Medically reviewed by: 
When it comes to motivation to stay fit, we’ve come along way from Jane Fonda workout videos. Smartphones now track our steps and calories burned, but who wants to lug their phone on a run? Thus portability and the quantified-self movement have spawned an ecosystem of wearables like the Apple Watch and Fitbit that help millions of fitness buffs record nutritional information, activity data, body temperature, blood pressure, glucose levels, and lot more. We’re pretty excited about two of the new players in the smart ring space, Motiv and Oura – let’s dig in and see if either is a good fit your workouts and lifestyle.
Early 2021 Update: Motiv has discontinued sales of their smart ring, although you may be able to find some on retail shelves still. This means we are now recommending the Oura over the Motiv, although you may wish to consider a Whoop wrist band! Whoop is a great product that our editors love to use, learn more about Whoop vs Oura.
Oura ring pricing update – in late 2021, Oura announced their new, Oura 3.0 rings. These are great devices, but they also changed their pricing quite a bit. No longer can you just purchase the ring, you need to also pay for a subscription. The upfront, device payment is now $299 to $399 you ALSO now have to pay a monthly fee of $5.99 per month.
What exactly is a smart ring?
Aside from watches, smart wearables haven’t quite taken off. Not yet at least. Enter the smart ring: a stylishly minimal band with built-in biometric sensors that pulls data directly from your fingers. They track your sleep patterns, heart rate, body temperature and fitness activities, while freeing up your wrist for an analog watch, bracelet, or something more…nude.
As a late entrant to the market, smart rings play nicely with existing fitness trackers, allowing you to import workout and biometric data from other apps. Thus they are still quite useful even if you already own a smart fitness-tracking device. They can help you augment the health data you already collect, filling in any gaps, say, when you’re asleep, at the gym, on a device-free yoga retreat, you get the idea.
Smart rings are true feats of engineering with flexible circuit boards, curved batteries, micro accelerometers, and a heart rate monitor among other sensors, all packed into a lightweight loop. For those who question the accuracy of wearables in general? Well, smart rings offer yet another dataset to validate.
What are the best smart ring brands on the market?
The two leading makers of smart rings right now are Motiv and Oura. Both offer a waterproof band of titanium that weighs less than a conventional wedding ring. Both sync health and fitness data to your mobile device via Bluetooth and claim to provide the most accurate readouts. But how exactly do they differ, and what do they cost? In this deep dive, we compare Motiv vs Oura to help you decide which (smart) ring rules them all.
It’s a pretty exciting moment for wearable technology. Read on to find out which is the “smartest” smart ring, and which one we think has the biggest bang for the buck.
Best Oura Ring Alternatives
Since we originally compared Oura and Motiv, there have been a number of “smart” tracker devices launched. Some of the best competition to Oura includes:
- Amazon Echo Loop – that’s right, Amazon is launching a smart ring with – you guessed it – Alexa in it. Unlike the Alexa on your kitchen counter, you push a button to activate the Echo Loop. And it’s the only competitor to Oura that has a speaker built in, so it can talk back to you. It doesn’t seem like the Echo Loop will come with fitness tracking, heart rate monitoring, etc. It’s really for you to talk to your Alexa.
- Apple Watch – Apple hasn’t launched a ring yet, but there are rumors that they will do so. Regardless, the Apple Watch is a tremendous fitness tracking device that works great if you have an iPhone. Track your steps, heart rate, sleep, etc. However, the batter life hasn’t been strong enough for our friends who use it to track their sleep – they need that time to charge the battery.
- Fitbit – Fitbit doesn’t hav a ring, but they offer competitive smart watches and smart bands. You can monitory your steps, other exercises, heart rate and sleep patterns. We compared Whoop vs Fitbit, if you want to learn more.
- Whoop – The Whoop Strap is our favorite alternative to an Oura ring. Obviously it’s a strap, but for fitness, sleep, and overall health tracking, it offers much of the same functionality. It monitors heart rate, calories burned, sleep and more. With our special discount code you save $30. Compare Whoop vs Oura in-depth.
Motiv vs. Oura: Which is smarter?
Motiv and Oura rings offer similar fitness tracking capabilities. Both come paired with a sleek mobile app where your data is stored and displayed. Whether you’ve used a fitness tracker before or not, the user experience on both are both intuitive. Baseline heart rates, body temperature, sleeping trends and activity goals are all there. Both rings are compatible with iOS and Android devices, so your decision won’t hinge on your phone’s operating system. Before diving into a full head-to-head feature comparison, let’s focus more on the metrics for a sec. After all, it’s the personal fitness data that most consumers are after.
What Do Smart Rings Like Motiv + Oura Help You Track?
Here’s a chart to help you visualize what metrics you’ll be able to syphon from your digits.
