Oura Ring or Apple Watch - which one is actually better for sleep and health tracking

[EventHorizon]

I want to track my sleep quality and general health metrics more seriously. The two options I keep coming back to are the Oura Ring Gen 4 at around £349 plus 5.99 a month subscription and the Apple Watch Series 11 at around £300. I am on iPhone. I do not need a smartwatch for notifications - I genuinely just want the best health and sleep tracking available. What would you choose?

[Dylan]

Oura Ring for sleep tracking specifically and it is a meaningful difference. The ring form factor stays on your finger all night without discomfort, the optical sensors have better contact with skin than a wrist device, and the sleep stage accuracy and HRV measurement on the Oura Gen 4 are consistently rated higher in independent comparisons than the Apple Watch

[NightHarbour]

Apple Watch Series 11 if you want more than just sleep tracking. The ECG, the fall detection, the workout tracking breadth, the notification management and the deep iPhone integration make it a more complete health and daily life device. If the question is genuinely only sleep and recovery Oura wins but most people use a smartwatch for more than one thing

[Di46]

The subscription on Oura is the thing that needs to be factored into the total cost honestly. At 5.99 a month that is 71.88 a year which over four years of ownership adds £287 to the 349 pound upfront cost. The Apple Watch has no subscription for its health features. On total four-year cost they are close

[MiniElliot]

The Oura Gen 4's readiness score and recovery tracking are the features that genuinely change behaviour for people who use them. Having a number in the morning that says you are 74% recovered and should not do a hard training session is actionable in a way that raw sleep data often is not

[SpinState22]

Wear comfort for a ring versus a watch is genuinely personal. Some people find a ring completely forgettable to wear 24/7. Others notice it constantly especially in the first month. If you have never worn a ring regularly try wearing a cheap ring on the same finger for a week before committing to see whether you adapt quickly

[PaleCipher]

The accuracy caveat applies to both devices. Consumer wearables are not medical devices and their sleep staging in particular is an estimate based on movement and heart rate rather than brain wave measurement. They are useful for trends over time rather than precision diagnostics on any given night