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It doesn’t need to be the start of January for you towork on new fitness goals. Although your local gym is currently raking in the profits, getting out of the house and pushing yourself harder than ever before doesn’t require a New Year’s Resolution. All it takes is a plan and a little bit of drive — and thankfully,modern fitness trackersare more than capable of delivering both.
Whoop might not be a household name like Fitbit, but it’s not a newcomer to the field either. With the Whoop 4.0, the company promises improved battery life, a slimmer, sleeker design, and measurements for nearly every health metric you can think of, effectively acting as your 24/7 fitness coach. But with a steep asking price and some pretty strict limitations on certain exercises, Whoop’s advanced tracking might not fit into the lives of your average gym-goer.
Whoop’s tracker might make sense for you if you’re focused on cardio. It’s great at detecting the strain running, swimming, and more can take on your body, and after factoring in your sleep, it can give you an accurate look into your current state. Unfortunately, weightlifting and other non-cardio-based strain simply doesn’t track as well. Factor in a missing display, a sky-high subscription price, and middling battery life, and it’s hard to recommend this to anyone but dedicated track stars.
Subscription, pricing, and availability
Most trackers come with some sort of subscription service these days, though it’s usually optional. Whoop is the inverse of this; it’s a wearable that isonlysold as part of a subscription, with all of its data and analysis effectively locked behind a paywall. That means the tracker is effectively free, so long as you keep your membership alive.
If you’re already paying for a gym membership, prepare to double your monthly bill. Whoop’s subscription comes in three payment plans, with the most affordable being an upfront $400 plan — around $17 per month over 24 months. If you’re unwilling to commit to two years, an annual membership is available for $240 (or $25 per month over 12 months). A monthly plan does exist, but you’ll have to shell out $30 over twelve months to get it. That’s a commitment, too, which means you’re on the hook for at least $360.
UPDATE: 2025-07-31 13:40 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG
Whoop’s pricing changes
Shortly after this review, Whoop reached out to let me know its pricing scheme has recently changed. Previously, Whoop’s 24-month plan was $480, while its 12-month plan was $300. I’ve updated this review with the new prices, which reflect $80 and $60 price drops, respectively.
Personally, I still find this wearable pretty expensive considering you’ll need to keep paying for the membership after your initial payment, but your mileage may vary. Itisadmittedly a fairly steep discount, after all, but it’s still priced close to plenty of smartwatches — see our competition section below for similar gadgets.
It’s hard to justify that price when you’re comparing it to other wearables, includingsmartwatches. It’s easy to score a Galaxy Watch 5 for under $300, which is a far more capable device than Whoop 4.0. Obviously, catch-all gadgets like smartwatches — and even most of Fitbit’s lineup of trackers — are in a different league here, with Whoop really targeting athletes, trainers, and gym rats. At these prices, though, the company is effectively ensuring its audience never reaches beyond those three categories.
There’s at least one obvious benefit to this subscription model. When the company does roll out a new generation of tracker, you’ll score an automatic upgrade without dropping an extra dime.
Finally, the company does offer an optional secondary subscription: Whoop Pro. This plan is an additional $12 per month, but includes free accessories every three months, a flat 20% discount on other Whoop gear, and early access to new releases. If you do find yourself won over by this particular tracker, this could save you a ton of cash on the company’s apparel line.
Design, fit, and what’s in the box
You’d be hard-pressed to find a fitness tracker with as minimalist a design as Whoop’s fourth-gen tracker. Unlike the vast majority of Fitbit’s lineup, Whoop’s tracker shouldn’t be thought of as aband, per se. Although most users are likely to opt for the included wristband, the actual device isn’t much larger than an iPod Shuffle. Throw a clip on its backside and paint it white, and it might be indistinguishable from Apple’s decade-old MP3 player.
Whoop 4.0 is designed to be hot-swapped, either with various bands of different finishes and colors, or by placing it in a custom-designed pocket on the company’s clothing. With optional underwear, swimsuits, sports bras, and more, hiding the tracker in your fitness gear is simple enough — as long as you’re willing to shell out for the gear.
