Are you seeking the perfect wearable companion for fitness tracking and sleep monitoring? Look no further than the highly anticipated showdown: Oura Ring vs. Fitbit.
In this in-depth comparison, I share my first-hand experience and explore the features, capabilities, and performance of these two prominent devices.
Whether you prioritize activity tracking, sleep quality, or overall wellness, I have you covered.
Table of Contents
Oura Ring vs Fitbit Charge 5 Comparison Table
Have a look at the table below for a side-by-side Fitbit Charge 5 vs Oura Ring 3 comparison:
| Feature | Oura Ring 3 | Fitbit Charge 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Life | 4 to 7 days | 7 days |
| Water Resistance | 100m | 50m |
| GPS | ✘ | ✓ |
| SpO2 Sensing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clock/Display | ✘ | ✓ |
| Tracks activity & sleep | ✓ | ✓ |
| 24/7 heart rate | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text, call & app notifications | ✘ | ✓ |
| Stress management | ✘ | ✓ |
| Store & play music | ✘ | ✘ |
| Weight | 4 to 6 grams | 29 Grams |
| Mobile Payment | ✘ | Fitbay, Google Pay |
| Price | View | View |
Oura Ring vs Fitbit: Feature Comparison
The Oura Ring is a small, discreet ring that monitors your activity levels, heart rate, sleep quality, and recovery. It’s perfect for people who want a discreet way to track their health and fitness progress.
The Fitbit, on the other hand, is a more traditional wearable fitness tracker that monitors steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, etc. It’s perfect for people who want to track their overall physical activity level.
Related: How To Find a Lost Oura Ring
Appearance, Design, and Comfort
The Oura Ring is a fitness tracker that comes in the form of a ring and doesn’t have a screen. It’s made of lightweight titanium which makes it super durable. This tracker is comfortable to wear, but it’s chunkier compared to a normal ring. The ring comes in two versions: Heritage and Balance. Although they have different looks, the features are the same.
On the other hand, Fitbit is designed to fit on the wrist. However, there are different-sized smartwatches and fitness bands to choose from. Fitbit bands are easy to customize to suit your needs and style. Additionally, most Fitbit trackers are equipped with a display to help you monitor all your activities.
Activity and Workout Tracking
The Oura Ring doesn’t automatically record workouts and other activities and rarely notices strength workouts unless your heart rate spikes. It tracks the step count and the calories burned based on the elevated heart rate to your activity score. However, you need to enter the workouts manually.
If you want a workout tracker, then Fitbit is a great choice since it records your walks and runs automatically when it detects any movement.
The best thing about the Oura Ring is that it gives you a daily activity target that depends on your previous day’s activity, rest, and sleep quality. For activity tracking, Fitbit carries the day.
Calorie Tracking
The Oura Ring captures the calories you’ve burned while training, walking, or carrying out other physical activities. You need to wear the ring while exercising or engaging in physical activities; otherwise, the active calorie burn will be slightly off. However, the Oura Ring isn’t very reliable in calorie tracking.
Fitbit devices are equipped with a calorie-counting feature that allows you to track the calories burned based on the type of exercise. It uses the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and activity data to estimate the calories burned.
Oura Vs Fitbit: Sleep Tracking
One of the most effective features of both Oura Ring and Fitbit is sleep tracking– and both have impressive systems. However, there are slight differences between them. Oura Ring is ideal for those looking for granular detail and more data. This ring gives a breakdown of your sleep stages (light, REM, and deep). It then generates your overall sleep score based on a range of breathing, temperature, heart rate, sleep efficiency, and more.
Like Oura, Fitbit has great accuracy and analysis of sleep. All Fitbit devices have automatic sleep monitoring, and those with heart rate monitors offer extra data with greater accuracy. Fitbit tracks your sleep duration, key sleep stages (light, REM, and deep), and time taken to fall asleep.
Heart Rate Monitoring
The Oura Ring and Fitbit track your heart rate, which is crucial to monitoring your health and readiness. The Oura Ring measures your resting heart rate and heart rate viability (HRV). If your resting heart rate rises for no reason, it can be a sign of injury, over-training, or sickness. Fitbit doesn’t have heart rate viability data and isn’t compatible with other HRV applications.
