Fitness bracelets and smartwatches dominate the wearable device industry and will remain here forever. While a horde of startups continues to try to introduce new types of wearable devices, create some buzz, and prematurely exit the market, “smart rings” like Oura still seem to be the future of wearable technology.
Smart rings have been around for almost a decade, but they only gained popularity with the launch of the Oura Ring (Gen 1) in 2015. Second and third-generation models were released in 2018 and 2021, respectively, allowing the device to be reduced to the size of a wedding ring.
Most still consider the Oura Ring a niche product, but the breakthroughs and disruptions it has caused have brought many new players into the smart ring business. Unfortunately, some interesting competitors have already dropped out of the game, notably Amazon and Motiv.
However, there are plenty of worthy competitors to the Oura Ring on the market. This guide presents the best of them. Take your well-being and productivity to a new level with the best alternatives to the Oura Ring.
Alternatives to Oura Ring
1. Prevention circul+
The Prevention Circul+ Wellness Ring is the result of a collaboration between Bodimetrics and the American lifestyle magazine Prevention. While modern high-quality fitness trackers and smartwatches are equipped with an ECG sensor for more accurate heart rate monitoring, you can now also use it on the Cicul+ smart ring.
In addition to ECG monitoring in a single lead, this smart ring can simultaneously monitor your blood pressure and measure an electrocardiogram after calibration with a cuff-style monitor. Circul+ advertises heart rate monitoring within ±2 beats per minute and oxygen saturation accuracy within ±3% compared to medical-grade equipment.
From an activity-tracking standpoint, the ring is quite basic. It can record daily steps and calorie counts, as well as track your running, cycling, and walking exercises, but that’s about it.
Sleep monitoring provides a deeper understanding of sleep duration and its stages (wakefulness, light, deep sleep, and rapid eye movement sleep) along with data on overnight SpO2 levels, heart rates, skin temperature baseline, and oxygen desaturation index (ODI).
Users can view all their activity, fitness, and sleep data in the circul+ companion app for Android/iOS. After registering a free account, you can sync your data with the cloud or use the monitoring web panel to print detailed health metrics or share them with your doctor.
The preventative circul+ ring is available in three adjustable sizes and fits all fingers; no sizing kit is required. It lasts for up to 16 hours on a single charge, so you can take the included charging device with you on the go.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- ECG and blood pressure monitoring
- Advanced sleep tracking
- Companion app requires no subscription
- Works with Android and iOS devices
Cons:
- Awkward ring design
- Activity tracking is basic
- Subpar battery life
2. Circular Smart Ring
Circular, a newcomer to the smart ring business, hasn’t had it all smooth sailing, especially after a patent dispute fiasco with Oura. Nevertheless, the company has already started taking orders for its Circular smart ring and shipping them out promptly, despite everything.
The circular ring houses numerous infrared sensors and motion sensors made from medical-grade, biocompatible, hypoallergenic material, allowing for 24/7 health and activity tracking. It monitors your well-being and assesses your energy level based on your activity and sleep data.
The device provides detailed information on indicators of good well-being, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature changes, and more. It even features automatic activity recognition, and the Android/iOS app allows you to view step and calorie counts, VO2 max, heart rate zones, walking equivalency, and more.
There’s also a sleep tracking feature: the ring analyzes your sleep stages, circadian rhythm, sleep duration, and chronotype along with other health metrics to offer you a sleep quality assessment so you know when to push harder or wind down.
One of the key features of the Circular Smart Ring is the intelligent alarm clock. The ring uses a built-in vibrator to gently wake you up without disturbing your surroundings. Another interesting feature is Kira, an AI assistant that provides detailed health reports tailored specifically to you.
Circular provides up to 4 days of battery life on a one-hour charge. It can also store data for ten days without syncing to the app via Bluetooth. The ring has a scratch- and water-resistant outer shell, which is also interchangeable.
The circular smart ring is available in various fit options. Those who don’t know their ring size can order a sizing kit.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Extensive health and sleep monitoring
- Sleek and lightweight
- Changeable outer shell
- Intuitive app experience
Cons:
- Expensive for a first-gen product
- Doesn’t sync with Google Fit or Apple Health
3. McLear RingPay
If you’re not concerned about tracking your health status and are looking for a wearable device that allows you to make payments with a finger, consider McLear RingPay. Available in two colors (black and white) and ring sizes ranging from 4.5 to 16, it utilizes the same payment technology as contactless cards and other NFC-enabled devices but with additional smart advantages.
By using the accompanying app for Android and iPhone, you can create a secure RingPay account linked to your supported Visa or Mastercard credit/debit card. Once you complete the account setup process, you’ll be ready to make contactless payments at payment terminals using the ring. When you sign up for RingPay+, you can receive cashback for each eligible purchase at participating retail networks and receive special rewards and exclusive discounts.
The app tracks all transactions, including your average spending and where you’re spending it. Additionally, it features an automatic account top-up function that replenishes your RingPay account automatically when your balance drops below a specified amount. It even allows for transferring funds between multiple McLear rings. You can temporarily block the device if you lose it.
At the time of writing, McLear RingPay is only available in the UK. However, the company promises to launch it in other countries in 2023.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Seamless contactless payments
- Feature-rich Android/iOS companion app
- RingPay cashback and rewards
- No charging required
Cons:
- No fitness or health tracking
- Available only in the UK (for now)
4. SleepOn Go2sleep
Go2sleep is an advanced sleep tracker designed to monitor heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen saturation level, perfusion index, and apnea-hypopnea index in real time.
It uses dual-wave PPG sensors to detect the arterial capillaries on your finger and track your sleep metrics throughout the night. When heart rate or SpO2 levels become abnormal during sleep, the built-in motor provides vibrational feedback to alert you. The wearable device weighs only six grams and comfortably fits on the ring finger, so it doesn’t distract you during sleep.
Go2sleep has also been named the Sleep Foundation’s “Best Sleep Tracker of 2022”, and for good reasons. The companion app visually displays all metrics with detailed graphs and summaries, including your sleep stage, duration, resting heart rate, and more. It even allows exporting custom reports as CSV files for medical review. Additionally, iPhone users can automatically sync their sleep data with the Apple Health app.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Cutting-edge sleep monitoring capabilities
- Specialized bio-alarm clock
- Compatible with Apple Health
- Reasonable pricing
Cons:
- Not suitable for daytime activity tracking
- SpO2 monitoring can be inaccurate sometimes
Alternatives to Oura Ring: Conclusion
In our search for alternatives to Oura Ring, we’ve found four options that best suit your needs. While we may not yet have smart rings from Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, or Google, many newcomers are already giving Oura a run for its money.
In our opinion, Prevention Circul+ is the closest competitor to Oura Ring when it comes to health and fitness tracking. With that said, we invite you to explore other options in this buying guide.
