Whoop vs. Fitbit: 6 Must-Know Facts
- Whoop devices are worn on different body parts to optimize health and fitness readings.
- Fitbit’s SPO2 feature allows it to measure oxygen saturation in your body.
- You cannot operate Whoop without a subscription.
- Fitbit offers real-time fitness tracking on the device’s touchscreen.
- Not all fitness tracking features are available on Fitbit without a monthly subscription.
- Whoop’s primary focus is improving overall health, while Fitbit focuses on fitness tracking.
Monitoring your health is essential to ensuring you are on the right track in your fitness journey. Whoop and Fitbit are arguably the most popular fitness products you could use to track and record your fitness journey. They monitor your heart rate, count the steps you take daily and the distance you’ve traveled, track your workout, and trace the number of calories in your body, among other functions that help you reach your desired fitness levels.
Although Whoop and Fitbit serve similar purposes, the two products have inherently different features that set them apart. They differ in design, features, and pricing, which could play an essential role in influencing users to purchase them.
If you are looking for the best product to help you in your fitness journey, don’t worry. This article will explore Whoop’s and Fitbit’s unique features to help you pick the best-fit digital fitness tracker.
Whoop vs. Fitbit: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Whoop | Fitbit | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Digital fitness product | Digital fitness product |
| Primary Use | Analyzing health metrics | Analyzing health metrics |
| Release | 2015 | 2009 |
| Battery Life | Five days | Two to six days |
| Charging Time | Two to three hours | One to two hours |
| Guided Workouts | None | Offered to subscribed users |
| Calorie Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | $18 to $30 monthly subscriptions | Offered at $299.95 with an optional premium package at an extra $9.99 |
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Whoop vs. Fitbit: What’s the Difference?
Whoop and Fitbit are key competitors in the production and sale of digital fitness trackers. Their devices are fitted with the latest fitness-tracking technology to ensure they work effectively to satisfy their users’ needs.
With that said, you may wonder which product features set Whoop and Fitbit apart. They have different features to satisfy diverse consumer needs and preferences.
Let’s review what the two smart devices offer to help you make an informed decision when purchasing.
Design
Fitbit and Whoop fitness trackers have great design features that ensure they are as comfortable as possible, enabling users to don them as they work out, sleep, or undertake routine activities. Their designs are tailored to ensure they are as light as possible so that wearing them is not burdensome.
The Fitbit design is the slimmer and smaller of the two fitness devices. It has a colored touchscreen display attached to a flexible strap made from a durable elastomer material, which contributes to the device’s light weight. It has no physical buttons, which may make operating it a little challenging. However, the touchscreen is commendably responsive to touch and taps.
One of the best attributes of the Fitbit’s design is the removable straps which present the opportunity to choose from a range of different straps. So, whether you go for a formal look or want your device to match your attire, there is a strap design for you.
Whoop, on the other hand, also has impressive design features. It is equally aesthetically pleasing, and its design incorporates features that allow the user to engage in watersports without damaging the device.
The Whoop design comprises a metal buckle with a knitted band inside. This design makes it hard to put on the device at first, but once you wear it, it does not fall off easily and looks more stylish than most digital fitness trackers. First-time users may find operating the device complicated as it does not have a screen. You may only monitor your fitness data through the Whoop app on your phone.
One of the best features of Whoop devices is their waterproof design. You don’t have to take it off when hopping in the shower or going for a swim, as it allows you to continue monitoring your fitness without accruing damage from the wet conditions. Additionally, Whoop’s design differs from other fitness trackers as it allows you to move the sensor to other parts of your body. It has adjustable bicep straps and different garments to place the fitness sensor. However, it requires your 30-day baseline data to enjoy this extra feature.
Fitness Tracking
While Whoop and Fitbit are designed to monitor your health and fitness, they take different approaches to achieve this goal.
Like most fitness tracking devices, Fitbit has sensors that monitor essential fitness attributes such as your steps and heart rate. The device measures these aspects and records data on whether the user is at rest or when they exercise. It also has an inbuilt GPS to monitor outdoor activities, such as the distance the user travels, and motion sensors to track indoor activities. These features work hand in hand to ensure all movements are recorded.
Fitbit also has various health sensors to monitor the user’s wellness. The sensors monitor and record your temperature, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate to ensure you are on the right track to living a long, healthy life. There are even sensors that measure your stress levels by monitoring epidermal activity.
On the other hand, Whoop has its share of sensors to track your health and fitness. Consequently, like Fitbit, Whoop monitors your respiratory rate, body temperature, oxygen levels, and heart rate in your mobile state and as you exercise or undertake various activities. However, the device lacks a GPS to track your outdoor activities. You have to use the Whoop app and your phone’s GPS to track your outdoor activities when using the device.
Fitbit arguably does a better job than Whoop regarding fitness and workout tracking. The lack of a screen on Whoop devices and the failure to include a GPS sensor in the system limits its fitness tracking capabilities. Although you can use the Whoop app and phone GPS to track your outdoor activities, it is not as effective as Fitbit.
App Features
Whoop and Fitbit have mobile apps that users download on their phones to track their fitness journeys. These apps differ in their interfaces and how they operate to help users monitor their fitness levels.
