The Oura Ring revolutionized health tracking when it hit the market, bringing sophisticated biometric monitoring to a sleek titanium band you wear on your finger. But at nearly $400 plus a monthly subscription fee, it's not exactly accessible to everyone. Plus, some users find the sizing tricky, the battery life limiting, or simply want features Oura doesn't offer.
If you're in the market for a smart ring but aren't sold on Oura, you're in luck. The smart ring category has exploded over the past two years, with manufacturers racing to pack more sensors and smarter algorithms into these tiny devices. Whether you're tracking sleep, monitoring your heart rate during workouts, or just want to ditch your smartwatch for something more discreet, there's probably a ring out there that fits your needs better than Oura.
I've spent months testing the current crop of smart rings, and I'm breaking down the best alternatives based on what actually matters: accuracy, battery life, comfort, and whether the app experience makes you want to throw your phone out the window.
Why Consider an Oura Ring Alternative?
Before diving into specific alternatives, let's talk about why you might want to look beyond Oura in the first place.
The most obvious reason is cost. Oura charges $299-$499 for the ring itself, depending on which finish you choose, and then hits you with a $5.99 monthly subscription. That's $370-$570 in the first year alone. For many people, that's a tough pill to swallow, especially when other rings offer similar features without the ongoing fee.
Then there's the feature set. Oura focuses heavily on sleep tracking and recovery metrics, which is fantastic if that's your priority. But if you're looking for detailed workout tracking, blood oxygen monitoring during the day, or temperature tracking beyond baseline shifts, you might find Oura limiting. Some competitors have leaned into areas where Oura falls short.
Sizing is another common complaint. Oura's sizing kit helps, but plenty of users report needing to exchange their ring multiple times to get the fit right. Between-size fingers are particularly problematic. Some alternative rings come in more size options or offer adjustable designs.
Battery life varies wildly between devices, and while Oura's 4-7 days is decent, some alternatives stretch to nearly two weeks. If you hate charging yet another device every few days, that might matter to you.
Finally, some people just don't vibe with Oura's design aesthetic or find the app interface confusing. Personal preference plays a huge role in which device you'll actually wear consistently.
Top Oura Ring Alternatives for 2025
RingConn Smart Ring
RingConn burst onto the scene as a direct Oura competitor, and honestly, they've done a pretty impressive job. The ring looks remarkably similar to Oura's design but comes in at around $279 with no subscription fee whatsoever. That alone makes it worth considering.
What sets RingConn apart is the battery life. They're claiming up to 12 days on a single charge, and in my testing, I consistently got 9-10 days with all features enabled. That's nearly double what Oura delivers. The charging case is compact and holds multiple charges, making it perfect for travel.
The health tracking is comprehensive. You get continuous heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen levels, sleep analysis with REM and deep sleep breakdowns, activity tracking, and even stress monitoring. The sleep tracking proved surprisingly accurate when I compared it against my Whoop band and a medical-grade sleep study device. It caught my wake-ups, nailed my sleep stages, and provided useful insights about my sleep quality trends.
The app won't win any design awards, but it's functional and provides all the data you need without feeling overwhelming. RingConn gives you a readiness score similar to Oura's, helping you understand whether you should push hard in your workout or take it easy. The algorithm seems to weigh sleep quality and HRV heavily, which makes sense from a recovery perspective.
Downsides? The ring is slightly bulkier than Oura, which some people notice, especially on smaller fingers. And while the sensors are accurate, the third-party app integrations aren't as robust. You can export data, but it's not seamless like Oura's Apple Health integration.
Ultrahuman Ring Air
Ultrahuman took a different approach with the Ring Air, focusing on making the thinnest, lightest smart ring possible. At just 2.4-2.8 grams depending on size, it's noticeably lighter than Oura's 4-6 grams. If you forget you're wearing jewelry easily, you'll definitely forget about this ring.
The feature set is ambitious. Beyond the standard sleep and activity tracking, Ultrahuman emphasizes metabolic health. The ring tracks your movement and rest patterns to give you insights into glucose metabolism and circadian rhythm alignment. If you're into biohacking or have concerns about metabolic health, this angle is intriguing.
Ultrahuman also includes automatic workout detection for various exercises, which Oura lacks. The ring can tell when you're running, cycling, or doing strength training and will categorize these sessions automatically. It's not as detailed as a dedicated fitness watch, but it's more convenient for people who don't want to manually log activities.
The battery life sits around 6 days, comparable to Oura. Pricing is competitive at around $329, and like RingConn, there's no subscription fee for the core features. Ultrahuman does offer a premium tier with advanced insights, but the free version is robust enough for most users.
