4 Of The Best Smart Rings That Don't Require A Subscription

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Oura has been the trendsetter in turning smart rings into a popular consumer electronic category. The Oura Ring 4 remains one of the best and most recommended smart rings on the market, thanks to its sleek design, good battery life, and reliable tracking. However, its subscription model is something that deters a lot of buyers, as they don't want another recurring subscription in their monthly budget. Fortunately, Oura isn't the only game in the market as its competitors aren't far behind.

If you're in the market for a new smart ring and don't want to pay for any subscriptions, there are several solid options. From niche brands like RingConn to popular tech giants like Samsung, many manufacturers now offer solid smart ring options. Here are the top four of these Oura-alternative smart rings that are known for their good performance and feature set. The following smart rings were selected after carefully considering expert reviews and feedback from verified buyers.

Although it has been nearly two years since Samsung's Galaxy Ring was launched, this smart ring remains a good option for anyone considering a subscription-free wearable. It's fairly feature-rich and has a sleek and lightweight design. It has a titanium build for superior durability and is rated IP68 and 10ATM for dust and water resistance. It's claimed to last up to a week on a single charge, but sizes 11 and below are rated for only six days of battery life. Speaking of sizes, you can choose from 11 different sizes ranging from 5 to 15. Samsung also offers a sizing kit to confirm your ring size before placing the actual Galaxy Ring order.

The Galaxy Ring primarily packs an accelerometer, skin temperature sensor, and an optical bio-signal sensor to monitor your health. It can track heart rate, sleep, and blood oxygen levels. It can also automatically count steps and record your runs; however, this $400 ring has relatively basic fitness tracking capabilities.

Although it works with any Android phone running version 11 or newer, it delivers the best experience with Samsung smartphones. Features like Energy Score, which rates your daily physical readiness, and wellness tips are restricted to Samsung phones, and similarly, smart gesture control and the Find My Ring location tracking are also exclusive to the company's own phones. Coming to its downsides, the Galaxy Ring doesn't work with iPhones. Additionally, many Amazon shoppers note that the Galaxy Ring's battery performance degrades significantly after a year or so. 

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Ring, the RingConn Gen 2 is a subscription-free smart ring that works with both Android phones and iPhones. It also has a better battery life than the Samsung offering at around 10-12 days on a single charge, and is thinner at 2mm, compared to the Galaxy Ring's 2.6mm thickness. Another bonus feature that you'll find in the RingConn smart ring is the support for AI-powered sleep apnea detection.

Otherwise, you get the same water resistance and support for monitoring vitals. It can also automatically count steps and record your runs. It also gets four core activity modes, which can be triggered manually to track heart rate trends, step counts, cadence, and estimated calorie burn. Moreover, the $299 smart ring is built with titanium for extra durability, and weighs around 0.1 oz.

Unfortunately, the RingConn offering has some drawbacks. For example, reviews suggest that it has poor workout tracking accuracy and an unpolished companion app. Amazon shoppers also mention poor customer service experience and battery issues within months of purchase. Notably, RingConn has released a newer Gen 3 smart ring, which fixes some of the heart-rate accuracy concerns with the Gen 2 and has an even longer 14-day battery life. It also adds haptic alerts; for example, it can buzz you when you have an elevated heartbeat. However, it's more expensive at $350, and it is yet to be widely released. The company is currently taking preorders for the first batch of the smart ring.

The RingConn Gen 2 Air is a more affordable version of the company's Gen 2 smart ring, and like its cousin, it needs no subscription and can work with both major mobile platforms. It's generally liked by the buyers as well as experts. It replaces titanium with stainless steel, has a lower claimed battery life of 10 days, and ships with a charging dock instead of a case. It also lacks support for sleep apnea detection. Otherwise, it largely has the same feature set as the Gen 2. You still get 10ATM water resistance and a relatively lightweight design.

The Gen 2 Air also has the necessary sensors to track your vitals, including heart rate, blood oxygen level, and skin temperature, as well as sleep. Moreover, there is automatic step counting and manual tracking for limited workouts. The reduction in Gen 2 Air's features also means that it's cheaper than the Gen 2 at $200. You can pick from two colors and nine sizes. However, it also suffers from many of the same issues as the Gen 2. However, users note that the RingConn app lacks refinement and can be slow to sync data from the smart ring. Notably, some buyers on Amazon point out that they didn't have the best experience dealing with the company after their Gen 2 Air units malfunctioned or stopped working. Still, unless sleep apnea detection is critical to you, the Gen 2 Air is a decent budget alternative to the Gen 2 that you can consider. 

The Amazfit Helio Ring is the most affordable smart ring among our subscription-free recommendations, and costs $110 on Amazon. It uses a titanium-alloy construction and weighs less than 0.15 oz. However, the exact weight depends on your ring size. It's also rated 10ATM for water resistance and can last up to 4 days on a single charge. Its battery life is certainly on the lower side compared to other models on the market, and many buyers claim that the smart ring lasts only up to two days.

It leverages the built-in PPG heart rate, skin temperature, and EDA sensors to keep an eye on your health. The smart ring can track your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and sleep, and give information about your readiness, sleep quality, heart rate recovery, and more. Like most other smart rings, it also counts your steps. That said, if you use it with an Amazfit smartwatch, the companion Zepp app will merge data from both wearables to deliver comprehensive health and fitness insights. It's also compatible with both Android and iOS. Sadly, the sizing options for the Helio Ring are limited, and you can only choose from sizes 8, 10, and 12.

Smart rings are quickly gaining traction with multiple manufacturers, including Samsung, RingConn, and Amazfit, offering their wares. However, some of the more popular choices, like the Oura Ring, require a subscription, which can increase the overall cost of ownership and may not be ideal for everyone. While picking these smart rings, we focused only on smart rings that don't require a subscription to access their core features and insights. We looked through expert reviews as well as user feedback on Amazon and Reddit to shortlist our recommendations. Because of Oura's ongoing patent disputes with some smart ring makers, we limited our recommendations to only those models that you can actively buy in the U.S.