Why I’d Choose the Oura Ring 5 Over the Cheaper Ultrahuman Pro

The Ultrahuman Ring Pro is officially available in the US, and now is the perfect time to compare it to the market leader in smart rings, the Oura Ring 5. The short answer: while the Ultrahuman Ring Pro has many advantages, ultimately, I think the Oura Ring 5 simply does its job better.

I’ve spent a lot of time with both rings, and I admit, many of the differences between them come down to personal preference—for example, do you prefer the biohacking concept and “best next steps” suggestions of the Ultrahuman app , or do you prefer the soothing vibrations of the Oura app? But when it comes to the devices themselves, there are significant differences in size, cost, and overall ease of use. Here’s my take on each and why Oura remains my top choice.

The Oura ring is more comfortable to wear.

The Oura Ring 5 is impressively small, and when you need to wear something on your finger, size matters—and smaller is usually better. The Oura Ring 5 is the smallest and most comfortable smart ring I’ve ever worn. I have numerous photos comparing its size to other smart rings (including the RingConn, older Oura Ring models, and the older Ultrahuman model); suffice it to say, the Oura Ring 5 easily wins in this category.

As for the inner surface, both rings are similar: they’re mostly smooth inside, with no protruding edges. However, given the overall shape and feel, the Oura Ring 5 is simply more comfortable to wear all day long.

Oura Ring charges better if you purchase the included case.

The Oura Ring 5 comes with a charger, which isn’t very convenient, but it does the job. A thin, rounded charging case that fits easily in a pocket is available for $99. The case needs to be sized to fit the ring, and it’s not compatible with earlier versions of the device. According to Oura, the battery lasts for 30 days.

The Ultrahuman Ring Pro comes with a charging case. It’s heavy and bulky, with protruding corners, but it provides an additional 45 days of battery life. The case fits any size Ultrahuman Ring Pro, but is not compatible with previous versions. If you lose the case, you can still play sounds.

The Ultrahuman ring lasts slightly longer on a single charge: eight to ten days, according to the company, compared to six to nine for the Oura Ring 5. The Ultrahuman ring also has several different battery modes, and in “cool mode,” the battery lasted me about two weeks.

Bottom line: the Ultrahuman ring lasts longer on a single charge and has a larger charging case. Plus, you get the charging case for free. However, the Oura Ring 5’s charging case is smaller and much more convenient to carry. Ultimately, we’re once again considering two worthy options: the Oura case is more expensive given its features, but it’s also more convenient to use.

While Oura requires a subscription to use, the pricing issue is quite complex.

Oura is the most expensive smart ring on the market, and it requires a subscription to use. This makes it the most expensive option, giving Ultrahuman the opportunity to beat it simply by its lower price. But in this case, the difference is minor, depending on your preferences. If you’re looking for the cheapest smart ring, you’ll probably choose something completely different, like the RingConn Air . But if you compare the Oura Ring 5 and the Ultrahuman Ring Pro, the latter is cheaper than the Oura Ring 5… but only if you forgo all the extra features. Let’s find out.

Annual cost of the Oura ring

The Oura Ring 5 costs $399 for the glossy black and silver models and $499 for the gold, rose gold, and matte black and silver versions. A subscription costs $5.99 per month (or $69.99 per year, which is a savings of just $2), and without a subscription, Oura is practically useless .

Here’s how the costs are calculated on an annual basis:

• Oura Ring 5 in Black or Silver: $399 + $5.99/month subscription = $470.88 for one year, $542.76 for two years.

• Oura Ring 5 in other colors: $499 + $5.99/month subscription = $570.88 for one year, $642.76 for two years.

Ultrahuman Ring Pro Annual Cost

The Ultrahuman Ring Pro costs $479 for all colors, and basic use doesn’t require a subscription. But it doesn’t stop there, as the Ultrahuman app includes “PowerPlugs” that provide additional features or analysis screens. Some are completely free, including a caffeine tracking window, smart alarms, a new parent mode, and a limited version of the cycle and ovulation tracker, but others require a monthly fee. And when you factor in all the additional subscription fees for the various PowerPlugs, the cost can quickly add up:

• Respiratory Health: $3.99/month

• Adaptive Cardio Training: $2.90 per month

• Cycle & Ovulation Pro: $3.99 per month

• HealthEx for connecting medical records: $4.99/month.

