Oura Ring Vs Fitbit- Battle of the Fitness Trackers

Overview

Like many things now-a-days, if it hadn't been for social media I would not have known about Oura. I'm an OG Fitbit user, having used many iterations of their products that collects heartrate data while worn on the wrist. What I liked about the Fitbit smartwatches was clearly absent from the Oura Ring: quick data insights available on the device. If it had not been for who was wearing the Oura Ring I would not have even given it a second glance. No, it wasn't some influencer with a photoshopped to hell Instagram, or some 23 year old TikToker whose fitness secret is that she's 23 and her metabolism has yet to slow down. It was a 40 something strongwoman competitor with a BSN, and double mastectomy, entering menopause with no brand deal that entitled her to compensation from this company. She simply touted its benefits and how much she liked it. I immediately found their website and immediately said "IT COSTS HOW MUCH!?" before trying and failing to talk myself into it rationalizing I could write it off as a business expense.

Having resigned myself to my smartwatch existence, I continued to deal with the chaffing the band left on my wrist, and the nuisance of the watch's poorly placed stop-start button which constantly interrupted my workout tracking with the slightest movement of my wrist if I wore it snug enough to collect heart rate data accurately. At this point I have now owned my Sense for almost 3 years, my Versa 2 somehow no longer working after a little more than a year. I knew my current watch was almost at the end of its life, so an expense for a tracker was on the horizon. I scoured online to find a promotion, or coupon for the Oura Ring. What I found was much better.

Purchasing the Oura Ring

Before becoming the fulltime trainer whose blog your are currently reading, I had a 9-5 desk job in human capital management. While I can say that I hated it with my whole heart from the work to the corporate culture, one great thing that not enough employers provide is a tax-free Health Savings Account (HSA). I quit my job in November but still carried a balance in my HSA (that was getting charged admin fees monthly to keep it open.) I am fortunate enough that my husband has great health benefits through his job that also offer me coverage as his spouse. My HSA only had about $350 left in it, and with my husband's premium only no deductible/copay coverage, wasn't necessary to cover any medical expense. You can only imagine my delight in discovering that Oura is FDA cleared and HSA eligible! Finally I could spend my hard earned and saved money on something other than absurd admin fees and close the account with a $0 balance.

With this knowledge I put the least expensive ring in my cart, clicked purchase and then eagerly awaited my ring's arrival. It should be important to note that if after reading this blog your are convinced to purchase a ring yourself, I encourage you to size up. Normally I wear a 6 on both index fingers (the finger Oura has designed the ring to take the most accurate readings) but because of the sensors lining the inside of the ring I needed a 7. If you are unsure the company will send you sizers at no cost.

Functionality

Upon arrival I downloaded the app, connected the ring to my phone, and quickly noticed the data and insights is MUCH more involved than Fitbit. (Side note: it also links to your Apple Health data, something Fitbit does not) The only thing that is not immediately obvious is step count. Honestly, it felt clinical.

Sleep Tracking

From what I can tell, the Oura Ring Tracks my resting hear rate more effectively than Fitbit. I believe the placement of the devices has a lot to do with accuracy in data collection. While the Oura Ring is specifically designed to collect data most accurately from the index finger, Fitbit sits atop the wrist. Because of the poor button placement on Fitbit, I have to wear it more loosely than is recommended to keep it from turning on and off, and to track my workouts without interruption. According to the Oura Ring based on my heartrate data I was logging an average 47 minutes more sleep than FitBit was logging over the same month.

Exercise Tracking

Exercise tracking on the Oura Ring is a little reactionary, however. You can only track certain activities in real time and the fact you need to go into the app to track it on your phone makes it a little cumbersome. For exercises that you cannot track in real time, the ring allows you to enter the time and activity after the fact, condensing the HR data during the selected time and adding it to your "active calorie burn" tracker. I will say because of the poor button placement on the Fitbit I was having to go into the app after the fact and edit the workout times anyway.

Menstrual Cycle and Fertility Insights

Cycle tracking has been a pain for me since January on both apps and devices. Because of my low body fat percentage I have not had a period in 5 months as of this writing. I have scheduled an appointment with my Ob-gyn to make sure it is not early onset menopause. For more background my weight fluctuates between 57-68kg (125-150 lbs.) and my bodyfat percentage between 8-13%. Neither platform has the capability to track ovulation if you are unable to log a period. Currently I am trying my best to track ovulation on an old fashioned calendar, but as my cycle length has never been regular, even that has its limitations. The ring tracks my body temperature fluctuations and did predict my period start day, I spotted, but did not get a period. I did reassess my potential ovulation date based on that. Once my cycle regulates (as much as it possibly can) I will have a better assessment.

While Oura bases predictions on body temperature and user input, Fitbit relies solely on user input. This can make cycle predictions inaccurate.

Nutrition Tracking

There is no nutrition tracking on the Oura Ring, while Fitbit not only has the feature but also an extensive food library for optimal caloric intake, and macronutrient determination. Fitbit wins this feature by default.

Final Verdict

Personally, I like the Oura Ring much more than the Fitbit on every data insight except steps and nutrition. While the Oura Ring is much more expensive it can be purchased with an HSA where the Fitbit cannot. I did not miss the ease of access to basic stats on the device as much as I thought I would, and I have been noticing I'm checking the Oura app more than Fitbit. While I believe the data collection is superior to Fitbit what you decide what you like best will come down to personal preference and experience. Oura Ring is probably better for advanced users of fitness trackers, Fitbit is an excellent option for a beginner.