WhoopvsApple
Whoop 5.0 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: comparison
Whoop 5.0 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3 using the data from our reviews: score, who each one is for, and their strengths and weaknesses.
Summary of both reviews
| Whoop 5.0 | Apple Watch Ultra 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 80/100 | 82/100 |
| Who it is for | People who train daily and want a screenless band that combines recovery, strain and sleep, and who accept paying an annual membership without being able to buy the hardware on its own. | iPhone users who train outdoors and want a watch with accurate GPS, ECG and health alerts with FDA clearance, with no monthly fee and no need for more than two days of battery. |
| Skip it if | You want a screen, built-in GPS or a one-time payment, or you would rather track sleep with a ring that stays off your wrist. | You do not have an iPhone, you do ultras or multi-day outings without charging, or you want a daily recovery score (none was found in Apple's documentation for this model). |
| Check price | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon |
Each score comes from its full review, with its sources and criteria. The two scores are only comparable within the same type of product.
Whoop 5.0
Pros
- • Overnight heart rate and HRV show good agreement with an ECG reference in published studies, although those were done with the Whoop 4.0 and 3.0, not the 5.0, and some have funding ties to Whoop.
- • Stated 14-day battery and charging while the band is on your wrist via the wireless PowerPack, so you never have to take it off.
- • No screen or notifications: it makes you look at the data only when it suits you, and fits anyone who wants to disconnect from their watch.
Cons
- • Mandatory membership: the hardware cannot be bought on its own and, according to the Whoop forum, when the membership ends the company stops collecting and analyzing your data.
- • There is no published independent validation of the 5.0: the evidence is for the 3.0 and 4.0, and sleep staging by phase is only moderate.
- • No built-in GPS or screen: it relies on your phone for routes and for almost everything else.
Apple Watch Ultra 3
Pros
- • Very accurate GPS in one specialist outlet test (exactly 2.0 miles on a 2-mile reference loop) and heart rate within ±1 bpm of a Polar H10 chest strap on average.
- • ECG, hypertension alert and apnea alert with FDA clearance (Apple lists them as available in Spain, although it does not detail which clearance supports them in the EU); the ECG also has a clinical trial from Apple (98.3% sensitivity for atrial fibrillation and 99.6% specificity in sinus rhythm, in classifiable readings).
- • No mandatory fee: data and health features are viewed in the iPhone Health app.
Cons
- • Short battery for an adventure watch: Apple states 42 hours and a specialist outlet measured 16 hours of continuous GPS.
- • Works only with iPhone, and the sleep, HRV and temperature features have no published validation for this model.
- • It is the previous generation: the Ultra 4 is already on sale with a higher stated battery life and renewed sensors.
Whoop 5.0
What the Whoop 5.0 band measures, how well it has been validated, how long the battery lasts and what a mandatory membership means versus Oura and Garmin.
Apple Watch Ultra 3
What the Apple Watch Ultra 3 measures, which health features have FDA clearance, how long its battery really lasts and who it suits compared with the Ultra 4.