Motiv vs Oura: Fitness Ring Metric Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sleep | ✔ | ✔ |
| Heart Rate | ✔ | ✔ |
| Body Temperature | ✔ | ✔ |
| Blood Volume | ✔ | ✔ |
| Activity (Steps, Calories, Etc.) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Recovery Optimization | - | ✔ |
| Inactivity | - | ✔ |
| Website |
While both are impressive, the dataset collected from your finger isn’t much different than that of a FitBit or Apple Watch. And when compared head to head, the digital readouts of Oura and Motiv are very similar as well.
Broadly speaking, both track sleep, heart rate and fitness activity. Oura does a better job of reminding you to stand up every so often and take time to recover from a workout, but as you’ll see, it comes with a heftier price tag. Here’s the skinny on pricing and other key features you should consider.
How much do smart rings cost?
Motiv vs Oura: Smart Ring Feature & Pricing Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.99 | $299 - $999 PLUS $5.99 per month subscription |
| Delivery | 4-6 days to receive sizing kit (if necessary), then 4-6 days in priority mail | 4-6 weeks total, free sizing kit available only after purchase |
| Warranty | 1 year | 2 years |
| Return Policy | Full refund within 45 days | Full refund within 30 days (excludes shipping) |
| Ring Sizes | 7 | 8 |
| Ring Designs / Finishes | 3 | 4 |
| Battery Life | 3 days | 7 days |
| Built-in Memory | 3 days | 6 weeks |
| Waterproof | ✔ | ✔ |
| Enhanced Security | ✔ | - |
| Sensors | 1 | 3 |
| Mobile Compatibility | iOS + Android | iOS + Android |
| Website |
$200 to $1,000 ain’t cheap, but both Motiv and Oura have a lot to offer. They pack a ton of functionality into a small piece of metal, with only small differences in functionality. Those who don’t mind spending a bit more for the convenience of charging and syncing less frequently may be drawn to Oura, while those who are a bit more cost and security conscious might opt for Motiv. But as with any piece of jewelry — smart or dumb– aesthetics are important. Let’s dive deeper to determine if either smart ring is something you’d wear in public.
Motiv Review
Hot take: the Motiv ring boasts the perfect combination of form and function. The ring is sleek and understated, of silver, black or rose gold titanium. It comes in 7 different sizes and is $199.99, regardless which finish you choose. The battery lasts 3-days without charge and comes with a stylish dock that fully replenishes power in just under 90 minutes. Ready to sync data to your phone wirelessly? Simply twist the ring around your finger a few times. This is clever, since many do said gesture instinctively. You’ll want to at least once every three days to free up its built-in memory to collect more data.
As we mentioned earlier, Motiv takes your personal data security very seriously. It understands fitness trackers are just another opportunity for hackers looking to mine sensitive information, and takes ample precaution. Thus they built a 2-step verification process and passwordless login system for your protection. iOS users can verify their identity via facial recognition or fingerprint, while such technology will be rolled out to Android users very soon.
Motiv also makes ordering a breeze. If you’re like me and don’t know your ring size, they’ll send you a fitting kit in the mail for free. When you’re ready to pull the trigger, you can purchase from amazon or head to BestBuy to pick up your smart ring in person. Simple from start to finish. So how does Oura compare?
Oura Review
When it comes to design, Oura ring — NOT to be confused with onion rings — has a bit more flare than the Motiv cylinder, which can be good or bad depending on your style. Oura offers two different ring shapes: one with a slightly flattened side (called “heritage”) that’s supposed to symbolize a compass showing the way. The other has a slightly raised ridge (called “balance”) meant to symbolize balance between load and recovery. Both designs come in silver, black, stealth (i.e. matte) or balance diamond (i.e. with a row of tiny diamonds across the ridge).
The ordering process goes something like this. First you choose a design (2 options), then your finish (4 options), then your size (8 options). It’ll set you back anywhere from $299 for a more basic option to $999 for the diamond-studded (“I’m a world champion!” or potentially “Marry me?”) version. Expect your ring in the mail within 4-6 weeks.
The Oura ring’s battery lasts 7-days, and the data can be stored locally on the device for up to 6 whole weeks before it needs to be synced with the app. Rather than simply providing metrics and trends (although it does that well too), Oura emphasizes sleep, readiness and activity scores to help you improve sleep and recovery from mental and physical strain. Since their first version, they’ve added a gyroscope for enhanced activity tracking.
Oura vs Motiv: Which Has Better Reviews?
In general, fitness buffs and gym rats alike appreciate how their smart ring unshackles them from fitbits and other wrist-worn devices while working out:
This person loves their Motiv ring, and only wishes more people had it so she could better take advantage of social features:
This Oura ring customer is also really happy and believes the higher price point is justified:
But as with all fitness trackers, there’s some confusion about how to effectively act on the fitness data:
The Verdict: Motiv vs Oura -- Which is best?
