Over the years, I've worn a variety of fitness trackers and find that the devices not only help me keep track of my health overall but also keep me motivated and inspire me to reach new fitness goals.
While I've typically stuck to wrist devices — most recently, the Apple Watch SE — when I started hearing all of the buzz around the Oura Ring, I was immediately intrigued by its sleek and understated design.
So, for the last three months, I wore the Apple Watch SE and Oura Ring Gen 4 together to see how they compare when it comes to battery life, workout tracking and so much more.
Our top picks
Oura Ring vs. Apple Watch
Best for fitness, staying connected: Apple Watch SE
What we like
- Functions keep you connected
- Pairs seamlessly with iPhone
- Emergency safety features
Something to note
- Short battery life
- Not compatible with android
Colors: 4 | Band Size: Small/Medium, Medium/Large | Battery life: Up to 18 hours | Water resistant?: Yes, up to 164 feet | Weight: 4 to 6 grams, depending on size | Additional subscription?: Yes
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Apple Watch SE is a great all-around device. It's perfect for the person who wants to track their fitness, monitor their health metrics and access shortcuts that can help make everyday life easier while staying connected. It allows you to do everything from pay for your coffee to play your music, while also serving as an accurate way to track your workouts and health metrics.
The watch pairs seamlessly with your iPhone, so I often use it to perform tasks that I'd typically need my phone for, like setting a morning alarm (it will buzz on my wrist to wake me up), reading texts and even taking calls. But of course, the most common thing that I use the watch for is checking the time, which you can't do with the ring.
When it comes to activity tracking features, the Apple Watch exceeds its competitor. Because it has a screen, you can start and stop workouts as you are doing them and monitor your stats as you go — which is pretty much essential for me as a runner, since I like to monitor my pace and distance during a workout to know when I need to run faster or slow down. After a workout, the watch also gives you additional metrics that you don't get on the other device, like elevation changes and cadence.
Both the Apple Watch and the Oura Ring track similar health metrics, like heart rate, respiratory rate, heart rate variability, sleep and more, and as far as I can tell they provide pretty accurate data. Because I have an iPhone and the Apple Watch uses the same operating system, I find that my data is quicker to upload on the Apple Fitness and Health apps.
While Apple has its own subscription fitness platform, Apple Fitness+ with guided workouts, it's completely separate and there is no monthly fee required to access your daily health data or track your workouts. There are also newer models of the watch available — the most recent is the Apple Watch Series 10 — but I think the SE delivers all the features you could want from a smartwatch at a relatively affordable price point for the category, without any additional fees.
While some people might not consider the Apple Watch to be the most stylish accessory, it is nice that you can customize it with other bands. While I still have the rubber one it came with, I've seen other people dress theirs up with a leather or metal band.
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Most stylish, best battery life: Oura Ring Gen 4
What we like
- Made from durable titanium
- iOS and Android compatible
Something to note
- Can be easy to misplace
Colors: 4 | Sizes: 6-13 | Battery life: Up to seven days | Water-resistant? Yes, up to 100 meters | Weight: 4 to 6 grams, depending on size | Additional subscription?: Yes
One of the things that I love the most about the Oura Ring is that instead of just presenting you with your data, it takes all that info and gives you three scores for each day: Sleep, Activity and Readiness, all of which fall between 0 to 100. Each one gives you a more general view of how rested you are for the day and how ready you are to challenge yourself, so you don't need to comb through all of the specific data if you don't want to.
However, because there’s no screen, you can’t start and stop your workouts as you go. That means you can’t pause it if you need to take a bathroom break mid-class or if you’re waiting for a stoplight to change on a run. Because of this, my average mile time tends to be slower on the Oura Ring app, as compared to my Apple Watch. (You can see the differences in the run pictured above and below. I made a lot of stops, including a bathroom break and multiple pauses to reorient myself in unfamiliar neighborhoods.)
It's also not as good at sensing workouts, and while it often logs my runs and walks automatically, with lower-intensity workouts like Pilates or yoga I have to manually log them. It also sometimes mistakes regular activities for workouts. For example, a recent laundry folding session popped up on the app as a Pilates workout. And while I was just putting my duvet cover back on, that's still a stretch.
The ring also sends you alerts when it senses that your metrics significantly differ from your norm and there could be something affecting your body's ability to function. Last month, I got an alert in the morning that there were "major signs of strain," in my body, including an elevated temperature and heart rate so I decided to take it easy that day, cancel my plans and skip my workout. The next day, I ended up coming down with an illness that ended up lasting about three days.
Both devices offer fertility tracking and estimate your period start dates using previous cycle information. The Oura Ring includes body temperature in its tracking, which the brand says can help provide insights into the different phases of your cycle. So far, I've found both brand's predictions to be pretty accurate.
The Oura Ring has a higher price point, at $350, and it also has an additional $6 per month subscription cost that allows you to access all of the data it collects.
By far the biggest appeal of the Oura Ring is its stylish design. It's so popular now that most people will recognize it as a tracker, but even still, it's amazing how seamlessly it blends in with my other jewelry and accessories. And it doesn't look overly bulky or like an eyesore (like other trackers).
For my sister's engagement, I took off my Apple Watch (she's a vocal hater of wearing fitness trackers for special events), but I was able to get away with wearing the ring, so I didn't miss out on any data from the day. (It was fun to look back at my heart rate data and stress levels throughout the day, too.)
It's small enough that I barely even notice that it's there and the only time I take it off is to charge. Whereas, the Apple Watch can sometimes get uncomfortable when I sleep and the rubber band sometimes leaves my sensitive skin with an itchy, red rash if I wear it for too long and don't take it off after a particularly sweaty workout.
It's also a clear winner when it comes to battery life. Typically, I can get about five days of use out of my Oura Ring (and it will send a reminder to charge about a day before it fully runs out of juice), whereas I have to charge my Apple Watch every day. I often forget, so on more than one occasion, I wound up with a dead watch.
Best overall: Apple Watch SEThere are a lot of things that I love about the Oura Ring. It's a stylish choice and a good health tracker overall, making it a great option for both the fashion-forward and wellness-obsessed shopper, however, the additional subscription cost and lack of a screen may deter some people. That's why we think the Apple Watch SE is the best choice overall. It offers impressive health and fitness tracking and plenty of additional features for a more affordable price point.
How we choseBoth the Apple Watch and Oura Ring are popular health and fitness trackers. Our writer wore them together for approximately three months, only taking them off occasionally for showers (in the case of the Apple Watch) and to charge. She used them for a range of workouts, including runs, walks, Pilates classes, cycling classes and more.
Why trust Shop TODAY?The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources and use our own personal experiences with the product and brand to make shopping easier for our readers.
Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY. She has over a decade of experience in digital media — with nearly half of that time being focused on the health and wellness space. She has owned multiple fitness trackers from top brands over the years. At Shop TODAY, she has written about many health gadgets, including breaking down the popularity of the Oura Ring and reviewing trackers from Fitbit, Garmin and more.
Emma Stessman
Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY.
