WHOOP 4.0 Review: 4 Testers, Thousands of Hours (and Opinions!)

These days, there’s no shortage of fitness trackers that can help you keep tabs on your daily activity. But for folks who want to take a granular look at their exercise performance, sleep quality, and heart rate data, the WHOOP 4.0 provides a ton of data.

The WHOOP 4.0 is the brand’s latest iteration of its wearable tracker. Unlike many other trackers and smartwatches, this one doesn’t have a screen — you can access the data your WHOOP collects only via an app.

While folks of all activity levels can benefit from WHOOP’s insights, it’s geared toward those already active. In this review, we’ll cover everything you need to know about WHOOP 4.0 and share our take on the pros and cons, pricing details, and how it compares with other trackers.

How WHOOP works

The WHOOP 4.0 is a small fitness-tracking device that uses sensors to measure your heart rate, temperature, and much more. It’s designed to be worn all day and night and collects data 100 times per second.

Users typically wear the WHOOP on their wrist with a comfy knit band, but the brand also offers several other wearable options, such as shorts and sports bras, that are compatible with the sensor.

The data WHOOP collects from your activity in a given day — including both exercise and basic human existence — is calculated into a Strain Score. This number will change as you go about your day.

When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a Recovery Score that’s based on your:

• previous day’s resting heart rate (RHR)
• heart rate variability (HRV)
• respiratory rate
• sleep

The Recovery Score is set in stone and is used to determine WHOOP’s guidance (which it refers to as your Strain Coach) for how you should exert yourself based on your recovery.

During exercise and daily activity, the WHOOP fitness tracker measures:

• respiratory rate
• blood oxygen level
• RHR
• HRV
• temperature
• current max heart rate
• calories expended

And when you’re asleep, WHOOP measures your sleep performance based on:

• duration (how long you’re asleep)
• efficiency (the ratio of time you were asleep to time you were in bed)
• consistency (how similar your bedtime and wake time are to those of previous nights)
• latency (how long it takes you to fall asleep)
• sleep debt (how much extra sleep you need due to missed sleep from previous nights)
• how long you spent in light, REM, and deep sleep and awake
• disturbances

When it comes to exercise tracking, the WHOOP 4.0 guides you to your Strain Coach’s suggested level of exertion for the day. You can choose from various workout types, including swimming, yoga, fencing, and parkour. There’s even a category for high-stress work and gaming.

WHOOP will automatically register that you’re engaged with an activity when your heart rate is elevated for 15 minutes, and you can retroactively label that activity.

Beyond day-to-day tracking, WHOOP provides a weekly and monthly performance assessment. This report is a deep dive into your activity and recovery trends. It might provide more information than the average person needs, but it may prove beneficial for data nerds and serious athletes.

As for battery life, the 4.0 does pretty well: You should be able to wear your WHOOP fitness tracker for 4–5 days on a single charge. WHOOP provides a battery pack that you slide onto the device, so you don’t need to take it off your body to charge it.

It’s also water-resistant up to 10 meters underwater for up to 2 hours. As such, you can keep it on while showering or swimming.

The new AI-powered WHOOP Coach feature can also be helpful. You can ask your WHOOP Coach specific questions about your data, improving your routines, or optimizing your health and receive personalized, conversational answers based on your unique data.

One important feature of WHOOP is the community aspect. You can join WHOOP teams around the globe or create one of your own with friends and family. Each team has a chat feature that allows you to share data and compete for highest Strain Score or best recovery and sleep scores.

We researched WHOOP using the company’s website, third-party review sites like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and firsthand experience.

Brooke Mathe, our Wellness Integrity Manager here at Healthline, has been using WHOOP since 2020 — and she still loves it. “It’s a great way to track how behaviors affect recovery,” she says. “It’s easy to use and provides super interesting insights into your daily habits.”

She’d recommend WHOOP for anyone but especially for those who want to track their performance and recovery.

“It gives me a recovery score daily that allows me to tailor my training,” she says. “I love being able to track behaviors like eating late or drinking alcohol and seeing how these behaviors affect my recovery as well as metrics like resting heart rate and HRV.”

