2015 saw the launch of two very different wearable devices – the Apple Watch and the WHOOP 1.0. While the Apple Watch immediately captured global attention, the more niche WHOOP has slowly but surely grown in profile in the intervening decade, helped along by endorsements from sporting icons like Lebron James and Virgil van Dijk. The COVID-19 pandemic thrust the WHOOP into the public consciousness as people looked for a way to keep a closer eye on their day-to-day health – the American golfing body PGA even ordered 1,000 WHOOPs in 2020 to identify and monitor cases of coronavirus in their players and staff. Today, both products dominate the fitness watch market for different reasons.
The Apple Watch is a lifestyle smartwatch with dozens of functions, ranging from entertainment to productivity and keeping in contact. The minimalist WHOOP is purely aimed at aiding physical and mental fitness by emphasising recovery, rest and understanding physical limits.
WHOOP is a wearable technology company from Boston – their latest product, the WHOOP 4.0, is a wrist-mounted loop of knitted polyester that measures a range of vital signs and movements, transmitting them in real-time to a paired phone. Unlike traditional fitness trackers and smartwatches like the Apple Watch or Google Pixel Watch, the WHOOP has no screen – all information is displayed in the accompanying smartphone app. Not just for elite athletes, sales among the general public have steadily grown since the WHOOP 1.0 debuted a decade ago.
So what is WHOOP? How does it compare to an Apple Watch? And which fitness tracker is best for you?
The Key Differences Between the WHOOP and the Apple Watch
1. Screen
The first and most obvious difference is the absence of a screen on the WHOOP. This is one of the device’s major selling points, pitched as a way to eliminate distractions and focus on wellbeing. However, most people who use a WHOOP will have a phone on hand anyway, and the only way to view data collected by the tracker is on the smartphone app itself – depending on your training habits, this could be more of a distraction than a traditional smartwatch like the Apple Watch or Google Pixel. WHOOP requires a paired phone linked via Bluetooth. While the phone doesn’t have to be near at all times for the tracker to work, the only way to view the measurements is on the app screen, while an Apple Watch (particularly one with a cellular Watch plan) will provide constant on-screen updates.
2. Pricing
One of the most significant differences between the WHOOP and the Apple Watch is unrelated to the design or functions of the products themselves. For a piece of consumer hardware, WHOOP has an unorthodox pricing model. While the tracker itself is technically free, the functions and accompanying app are only available as part of a monthly subscription model with a minimum contract length of one year. If the user stops paying for the subscription, all tracking abilities are suspended and the WHOOP becomes an inert band. At the time of writing, a one-month free trial is available, though users will need to pay any return shipping costs themselves. Apple Watches, in contrast, can be purchased outright or via installments from Apple and then used forever. The free Apple Workouts and Apple Fitness apps are pre-installed on the Apple Watch and can be used immediately. For those who want to take their training to the next level, the premium version, Apple Fitness +, offers personalised online coaching courses for $9.99 a month (or $79.99 for a year's subscription) - around half the monthly cost of a WHOOP.
3. Features
The WHOOP isn’t a smartwatch, nor does it position itself as one. It's a health and fitness tracker, designed to record accurate data with minimal distractions. As a result, its features are limited to the recording, analysing and presenting of the wearer's physical activity. The accompanying app includes an onboard coaching program that interprets this data to offer personalised recommendations, from sleep habits to strength training. If this is all you require from a fitness tracker, it's hard to overlook the WHOOP. An Apple Watch in contrast is a more complete smartwatch that provides health and fitness monitoring in addition to dozens of other functions and access to third-party apps. If you only have room for one wearable in your life, the Apple Watch is the most versatile option, though it lacks the sleekness of the WHOOP.
4. Models
Apple Watches are available in an array of different models and price points – as well as the flagship mid-range model, the Series 10, buyers can also choose from the stripped-back (but still feature-rich) SE, the durable Ultra 2, or a series of luxury models designed by the Parisian fashion house Hermès. The WHOOP, meanwhile, is a single model. The latest version is the 4.0. Users can choose from a range of patterned wristbands, sports bras, and briefs to house it, but the tracker itself remains the same.
Related: The Best Apple Watch Apps for Kids
Why Use a WHOOP?
In a word, data. A single WHOOP collects a vast 100MB every day from its adherents. It is not, however, a medical device and should not be used as such or relied upon as a sole source of health information.
For pro athletes, the benefits are clear, as evinced by the widespread use of WHOOPs among professional sportspeople. This, combined with marketing appearances by stars like Sha’Carri Richardson and Cristiano Ronaldo, has lent the brand an air of expertise and placed the WHOOP 4.0 at the forefront of the fitness tracker field.
