Whoop 5.0 Review: Distraction-free health tracking

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A dedicated, screen-less fitness band seems like a hard sell in the times of flashy smart rings and feature-packed smartwatches, but Whoop is back with the Whoop 5.0 anyway. Aimed at more performance orientated individuals, it minimizes distractions and concentrates on assisting you in improving your health through coaching, data, and helping to build strong habits. I’ve worn it for 21 days to find out if a fitness band is worth wearing in 2025.

Whoop 5.0: design

The Whoop 5.0 is designed similarly to the Whoop 4.0, but this time there are two versions, the Whoop 5.0 and the Whoop MG. The central module contains all the technology and sensors, and it’s attached to a fabric band which is available in different colors and materials. If you choose the Whoop MG, it unlocks the electrocardiogram, irregular heart rate alert, and blood pressure readings.

Health monitoring is the Whoop’s focus. There’s no screen, it doesn’t tell the time, and it doesn’t alert you about notifications from your phone. You wear it only to track health stats, sleep, and activity. I’ve been wearing the Whoop MG and it’s just 28 grams, which allows me to comfortably wear it 24 hours a day without a problem. It’s never sweaty, feels durable, and has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. If you’re looking for tracker you don’t have to worry, or even think about at all, the Whoop 5.0 is a great choice.

However, it’s not very subtle or pretty. The module is quite thick and attached to a wide band, and the Whoop MG has a polished clip holding it all together, so it’s quite noticeable. It’s not particularly stylish wrist band, so if you’re looking to track health and activity using something which also looks great, the Whoop probably won’t be at the top of your list.

It’s where I’m conflicted about the Whoop. It’s comfortable because it’s light and it doesn’t interrupt my day at all, but I don’t feel anything for it. I’ve worn it on my right wrist opposite a normal watch, which is a welcome benefit, but I look at it and wish it was slimmer, smaller, and far more incognito. There’s a reason smart rings and smartwatches have taken over from traditional fitness bands, as they can make some kind of lifestyle or fashion statement, and wearing the Whoop MG reminded me why I generally prefer them.

Whoop 5.0: app

No-one will buy the Whoop for the hardware. It’s the means to an end, with the end being all the data it collects shown in the Whoop app. It’s quite different to Apple Health or Samsung Health, and at least for the beginning until you’re used to it, it’s less user friendly than both. The top of the main page shows the expected sleep metric as a percentage, and it’s joined by Recovery and Strain, and understanding these is key to getting something from the Whoop band.

Recovery is a bit like a daily Readiness score, while the Strain metric is more like a daily activity score. Tap each one to see deeper insights and more expected data points like heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate, and steps. Each section has a host of graphs showing how your current scores relate to the last week. It’s by using the Recovery and Strain data points you’ll understand how you’re set for the day.

Go beyond these stats and the Whoop app will overwhelm you with information, much of it repeated in different places throughout the app. The Health Monitor tool also shows HRV, resting heart rate, and other key stats. Scroll down the main screen and My Dashboard shows many of the same data points too. Keep navigating through the screens and there are a lot more graphs related to strain, stress, sleep, and activity.

Whoop 5.0: advice and training

What can you do with all this data? Check the Daily Outlook page and you get an AI-style summary from an assistant, with some basic recommendations on how to reach your Strain target. You can ask the assistant questions. For example, ask it how to lower stress and it recommends breath work, mindfulness, outdoor activities, and hydration. It’s all very general, as you’d expect from a non-medical device.

The app encourages you to fill in a daily journal, but I’ve yet to really see how it impacts the advice or app, plus you can set up individual plans to help boost fitness, feel better, or sleep better. There’s little direct motivation to push though, something not helped by the lack of a screen. Elsewhere there’s a Strength Trainer mode which unlocks a range of workouts. These are guided through the app, but it’s not very well automated so you spend a lot of time tapping the screen to go through the plan, which is distracting. It’s far from the excellent workouts in Apple Fitness Plus.

You can also track a huge array of live activities, and I really like how they can be filtered by what you hope to achieve, whether that’s boosting Strain or promoting recovery and sleep. Tracking happens instantly, the workout screen and map looks great and holds lots of information, and while it’s a bit awkward to end a workout (the button is needlessly hidden), the Whoop does that fitness band basic — tracking activity — really well. Get more deeply into the activities and there’s helpful additional information such as V02 Max and strength related metrics.

The Whoop app doesn’t hold back on data, but it doesn’t always present it in a particularly friendly way, which is where it loses points compared to the Oura Ring 4, the Apple Watch Series 10, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. It’s also less highly motivated in its efforts to get you moving than I remember the Whoop 4.0 being, and the emphasis on high performance activity tracking appears to have been minimized. It indicates Whoop has shifted away slightly from its hardcore user base, yet hasn’t fully adapted its app or data presentation to cater directly to casual users.

Stick with wearing the Whoop and after 21 nights you’ll unlock the Healthspan and Pace of Aging feature, provided you’re a Peak or Life subscriber. It’s definitely one of the most interesting data-driven features inside the Whoop app. It uses many data points from steps to sleep and even the type of workouts you do, to estimate your “Whoop Age” compared to your actual age, plus an indication if your body is aging less slowly. What makes it helpful is the range of graphs related to how it works these figures out, and it allows you to focus on the areas where you’re lacking. We provide plenty of data to the app, and it’s great to see it being used to assess long-term health in addition to day-to-day activities. It’s a shame Whoop has hidden it behind a more expensive subscription plan.

