasts. The teams can be created based on a couple of things like: interests, activities, training groups, and more.
• Leaderboard. Yes, there is a leaderboard. You rank based on your progress using the Whoop Strap 3.0. This is by-far the most motivating thing from the perks of the membership. Battle it out and rank higher than other Whoop members!
• Referrals. There is a chance for you to get free membership months if you refer friends and family.

This is unfortunately what Oura misses on. While the application in itself is free with Oura, the ring is pretty pricy. Plus, you don’t get the membership perks like you would with Whoop. In this case, not having a community or a similar feature to Whoop is a big minus with Oura.

Whoop Review

Compared to Oura, Whoop falls short in the metrics department. It is true that Oura has two more tracking metrics, body temperature and respiratory rate. However, Whoop has something called the Sleep and Strain Coach.

To stick to the topic at hand, the Sleep Coach offers personalized sleep insights. It gives you sleep needed, optimal wake and sleep cycles, and times, based on your circadian rhythm. So, as far as sleep information and analysis goes, Whoop is very impressive, even compared to more premium options on the market.

The Strain Coach is similar to the Sleep coach, but instead of rest, it tells you how much progress you have made, and whether you should keep working out, or taking a breather. Very interesting.

There really is no end to the community or the features of the Whoop application. Furthermore, in terms of design, the strap does look pretty sleek. You get the normal strap for free, but if you want to customize it with some of the designs that Whoop offers, you do have to pay a small fee.

Most of the time, people customize their Whoop strap, since they have a lot of lively designs.

Nonetheless, what are some of the positives and negatives with Whoop? Well, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Whoop:

Oura Review

We already touched on the fact that Oura offers more trackable metrics, but other than that, it is waterproof to much deeper depths, it has two years warranty instead of one like Whoop, and its battery life is longer than Whoop.

All around, the Oura Ring is very impressive. For a device of this size, it is really impressive how they’ve managed to extract so much performance. Indeed though, it is not for everyone, especially not for those that aren’t used to ring.

Compared to a regular ring it is quite bulkier, but after some time, people claim that they get used to it.

Another thing which is a bummer with Oura, is the fact that there is no community available. Indeed, in terms of what you get, with removing the community out of the equation, you get relatively the same package, with Oura having a couple of more features.

However, Oura does have a big price tag initially, which is not the case with Whoop.

If you’re looking to get the Oura Ring, what should you expect? Here are some of the pros and cons with Oura:

Head-to-Head Comparison

While we did cover most of the important things that you should consider, we didn’t exactly put them head-to-head. We will dive a little deeper and see which one makes the most sense when it comes to sleep optimization and sleep quality tracking.

What follows is a head-to-head between Whoop and Oura.

Whoop Strap 3.0 VS Oura Ring – Which Is Better For Sleep?

Well, both are exceptional at this. This isn’t the only thing going for them though, but for the sake of increasing sleep quality for those that need it, both the Whoop Strap 3.0 and the Oura Ring will do their job quite nicely.

Both offer similar variables in terms of data: total sleep time, sleep efficiency, deep sleep time, restfulness, sleep latency, and sleep score. With this data, it becomes much easier to improve your overall sleep, and set proper goals when it comes down to what you’re looking for.

And that’s where Whoop’s sleep coach truly makes an impact.

We already touched on how well the so-called ‘coaches’ of Whoop perform, and indeed, if you’re looking to finally fix your sleep schedule, look no further.

Based on the data that will be collected over the time you use the Whoop Strap 3.0, the Whoop app will give you valuable insights into what your next steps are, how well rested you are, should you push yourself, and give you the ideal sleep times based on your circadian rhythm.

People can also choose whether they want to, peak, perform, or get by the following day, and then the application will give a proper recommendation, based on your choosing.

Unfortunately, that level of insight and data wasn’t present with Oura. However, if your sleep isn’t greatly impaired, Oura will do just fine, if you’re looking for a ring wearable.

The Verdict: Whoop VS Oura – Best Trackers For Sleep & Recovery Improvement

Wearable trackers like Whoop and Oura revolutionize wearables as we know them. While the concept might not be new, there was always a need for extremely durable and ultimate comfort wearables.

Well, now you can look no further. Both Whoop and Oura are exceptional at what they do. However, what might work for some, might not work for others.

With that said, which wearable should you settle with, Whoop or Oura?

For those that are looking for something to improve their sleep quality and reach their fitness goals, there is no other option than the Whoop Strap 3.0. The Whoop application will help you improve your sleep by giving you valuable data, but also provide you with pointers, recommendations, and insights into what the optimal steps are.

The features of the app and the community behind it is truly staggering. Quite a kit to have!

Oura is for those that generally prefer a ring rather than a wearable around their wrist. It is compact, and considering its size, it is quite impressive how many bells and whistles the Oura Ring has.

One drawback with it though, is that you don’t get the same perks and features like with the Whoop membership and app.

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