Fitness coach compares Apple Watch, Oura, Whoop, and Fitbit after a week of testing

Fitness coach Dan Go, who is well known on X, spent a week wearing four popular wearable devices at the same time — an Apple Watch, a Whoop band, a Fitbit Air, and an Oura Ring — to see how closely their health data matched.

Go did not specify the exact models but noted that he purchased every device himself. He found that the more complex the metric, the more the devices tended to disagree.

All four devices showed similar results for total sleep time, but their deep sleep measurements varied significantly, with Oura and the Apple Watch reporting almost identical results — 46 and 47 minutes per night — while Fitbit Air estimated 70 minutes and Whoop reported 81 minutes. Depending on which device you wore, you could come away with a very different picture of your sleep quality.

For step counting, Go compared each wearable against a dedicated pedometer. Apple Watch and Fitbit Air produced results closest to the reference device, while Whoop consistently overestimated his step count. He also considered Oura's step data unreliable because he removed the ring during some activities, including swimming, yet it still produced numbers surprisingly close to the Apple Watch.

The biggest discrepancies appeared in recovery scores. According to Go, the devices could not even agree on his resting heart rate. He argued that obtaining truly accurate recovery data would require a chest strap heart-rate monitor and complete physical stillness.

When it came to comfort, Fitbit Air was his favorite, while Oura ranked last because he frequently had to remove the ring. He preferred Whoop's companion app and considered Apple Watch the strongest option for its overall fitness ecosystem.

Go's main takeaway, however, was not about which wearable performed best. He believes most people become overly focused on the numbers their devices generate. In his view, collecting more health data is not the same as improving your health. The best wearable is ultimately the one that changes your habits rather than simply presenting better-looking statistics.