Best ring without subscription
Note: Following a decision of the United States International Trade Commission (ITC)after patent infringement Oura trialUltrahuman is no longer allowed to import and sell its smart rings in the United States since October 21, 2025. Ultrahuman Declaration states that existing ring owners and anyone who purchases an Ultrahuman Smart Ring before the deadline will still benefit from comprehensive subscription-free information, feature updates and warranty support. It’s business as usual in the rest of the world. Some retailers are still selling their existing stock (presumably imported before the ban).
Extremely thin, lightweight and comfortable to wear, with a smooth finish inside and out, the Ultrahuman Air Ring is a serious competitor that does not require a subscription. This sensor-packed smart ring features an infrared photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, a medical-grade non-contact skin temperature sensor, a six-axis motion sensor, and colorful LEDs for monitoring heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. Like the Oura, it tracks your activity, detects trends in your heart rate variability and skin temperature, and offers sleep analysis.
While the sleep data is fairly accurate (a bit generous) and Ultrahuman does a decent job recording heart rate and basics, like steps, workout tracking is its main weakness. I often found heart rate tracking during exercise extremely inaccurate. However, Ultrahuman has now added automatic workout tracking and works well for basic activities like outdoor walks or runs. The company now also offers Ultrahuman HouseA tracking device ($399) which monitors air quality, noise and a few other elements of your environment, and Blood Vision, a blood testing service offering an in-depth analysis of your blood.
The app offers helpful tips and notifications, like delaying your morning coffee to allow the adenosine to dissipate and enjoy the morning sun. But it’s not as accessible or elegant as the Oura app. Battery life also isn’t up to par with the Oura and the Ultrahuman takes longer to charge. That said, you’re looking at a one-time fee for the full Ultrahuman Ring Air without a subscription, and the app has steadily improved since its release. Ultrahuman has also added some cool features, like a smart alarm that wakes you up when you’re in a light sleep phase.
It’s currently not available in the US due to a sales ban, so we’ll have to see how things develop.
| Specifications |
|---|
| Design: Titanium with tungsten carbide and carbon coating |
| Battery life: About 4 days (up to 6 days) |
| Loading: 2 to 3 hours |
| Compatibility: Android or iOS |
| Sizes: 5 to 14 |
| Colors: Silver, gold, rose gold, titanium, matte gray and black |
| Water resistance: IPX8 (up to 100 meters) |
Best budget smart ring
Note: Following the success of Oura’s patent infringement lawsuit and the ITC’s ruling, Ringconn entered into a licensing agreement with Oura, so its rings are still available in the United States.
RingConn’s latest smart ring significantly undercuts the prices of its previous versions and almost everything else on the market. The RingConn Gen 2 Air is thinner, lighter and less expensive than the regular Gen 2 and offers sleep and health tracking without a subscription. There are PPG and temperature sensors inside, as well as a three-axis accelerometer. The Gen 2 Air tracks your steps, calories burned, heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep. It can prompt you to get up when you’ve been sedentary for too long and alert you to take a deep breath if your stress levels rise. Compared to the Gen 2, it’s made from cheaper steel, has a slightly shorter battery life (still up to 10 days), can’t detect sleep apnea, and comes with a basic charger instead of a nifty charging case. RingConn also added a small notch (like the one on the Oura) to help you align it correctly.
The RingConn Gen 2 Air is much more comfortable than previous models. (This is the most comfortable, lightest, best-fitting ring Adrienne has tried, aside from the Oura.) She also colored ring protectors to swap with your outfits, if you are frustrated at having to wear the same jewelry every day. However, it has the same main problem: workout tracking is limited and doesn’t work well when your heart rate is high. It also consistently overestimated my sleep and slightly underestimated my steps and activity compared to my Oura and Apple Watch. RingConn added an AI assistant to the app that generates a plan for you, adjusting your goals each week based on your activity and feedback. It is GOOD. You can ask questions and get advice, but that didn’t do much for me. The Gen 2 Air struggles to compete with our recommendations above, but it’s much cheaper and the gap is closing. Ultimately, the RingConn Gen 2 Air is the cheapest subscription-free smart ring to consider.
| Specifications |
|---|
| Design: Stainless steel |
| Battery life: About 8 days (up to 10 days) |
| Loading: 90 minutes |
| Compatibility: Android or iOS |
| Sizes: 6 to 14 |
| Colors: Gold, Silver |
| Water resistance: IP68 (up to 100 meters) |
Other smart rings we tested
We tested several other entrants in this category, some good, some bad, and some in between. Here’s a look at some of your smart ring alternatives.