Although Whoop sent me a handful of wrist straps (as well as a bicep strap), I wasn’t able to try out any of its “Any-Wear” lineup. Thankfully, all three bands I tried were comfortable enough. With a unique folding design, the entire tracker looks like a cloth wristband, blending in effortlessly with all but the most formal of clothing. If your daily attire is primarily made up of street gear, it might even add a fun accent to existing outfits.
That said, if you do pick up more than one Whoop band, be sure to keep your spare collection in a safe place. Because of how the tracker pops out of the strap, the two metal rails that hold it in place are susceptible to bending. I threw one of my bands in my backpack for a business trip, only to find it had bent inwards while unpacking.
I had to unbend this band’s prongs to get the tracker to fit again.
After just a few months of regular use, all three of my bands feel a little loose in different spots; one of them even slides out of its hinge when not locked onto my wrist. It doesn’t bode well for the future of these (surprisingly expensive) accessories, though Whoop Pro members do get free gear every few months with their subscription — more on that later.
My black band broke during testing; although it stays on my wrist when latched, the band falls apart whenever I take it off.
Adjusting the band’s fit can take some time, though thanks to the locking mechanism, once it’s set in place, you’re good to go. I found it comfortable on my wrist, even when going to bed, despite not usually keeping wearables on for 24 hours at a time.
If it seems like I’m focusing too much on bands and other accessories rather than the actual device itself, well, there’s a reason for that. Aside from the sensor array that aligns with your skin and a simple three-color battery LED, Whoop’s device is a curved piece of black plastic, designed to blend inconspicuously into your life. If you’re using the fitness bands, the actual tracker is completely covered by knit fabric; if you’re using Whoop’s apparel line, it disappears into your outfit.
For some, this might be a major selling point. As someone who likes to wear a watch — smart or otherwise — I’m not sure that I agree. I don’t need Whoop to act like a Galaxy Watch 5 replacement per se, but a simple interface capable of displaying the date and time would improve the overall day-to-day experience. As it stands, I usually wore the tracker on my right wrist, while keeping some sort of watch on my left.
In the box, you’ll find the tracker itself, a wristband, the charging clip with a short USB-A to USB-C cable, and the usual assortment of paperwork.
App interface
Since Whoop doesn’t have an interface of its own, every interaction with it beyond checking your battery meter — accomplished via a quick double-tap of your wrist — requires your phone. Unfortunately, the app can be pretty overwhelming at first glance, something a built-in display would help alleviate.
After receiving my Whoop 4.0 review unit, I was given a thorough walkthrough by one of the company’s representatives, detailing every nook and cranny of its UI. It was massively helpful in learning what the tracker can and can’t do. Unfortunately, that’s something the average buyer won’t receive.
Once you get the hang of Whoop’s app, it does start to make sense. It’s not just a place to view your steps or burnt calories; it’s also a journal for your fitness and wellbeing, a social app for competing against other members, and a virtual coach designed to advise you on sleeping, working out, and more. With tabs along the top and bottom of the UI, finding the right section can be frustrating, but after a few weeks navigating the app, it’s not too bad.
Whoop’s home screen and the activity page.
The home tab is where you’ll likely spend most of your time. It has your overview for the day, along with your strain levels — more on that below — recovery stats from the previous day, and a full breakdown of last night’s sleep. Rotating your phone at any time also gives you an overview of your heart rate throughout the day. If you’re using Whoop to try and reach your daily fitness goals, most of the necessary tools are in this space.
Otherwise, the majority of my time with Whoop’s software was spent in the coaching tab or in the journal view. Coaching is where you’ll start and stop your activities, view sleep suggestions, check your body’s health stats, and read performance assessments on a monthly or weekly basis.
Whoop’s journal view, meanwhile, is hidden in the final menu tab, but it’s most frequently accessed each morning. At the start of the day, you’ll be prompted to fill out a number of questions you’ve preset, detailing everything from recovery and nutrition to medication history and lifestyle choices.