Over the past 4 years, she’s experienced no cons when using her WHOOP fitness tracker.

Mathe holds a Master of Science in exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

Ellen Landes, a registered dietician and long-distance runner, has been using her WHOOP daily since September — and she doesn’t plan on stopping.

“I find the data really interesting and useful for planning my training (running and strength-based training) sessions,” she says. “The band is much more comfortable than other fitness wearables I’ve used.”

She also really enjoys the coaching feature. “The WHOOP Coach is great for recommending an appropriate strain level as well as a good bedtime to get the right amount of sleep based on my “sleep debt” and activity that day. The app also has an AI feature where you can ask the WHOOP Coach questions on your data and get even more recommendations for optimizing performance or other goals.”

Landes notes that she had a positive experience with WHOOP’s customer service. “The original WHOOP I received wasn’t charging correctly, and they were quick to send me a new one.”

She recommends it for active individuals and athletes who want to prioritize their recovery. The only downside she notes is the lack of a watch face. “It’s a nice, sleek-looking band, but I’m used to having a Garmin and like to have the time on my wrist,” she adds. “I’ve been wearing both my Garmin and the WHOOP in the meantime, but I’d much prefer to have one or the other.”

Jamey Powell used WHOOP for about 2 years. She had the WHOOP 3.0 and upgraded to the 4.0.

Compared to the WHOOP 3.0, the 4.0 had some significant improvements, Powell says. “The most notable changes I enjoyed were the slimmer footprint compared with the 3.0 (I have dinky little wrists!), the fact that it now vibrates to wake you up when your alarm goes off in the morning (delightful!), and the fact that the battery can be used in the shower (a simple luxury!).”

After experiencing an injury, Powell stopped using her WHOOP for a while. “While I do think the WHOOP 4.0 is very cool, it’s ultimately not for me for one very simple reason: I don’t like to wear a tracker 24/7,” she says. For example, you need to wear the WHOOP while you sleep, which she doesn’t like.

As a runner, she prefers a Garmin fitness tracker, as she can see her progress on her wrist without needing to open an app on her phone.

“I do think WHOOP is useful for monitoring your overall health, and I can see why many pro athletes rely on its data for training and tracking trends,” she says. “But for my day-to-day life, it’s more data than I desire — and the data I do want is just a little too far out of reach without a watch face.”

Kristin Currin-Sheehan, our Multimedia Editor, has been using WHOOP for about a year. She still uses it regularly. “The detailed data is in real-time and reflective,” she says. “In other words, see how your heart rate, strain, and recovery are in the moment, and in comparison with your previous metrics.”

Previously, Currin-Sheehan used fitness trackers like Fitbit and the Apple Watch. While the latter two tend to focus on milestones — like minutes spent exercising or calories burned — WHOOP focuses on holistic wellness by giving you insight into how much stress and strain you’re putting on your body.

“I loved how WHOOP 4.0 reorients my perspective; from striving to seeking rest and recovery; from “doing” to “being.” I am a person who pushes myself too much,” Currin-Sheehan says. “So the window into how recovery really does help or hurt my next day’s strain, how much I need to improve my sleep hygiene, and that, if I’m going to chase any milestone, it would be a higher heart rate variability so I have moments of peak performance but also deep rest states.”

While WHOOP can be very helpful, Currin-Sheehan notes some disadvantages like the lack of a watch face. “I still find myself checking my wrist in vain for the time or my heart rate during a workout,” she says.

She also didn’t find the app very intuitive and found that it requires a lot of input. “By month 10, I became fatigued with entering my nightly data recap every morning,” Currin-Sheehan says. “I stopped answering all of the questions to refine my daily data.”

Overall, Currin-Sheehan recommends WHOOP for holistic health tracking. “I recommend this product for those new to mind and body fitness or those mature in fitness who have perhaps hit a plateau or work out consistently and still find themselves stressed or not as fit as they aim,” she says.

You can purchase a WHOOP 4.0 through the company’s website or some third-party vendors. such as Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

However, as we’ll cover below, buying WHOOP actually means purchasing a membership that includes the device, so you won’t find a price difference between third-party stores and WHOOP’s website.

