Monitor Your Sleep, Recovery, and More with the Best Fitness Tracker Rings

While wearable fitness trackers in the form of watches have been popular for quite some time, many of them take the form of bracelets or watches, such as the popular fitness trackers from Garmin, FitBit, and WHOOP. These work well, but many people don’t like the look, and fitness tracker rings are quickly gaining popularity. Rings offer a small, discreet way to monitor many of your most important health metrics without needing to wear a traditional smartwatch, which some people prefer to avoid.

However, unlike a watch, the differences between fitness tracker rings aren’t always clear, as many of them share similar features and styles. If you’ve been looking for a smart ring but aren’t sure which one to start with, we’ve got you covered. 

In this guide, I’ll share our top picks for the best fitness tracker rings for any goal. I’ll explain the key features of each ring, what we thought of the functionality, and help you choose the best ones for your goals. Each ring we tested was scored based on our equipment testing methodology, which rates specific features of a given product, including durability, aesthetics, tech capabilities, price, and more. 

The Best Fitness Tracker Rings

• Best Overall Fitness Tracker Ring: Oura Ring Gen3
• Best Budget Fitness Tracker Ring: RingConn Smart Ring
• Best Fitness Tracker Ring for Sleep Tracking: Ultrahuman Ring AIR
• Best Fitness Tracker Ring for Android Users: Samsung Galaxy Ring

Best Overall Fitness Tracker Ring: Oura Ring Gen3

Good for: Those who want the most well-known, proven fitness ring

Best Overall

Oura Ring

GGR Score: 4.2

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Product Highlights

• Measures your heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, and skin temperature
• Over time, it can track your sleep patterns and suggest improvements
• Battery lasts 7 days and can fully charge in 20 minutes
• Can help you find your balance between activity and recovery
• Water resistant up to 100 m

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Long battery life
• Fast charging
• No membership required

Cons

• May develop scratches with daily wear
• Limited statistics without membership
• Comparably expensive

Bottom Line

If you are looking for a fitness tracker that is more subtle and sleek than a traditional wrist tracker, the Oura Ring is a great alternative option.

The Oura Ring was one of the first rings to gain popularity, and for good reason. It’s sleek, packed with features, available in multiple colors and materials, and very comfortable to wear, making it our choice for the best fitness tracker ring on the market right now. 

While many wrist-based gadgets are meant to be used during your workout, providing a real-time look at your health data, the Oura Ring is more about lifestyle and recovery. It’ll track your rate and activity levels, but most users will be more interested in how Oura manages your recovery. 

Two specific scores provided by the Oura Ring are your Readiness Score and Activity Score, which are calculated using your body temperature, heart rate, and sleep quality. The Readiness Score assesses how recovered you are from your last training session, and the Activity Score shows how well you’re balancing training and recovery. 

GGR founder Cooper “Coop” Mitchell tested the Oura Ring and was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was, giving the ring a 5 out of 5 for comfort. He said, “It’s surprisingly lightweight, and most of the time, I forget it’s on.”

The ring also provides a daily Sleep Score and tracks other metrics like calories burned, resting heart rate, blood oxygen, and steps, with data displayed in the Oura app. If you don’t know your ring size, Oura will send you a free sizing kit you can use to ensure you order the right size. 

Our biggest call out? Oura charges a $5.99 monthly subscription fee after your first month, which can quickly add up if you plan on using this ring for years to come. You can use the ring without paying for the membership, but many of the features will be locked. With the monthly fee and somewhat expensive ring, Coop gave the Oura Ring a 3.5 out of 5 rating for overall value. 

To read more, check out our complete Oura Ring review.

Best Budget Fitness Tracker Ring: RingConn Smart Ring

Good for: Anyone looking for a great ring that won’t break the bank

Best Budget Ring

Ringconn Smart Ring

GGR Score: 3.8

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Product Highlights

• Smart ring that tracks sleep and activity 
• Included: Smart ring, USB-C cable, quick guide, manual, and portable charging case  
• Available in 3 colors

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 7 day battery life
• No subscription fee
• 24/7 monitoring with 7 days of offline storage
• Portable charging case with capacity for 18 full recharges
• Compatible with Apple Health and Google Fit

Cons

• Expensive
• Only 1-year warranty
• Customer reviews had issues with linking to Google Fit

Bottom Line

The RingConn Smart Ring is a ring-style fitness tracker that tracks sleep and activity. The initial price is expensive but the RingConn does not require a monthly subscription to use the device. Customers liked the ring and found the information useful. Some customers had issues with connectivity, particularly linking with Google Fit.