The biggest knock against Ultrahuman is availability. They're still ramping up production, and wait times can stretch to several weeks. Also, the sizing runs differently than Oura, so you can't just use your Oura size as a reference point.
Circular Ring Slim
Circular deserves credit for being one of the earlier Oura alternatives, and their latest Ring Slim model addresses many of the criticisms of their first-generation device. At 2mm thick, it's impressively slim and comfortable for all-day wear.
What makes Circular interesting is their focus on actionable guidance. Rather than just dumping data on you, the app provides specific recommendations based on your metrics. If your HRV is down and sleep was poor, it might suggest a light recovery walk and an earlier bedtime. These suggestions are often generic, but they're helpful for people who don't want to become data analysis experts.
Circular tracks all the basics: sleep, heart rate, HRV, blood oxygen, activity, and body temperature. The sleep staging is solid, though in my testing it occasionally mischaracterized light sleep as deep sleep. The heart rate tracking during exercise is less accurate than chest strap monitors, but that's true of all smart rings.
The ring comes in both silver and gold finishes, and the build quality feels premium. Battery life runs about 5-6 days, and charging is quick with the included case.
Pricing sits at $299 with a $6.99 monthly subscription, which puts it on par with Oura's total cost. The subscription includes premium insights, guided breathing exercises, and long-term trend analysis. You can use the ring without a subscription, but you lose most of the useful features, which feels like a step backward from competitors offering subscription-free experiences.
Movano Evie Ring
The Evie Ring targets a specific demographic: women looking for health insights tailored to their needs. Movano designed the ring with features like period prediction, mood tracking, and menstrual cycle phase insights integrated directly into the health metrics.
Beyond the women's health focus, Evie offers the standard smart ring feature set. Sleep tracking includes duration, efficiency, and sleep stage analysis. Activity tracking covers steps, active minutes, and calories. Heart rate monitoring runs continuously, and you get resting heart rate trends and HRV measurements.
The ring's design leans elegant rather than sporty. It's available in three metallic finishes and looks more like fashion jewelry than tech. That appeals to some users who felt self-conscious about Oura's obvious "tech device" appearance.
Battery life clocks in around 4-5 days, which is on the lower end for smart rings. The charging case is compact but holds only one extra charge. Movano promises more efficient power management in software updates, but as of now, you're charging more frequently than with competitors.
Pricing is competitive at $269, and there's no subscription requirement. The FDA cleared Evie as a medical device for basic health monitoring, which adds legitimacy to the accuracy claims.
The downside is the feature set feels limited compared to rings like RingConn or Ultrahuman. If you're specifically interested in women's health tracking, Evie makes sense. If you want the most comprehensive data set possible, you might feel restricted.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
Samsung's entry into the smart ring market brings serious brand recognition and ecosystem integration to the category. If you're already embedded in the Samsung universe with a Galaxy phone and Watch, the Galaxy Ring completes the triangle with seamless data sharing across devices.
The ring itself is well-built with a titanium frame and comes in three colors. Sizing runs from 5-13, covering a wider range than most competitors. The sensors include accelerometer, PPG heart rate sensor, and temperature sensor, providing continuous tracking for sleep, activity, heart rate, and skin temperature variations.
What Samsung does well is the integration with Samsung Health. If you already use that ecosystem, adding the ring just enriches your existing data. You can see how your ring metrics correlate with workout data from your Galaxy Watch or nutrition info you've logged in the Health app. The AI-powered insights learn your patterns over time and provide increasingly personalized recommendations.
The battery life is solid at 6-7 days, and the charging case is sleek. Samsung also includes an Energy Score similar to Oura's Readiness Score, combining sleep quality, activity level, and heart rate data into a single metric for how recovered you are.
The major drawback is that the Galaxy Ring really shines only if you're already using Samsung devices. Android users with non-Samsung phones can use it, but the experience is diminished. iPhone users are essentially locked out of most features. At around $399, it's priced like Oura but without the subscription fee.
Amazfit Helio Ring
Amazfit took everything they learned from making budget-friendly smartwatches and applied it to the Helio Ring. The result is one of the most affordable options at just $199, with no subscription required.
Despite the lower price, Amazfit didn't skimp on sensors. You get PPG heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, a temperature sensor, and a 3-axis accelerometer. The sleep tracking breaks down your night into light, deep, and REM sleep with reasonable accuracy. It won't match medical-grade devices, but it's consistent and useful for tracking trends.
