There's no question that fitness trackers can be a helpful tool in improving your overall health. According to research, wearing an activity tracker may help improve physical activity, body composition and overall fitness. But not everyone wants to wear a bulky device on their wrist.

That's where the Oura Ring comes in. The trendy device is a fitness and health tracker disguised as a piece of jewelry, that allows you to monitor everything from body temperature changes to sleep patterns. While the brand has been around for over a decade, thanks to raving reviews from people on TikTok and celebrity fans, the gadget has reached peak popularity, with Google searches reaching an all-time high in December 2024.

Below, we're diving into everything you need to know about the gadget, from how it works to what makes it so popular and what our own editors think about it.

Colors: Four | Sizes: 6-13 | Battery life: Up to seven days | Water resistant? Yes, up to 100 meters | Weight: 4 to 6 grams, depending on size | Additional subscription?: Yes

The Oura Ring is a sleep tracker, activity and stress monitor and so much more. It features a number of sensors along the inside of the band, including infrared photoplethysmography sensors (PPG), negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and a 3D accelerometer to track things like changes in body temperature, heart rate, respiration and movement to give you an in-depth look into your health metrics.

Along with other stats, each day, on the app, you'll find three scores: Sleep, Activity, and Readiness, which all fall somewhere between 0-100. The Sleep score is calculated based on how long you spent in the different sleep stages, how long it took you to fall asleep and timing. Your activity score is based on your step count, workout frequency and volume from the day before. Finally, your readiness score takes into account sleep, activity, heart rate, body temperature and more and can help you decide how hard to push your body that day.

Associate partnerships editor Lauren Witonsky, who has been using the Oura Ring Gen3 Heritage since 2023, says that she uses it predominantly for sleep and that it's even changed her habits for the better.

"It's still the first app I look at every morning," she shares. "I've become really interested in the 'resilience' graph that gives you a more holistic view of your health over time, factoring in both activity and recovery. While having an active lifestyle comes naturally to me, I have a hard time prioritizing sleep -- and no other product has held me accountable to get those eight hours every night as well as my Oura ring. I actually feel guilty if I don't wind down when it sends me a reminder on my phone! It has also made me realize that if I want those solid eight hours, I need to be ready for bed about an hour early to factor in the time it takes to fall asleep and any disturbances in the middle of the night."

For those with periods, the ring is designed not only to predict when you'll start but also to estimate your peak fertility time and give you insights on how your cycle affects your body and energy levels as a whole.

"My favorite feature is probably the sleep and the period tracking abilities," shares production coordinator Camryn Privette. "It's super interesting to get a look at your whole sleep chart and get pointers on what to improve on. Also, the period tracking is great and pretty accurate in my experience."

The ring can also provide you with insights into things like your cardiovascular age, stress resilience and more. Multiple editors complimented the amount of data that the ring gives about your body and overall health, as well as its accuracy.

"I find its readings pretty accurate, from predicting my cycle, highlighting some changes in my oxygen levels and tracking my sleep," editorial assistant Madison San Miguel says. "I've also learned some pretty neat things about my health, too, such as that your temperature increases slightly before your cycle, and that I'm a pretty light sleeper (unfortunately)."

Another big draw is the discreet and surprisingly chic design. San Miguel used to have another popular fitness tracker but hated how bulky it looked on her wrist. "I love how the Oura ring looks like any piece of jewelry I wear, so it feels more in disguise, unlike other health tracking devices."

One of the biggest complaints that all of our staffers had about the gadget was the high cost and the subscription model. When you purchase an Oura Ring, you'll get the first month of membership free. After, you'll have to pay $5.99 per month or $69.99 annually to continue to get access to all of the data. "I would honestly rather pay more for the device and skip an inexpensive but recurring subscription fee," Witonsky says.

After a year of use, they also noted that the battery life had decreased. "It's supposed to last for a week but now I can only get about three days of use out of it before needing to charge it," Witonsky says. However, she notes that it does charge quickly -- plus, it still has a longer battery life than some other trackers that need to be charged daily.