If you’re looking for a high-quality smart ring on a budget, the RingConn Smart Ring is our top choice. Prices for any product can fluctuate, but this ring is currently available at a discounted price of $229, with a list price of $279.

That’s still not cheap, but it’s more affordable than other options, with no monthly subscription fee. Even a low monthly price can add up quickly, like the $5.99/monthly fee for the Oura Ring, which costs users an additional $71.88 per year to use the ring.

The RingConn Smart Ring is lightweight, has a 7-day battery life, and comes with a portable charger case. It tracks everything we’d expect to see in a ring, like heart rate, sleep, body temperature, blood oxygen, and physical activity. 

Our tester, GGR Editor Amanda Dvorak, ISSA-CPT, wore this ring for over a month during her testing. While it was easy to set up and use, she only gave it 4 out of 5 stars for durability. 

Amanda said, “The ring does get scuffed up pretty easily. I noticed a little scratch on mine and a scuff mark in less than a week of wearing it, and I didn’t even wear it for a lot of strenuous activities.”

Despite that, she liked the design of the ring, saying it could be worn with a variety of outfits. The RingConn Smart Ring earned a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating for aesthetics. 

She also mentioned that while the ring includes Bluetooth connectivity, syncing your data can take a minute or two after opening the app, which feels slow compared to fitness trackers and other smart rings. She also felt the data was a bit lackluster compared to her Garmin watch, as many smartwatches offer significantly more data than rings. 

RELATED: Best Garmin Fitness Trackers

Many rings will get scuffed with use, especially when wearing it all day long, but this one may be a little less durable than other options. Still, it’s great to see a smart ring that’s fairly priced, and doesn’t come with a mandatory subscription fee to use it each month.

Best Fitness Tracker Ring for Sleep Tracking: Ultrahuman Ring AIR

Good for: People who want the best sleep-tracking data

Best for Sleep Tracking

Ultrahuman Ring AIR

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Ring fitness tracker to help you improve your sleep 
• Features continuous heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring and temperature monitoring, and period heart rate monitoring 
• Included: Ring AIR, standard ring charger, type-C to C cable 
• 5 colors available

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Ultrahuman will send free sizing kit
• Provides a nightly sleep score and daily recovery score
• Sleep tracking with 10+ metrics
• No subscription required
• Can trade in a competitor’s ring for a discounted Ultrahuman ring

Cons

• Expensive
• Only 1 year warranty
• Customer reviews noted issues connecting with app
• Ultrahuman ring sizes different than traditional rings

Bottom Line

The Ultrahuman Ring AIR is a ring-style fitness tracker that does not require a subscription. When ordering you will have to request an Ultrahuman ring sizing kit, because the ring sizes are different from traditional rings. Customer reviews were generally positive and loved not having to pay for a subscription. Some customers did have issues with connecting the ring to the app.

While every smart ring on our list will track your sleep, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR has some of the most in-depth sleep tracking we’ve seen. 

Similar to other rings, Ultrahuman provides a sleep score, but it goes a step further by offering personalized suggestions. It can help you identify your body’s circadian rhythm, which is your body’s internal clock. Based on your sleep data, the app also provides stimulant use guidelines to help you maximize the benefits of caffeine without interfering with sleep. 

Our tester gave the Ultrahuman Ring AIR a 5-out-of-5-star rating for the metrics, saying, “The sleep tracking is my favorite. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping, and the ring helps me identify my problem points during the night. It also helps guide me on when I should go to bed/wake up. I check this metric religiously in the morning.”

The ring also received a 5 out of 5 for the user experience due to the user-friendly app interface that provides a variety of health insights.

In addition to caffeine use and wake/sleep times, the Ultrahuman app provides a detailed look at your nightly sleep patterns, providing a sleep index score, sleep efficiency tracking, how much time you spend in each sleep stage, graphs that track your health trends over time, and more. 