As a general consumer product, the app also takes pains to display health info in terms that don’t require a Sports Science degree to understand – data from multiple points is collated into more general indicators like ‘stress’ or 'strain’, providing a health overview at a glance.
Cellular Apple Watches
A cellular Apple Watch, coupled with an Apple Watch eSIM plan, allows wearers to leave their phone behind and head out on a short jog, triathlon or multi-day adventure while staying in contact at all times (provided they keep their watch charged). Cellular Watches can access the internet and make calls and SMS messages, all without the need for a connected phone.
Which Costs More, the WHOOP or the Apple Watch?
This depends on how long you plan on using the device. A WHOOP is only available in a monthly subscription, with a minimum length of one year. Customers who agree to a two-year contract will pay slightly less per month.
An Apple Watch, even when bought second-hand, can be purchased outright and used until it breaks. Sleep tracking and health metrics are available for free in the Apple Watch Health, Fitness and Workout apps.
If the plan is to use the device long-term over several years, an Apple Watch is cheaper than a WHOOP and has a wider range of non-health-related features. For serious athletes who require professional levels of data analysis, or are put off by the idea of a portable screen, a WHOOP may be the answer.
Related: The Best Apple Watch Fitness Apps
Other Fitness Trackers to Consider
Garmin Fenix
Garmin has been making fitness trackers since before the term existed. After the launch of the Forerunner GPS running watch in 2003, the American brand has built a reputation for innovative and durable sports and hiking watches. With such a legacy, it’s no surprise that Garmin's multipurpose Fenix smartwatch still leans heavily on fitness and running functions. The Fenix is billed as a ‘multisports’ watch, offering a wide range of recording and analysis tools for outdoor pursuits, martial arts, conventional athletics disciplines and even day-to-day activities like gardening. The Fenix also syncs up with Apple Fitness for iPhone users, though it's unable to use calling and SMS plans like a cellular Apple Watch.
Google Pixel Watch 3
Google’s answer to the Apple Watch is more than a fitness tracker; it provides a well-rounded smartwatch experience and a worthy Apple Watch alternative for Android users.
On launch, the tagline for the Pixel 3 was “Bigger, brighter and fine-tuned for fitness”, underlining Google’s confidence in their lifestyle product as a serious contender in the sports watch field. Part of this is down to the fact that the Pixel 3 is an unofficial successor to the Fitbit line of tracking devices. The Pixel 3 incorporates many features first developed by Fitbit – Google has been steadily absorbing this technology into their own-branded devices since acquiring the company in 2021. While the Fitbit product line and online community may be dying out, the features live on in the Pixel Watch 3.
Oura Ring
Those intrigued by the minimalism of the WHOOP should consider the ultra-discrete Oura ring, probably one of the world’s smallest high-performance fitness trackers. Despite its size, the Oura Ring can track heart rate, sleep patterns, menstrual cycles and respiratory rates with similar or higher accuracy to larger wearables like the Apple Watch or Garmin Fenix. Like the WHOOP, the Oura RIngs displays records all data in a smartphone app, providing in-depth statistics and pooling multiple measurements into umbrella terms like ‘activity’ and ‘readiness’.
WHOOP vs Apple Watch - Which One Should You Buy?
While they're both wearable fitness trackers, in practice, the WHOOP and the Apple Watch are very different products. The Apple Watch is an all-in-one personal computer that, when augmented with a mobile plan, can be a replacement for a smartwatch. The WHOOP meanwhile is focused on fitness, health, and nothing else.
Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference: some people prefer the constant reminders and ‘always on’ readiness of the Apple Watch, while some prefer the understated user experience of the WHOOP. It should also be noted that cellular Apple Watches will also require a paired iPhone to set up. For people who decide to use both, the WHOOP can also be synced with an Apple, allowing the WHOOP to record data in the Apple Health app.
WHOOP vs Apple Watch: FAQs
1. Does the Apple Watch require a subscription like the WHOOP?
No. An Apple Watch can be bought outright with no subscription. Certain add-ons for the Watch, like a an Apple Fitness + account or a cellular Watch Plan, can be purchased on a rolling monthly payment plan.
2. Is the WHOOP more accurate than the Apple Watch?
This has not been proven. Different fitness trackers, from Garmin to Apple to WHOOP, will sometimes provide different results for metrics like calories burned, sleep hours or respiratory rate. Independent tests have shown both the WHOOP and Apple Watch to be at the higher end of accuracy in the field of consumer health trackers. Neither are medical devices and should not be treated as such.
3. Is the WHOOP customisable?
Yes. Just like the Apple Watch, the WHOOP is available with a series of replacement bands in a rainbow of colours and patterns. The WHOOP site also sends compatible sports bras, briefs and chest bands for users who would prefer not to use a wristband.
4. Does WHOOP work with Android?
Yes, the WHOOP is compatible with both Android and Apple devices.