Photography: Simon Hill
Rest Ring 1 for $200: A new affordable British smart ring, without subscription and offering simplified and accessible statistics on your activity, your sleep and your stress? Sign me up. The Leep Ring 1 is slim and sleek, with a subtle diagonal indentation to help you align the knobby internal sensors. It comes with a handy charging case that is claimed to provide an additional 60 days of charge. A fully charged ring is said to last up to eight days. (I’m getting closer to five.) The app is simple (available only for iPhone at the moment, but an Android app is in the works) and gives you a big score out of 100 for sleep, balance (stress), and activity. Unfortunately, sleep is terribly inaccurate and tends to report that I slept the entire time in bed, even if I was watching TV or reading. Last night it suggested I slept 8 hours 43 minutes (Oura said 6 hours 52 minutes). Activity and stress scores seem a bit more accurate, with step counts that were mostly within about 100 of my Oura and Apple Watch (it was 1,000 one day). But the app could use some tweaking. For example, it doesn’t take into account that there are only a few hours left in the day before telling me that my movement today is “bad.” I also lost data the first night the battery ran out, and there was no warning notification to tell me to recharge. Leep is still in its infancy and is very reasonably priced, but it needs to improve quickly to be competitive.
Photography: Simon Hill
Luna 2.0 Ring for $329: We had charging and connectivity issues with the first generation Luna Ring, but the Indian manufacturer seems to have made significant improvements in version 2.0. My Luna Ring 2.0 came with a jazzy wireless charging case (it’s $29 cheaper with the regular charging dock) that promises up to 30 days of battery life. The ring is supposed to last five days between charges, but I found four days to be more realistic. I don’t like the diagonal crease that marks the front of the ring, and it’s not as comfortable as my Oura. It has all the usual sensors for tracking (optical heart rate, blood oxygen, PPG, skin temperature). The data is split into Sleep, Readiness, and Activity tabs in the Busy app, with the obligatory AI option for tips and insights. No subscription is necessary, which is a big plus, and the data seems reasonably accurate, but it’s definitely generous. Comparing a full day to my Oura, the Luna thought I got an extra hour of sleep, burned 100 kcal more, and rated my readiness above 80 out of 100, while Oura scored much lower and felt like something was putting strain on my body (I have a cold right now). If you want a ring without a subscription, I prefer the Ultrahuman listed above.
Photography: Adrienne So
Circle Ring 2 for $349: This ring is pretty, with rounded edges that make it look slightly more jewelry-like than the Oura or Ultrahuman rings. I also like the closed charging case, which means you can take it traveling and charge it without a USB-C cable, and I also like that the ring lets me know throughout the day when I’m in my best productivity, workout, or caffeine zone. However, during my two-week testing period, I experienced persistent server issues and data processing delays that made it difficult to verify the accuracy of my health metrics, like heart rate, SpO2, or sleep data. It is also difficult to recommend this ring at the moment. I’ll keep it for now and see if it improves.—Adrienne So
Movano Evie Ring for $269: During its first release, the Movano Evie ring was introduced as the world’s first fitness tracker designed specifically for women. I was very excited! It was recently updated to integrate with Apple Health (in the iOS version of the app), and you can now see your cycle day on your home page, manually record your basal body temperature, and manually add workouts. However, these new features are quite insufficient compared to those offered by its competitors. Now that Oura and the Galaxy Ring can track periods so accurately, this ring’s time may be over. But it’s relatively affordable, has no subscription fees, and has a blood oxygen sensor, so that’s pretty cool. —Adrienne So
RingConn Gen 2 for $299: Despite a price increase compared to generation 1 below, this is still an internal ring lligent relatively affordable and without subscription. RingConn retained its distinctive square design, but this second-generation ring brought major improvements to sleep tracking (including sleep apnea detection), better battery life, and is very slightly thinner and lighter. I found the basic sleep and health monitoring to be solid (sleep is much more accurate than the first generation), but workout tracking remains a major weakness. Despite the greater number of exercise types available, you have to manually trigger workout tracking, and it struggles to be accurate at higher heart rates.
RingConn Smart Ring for $99: Now heavily reduced, the original Connection worth considering. A slightly square design with beveled edges gives it a unique look, the health and sleep tracking work well, and it lasts four or five days between charges. It also comes with a handy battery case (enough for multiple charges on the go). However, I had issues with data syncing, the app lacked proper workout tracking, and the data was sometimes inaccurate, although the app is steadily improving with updates.
Amazfit Helio Ring for $200: Affordable fitness tracker provider like Amazfit active 2I was expecting a competitive smart ring from Amazfit, but the Amazfit Helio is very distorted. I like the subtly textured bronze finish, but that’s the only color you get. Sizes are also limited to 8, 10, or 12 for now (sizes 7-13 are coming). Although it had similar capabilities to the smart rings above, the Helio was sometimes hopelessly inaccurate, with heart rate measurements lagging far behind other trackers. It lacks automatic workout tracking, an average battery life of three days for me, and the Helio frequently disconnects from the busy and confusing Zepp app. You don’t do it need subscription, but there’s Aura AI ($70/year) for information and content on sleep or Fitness ($30/year), which includes an AI coach. They are expensive and confusing. (Why have two separate subscriptions?) The Helio works much better with a smartwatch (I tried that with the Amazfit Cheetah Pro), because it can merge data, but as a standalone device it is impossible to recommend.