The ring is a great health tracker during the day as well, tracking your daily movement with the built-in accelerometer and heart rate sensor.

If detailed sleep tracking is your biggest priority in a fitness tracker ring, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR is the best choice.

Best Fitness Tracker Ring for Android Users: Samsung Galaxy Ring

Good for: Android users who want a ring that pairs seamlessly with their phone

Best for Android Users

Samsung Galaxy Ring

GGR Score: 3.9

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Product Highlights

• Scratch-resistant titanium construction
• Up to 7 days of battery life
• Location tracker
• Hands-free control of your Android phone
• Three colors to choose from

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Integrates with Android devices
• Built-in location tracker
• Control your phone by pinching your fingers
• Durable titanium construction

Cons

• Only works with Android phones
• More expensive than competitors

Bottom Line

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is an excellent choice for those who want to use their ring with a compatible Android phone. The ring tracks your health metrics, allows you to control your phone by pinching your fingers, and includes a location tracker if you lose it. It's expensive, but a great choice for Samsung users.

For those who are looking for a smart ring that’s exclusive to Android users who can use the Samsung Health App, the Galaxy Ring is an excellent choice. It includes many features similar to other smart rings on our list, but also includes a few unique features that we found very impressive. 

First is the titanium, scratch-proof material. We weren’t able to test this ring ourselves to see just how scratch-proof it really is, but considering how easily other rings show wear and tear, it’s great to see Samsung trying to address this issue.

The ring uses Galaxy AI to provide personalized tips and advice based on the metrics tracked, which includes heart rate, blood oxygen, steps, activity, sleep, and more; exactly what we expect to see in a smart ring. This ring earns a 5 out of 5 for tech capabilities and metrics. 

RELATED: Best Heart Rate Monitors

The Galaxy Ring also has a few Samsung-exclusive features that we’d love to see in other rings. You can control your phone by simply pinching your fingers together (the finger with the ring), allowing you to take a photo or silence an alarm. You can also use Find My Ring, and you’ll be able to see the last location of your ring on a map if you happen to misplace it somewhere.

This ring isn’t cheap, and with a $399 cost, it only earns a 3 out of 5 for value. That said,  if you’re looking for a high-quality ring that integrates seamlessly with your Android phone, this may be worth the cost.

Other Fitness Tracker Rings We Researched

We were very interested in trying the Evie Ring, which helps track the menstrual cycle over the month, and the typical health biometrics you’d expect to monitor with a fitness tracker ring. However, it’s been out of stock for several months, and we couldn’t order one. 

We also looked at a few of the ultra-budget rings on Amazon, but many had negative reviews from customers, so we didn’t bother to test any of them.

How We Picked and Tested the Best Fitness Tracker Rings

To build our lineup of the best smart rings, we spent plenty of time researching the best options on the market, looking for rings that deliver a mix of quality, durability, and smart features. 

We personally tested three of the rings on this list. Our testers spent several weeks wearing each ring daily to assess its pros and cons. This allowed us to assign a score using our equipment testing methodology, which scores the rings based on a number of features, including price, size, durability, battery life, and more.

For the rings we couldn’t order, we relied on real customer reviews and brand reputation and carefully assessed the built-in features to ensure they could track the most important health metrics. 

Benefits of Using a Fitness Tracker Ring

A fitness tracker ring may not have a vibrant display screen like a smartwatch may have or track quite as many metrics, but there are a few reasons you may want to consider using one if you enjoy tracking data.

Convenient Sleep Tracking

If you’re not used to sleeping with a watch, it can feel a little uncomfortable at first. Not to mention, some popular watches, like the Apple Watch, have a relatively short battery life and may need to be charged every night, and sleeping with one may result in waking up to a low battery alert.

Fitness rings are smaller, more comfortable, often have a longer battery life, and are less likely to disturb your sleep (or get snagged on a blanket). And if you’re worried about the accuracy, a 2024 study¹ published in Sleep Medicine found that the Oura ring was nearly as accurate as medical-grade actigraphy, concluding that fitness tracker rings are an accurate and convenient way for users to track their sleep at home.

RELATED: Getting the Most Out of Your Fitness Tracker

Helps Build Healthy Habits

Research also shows that regularly using a fitness ring can help users become aware of their lifestyle’s impact on their health and build new, healthier habits to improve their wellness. 

