If you're looking for a smart ring to monitor your daily activity and track your health, then you may have heard of the Oura Ring. The brand popularized the finger-based tracker, and the Oura Ring Gen-3 is one of the sleekest options out there.
But it's not your only option. So, if you're not a fan of the Oura Ring's two designs or you're looking for an option without a mandatory monthly membership cost, we've rounded up the best Oura Ring alternatives you can get right now.
It's a still a relatively young product category, but sitting firmly atop the list of the best Oura alternatives is the Samsung Galaxy Ring. It's small form factor and AI-powered insights make it a great option, but only if you have a Samsung phone.
For a more versatile choice, the Ultrahuman Ring Air has a similar feature-set without a subscription and works whether you use an Android or iPhone, but doesn't offer anything to match Oura's menstrual cycle tracking.
If these aren't right for you, we put several other great Oura Ring alternatives to the test to help you find your next smart ring.
The quick list
The Galaxy Ring is the first true competitor to Oura's throne, adding Samsung's AI-powered insights into the mix, alongside a premium design, long lasting battery, and stylish design, but you need a Samsung phone to get the most from the ring.
The Ultrahuman Ring Air is the closest you can get to the Oura experience without a monthly subscription. There's no menstrual health tracking, but you can monitor your heart rate, activity, sleep, and skin temperature at no extra cost.
The Helio Ring costs the same as the entry-level Oura model, but without a subscription, it's the cheapest Oura alternative. Plus, you still get all the essential health and fitness tracking sensors and features, but with a little less finesse.
The Circular Ring Slim is the top Oura Ring alternative if you like being at the bleeding edge of new tech. The ring isn't as reliable or polished, but it offers an interesting glimpse at a possible smartwatch-style smart ring experience.
Best Oura Ring alternatives you can buy right now
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Best Oura Ring alternative overall
The Samsung Galaxy Ring launched in July 2024, almost three years after the Oura Ring Gen-3, but quickly laid its claim as the best Oura Ring alternative. The ring itself doesn't look that dissimilar — it's a ring, after all — but there are a few differences.
The most notable is that it's only designed to work with Android smartphones, and you'll need a Samsung phone to access all the features and data analysis, compared to the Oura Ring which can connect to an Android or iPhone.
But the cost is also a factor — the Oura Ring starts from $299, while the Samsung Galaxy Ring is $399 — and you need a monthly subscription for the Oura Ring, but not for the Galaxy Ring. So while the upfront cost is $100 more, that's canceled out after the first year.
However, the main reason the Samsung Galaxy Ring makes such a good alternative to the Oura Ring is the AI-powered insights you can access in the Samsung Health app. Oura recently launched a similar feature, but we were really impressed with the actionable insights Samsung brings to the ring.
But the feature we liked the most was Samsung's Double Pinch for the Galaxy Ring. This works a lot like the Double Tap gesture on the Apple Watch, so you can pinch your finger and thumb to control your Samsung phone's camera and snooze alarms.
The Galaxy Ring also offers period prediction thanks to a partnership with fertility and menstrual tracking app Natural Cycles, but Oura has the edge here. Samsung Health can only track your period and can't access Natural Cycles other fertility and contraceptive planning tools, while Oura's integration can.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Ring review
Best subscription-free Oura Ring alternative
The Ultrahuman Ring Air is an excellent alternative to the circular Oura Ring Horizon ring. There are five colors to choose from (gold, matte grey, black, silver and titanium) and the ring ranges from 2.4-3.6g, compared to Oura's 4-6g.
Much like the Oura Ring Gen-3, the Ultrahuman Ring Air has sensors to monitor your heart rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen levels, alongside the usual step counting, workout recording and sleep tracking features.
The Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring both use the skin temperature readings to help track and predict periods, but there's no menstrual tracking with the Ultrahuman Ring Air. Though there are a few unique features here that could make it the right Oura Ring alternative for you.
The companion app offers up a Stimulant Permissible Window, the optimal time for you to add caffeine into your day and, crucially, when you'd be better off passing on the next cup of coffee to help improve your sleep and wellbeing throughout the day.
During our time with the Ultrahuman Ring Air, the way the app surfaces data took a bit of getting used to. Most fitness trackers offer granular detail, but the Ultrahuman ring offers more of an overview, so you can get important information at a glance without delving into the data yourself.
Despite the company's claim that it's made of "fighter jet grade Titanium reinforced with Tungsten Carbide Carbon coating," we still found that scratches appeared on the outer surface. Although no ring is indestructible, we found that the Oura Ring is generally more hardy and can withstand many impacts without damage.
Read our full Ultrahuman Ring Air review
Best budget Oura Ring alternative
Amazfit makes some of our favorite budget-friendly fitness trackers, edging towards the space Fitbit used to occupy before Google bought the company. The same principle applies here with the Helio Ring, which is a budget-friendly alternative to the Oura Ring.
