It seems that 2026 is the year of the screenless fitness tracker. Over the past few months, we’ve seen the release of the Oura Ring 5, Fitbit Air, and now the $199 Garmin Cirqa, which hit the market in July. It seems that users are moving away from constant notifications buzzing on their wrists and opting for distraction-free health and fitness tracking instead.
A huge selling point of the screenless tracker is that, without the bright light of a screen and often a smaller, lighter design, it can make sleep tracking more comfortable and less distracting.
I often remove my smartwatch entirely to sleep, as I find the likes of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 uncomfortable, but have been wearing an Oura Ring to track my sleep for years. Keen to take a look at how the data from the Garmin Cirqa compared, I wore both for 10 nights — read on to find out more.
The Oura Ring 5 is the thinnest and lightest smart ring on the market. It starts at $399 for the silver and black colorways, comes in six finishes, and lasts up to nine days on a charge.
Garmin Cirqa vs Oura Ring 5
Before we dive into the sleep tracking capabilities of the two devices, it seems wise to point out some of the similarities and differences, if you are trying to decide between the two. The Oura Ring 5 is the more expensive of the two trackers, starting at $399 for the basic finishes. You’ll also need to pay an ongoing subscription fee, which costs $5.99 per month. The Garmin Cirqa costs $199 and has no subscription fees.
Design-wise, the Oura Ring 5 is the smallest, lightest smart ring on the market. It truly disappears, and is the best option for anyone looking for a fitness or sleep tracker that looks like jewelry. The Garmin Cirqa is a stretch wristband with a single button. It’s not exactly small, and it’s bigger and heavier than the Fitbit Air. You can also buy an additional bicep strap for workouts or team sports.
Both devices have a battery life that’ll last longer than a week between charges. The Garmin Cirqa lasts 10-11 days; the Oura Ring 5 lasts around nine days, depending on the size of your ring.
Both are also compatible with iOS and Android. With the Garmin, you’ll see all your data on the Garmin Connect app, whereas Oura uses its own app. Both can be synced with third-party apps like Natural Cycles for advanced female health tracking.
The results
But back to sleep. Before I share my results, I feel like I must point out that this test fell during a pretty stressful time, as I was right in the middle of moving house. I’m also a single mom, raising the next Houdini, and often get woken multiple times a night by my toddler climbing into my bed. All this to say, please excuse some of these sleep scores.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Garmin Cirqa |
Oura Ring 5 |
July 24 |
89/100, Good, 7h 32m, 11:11 pm-6:49 am, Deep: 1h, Light: 4h 34m, REM: 1h 58m, Awake: 6m |
84/100, Good, 6h 57m, 11:06 pm-6:50 am, Deep: 1h 32m, Light: 3h 23m, REM: 2h 3m, Awake: 47m |
July 25 |
63/100, Fair, 5h 32m, 12:18 am-7:01 am, Deep: 1h 18m, Light: 2h 54m, REM: 1h 20m, Awake: 1h 11m |
67/100, Fair, 5h 53m, 12:06 am-7:01 am, Deep: 1h 12m, Light: 3h 9m, REM: 1h 33m, Awake: 1h 2m |
July 26 |
84/100, Good, 7h 9m, 12:09 am-7:29 am, Deep: 1h 25m, Light: 4h 10m, REM: 1h 34m, Awake: 11m |
79/100, Good, 7h 3m, 11:35 pm-7:28 am, Deep: 1h 40, Light: 4h 5m, REM: 1h 18m, Awake: 50m |
July 27 |
82/100, Good, 6h 28m, 12:34 am-7:09 am, Deep: 1h 21m, Light: 3h 41m, REM: 1h 26m, Awake: 7m |
63/100, Fair, 6h 3m, 12:01 am-7:11 am, Deep: 43m, Light: 3h 17m, REM: 2h 4m, Awake: 1h 7m |
July 28 |
74/100, Fair, 5h 58m, 12:42 am-6:43 am, Deep: 1h 17m, Light: 3h 18m, REM: 1h 23m, Awake: 3m |
70/100, Good, 6h 9m, 11:47 pm-6:48 am, Deep: 1h 10m, Light: 3h 30m, REM: 1h 30m, Awake: 52m |
July 29 |
75/100, Fair, 6h 34m, 12:06 am-6:50 am, Deep: 1h 28m, Light: 3h 44m, REM: 1h 22m, Awake: 10m |
No data recorded |
July 30 |
87/100, Good, 7h 16m duration, 10:37 pm-6:21 am, Deep: 2h 18m, Light: 3h 4m, REM: 1h 54m, Awake: 28m |
75/100, Good, 5h 42m, 12:02 am-6:20 pm, Deep: 1h 20m, Light: 2h 33m, REM: 1h 50m, Awake: 36m |
July 31 |
80/100, Good, 6h 24m duration, 11:34 pm - 6:25 am, Deep: 1h 49m, Light: 3h 5m, REM: 1h 30m, Awake: 27m |
78/100, Good, 6h 16m duration, 11:29 pm - 6:25 am, Deep: 1h 34m, Light: 3h 9m, REM: 1h 33m, Awake: 40m |
August 1 |
88/100, Good, 7h 43m duration, 11:14 pm - 7:10 am, Deep: 1h 11m, Light: 4h 59m, REM: 1h 33m, Awake: 13m |
87/100, Optimal, 7h 41m duration, 11:01 pm - 7:12 am, Deep: 1h 39m, Light: 3h 52m, REM: 2h 11m, Awake: 30m |
August 2 |
84/100, Good, 6h 51m duration, 12:23 am - 7:22 am, Deep: 1h 41m, Light: 3h 16m, REM: 1h 54m, Awake: 8 min |
80/100, Good, 6h 43 min duration, 12:10 am - 7:22 am, Deep: 1h 26m, Light: 3h 30m, REM: 1h 48m, Awake: 29m |
Of course, there’s no real way of telling which of these devices was more accurate at tracking how much sleep I did (or didn’t) get without going to a sleep lab, but I found it interesting to see that most nights, my overall sleep score and advice was pretty much identical.
There are a few key differences to point out: my Oura Ring 5 always recorded me as being awake for a lot longer than the Garmin Cirqa, more accurately reflecting the fact that I often lay in bed scrolling on my phone before I went to sleep. A lot of nights, the ‘awake’ part of my Oura sleep graph was at the beginning of the night.
The sleep duration and stages were also pretty similar throughout the testing, except July 29, when my Oura Ring 5 died overnight, and July 30, when Garmin recorded 90 minutes more sleep.
It’s worth pointing out I’ve had the Oura Ring 5 on my finger for months, whereas the Garmin Cirqa has only been on my wrist for two weeks, so it could need a little longer for more precise readings.
That said, overall, the data recorded was pretty similar, and the overall message was clear: I need more sleep. If only Garmin and Oura could relay that information to my toddler.
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