Oura Ring Alternatives: Smart Rings Worth a Look

If you want an Oura-style ring without Oura’s membership, the RingConn Gen 2 is the most straightforward swap: it works with iPhone and Android phones, RingConn charges no subscription, and the company quotes roughly 10 to 12 days per charge. Galaxy phone owners should look first at the Samsung Galaxy Ring, while the Ultrahuman Ring Pro and Circular Ring 2 suit people chasing battery life or an on-demand ECG.

Why shoppers look past Oura

Two things send people looking. The first is money over time. Oura’s own membership FAQ says the ring and app still work without a membership, but the insights you get are “much more limited,” so the full experience is a recurring cost on top of the hardware.

The second is the legal fight that reshaped this market. In 2025 the US International Trade Commission sided with Oura in a patent case against Ultrahuman and RingConn, and the exclusion orders became final in October 2025. RingConn then settled and took a multi-year license from Oura, which is why its rings remain on US shelves. Ultrahuman redesigned its hardware instead, a story covered below.

RingConn Gen 2: no fee, both phone platforms

RingConn’s case rests on running costs. The Gen 2 product page lists the subscription fee as “Free,” quotes about 10 to 12 days of battery per charge, and says an optional charging case stretches that much further. The ring measures heart rate, blood oxygen, heart rate variability, skin temperature and respiratory rate, and RingConn rates it IP68 for water to 100 meters. The titanium-alloy band is about 2 mm thick, according to RingConn.

Its headline extra is what RingConn calls Sleep Breathing Insights. The company reports 90.7% accuracy for that algorithm against polysomnography, the overnight sleep-lab test, while stating plainly that the ring “is not a medical device.” If a partner complains about your snoring or you wake up exhausted, see a doctor about a proper sleep study instead of relying on a ring.

The lineup has two siblings. The entry-level Gen 2 Air drops sleep apnea monitoring and quotes up to 10 days of battery; its page lists support for iOS 17 or later and Android 10 or later. The newer Gen 3 adds what RingConn calls Vascular Health Insights and claims up to 14 days per charge, also with no subscription.

Skip it if you want a ring woven into your phone maker’s own health app, the way Samsung’s is for Galaxy owners.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: built for Galaxy phones

The Galaxy Ring makes the most sense for people already deep in Samsung Health. Samsung lists three sensors (an accelerometer, an optical heart sensor and a skin temperature sensor), a titanium frame in black, silver and gold, and water resistance rated at 10ATM and IP68. Battery life is quoted at up to seven days for the two largest sizes and up to six for smaller ones, with the charging case adding roughly another week.

Software features include a sleep score with snore detection, an Energy Score readiness rating, automatic detection of walks and runs, and cycle tracking powered by Natural Cycles. Samsung notes that this cycle feature is not intended for contraception. A double-pinch gesture can control some phone functions, and a sizing kit with nine sample rings lets you wear a size for at least a day before ordering.

Skip it if you carry an iPhone. Samsung’s page requires a compatible Galaxy smartphone, and Energy Score needs a Galaxy AI phone.

Ultrahuman Ring Pro: big battery, open legal question

Ultrahuman’s comeback ring is aimed squarely at battery anxiety. TechCrunch reported Ultrahuman’s claim of up to 15 days per charge, and the optional Pro Charger case is rated by Ultrahuman for up to 45 days in total. The titanium ring stores up to 250 days of data on board and includes a release mechanism so it can be cut off safely in case of swelling or injury.

Core scores (sleep, recovery, stress and movement) are free; optional paid PowerPlugs add features such as AFib detection, according to coverage of the US relaunch. US Customs ruled in March 2026 that the redesign falls outside the earlier import ban, and Ultrahuman reopened US orders that spring.

Here is the catch. In late October 2026, Oura filed a new patent lawsuit in a Texas federal court seeking to stop Ring Pro sales. Ultrahuman’s chief executive told Android Authority there is no court order affecting the ring and that it remains available to US customers. That could change, so check the return policy before buying.

Circular Ring 2: an ECG on your finger

Circular, which ships worldwide including the US, built the Ring 2 around an on-demand ECG: a 40-second reading you trigger whenever you like. Circular describes it as a single-lead trace screened for atrial fibrillation, designed to be shared with a clinician and “not a substitute for a diagnosis.” The band packs seven sensors into about four grams of titanium.

Circular quotes up to seven days of battery, depending on how often you take readings, and supports iOS 15 or later and Android 9 or later. There is no mandatory subscription; optional Pro features can be unlocked in the app.

Skip it if you swim hard or dive. Circular rates the ring to 50 meters for up to 30 minutes, below the ratings RingConn and Samsung publish.

The four alternatives side by side

Ring	Battery (maker’s claim)	Subscription	Phones	Standout feature
RingConn Gen 2	About 10–12 days	None	iPhone and Android	Sleep breathing insights
Samsung Galaxy Ring	Up to 6–7 days by size	Not stated by Samsung	Compatible Galaxy phones	Samsung Health and Energy Score
Ultrahuman Ring Pro	Up to 15 days	Core metrics free; paid add-ons	iPhone and Android	250 days of on-ring storage
Circular Ring 2	Up to 7 days	No mandatory plan	iOS 15+, Android 9+	On-demand single-lead ECG

Picking without regret

Start with your phone, because it rules out the Galaxy Ring for iPhone owners straight away. Then decide whether you care more about avoiding fees, which points to RingConn, or about a specific feature like the ECG on Circular’s ring. Use the maker’s sizing kit where one is offered; RingConn, for one, warns that its sizes differ from standard ring sizes.

For how these rings stack up against Oura itself, our editors’ picks are on the Best Smart Rings of 2026 page, and the 2027 edition looks at what to buy for the year ahead.