Since the Whoop device does not have a screen to display its readings, users monitor their health and fitness through the Whoop app. The app provides multiple readings and scores based on your activities and body functions. The app’s two main scores are the Recovery Score and the Strain Score.
The recovery score is based on changes in your heart and respiratory rates and sleeping patterns. Whoop collects this data and analyzes it daily to give you a recovery score percentage that indicates whether your body is ready to perform your day’s activities or you need to lie down a bit.
The strain score, on the other hand, as the name suggests, indicates the level of stress you undergo during the day on a scale of 0 to 21. It is determined by various factors recorded by your device’s sensors, such as the amount of exercise you undertake during the day. The Whoop app then combines your Recovery Score and Strain Score to recommend whether you should rest; it may also alert you when your body is ready for vigorous activities.
Every detail recorded on your Whoop device is displayed on the Whoop app. This includes your heart and respiratory rates, temperature, and oxygen levels, which are essential for monitoring your health. The app allows you to export this data into a pdf form, which you can share with your physician to monitor your health. There is also a Behavioral Journal within the app where you can track your habits.
The Fitbit mobile application also displays details collected by your device sensors and gives various recommendations based on the recordings. The app shows a Stress Management Score based on electrodermal activity detected by the Fitbit device on your wrist. Like the Whoop app, the Fitbit mobile application also provides users with a Readiness Score that determines whether or not the user is ready for the day; it may recommend resting if the scores indicate fatigue.
Activity tracking features set the Fitbit app apart from other digital fitness trackers. The GPS in Fitbit devices allows users to track their outdoor activities. The information is then displayed on the app to view your workout stats and other relevant readings, such as your heart rate and pace.
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Pricing
Of course, we have to compare Whoop and Fitbit’s pricing to ensure you make an informed decision when making a purchase. We wouldn’t want you to end up with an expensive fitness product that doesn’t have the specs you want; that would be tragic.
In this regard, Whoop and Fitbit are competitively priced, considering their features and the fitness tracking market. The cost of owning a Whoop device depends on your willingness to join a membership plan. It offers three membership plans, i.e., a two-year membership plan at $480, an annual membership at $288, and a monthly $30 membership plan. There is no option to buy the device without registering for a plan, but it has a lot of perks.
Fitbit, on the other hand, sells the devices at $199.95. The first purchase includes a six-month subscription that gives you access to all the device and app fitness monitoring features. After the period elapses, you are charged $9.99 monthly to stay on the plan. Nonetheless, you still enjoy a ton of features without a subscription.
History of Whoop
Whoop was established in 2012 by Will Ahmed, a student-athlete from Harvard University, to help fellow athletes monitor their rest and fitness. However, it was not until 2015 that the first Whoop device was released. The fitness tracker was fitted with silicon battery technology to increase its battery capacity. Other Whoop devices were released in 2016, 2019, and 2021, respectively, each an improvement on its predecessor in design and functionality.
The health wearable device collects vital information on users’ health and fitness, such as changes in their heart and respiratory rates, and gives recovery recommendations if need be. Currently, this information is only relayed in the Whoop app since the devices don’t have a displaying screen. One of the most notable attributes that set the device apart from other digital fitness trackers is its pricing based on subscriptions. For instance, the device stops tracking and recording data once your subscription ends.
History of Fitbit
- Daily Readiness Score that reveals if you’re ready to exercise or should focus on recovery
- Daily Stress Management Score showing your body’s response to stress
- Band Size: Small: Fits wrist 5.1"- 6.7", Large: Fits wrist 6.7" - 8.3" in circumference
- Track your heart health with high and low heart rate notifications and ECG app
- Tracks SpO2, heart rate variability, skin temperature variation, and more
- Real-time pace and distance without your phone using built-in GPS
Fitbit was founded as Healthy Metrics Research, Inc. on March 2007 by James Park and Eric Friedman; they registered it as an electronics and fitness company. The enterprise changed its name to Fitbit later that year. It released its first product, the Fitbit Tracker, in 2009. The device measured various health and fitness-related attributes, like the latest devices and versions.
In 2014, Fitbit advanced its fitness tracking technology and offered activity trackers compatible with a website and mobile app available for Windows, Android, and iOS users. For the first time, users were allowed to sync their fitness devices to their phones or computers and track their activities. Fitbit built on this innovation and improved various aspects. Today, you can access the Fitbit application on your device and monitor your health and fitness; the app often recommends customized tips to optimize your health.
Whoop vs. Fitbit: Which One is Better? Which One Should You Use?
Now that you know Whoop and Fitbit’s different health and fitness tracking features, you may wonder which one you should use.
Fitbit is the better device of the two as it has some features and capabilities that are unavailable on Whoop. For example, the device has a GPS function to track outdoor activities; it tracks your health and fitness in real time on its on-screen display. You don’t have to check the phone app to track your progress. Similarly, Fitbit does not require a subscription to operate, making it the cheaper fitness tracking option.
However, if your main focus is improving your overall health, Whoop is your device. While the device’s sensors track your activities, it strives to balance the stress your body can take and the recovery you need to maintain optimal body functions.
The best health and fitness tracker depends on what you are looking for in your wearable.
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