• UltraSync for Tesla: $6.90/month.

Most people probably won’t choose all of these options, but even if you only need, say, the respiratory health and cycle and ovulation monitoring features, the cost of an Oura Ring subscription will quickly exceed the price. On the other hand, Ultrahuman also offers an Ultrahuman Max plan for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, which includes all of the PowerPlugs mentioned above, plus Les Mills workouts, which normally cost $11.99 per month. This is cheaper than subscribing to all the options individually, but it also makes the Ultrahuman Ring Pro more expensive than the Oura Ring 5: $578.99 for a year or $678.98 for two years. In short, if you want everything each ring offers, Ultrahuman will cost you more.

Here’s an important note: I wouldn’t recommend messing with most of the PowerPlugs. For example, “UltraSync for Tesla” recommends settings for your car based on how rested you are, which is useless if you don’t have a Tesla, and probably even if you do. “Cardio Adaptation” measures a metric that Ultrahuman says is slightly different from heart rate variability (HRV); Oura doesn’t measure this adaptation metric, but I’m not sure whether it’s worth measuring at all (I’d say probably not).

As for the rest:

• Ultrahuman’s PowerPlug breathing monitoring feature ($3.99 per month) records sounds during sleep, which Oura doesn’t; however, Oura reports breathing disturbances based on the ring’s data, which Ultrahuman doesn’t. Ultrahuman’s feature is more expensive.

• Ultrahuman offers a premium version of its menstrual cycle tracking app for $3.99 per month, while Oura partners with Natural Cycles and offers a subscription for $149.99 per year. Both versions provide more detailed (and, according to each company, more accurate) cycle tracking than the basic version without additional features. Oura’s version is more expensive.

• Ultrahuman’s HealthEx Powerplug ($4.99/month) displays information from your medical records throughout the app; Oura allows you to import your medical records for free, but uses them primarily in the Consultant (chatbot) section and in specialized sections of the app. Ultrahuman’s option is more expensive.

The Oura app provides a more convenient user experience.

The Oura app evaluates your alertness, sleep quality, and recent activity, and tracks your stress levels throughout the day. A message appears at the top of the home screen with suggestions for what to do that day—for example, cutting back on your workouts if you’re feeling tired or stressed. Ultrahuman does a similar thing, suggesting the “best next action,” which changes throughout the day but generally follows predictable themes: increase physical activity if you’ve been sitting for a long time, and so on.

Both apps provide detailed analysis of the factors influencing your results, and both likely overstate the usefulness of their assessments (you really shouldn’t change your training plans just because you didn’t get enough sleep). But the apps’ core functions are quite similar: both have partners and integrations, and you can schedule blood tests through either app if you need to.

The Ultrahuman app offers more detailed circadian rhythm recommendations, encouraging you to take extra steps at specific times of day and offering detailed caffeine monitoring. It features a “Longevity” tab that shows how many years your long-term habits are supposedly shortening (or extending) your lifespan, including measurable metrics like VO2 max and more arcane ones like arterial stiffness.

Oura has a dedicated “vital metrics” tab, calculated based on your daily data, and I find it much more useful than the data display in Ultrahuman. It features metrics like “resilience,” which compares your stress level to your recovery time; “symptom radar,” which sometimes signals illness; and sleep and breathing regularity metrics. And, of course, you can check your “cardiovascular age” to see how much younger (or older) you should feel.

Overall, I prefer Oura’s approach because the metrics are more logical, easier to find, and don’t feel too contrived compared to the underlying science. Ultrahuman wants you to feel like a cutting-edge biohacker; Oura makes things more realistic. It’s ironic that both apps and their extensive data essentially just collect heart rate data throughout the day and night. Neither app provides truly important information that the other doesn’t, but Oura’s approach seems more logical to me.

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