Just as Tolkien’s One Ring held unseen power, a new class of rings is quietly reshaping how we engage with our health. These discreet devices—smart rings—are transforming personal wellness through advanced tracking of sleep, stress, recovery, and metabolic function.
🧠 Why Are Smart Rings on the Rise?
Unlike bulky wrist-based wearables, rings are lightweight, unobtrusive, and often more accurate due to their location on the finger (close to arteries and nerves). Today’s leading rings monitor four key physiological domains:
🛌 Sleep Quality: Tracking stages (REM, deep, light), latency, and restfulness for a full “Sleep Score.”
⚡ Recovery & Readiness: Analyzing HRV (heart rate variability) and resting heart rate to assess your body’s daily capacity.
🌡️ Body Temperature: Capturing fluctuations that reflect illness, hormonal changes, or stress responses.
🧘 Stress & Mood: Using electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors and AI to estimate mood and mental state—some rings now offer CBT-style coaching such as the Happy Ring.
🚺 Women's health: They predict cycles, monitor hormonal shifts, enable symptom logging, and offer personalized well-being insights, as exemplified by the Evie Ring.
📊 Smart Ring Comparison: 2025 Edition
Here’s a breakdown of five leading smart rings, each with distinct strengths depending on your health goals.
1. Oura Ring 4
Focus: Holistic wellness, sleep, recovery
Highlights: Readiness Score, sleep precision, women’s cycle tracking, polished app
Battery Life: 4–7 days
Materials: Titanium
Subscription: Yes – $5.99/month
Price: $349+
HSA/FSA Eligible: ✅ Yes
Best For: Sleep optimization & recovery planning
2. RingConn 2
Focus: Comprehensive tracking, no subscription required
Highlights: Longest battery life (7–10 days), full access to metrics, stress & recovery trends
Battery Life: 7–10 days
Materials: Matte-finish alloy
Subscription: None
Price: $299
HSA/FSA Eligible: ❌ Not currently eligible
Best For: Budget-conscious users who want data without monthly fees
3. Ultrahuman Ring AIR
Focus: Metabolic health & recovery
Highlights: Integrates with Ultrahuman’s M1 continuous glucose monitor (CGM), metabolic coaching, ultra-lightweight (2.4g)
Battery Life: 4–6 days
Materials: Titanium + tungsten carbide
Subscription: None
Price: $349
HSA/FSA Eligible: ❌ Not currently eligible
Best For: Biohackers and those focused on metabolic performance
4. Evie Ring
Focus: Women’s health
Highlights: Designed specifically for women; includes cycle tracking, mood/symptom logging, HSA/FSA eligible, open design for comfort
Battery Life: 4+ days
Materials: Liquidmetal
Subscription: None
Price: $269
HSA/FSA Eligible: ✅ Yes
Best For: Women seeking hormone-aware wellness insights
5. Happy Ring
Focus: Mental health & mood tracking
Highlights: EDA-based mood tracking, CBT-based coaching, guided stress reduction, FDA-cleared sleep monitoring
Battery Life: Up to 3 days
Materials: Ceramic
Subscription: Required ($20–30/month; ring included)
HSA/FSA Eligible: ❌ Not currently eligible
FDA Status: ✅ FDA 510(k) cleared
Best For: Mental wellness, stress recovery, emotional health
What to Watch For
While Oura Ring remains the most recognized, newcomers like RingConn and Ultrahuman offer more value or specialized features—often with no subscription fees. The Evie Ring is a standout for women’s health, and Happy Ring marks a new frontier in mental well-being.
As the category evolves, expect tighter app integration, AI coaching, and FDA-cleared tools that don’t just track metrics—but actually improve them.
Are there any rings that I missed?
This newsletter explores the future of personalized, wearable-enabled care—from consumer-grade wellness to clinical-grade insights. Follow for updates on the next generation of digital health tools.