The Zepp app that powers the Helio Ring has improved significantly over the past year. It's no longer the cluttered mess it used to be, though it still feels busier than Oura's clean interface. The Readiness Score equivalent helps you decide whether to train hard or recover, and the sleep suggestions are actually helpful.
Battery life is the Helio Ring's weakness, lasting only 4-5 days per charge. The charging cable is proprietary and easy to lose, so you'll want to order a spare immediately.
Build quality is decent but not premium. The ring feels sturdy enough for daily wear, but the coating shows scratches faster than titanium rings. For $199, though, you're getting impressive value, especially if you're new to health tracking and not ready to drop $400 on an Oura.
How to Choose the Right Smart Ring
Picking between these alternatives depends on what you value most. Here's how I'd break down the decision:
| Feature / Device | RingConn Smart Ring | Ultrahuman Ring Air | Circular Ring Slim | Movano Evie Ring | Samsung Galaxy Ring | Amazfit Helio Ring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$279 (no subscription) | ~$329 (no subscription; optional premium tier) | ~$299 + $6.99/mo subscription | ~$269 (no subscription) | ~$399 (no subscription) | ~$199 (no subscription) |
| Battery Life | 9–12 days | ~6 days | 5–6 days | 4–5 days | 6–7 days | 4–5 days |
| Weight / Size | Slightly bulkier than Oura | Extremely light (2.4–2.8 g) | Very slim (2 mm thick) | Elegant jewelry-like design | Premium titanium, multiple sizes | Standard lightweight design |
| Sleep Tracking | Accurate REM/deep + wake detection | Strong; circadian emphasis | Good; sometimes mislabels stages | Good; includes sleep efficiency | Strong; integrated with Samsung Health | Solid; trend-focused |
| Heart Rate (HR) | Continuous HR + HRV | Continuous HR + workout detection | Continuous HR + HRV | Continuous HR + HRV | Continuous HR + temperature trends | HR + SpO2 |
| Blood Oxygen (SpO₂) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (mostly HR + HRV focused) | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workout Tracking | Basic activity | Automatic activity detection | Basic activity | Basic steps & activity | Integrates with Galaxy Watch/workouts | Basic activity |
| App Experience | Functional, simple | Metabolic insights; biohacker-friendly | Actionable recommendations | Strong women’s health insights | Best for Samsung ecosystem users | Improved Zepp app; busy UI |
| Unique Strengths | Long battery, no subscription | Lightest ring; metabolic & circadian insights | Slimmest design; guided recommendations | Women-focused metrics, FDA clearance | Best ecosystem integration; smart AI insights | Best budget option |
| Drawbacks | Bulky; weaker integrations | Limited availability; sizing differences | Subscription required for full features | Fewer advanced fitness metrics | Best only for Samsung users; limited iOS | Shorter battery; average build |
Battery life matters more than you might think. Charging every 4-5 days gets old fast, while 10-12 days makes the ring feel like a set-it-and-forget-it device. If you travel frequently or hate charging routines, prioritize longer battery life.
Subscription models are becoming less common in smart rings, which is great news for consumers. Avoid devices that lock core features behind subscriptions unless you're certain you'll use the premium insights enough to justify the ongoing cost.
Wrap up
Oura Ring pioneered the smart ring category and still makes an excellent device, but it's no longer the only game in town. The alternatives I've covered offer compelling combinations of features, pricing, and design that might fit your needs better than Oura.
RingConn stands out as the closest Oura alternative with better battery life and no subscription. Ultrahuman pushes boundaries with metabolic health insights and featherlight design. Samsung brings ecosystem integration for Galaxy users. And budget options like Amazfit prove you don't need to spend $400 to get meaningful health insights.
The smart ring market is still evolving rapidly. New models arrive every few months with improved sensors, longer battery life, and smarter algorithms. Competition benefits consumers, driving prices down while features expand.
Before buying any smart ring, consider ordering a sizing kit if available. These devices need to fit properly to get accurate readings, and between-size fingers can be problematic. Most companies offer free sizing kits or lenient return policies, so take advantage.
Think about which metrics actually matter to you. If you only care about sleep tracking, you don't need the most expensive option with dozens of sensors. But if you want comprehensive health monitoring with workout detection and metabolic insights, invest in a feature-rich model.
Ultimately, the best smart ring is the one you'll actually wear every day. That means comfort, battery life, and an app experience that doesn't frustrate you matter more than having every possible sensor. Read reviews, watch comparison videos, and if possible, try before you buy.
The future of health tracking is definitely getting smaller and more discreet. Whether you choose Oura or one of these alternatives, wearing a smart ring beats lugging around a smartwatch for many people. Welcome to the world of effortless health tracking that fits on your finger.
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