Oura Ring vs Fitbit: Blood Oxygen Level
The main difference between Oura Ring and Fitbit is that Oura Ring focuses more on health, sleep, and wellness monitoring. In contrast, Fitbit focuses on health and wellness like blood oxygen levels (SpO2) using the blood oxygen sensor.
Learn more about the differences between Oura Ring Gen2 and Gen3…
Water-resistance / Waterproof
The Oura ring comes with a sturdy constriction that can withstand water levels of up to 100 meters. This makes it ideal for various activities that involve water. On the other hand, most Fitbit devices have a water resistance of up to 50 meters. They are swim-proof and can withstand even the sweatiest workouts.
Integrations / Compatibilities
Both Oura Ring and Fitbit can connect to Android and iOS devices. Fitbit also connects with other Windows devices. The Oura Ring also has its own dedicated Android and iOS app, which helps you track metrics and your health over time.
Cost/Pricing
Fitbit devices are available in different price ranges. You can find a Fitbit tracker for as low as $69.95 and can rise to $300 for advanced models. Conversely, the Oura Ring costs $340 for its Heritage and Balance design options. However, if you want something flashier, a diamond option goes for up to $1,137.
Oura Ring vs Fitbit: Battery Life
Fitbit promises up to one week of battery life. However, if you use features like the GPS and heart rate monitor, the battery life reduces. On the other hand, the Oura Ring has up to 1-week battery life and can charge in up to 80 minutes.
Oura Ring vs Fitbit Sense
For Fitbit Sense vs Oura Ring side-by-side comparison, take a look at the table below:
| Feature | Oura Ring | Fitbit Sense |
| Type | Ring | Smartwatch |
| Activity tracking | Steps, heart rate, movement, recovery, daily readiness and activity level | Steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, floors climbed, heart rate variability and daily readiness |
| Sleep tracking | Sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep latency, sleep efficiency and sleep duration | Sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep score and snow detection |
| Heart rate monitoring | Continuous, 24/7 heart rate monitoring (monitor workout, resting and sleeping heart rate) | Continuous, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, heart rate variability, real-time heart rate data |
| Blood oxygen sensing | Yes | Yes |
| Stress tracking | Use HRV data to track stress | Has a stress management score |
| Battery life | Up to 7 days | Up to 6 days |
| Water resistance | Water resistant (up to 100 meters) | Water resistant (up to 50 meters) |
| Display | None | AMOLED touch screen, always-on display |
| Price / Cost | $299 | €249.95 |
| Smartphone notifications | n/a | Caller ID, text message, calendar, and app notifications |
| Additional features | Body temperature tracking, respiratory rate tracking, guided breathing exercises, recovery time | GPS, on-board music storage, Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, built-in microphone and speaker, contactless payment capability via Fitbit Pay |
FAQs
Does Oura ring have a monthly fee?
The Oura Ring Gen2 was a one-time purchase, but with the Gen3 there is a monthly membership fee – if you want to get the most out of your ring.
NB: The membership is not a requirement for your Gen3 ring to work – you can still use your Oura Ring without a subscription.
Is Oura ring worth the money?
The Oura Ring is a great fitness tracker. If you want accurate sleep and health data, go for the Oura Ring. However, it isn’t a good fit if you want to track your workouts and other physical activities.
Does the Oura Ring really work?
The answer is yes…and no. The ring definitely helps track your activity and sleep patterns, which can be beneficial in identifying areas for improvement.
However, it’s not going to miraculously fix all of your problems overnight!
Like anything else, it takes time and effort to see results from using the ring. But if you are dedicated to making changes in your lifestyle for better health, then the Oura Ring can be an invaluable tool in helping you achieve those goals.”
Can I shower with my Oura Ring?
Yes, you can shower with your Oura Ring! In fact, it is recommended.
The ring is water-resistant up to 100 meters (328 feet), so it can withstand good soaking. Plus, the daily activity and sleep-tracking features will continue to work even when the ring is wet.
So go ahead and take a shower or swim with your Oura Ring.
Fitbit vs Oura Ring: Final Thoughts
Both the ōura Ring and Fitbit are reliable health and fitness trackers that can help you keep track of your fitness and health. However, the tracker you choose should entirely depend on your needs, style, and budget.
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