With daily wear, it also takes a bit of a beating. "My ring is a bit scratched up if you look closely, but this is just from normal wear and tear. If you wore it to do heavy lifting, for example, I imagine it would get pretty dinged up," Witonsky adds.

Colors: Five | Sizes: 4-15 | Battery life: Up to eight days | Water resistant? Yes, up to 100 meters | Weight: 3.3 to 5.2 grams, depending on size | Additional subscription?: Yes

Oura released the fourth generation of its smart ring in the fall of 2024. While the third generation came in two styles -- Heritage, with a smooth top and Horizon, which is totally round -- the newer model comes in just one. The updated style also touts a longer battery life and a larger number of sizes to choose from, spanning from sizes 4 to 15. The biggest change is that the ring is powered by "Smart Sensing" technology, which the brand says features upgraded sensors that dynamically adapt to your finger to deliver more accurate and continuous data.

As a sleep and overall wellness tracker, our editors agree that the ring does a great job delivering useful and accurate data and were generally impressed by its capabilities. "Overall, I think the company's approach to tracking is really unique and effective," Privette says.

The minimalist, jewelry-like design is also a plus for anyone who wants to track their data but hates the look of a typical wrist gadget. "I'm not a watch girl so this type of device is the only type of tracker I'd ever use," Privette says. If you're someone who doesn't mind paying an extra fee for the design and in-depth data, it may be worth it. In fact, San Miguel loves hers so much that she's thinking about getting one for her mom and boyfriend as well.

But for those who are looking for a similar option without a subscription model, we're sharing some additional picks below.

Colors: Five | Sizes: 5-14 | Battery life: Up to six days | Water resistant? Yes, up to 100 meters | Weight: 3.7 grams | Additional subscription?: No

While associate editor Kamari Stewart was initially intrigued by the Oura Ring, the additional subscription cost dissuaded her from making the purchase. Instead, she's been using this ring from Ultrahuman.

"It's obviously a little bulkier than most rings I wear but still blends in pretty easily," she shares. "It tracks my activity, heart rate, sleeping patterns, stress rhythm, recovery score, sleep debt, body temp and cycle. It also suggests when to start and stop having caffeine and when to start and slow down on screen time. There are more things you can track for no additional cost like vitamin D, screen time, pregnancy insights and it has a smart alarm and social schedules. The ability to track cardio adaptability and AFib detection (heart attack) are the only two that cost additional money each month at $2.90 and $4.90, respectively."

She adds that the app is also easy to navigate. "Honestly, I have no complaints! It's cool to see the stats, especially about sleep and heart rate."

Colors: Three | Sizes: 5-13 | Battery life: Up to seven days | Water resistant? Yes | Weight: 2.3 grams | Additional subscription?: No

For Samsung Galaxy users, the brand's smart ring is designed to provide a seamless (and stylish) way to track and access your data. According to the brand, the Galaxy Ring features advanced sensors to track your heart rate, sleep quality, steps, body temperature changes and more. It's also designed to automatically detect and track different forms of exercise for you, so you don't need to manually start any programs before beginning your workout.

This ring features a unique curved design, which the brand says helps to protect it against scratches, while still feeling comfortable on your finger.

We chose to highlight the Oura Ring because it is trending on social media and is currently a highly searched-for item on Google. All of the editors that we polled about the ring have been wearing it for over a year and are well-versed in its capabilities and features.

The alternative rings listed were chosen because they do not have an additional subscription fee and are either editor-approved or from a trusted brand.

The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources and use our own personal experiences with the product and brand to make shopping easier for our readers.

Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY. She has over a decade of experience in digital media -- with nearly half of that time being focused on the health and wellness space. She has owned multiple fitness trackers from top brands over the years and recently compared three popular models. At Shop TODAY she covers a range of topics, from new tech releases to expert-approved beauty trends.