Whoop vs. Fitbit Air: I used both to track my health and fitness for a month - this one's better

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

Fitness bands are making a resurgence, and Google wants successful connected the party. Recently, I got a accidental to reappraisal the caller Fitbit Air.

The $100 fittingness set takes purpose astatine fashionable offerings similar the Whoop as an inexpensive alternate to premium wellness trackers (annual subscriptions commencement astatine $200, rising to $360). While Whoop caters to a superior diversion audience, the Fitbit Air goes much mainstream, designed for regular users astatine a much approachable terms constituent (and nary subscription required). 

Also: I wore Google's Fitbit Air to way my wellness for a week, and it's a superior Whoop rival for little money

The devices are similar. They ditch the surface for a set signifier origin and utilize apps arsenic the halfway of the health-tracking experience. They some way activity, sleep, recovery, and stress, and, of course, they person analyzable AI assistants (though Google's AI Health Coach is disposable lone with its premium rank tier). 

So which should you buy? That depends connected however overmuch you're consenting to walk and what you want. While I haven't tried the Fitbit Air retired yet, I've compared the specs of some devices and considered their merchandise offerings to interruption down the pros and cons. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

At a glance

You should bargain the Whoop set if...

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

1. You privation a longer artillery life 

Whoop's artillery lasts 14 days, whereas the Fitbit Air lasts lone seven. The higher-end instrumentality volition past you doubly arsenic agelong arsenic the Fitbit Air, truthful you won't person to complaint it arsenic frequently. 

2. You privation much extended information connected demand 

Google's Fitbit Air offers a akin health-tracking acquisition to different Google products, specified arsenic the Pixel Watch. The app provides insights into your sleep, steps, and readiness. With Google Health Premium, you tin usage the AI Health Coach to get much information visualization oregon comparison respective metrics astatine the aforesaid time, but you'll person to spell 1 other measurement and inquire it to make this. 

Also: Your Whoop app isn't conscionable for fittingness anymore - you tin bid humor tests done it now

Whoop, connected the different hand, offers extended information visualizations you don't person to make oregon query an AI adjunct for (Whoop offers its ain AI assistant, and was 1 of the archetypal wellness wearable companies to bash so). It's a instrumentality that tracks regular activity, but with a greater accent connected however these regular decisions make a beingness of longevity. Whoop's Healthspan diagnostic is simply a large illustration of this: Whoop users tin spot however their exercise, stress, and slumber person contributed to their physiological Whoop property and their gait of aging, that is, however rapidly their behaviors are contributing to their lifespan. It's a beauteous bio-hacky diagnostic you won't find successful the Fitbit Air. 

The app maps your betterment and strain to amusement the narration betwixt your body's betterment from aggravated exertion. Another illustration analyzes your slumber to find whether you're getting capable oregon falling short. Whoop's Health Monitor keeps an oculus connected your cardinal biometrics to observe variations successful bosom rate, bosom complaint variability, and assemblage temperature, and alerts you of imaginable strain oregon illness. 

3. You privation much retired of your wellness tracker

There are different small, premium details packed into Whoop that you whitethorn not get from Google's Fitbit Air. For example, Whoop tin observe erstwhile you've traveled to different clip zone, supply pitchy lag guidance for slumber timing, airy exposure, caffeine, and hydration. It's focused much connected idiosyncratic optimization, and its offerings are marketed toward a much affluent, lifestyle-optimized audience. 

Also: I wore the Whoop 5.0 for a period - it combines the champion of the Oura Ring and Apple Watch

Unlike the Fitbit Air, which tin lone beryllium worn astir the wrist, Whoop besides offers bicep bands and bras to way your wellness information crossed your assemblage for much close information capture. 

You should bargain the Fitbit Air if...

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

1. You privation a budget-friendly tracker

The Fitbit Air is designed for a much mainstream fittingness assemblage -- not truthful overmuch a premium, longevity- and biohacking-obsessed assemblage to which Whoop caters. It's besides priced accordingly. Without the $100 yearly Google Health subscription, the Fitbit Air costs $100. In contrast, yearly Whoop subscriptions commencement astatine $200, with the highest "medical grade" tier astatine $360. 

While I enjoyed the elevated acquisition of interacting with the Google Health Coach, lone disposable done the rank tier, I don't deliberation it's indispensable for everyone. You could precise easy usage this instrumentality without its AI Coach. It volition inactive way your sleep, exercise, and cardinal biometrics, alert you of debased readiness days and whether oregon not you're gathering play cardio goals. 

Also: iFixit tears down 'the astir repairable smartwatch' - and it's not from Apple

Notably, dissimilar Whoop, Google doesn't unit you into an yearly subscription fee. You tin instrumentality oregon permission Google Health Premium rank and inactive way the basics, similar steps, recovery, sleep, and activity.  

2. You don't privation information overload

Those who haven't utilized a wellness tracker earlier whitethorn not request arsenic extended information capture, and each the charts comparing these biometrics could beryllium much stressful than insightful. 

Google's Fitbit Air (and its different devices) is geared toward a much general, workout enthusiast assemblage that is little acrophobic with learning whether their biometrics enactment them up oregon down their existent property (as is the lawsuit with Whoop's audience). The Fitbit Air discreetly tracks the basics, similar steps, play cardio, sleep, recovery, and accent -- leaving the peripheral information astatine the door. This makes the instrumentality a large archetypal wellness tracker that won't overwhelm. 

Also: I tracked 3,000 steps connected my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this 1 was astir accurate

With a Premium membership, you tin inquire Google's Health Coach to make much elaborate information to visualize your betterment and strain, oregon your slumber needs, compared to logged clip asleep. I enjoyed utilizing the Health Coach to log meals, inquire for suggestions connected poor-readiness days, and amended recognize my slumber and vigor scores.

I adjacent imported workout information from different apps, asking the Coach to retroactively log the weight-training exercises into a strength-training league I had logged successful Fitbit. But the Fitbit Air emphasizes the basics, and that's much than capable for astir people. 

3. You privation a lighter device

The Whoop weighs astir 26 grams, portion the Fitbit Air weighs lone 12 grams. This makes the budget-friendly instrumentality importantly lighter and a small spot much comfy to deterioration passim the day. I loved wearing the Fitbit Air and recovered it to beryllium uber comfortable. Plus, its neutral set blended into outfits without calling attraction to itself. My lone gripe is that it isn't water-wicking, truthful it would enactment bedewed for a spot aft I washed my hands oregon showered with it. 

Writer's choice

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

After reviewing some fittingness trackers, I truly admit the Fitbit Air's accent connected accessibility and accuracy. It's large to spot caller contention successful a abstraction that's mostly been dominated by the Whoop. Throughout my clip arsenic a wearables expert, I've noticed the increasing popularity of screenless wellness trackers, specified arsenic bands and astute rings, but determination are inactive precise fewer viable fittingness bands available. 

It's adjacent amended that the Fitbit Air comes with an optional Google Health Premium subscription, dissimilar the Whoop, whose subscription tiers are mandatory and expensive. 

I'd urge the Fitbit Air arsenic a large archetypal fittingness tracker. It's got everything you request to dive further into your health, sleep, and activity, but it intentionally avoids information overload. The Whoop is amended suited for fitness-tracking and biohacking veterans who privation a longer-lasting instrumentality with extended information insights.