Whoop’s journal can get incredibly detailed; it’s hard for me to think of many questionnaires where toggles for air travel and alcohol consumption are right alongside mental health check-ups. Although I did my best to fill out the journal, it’s not an approach I usually take with my own wellbeing. That said, if you’re someone who loves to keep a detailed record of your overall health, this is one of the most thorough methods I’ve ever seen.
Finally, the Community section allows you to join or create teams with similar interests as you, helping everyone stay focused on their personal goals. As you might expect with any social service, there’s also a camera mode here, combining a photo with your Whoop stats to make sharing these numbers even easier. I didn’t find myself relying on either service, but if you prefer your own fitness journey to be a social one, you’ll be happy to know these tools are here.
Fitness tracking
As I mentioned, the Whoop app’s main view each day delivers three areas to focus on: strain, recovery, and sleep. All three work in tandem alongside the data gathered by its sensors to give you accurate assessments on what state your body is in each day. By combining these numbers together, you’ll get an overview that suggests whether to push yourself or to take a rest day.
It’s not a new concept — Fitbit rolled out a similar idea with the Charge 5 in early 2022 — but the Whoop’s implementation is far more impressive. My fitness data makes it clear when I did and didn’t get enough rest after a workout, or when I stayed out too late and failed to get enough sleep. It was usually able to tell when alcohol affected my rest, thanks to my heart rate variability (or HRV) and other gathered data.
Granted, I still think all of this fitness analysis is usually unnecessary. If you’re the type who hits the gym on a regular basis — whether that’s with a trainer or following a workout program — knowing when to rest and when to push harder is part of the game. If you’re the type who bounces between workouts on a whim, Whoop’s analysis might come in handy. Still, the vast majority of people who would consider buying something as fitness-focused as this tracker will know when to take a day off.
Strain after a walk. Based on this report, my body was worse off after this hour-long walk than it was after thirty minutes of weightlifting.
Compounding these issues, Whoop suffers from the same fitness tracking problem as nearly every other device on the market: it’s just not designed for non-cardio-based workouts. The company is well aware of its shortcomings for weightlifters; a Whoop rep confirmed with me that it plans to improve how it calculates calories burned and its strain score in the future. As it stands though, if most of your time at the gym is spent anywhere near a barbell, you might not benefit much from this tracker.
For runners, swimmers, and anyone else focused on cardio-based sports, this could be an excellent investment for helping to reach your body’s maximum performance levels, especially if you have a hard time telling if your body is truly ready for another 5K jog. If you’re looking to keep a well-rounded regimen, though, a lot of the data involving strain and recovery might feel like information you can already feel in your bones.
Strain after a thirty-minute run.
Thirty-minute runs — either on a treadmill or on a trail — seemed to report accurate calories, heart rate readings, and other metrics when compared to the treadmill itself and an Apple Watch. It also usually delivered high strain reports between 12 and 15 points, with the app telling me to rest the next day.
Strain after a 34-minute weightlifting session consisting of squats, benching, and bent-over rows.
Thirty minutes of weightlifting, meanwhile, usually increased my strain by just four or five points — numbers often achieved just by running errands or going on a quick walk — with the app failing to detect whether I was ready for a workout the next day. Again, most weightlifters are likely sticking to a scheduled routine with rest days built into a program. But if Whoop won’t do much to help you detect what state your body is in, it’s failing one of its main goals as a tracker.
You’ll also want to make sure you start tracking your exercise in the app right when your workout begins. Whoop doesn’t have automatic workout detection, though it does chart your heart rate even without an active session. You can go back and add details like time and exercise later, and the app will calculate whatever you’ve achieved. For the most part, though, you’re better off keeping your metrics live as you go.
Finally, a word on how Whoop tracks your activities outside. If you’re looking to run or walk down a nearby trail, keep in mind you’ll need your smartphone on you to track GPS data. The same goes for music playback — Whoop can’t store MP3s or other audio files.