Whoop 5.0: extra features and subscription plans

The Whoop MG has more functionality than the Whoop 5.0, but to unlock the extras you have to pay a higher subscription. You don’t technically buy the Whoop hardware, you pay an annual subscription, and your choice of plan dictates which features you get. The cheapest plan doesn’t include the Stress Monitor, Health Monitor, Healthspan readout, ECG, irregular heart rate, or blood pressure reading. To get all these features you need the Whoop MG and the top annual plan, and there’s an in-between option without the ECG, irregular heart rate, or blood pressure reading.

What you really need to understand is to use the Whoop you’ll have to pay for it every year. This isn’t a one-and-done fitness tracker, it’s an ongoing commitment. If you stop, there’s no free option to get the very basics. Even the Oura Ring offers that. If you want all the features and data it’s an expensive piece of equipment, which isn’t bad provided it justifies the cost when you use it. See the table below for long-term costs, and note you can make a saving by signing up for 24 months when you buy the Whoop.

Although it presents its data using different words to other activity trackers, the data when you drill down is basically the same as any other. I haven’t found the Whoop actively pushes me forward, or provides a different level of insight into my health and wellbeing compared to other health wearables I use. I can also get the extra features, such as an ECG and blood pressure readings, from other non-subscription wearables. Even if you don’t personally need this data now, it’s nice to have it there, for free, should you eventually do so.

There’s a lot to think about with the Whoop, far more so than any buying decision required for a wearable which doesn’t have an annual subscription attached. Because the device’s focus has seemingly shifted away from athletes and fitness fanatics, it’s less clear who should have it on their buying list in the first place. It certainly doesn’t do anything badly, but it doesn’t do anything dramatically better than other wearables.

Whoop 5.0: battery and charging

The upside to not having a screen and plenty of room in the module for a sensibly sized battery is long battery life. Whoop estimates about 14 days from a single charge, and this fits in with my use. I’m on day 21 and there’s 40% battery remain from when I charged it after 15 days. It’s impressive, especially as many wearables work harder during the getting to know you period.

Charging takes at least 90 minutes, but the way you charge it also depends on which subscription plan you choose. The basic plan has a wired charger, but the other more expensive plans provide a wireless power pack, which can be used to charge the band without taking it off your wrist. It’s a good idea, especially if you’re absolutely obsessed with 24-hour a day tracking with no breaks, but if you’re fine with missing out on a few hours worth of data, the regular charger will work just as well.

Long battery life is one of the Whoop 5.0’s biggest advantages, and being able to put it on your wrist and forget about it for two weeks sets it apart from most smartwatches. It’s also at least twice the length of time you get from the Oura Ring 4, and about five days more than the RingConn Gen 2 Air. If regularly charging any wearable is something that puts you off, the Whoop should suit you.

Whoop 5.0: price and availability

Whoop has simplified its subscription model compared to the Whoop 4.0. There are three tiers starting out with the One plan for $199 per year, the Peak plan for $239 per year, and the Life plan for $359 per year. To see what each one provides, take a look at the table below. A O represents an included feature, while an X represents a feature missing from that plan.

While Whoop tells you clearly what it will cost you each year, it’s better to think about how much it will cost you to own for a couple of years, as realistically most will keep a wearable they buy for longer than 12 months. This is where the Whoop gets expensive compared to the competition. An Apple Watch Series 10 costs $400 with no ongoing subscription, and the RingConn Gen 2 Air costs $240 without any subscription.

The Apple Watch’s feature set compares with the Whoop Life plan, while the RingConn Gen 2 Air easily takes on the basic Whoop One plan. The Oura Ring 4 is somewhere in-between the two. During my use the Whoop MG has not done anything over and above what I get from those devices. The blood pressure monitoring and ECG are not included in my test account, but the blood pressure feature is similar to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, in that it’s essential to have a standard blood pressure monitoring cuff to get started. I’ve used the Withings BPM Connect for a while, and it costs $130 without any subscription.

Should you buy the Whoop 5.0?

The Whoop 5.0 is a lightweight activity tracker with long battery life and an app packed with data. Dig deep and its hardcore fitness tracking roots are still there, but they’re not as heavily emphasized. While this may make the Whoop appeal to casual fitness fans, it doesn’t offer anything substantial above and beyond what the casual user would get from any other wearable. Those seriously into fitness will appreciate the wide variety of activities available to track, and the sheer wealth of data.

After my time with the Whoop 5.0, it has left me a bit confused. There’s nothing wrong with it or its app, and if it cost around $240 all-in it would be a solid recommendation if you’re really into fitness. The subscription model makes it less appealing, especially to someone only a bit interested in monitoring their health, as far better options exist. Why you’d wear a large, rather obvious fitness band like the Whoop over a smart ring, I’m also not sure.

There’s definitely still space in the crowded world of wearables for a screen-less, or minimal fitness band like the Whoop, but less so when it has an expensive, ongoing subscription plan tied to it, especially when it doesn’t provide all that much reason for you to pay for it compared to the many other options available. The Whoop 5.0 is a decent health and activity tracker, but think very carefully about how much it’s going to cost you to own long-term before signing up.