The Helio Ring retails for $299, which is the entry-level price of the Oura Ring. However, since you don't need a subscription with the Amazfit model, it's currently one of the cheapest Oura Ring alternatives too.
But like Fitbit, the company offers an optional subscription (Zepp Aura) to unlock deeper insights on your data. However, while testing the ring, we were happy with the detail on offer through the free version, which still highlights sleep stats, heart rate, and some basic activity tracking.
The ring can't automatically recognize a workout, so you need to head to the app to start a session. The current options are a bit limited — walking, running, cycling and treadmill runs — but if you need more activities, you may be better off with a dedicated fitness tracking smartwatch instead.
Read our full Amazfit Helio Ring review
Most innovative Oura Ring alternative
The Oura Ring popularized smart rings, but the latest model was launched way back in late 2021. If you're after a more experimental Oura Ring alternative, pushing at the edges of what a smart ring can offer, the Circular Ring is a great option.
After spending time with the ring, it's fair to say it's still a work-in-progress. There are a lot of interesting features, like the AI assistant Kira+ and vibration-based alerts, alarms and mindfulness reminders. These tease a more smartwatch-esque experience (minus the display) but the finished product isn't quite there yet.
The data doesn't always sync correctly to the app and we were disappointed that the battery would only last a few days, rather than week you get with the Oura Ring. In fairness, Circular is clear about this limitation, noting that the daily mode should see you through two days, and up to six days in Eco mode.
So, if you're keen to see what the future of smart ring could look like, the Circular Ring Slim is one of the most adventurous Oura Ring alternatives. But if you're after a reliable daily driver, then you'd be better off with the more polished Samsung Galaxy Ring or Ultrahuman Ring Air.
Read our full Circular vs Oura Ring comparison
How we test the best Oura Ring alternatives
The way we test Oura Ring alternatives is simple; we wear them. Whether we're working out, going about our daily activities, or in the resting overnight, we keep the ring on our fingers for at least a week (often longer) to gather health and fitness data.
We wear the ring as you would as you do activities like strength training with weights, washing, and doing the dishes to see how it fares. This is also a helpful way to test the ring's durability, whether it develops scratches, and if the design starts to dig into your finger or cause discomfort.
We use the ring's companion app to view the data, and check out any insights or advice (AI-generated or more generic). And we compare these insights, the level of detail, and ease of use against other smart rings, primarily the Oura Ring Gen-3.
How to choose the best Oura Ring alternative for you
Oura led the way with smart rings, showing that the ring-based devices could track your steps, some daily activities, and monitor your heart rate, sleep, and skin temperature. Most other smart rings also do the same, so if you're after an Oura alternative, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
The main downside to Oura is the monthly membership, currently $5.99 per month, to access your data. If this is the reason you want to ditch the Oura Ring, then it's important to consider the full cost of the smart ring. For instance, the Galaxy Ring is $100 more expensive initially, but no subscription, so is cheaper in the long run.
Meanwhile, the Amazfit Helio costs the same as the Heritage Oura Ring ($299) but also doesn't require a subscription, making it a more budget-friendly option. But, as is often the case, you get what you pay for, and the more expensive rings or subscriptions provide greater insights on your health and fitness data.
Most smart rings also don't follow standard ring sizes, so you need to use each brand's sizing kit to work out the right one for you. But this can quickly add up, since if you don't place an order for the ring, you're often out of pocket for the sizing kit, which is part of the problem ordering the Galaxy Ring from Amazon.
While the majority of smart rings have skin temperature sensors, they don't all use this data in the same way. The Oura Ring and Galaxy Ring use temperature data to help track and predict your period, but the other Oura Ring alternatives don't (currently), and the Samsung and Oura models integrate with Natural Cycles, the only FDA-cleared menstrual tracking app.
FAQs
Is the Oura Ring worth it?
The Oura Ring is the most popular smart ring available right now, and for good reason — it's easy to use, has many integrations with third-party apps, and looks good too, but that doesn't mean it'll be right for everyone.
It has some of the best features of any smart ring, and as a more mature product (the Oura Ring is currently on its third generation) is a more polished and reliable experience than many other smart rings.
But the major downside is the monthly subscription Oura implemented alongside the Gen-3 ring; if you don't pay, the ring is next-to useless. That means to get the most from it, you're on the hook for $5.99 per month for several years.
So, its reasonable that you'd question whether the Oura Ring is really worth it, and the answer depends on what you're hoping to get from a smart ring. It's a more convenient and subtle way to monitor your essential metrics than a wrist-worn fitness tracker.
But without a display and more complex sensors, it can't compete with a premium fitness tracker or smartwatch. There's no GPS, and workout tracking is limited and a fairly manual process, but the same is true of all smart rings.
If you're after a discreet alternative to a watch, the Oura Ring is currently our favorite smart ring, but the monthly subscription may be off putting to some, and that's where these Oura Ring alternatives come in.