This 2021 study² published in Frontiers in Physiology looked at the impact of wearing a biometric monitoring ring for 12 months, paired with behavioral modification coaching delivered via a smartphone app, which many of the best fitness tracker rings include. 

The authors found that wearing a biometric ring, paired with education and personalized feedback significantly improved daily step count, VO2 max, body fat percentage, and heart rate variability. 

RELATED: Heart Rate Zone Training

Distraction-Free Activity Tracking

I asked GGR Stephen Sheehan, CPT, CNC, what he thought about fitness tracker rings, and he pointed out a benefit I hadn’t thought of. The lack of a screen may help users stay focused, especially those actively trying to minimize screen time. 

“As someone who tries to minimize screen time, I’m a fan of fitness rings since they still provide valuable insight into your sleep, recovery, and workouts without being another source of potential distraction like a smartwatch or iPhone,” said Stephen. “They’re sleek and discrete, offering a convenient way to support your overall health and fitness.”

If you don’t want to be staring at a watch or phone throughout the day, a ring can provide a subtle, distraction-free way to monitor your most important health metrics. 

RELATED: Best and Worst Fitness Trends

What to Look for in a Fitness Tracker Ring

If you’re ready to purchase a ring and aren’t sure which one to choose, we’ve got you covered. Here are the most important factors to consider when deciding which fitness tracker ring to try. 

Construction and Durability 

If you regularly work out with barbells, dumbbells, or machines, you’ll want to choose a durable ring or a color that hides scratches. Some rings have a scratch-resistant finish, while others aren’t as durable and should be treated with caution if you care about the look of your ring.

We found that the surface of a ring can quickly become scratched if it’s rubbed against something like barbell knurling. This may not bother some users, but if you’re worried about scuffs and scratches, you’ll want to carefully consider your ring’s material and/or color.

Battery Life

Most rings have a battery life just as long as wrist-based trackers, if not longer. Nothing is worse than a device that constantly needs to be charged before you can use it, especially if you’re always on the go, traveling frequently, or simply don’t want to worry about a daily charge. 

Some rings can last an entire week, while others last less. Think about your weekly schedule and how often you’ll need to charge the ring. Many rings will provide a notification when the battery is low, but charging can be inconvenient.

Metrics Tracked

Fitness rings don’t typically track quite as many features as a fitness watch. Most rings track the basics, like sleep, heart rate, HRV, and steps, but you’ll want to consider what other features you may want to track, especially if you’re looking for a specific health metric like SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation)

Some rings include workout tracking, body temperature, blood oxygen, and more, but these aren’t the default features on every ring. You should carefully look at each metric the ring can track to ensure it can provide the data you’re looking for. 

Payment Options

As many of these rings are focused on health monitoring, several are HSA/FSA eligible, so if you have one of those plans, you may be able to use the funds to purchase your ring. If you’ve got an HSA or FSA account and you’re not sure how to spend it, a fitness tracker ring is a good option. 

FAQs

References

1. Svensson, T., Madhawa, K., Nt, H., Chung, U. I., & Svensson, A. K. (2024). Validity and reliability of the Oura Ring Generation 3 (Gen3) with Oura sleep staging algorithm 2.0 (OSSA 2.0) when compared to multi-night ambulatory polysomnography: A validation study of 96 participants and 421,045 epochs. Sleep medicine, 115, 251–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2024.01.020
2. Browne, J. D., Boland, D. M., Baum, J. T., Ikemiya, K., Harris, Q., Phillips, M., Neufeld, E. V., Gomez, D., Goldman, P., & Dolezal, B. A. (2021). Lifestyle Modification Using a Wearable Biometric Ring and Guided Feedback Improve Sleep and Exercise Behaviors: A 12-Month Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Frontiers in physiology, 12, 777874. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.777874

Matt Dustin, CES, PN1-NC

Matt is a writer and fitness coach who's been working in the fitness industry for 11 years. Before joining the GGR team, Matt was a freelance health and fitness writer for 11 years, writing for dozens of fitness websites, influencers, and wellness brands. He's also the author of three nutrition books published through Simon & Schuster. He currently lives in Las Vegas, NV.

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