My Oura Ring Review After 18 Months: Honest Pros and Cons

I've been wearing the Oura Ring every single day and every single night for about a year and a half. Here's my honest take on what I like, what I don't like, and whether it's worth the investment.

I'm just wired this way — I like knowing things. The Oura Ring helps me understand:

• How my sleep actually looks night to night
• How my stress levels fluctuate throughout the day and week
• Which parts of my schedule are most stressful so I can plan stress-relieving activities

If you're someone who enjoys tracking data and is willing to act on it to improve your sleep and stress, the information can be genuinely valuable.

You've probably seen posts on Reddit where the Oura Ring tells someone they're getting sick three days before symptoms show up. That has never worked for me. I'm not sick very often, but when I have been, the ring has never noticed ahead of time — and that's a little annoying.

A lot of people find the cycle tracking feature really helpful. I'm not using it for that, but it's worth mentioning if that's something you're looking for.

Let me just be honest — the Oura Ring is not a pretty piece of jewelry. I have the rose gold version, which came with a serious "pink tax" — it's noticeably more expensive than the other finishes.

My first ring had a battery that died, and Oura replaced it under warranty (that was great). But because my original was pretty thrashed, I now wear these clear protective covers on the new one, which makes it even uglier. I'm not sure if that's better than letting it get scratched, but either way, it's not attractive on my finger.

The newer ceramic versions are probably less scratch-prone and cuter — but they're colorful and don't look as elegant or elevated. There's no small, refined version yet. It's still kind of a big monstrosity.

This is probably my biggest frustration. With my Apple Watch, I can put it on my upper arm and still track everything while I'm in the OR. With the Oura Ring, there's no equivalent — I lose three days a week of tracking because I can't wear it during surgery.

The WHOOP has an option to wear it on your bicep. The Apple Watch can go on your bicep too. The Oura Ring has nothing. I wish there was an option.

Honestly? Probably not at this point, if you're willing to wear your watch at night. I don't love wearing my watch while sleeping, and I tolerate the ring better — so for me, the ring wins on comfort for nighttime. But if you don't mind sleeping in your Apple Watch, you probably don't need the Oura Ring.

I like the Oura Ring. I wear it every day. But when this one eventually dies, will I buy a replacement? I don't know. Hopefully by then there'll be something better on the market — whether that's a smaller, prettier version, one that actually warns me when I'm getting sick, or one I can wear during surgery.

If you love data, don't mind how it looks, and can't tolerate wearing a watch at night, it's a decent choice. Otherwise, your existing Apple Watch probably does a good enough job.