Battery life
You might think a fitness tracker that doesn’t rely on built-in screens or LEDs to display any information would manage to last a week or two on a single charge, but that’s not the case here. Whoop 4.0’s biggest advancement over its predecessor is a promised boost to battery life, but in my eyes, it’s just not enough. The company claims its tracker lasts four to five days between charge cycles, though in my experience, it was always on the low side of this estimate.
It takes a couple of hours for the band to recharge, and you aren’t notified when it’s finished powering up.
Frankly, I find four days of battery life the most annoying amount of time a device could maintain. It’s not short enough to develop a routine — say what you will about the Pixel Watch, but I know exactly when it needs to be powered up every day — while not long enough to actually not get in the way of your life. I can’t tell you how many times I went to hit up the gym for a workout, only to realize my tracker had died overnight. While the app does deliver a notification to charge during the day, it’s no help if you receive it once you’re already asleep.
Of course, Whoop wants you wearing its device 24/7, which means the company has had to develop around charging pucks. Instead, this tracker powers up using a slide-on battery “backpack,” a hard plastic shell that provides one full charge by clipping onto the device while you’re wearing it. It definitely makes the wrist tracker stand out more than it would otherwise, and adds a substantial amount of weight to something that usually blends into the background of your day.
In theory, I like the battery pack. No one likes having to constantly remove and reattach fitness trackers, especially when most modern options are designed to keep an eye on your sleep habits. However, I’ve found that it’s easiest to simply remove the wearable altogether to plug it into the charger.
The battery pack seems to discharge relatively quickly — I would plug it in a day or two before my Whoop 4.0 required a top-up, only to discover it was completely dead from sitting on my desk. If the charger operated like a modular battery for Whoop, I’d be onboard. In my experience, though, it seems to start powering down the second you disconnect it from a USB-C cable. Bummer.
Competition
When it comes to fitness tracking,Fitbit is the obvious competitor. Even then, it feels a little like comparing apples to oranges. For all the features Google has locked behind a paywall, Fitbit Premium remains an optional subscription that, for most people, isn’t worth it. Most buyers can pick up a basic tracker for under $150, although the company’s smartwatch rivals are a bit more expensive. Whoop, meanwhile, requires a subscription, which could prevent it from even being an option for countless shoppers.
If you’re interested in something with a bit more functionality, smartwatches like theSamsung Galaxy Watch 5orGoogle Pixel Watchmight be a bit more capable. Neither has the sheer level of stats and analysis offered by Whoop — even with Google’s Fitbit integration — but if you’re looking for a more casual fitness experience, app support, notifications, and built-in GPS might make for a worthy trade-off.
There’s also the Oura Ring, which matches Whoop’s focus on wearable technology designed to fit into your everyday aesthetic. The most recent tracker from Oura starts at $300 and requires a $6-per-month subscription, so you’re still dropping a pretty penny. It’s capable of similar stat tracking — activity, sleep, readiness scores — but manages to last a couple of days longer on a single charge. Both devices are aiming for the same niche audience, so it really comes down to whether you prefer the mix-and-match look of Whoop, or the hidden-in-plain-sight style provided by Oura’s ring.
Should you buy it?
I’m under no impression that Whoop isn’t a niche product. This isn’t the sort of tracker you buy for your parents ahead of the holidays. Considering the 12-month payment commitment required to pick one up — and the expensive subscription plans attached to that period — it’s crucial to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Whoop’s latest tracker before you throw your credit card down.
I’m not sure most people will be served well by Whoop 4.0. It’s not a bad tracker; its stat gathering is second to none, it’s light and easy to wear in a multitude of different ways, and it’s built from the ground up to disguise itself around your usual wardrobe. But for the price, it’s really only going to make sense for a specific audience. If the bulk of your active time is spent racing through the woods or swimming endless laps, Whoop’s tracker is absolutely worth considering. For the rest of us, put that $30 per month towards a local gym, find a regimen you may stick to, and consider picking up a Fitbit or smartwatch. Your wallet will thank you.