How to choose the right smart ring size?
Some smart rings come in standard sizes, but there are variations and half sizes are rare, so it’s worth taking the time to make sure you get the right ring size. Most manufacturers will send you a free sizing kit, allowing you to wear a dummy ring for 24 hours. (You may need to purchase the ring directly from the manufacturer to get this kit for free.) You absolutely should. Keep in mind that your fingers swell and shrink throughout the day. Your smart ring should fit snugly to allow the sensors to measure accurately, but you’ll need to take it off regularly to charge it, so you don’t want too tight a fit.
On which finger should I wear my smart ring?
You can wear your smart ring on any finger, but most manufacturers recommend wearing these gadgets on your index finger, although the middle or ring finger can also work. These three fingers all have large blood vessels for more accurate pulse monitoring. What’s really important is that the ring fits snugly and securely around the base of your chosen finger, so if you have a large knuckle and a narrower finger base (more common with the middle or ring finger) this can be tricky. I recommend wearing it on the index finger of your less dominant hand, as I found that wearing it on my right index finger, as a right-hander, resulted in more damage to the ring and scratches on some things I touched.
Which smart ring finish or color is best?
All the smart rings we tested combined tough titanium with an array of sensors inside, but coatings and colors vary. If you are picky about rings, a silver or gold finish will probably suit you better, as there is less risk of damage. My black-finished Oura and Ultrahuman rings have visible scratches and chips after a few months. Our Galaxy Ring review unit has been on a tester’s finger for over a year, and the edges of the black titanium ring now appear silver.
The Oura, Samsung, and Amazfit rings feature tiny dimples to help you align the sensors. Although I prefer the smooth finish of the Ultrahuman, I suspect that correct placement improves accuracy immensely.
How do I maintain my smart ring?
Most smart rings are durable, but if you want to avoid damage, you should remove your ring when working with tools, weightlifting, washing pots and pans, or even cleaning the sink. If your ring is likely to rub against a surface, remove it. I found it to be a bigger problem to wear a ring on the index finger than the middle or ring finger. I scraped the Oura and Ultrahuman rings by gardening, moving boxes, and using a dumbbell. Titanium is also strong enough to damage surfaces in your home. I hollowed out the china in my sink and marked the inside of a cup with the angled Ringconn. All the smart rings we tested are water resistant, so you can swim or shower without taking them off.
How often should I charge my Smart Ring?
Photography: Simon Hill
Smart rings come with a charger and cable, but you’ll usually need to provide your own wall adapter. Once dead, they take between an hour and a half to three hours to fully charge, but you should avoid letting the battery drain completely, otherwise you run the risk of losing health data. We tested the smart rings above with all features enabled, so our battery life estimates are lower than the manufacturer’s claims.
What Smart Ring features should I look for?
Most smart rings will track your sleep, heart rate, and temperature. If you want to monitor your sleep and get information about your health in a discreet and comfortable way, smart rings are ideal. Fitness tracking varies, with most smart rings offering basic step and movement counts, some offering manual workout tracking, and others offering automatic workout recognition. But you can expect more depth and precision from a traditional fitness tracker Or smart watch. Combine a smart ring with a Apple Watch Or Fitbit provides a seamless experience, allowing you to remove the watch and let it charge overnight without interruption to your tracking.
Smart rings or smart watches?
Over the past few years, we’ve answered many questions about why someone would get a smart ring instead of or in addition to a regular ringtone. fitness tracker Or smart watch. Here are some reasons why you might consider it:
Better battery life. A smart ring is smaller and usually (if not always) has better battery life. It’s a useful addition to your repertoire if you hate missing a few hundred or even a thousand steps while you charge your smartwatch each day.
Sleep tracking. It is no coincidence that our favorite sleep tracker is a small, discreet ring. Maybe you’re tired of your massive Apple Watch Ultra hitting you in the face every time you turn around. (Or maybe you charge it instead!)
Cycle monitoring. Many watches and fitness trackers now have a skin temperature sensor sensitive enough to detect when you’re sick or drinking alcohol. However, in Adrienne’s testing so far, only the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the Oura have been accurate enough to track her menstrual cycle.
Finally fashion. Watches are a statement and a status symbol; a smartwatch often doesn’t say anything more about your preferences and choices other than “I don’t like missing meetings.” Almost everyone we know who has purchased a smart ring has done so because they own a used Cartier Tank, or a fun Casio or Swatchwhich they do not want to abandon. If this is you, good for you! And get a ring!
We’ve worn smart rings continuously for several years (sometimes two or three at a time), so we have a good idea of what makes a smart ring worth buying. Every smart ring we test has been worn for at least a month, usually more, and we always compare its tracking data to that of our top pick (Oura) and other smartwatches and fitness trackers (Apple Watch).
We are testing the Circular Ring 2 and the upcoming RingConn Gen 3 again.
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