Sleep like a log, work like a boss, and train like a champ. Being ready for what’s in store is vital to making it happen. Wearable rings are the newest health tracking devices to help you get rested and achieve goals that improve your performance when it counts. Finding baseline sleep quality measurements, vital statistics like heart rate, body temperature and blood volume can help you learn how far you have come when you track your activity progress toward meeting your goals down the road.
One caveat: don’t necessarily expect your heart rate (or any fitness metrics from smart rings for that matter) to be 100% real-time. Some smart ring bearers have been disappointed by delayed stats, so just know ahead of time this is the case.
Ultimately you want to find the smart ring that fits your aesthetic style, covers the activity tuning you want to track, works with your budget, and provides the right level of data security level that gives you comfort. Motiv seems ideal for anyone who wants to dip their toe (or thumb or pinkie?) into the smart ring market. Its functionality is slightly less robust than Oura’s, but the <$200 price point, simple purchasing process, minimal aesthetic, and emphasis on security are all quite appealing. If you’re ready to go all in on smart rings, especially ones with flashy diamonds or that focus more on improving sleep patterns, Oura is the way to go.
Ultimately the wearable ring fitness tracker is a sleek accessory with hidden powers to motivate you and bring you closer to your fitness goals. With a 30-45 refund policy, you might just want to give one a try!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much do smart rings cost?
Motiv vs Oura: Smart Ring Feature & Pricing Comparison |
||
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.99 | $299 – $999 PLUS $5.99 per month subscription |
| Delivery | 4-6 days to receive sizing kit (if necessary), then 4-6 days in priority mail | 4-6 weeks total, free sizing kit available only after purchase |
| Warranty | 1 year | 2 years |
| Return Policy | Full refund within 45 days | Full refund within 30 days (excludes shipping) |
| Ring Sizes | 7 | 8 |
| Ring Designs / Finishes | 3 | 4 |
| Battery Life | 3 days | 7 days |
| Built-in Memory | 3 days | 6 weeks |
| Waterproof | ✔ | ✔ |
| Enhanced Security | ✔ | – |
| Sensors | 1 | 3 |
| Mobile Compatibility | iOS + Android | iOS + Android |
| Website |
$200 to $1,000 ain’t cheap, but both Motiv and Oura have a lot to offer. They pack a ton of functionality into a small piece of metal, with only small differences in functionality. Those who don’t mind spending a bit more for the convenience of charging and syncing less frequently may be drawn to Oura, while those who are a bit more cost and security conscious might opt for Motiv. But as with any piece of jewelry — smart or dumb– aesthetics are important. Let’s dive deeper to determine if either smart ring is something you’d wear in public.
Motiv Review
Hot take: the Motiv ring boasts the perfect combination of form and function. The ring is sleek and understated, of silver, black or rose gold titanium. It comes in 7 different sizes and is $199.99, regardless which finish you choose. The battery lasts 3-days without charge and comes with a stylish dock that fully replenishes power in just under 90 minutes. Ready to sync data to your phone wirelessly? Simply twist the ring around your finger a few times. This is clever, since many do said gesture instinctively. You’ll want to at least once every three days to free up its built-in memory to collect more data.
As we mentioned earlier, Motiv takes your personal data security very seriously. It understands fitness trackers are just another opportunity for hackers looking to mine sensitive information, and takes ample precaution. Thus they built a 2-step verification process and passwordless login system for your protection. iOS users can verify their identity via facial recognition or fingerprint, while such technology will be rolled out to Android users very soon.
Motiv also makes ordering a breeze. If you’re like me and don’t know your ring size, they’ll send you a fitting kit in the mail for free. When you’re ready to pull the trigger, you can purchase from amazon or head to BestBuy to pick up your smart ring in person. Simple from start to finish. So how does Oura compare?
Oura Review
When it comes to design, Oura ring — NOT to be confused with onion rings — has a bit more flare than the Motiv cylinder, which can be good or bad depending on your style. Oura offers two different ring shapes: one with a slightly flattened side (called “heritage”) that’s supposed to symbolize a compass showing the way. The other has a slightly raised ridge (called “balance”) meant to symbolize balance between load and recovery. Both designs come in silver, black, stealth (i.e. matte) or balance diamond (i.e. with a row of tiny diamonds across the ridge).
The ordering process goes something like this. First you choose a design (2 options), then your finish (4 options), then your size (8 options). It’ll set you back anywhere from $299 for a more basic option to $999 for the diamond-studded (“I’m a world champion!” or potentially “Marry me?”) version. Expect your ring in the mail within 4-6 weeks.
The Oura ring’s battery lasts 7-days, and the data can be stored locally on the device for up to 6 whole weeks before it needs to be synced with the app. Rather than simply providing metrics and trends (although it does that well too), Oura emphasizes sleep, readiness and activity scores to help you improve sleep and recovery from mental and physical strain. Since their first version, they’ve added a gyroscope for enhanced activity tracking.
Curious which subscriptions are worthwhile?
We asked our certified fitness coaches. Find out which they think are best, and get exclusive discounts on popular brands.
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