WHOOP also doesn’t honor its lifetime warranty if you purchase through a third party. That’s a big reason to buy directly from the company.

How much does WHOOP cost?

The standard price of a WHOOP membership is $399 for 24 months ($16.63 per month) or $239 for 12 months ($19.20 per month).

The price of the actual device is included in the membership. This means you basically get a free WHOOP 4.0 when you sign up. The membership fee also includes a standard black-knit WHOOP wristband and access to the app. There is no setup fee.

There are also a variety of colorful bands to choose from, but they come at an additional cost.

Because it’s a membership program, you can get credits for a month of free WHOOP membership for every person you successfully refer.

Does WHOOP offer payment plans?

WHOOP offers two one-time payment options.

The first option is a 24-month membership, which requires an up-front payment of $399. That’s equivalent to $16.63 per month.

The second is a 12-month membership, which requires an up-front payment of $239. That’s equivalent to $19.20 per month.

These up-front payment options renew as yearly ($239) memberships.

Is there a setup fee?

There is no setup fee for WHOOP. As soon as your 4.0 arrives, you can pair it with the WHOOP app, which will walk you through the setup process.

Does WHOOP accept insurance?

WHOOP does not accept insurance.

Can you change or cancel your WHOOP subscription?

If you choose the annual payment plan when subscribing to WHOOP, you can switch to a 24-month membership anytime.

You can try your WHOOP 4.0 commitment-free for 30 days. Beyond that 30-day period, the membership has a minimum commitment of 12 months. You can cancel after the 12-month commitment period.

You can also pause your membership if you’re not in a subscription commitment and haven’t paused in the past 12 months.

You’ll wear the WHOOP 4.0 on your body, typically on your wrist with a knit band. It should be touching your skin — tight enough that you can’t see the lights from the sensors — to ensure a solid read of your body’s metrics.

When you want to view your data, you’ll need to click on the free WHOOP app, which is available for iOS and Android. There you can view:

• your daily Strain Score
• your Recovery Score
• the previous night’s sleep
• helpful health info such as your:
  • HRV
  • blood oxygen
  • respiratory rate
  • temperature

WHOOP is a Boston-based company, founded by a Harvard graduate and squash player. It has become an increasingly popular tool among weekend warriors and pro athletes alike. In fact, LeBron James and Michael Phelps were two of the first WHOOP members.

The company has also partnered with the NFL and MLB, and several Olympic athletes have worn WHOOP devices.

However, existing reviews on Trustpilot and the BBB are less than glowing. WHOOP has 1.4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot and 1.36 out of 5 on the BBB.

Most frustrations on these two review sites come from people who have had difficulty getting in touch with customer service. Several people complain about the subscription being inflexible, and a few warn that the free WHOOP trials they were offered had a non-refundable shipping fee.

WHOOP offers returns only within 30 days, starting once you receive your device. You can fill out a return request form in your account, and if you need to return your device, you’ll receive a shipping label in the mail within 1–3 business days.

Once WHOOP has received your device, the company will refund the original price minus shipping costs (both original and return shipping).

The company offers a lifetime warranty and will replace your WHOOP if it has any issues. To be eligible for the warranty, you must have an active membership and must have purchased your 4.0 directly through WHOOP rather than through a third party.

The WHOOP 4.0 device is a small, rectangular sensor. You can keep it on your wrist or branch out with WHOOP’s other compatible products.

WHOOP Bands

Price range: $0–$99

While your WHOOP 4.0 comes with a black knit wristband, you can choose to purchase additional wristbands in a variety of colors and patterns. From solids to tie-dye, there’s a durable, sweat-wicking band to fit any style.

Some bands even swap the standard steel clasp for a more elevated platinum or rose gold clasp.

WHOOP Body

Price range: $12–$79

In the spirit of continuous wear, WHOOP developed a clothing line that allows users to integrate their 4.0 into clothing. Through the brand’s Any-Wear Technology, these technical garments use WHOOP pods to house the 4.0 and track your data while you get your sweat on.

The WHOOP Body line includes:

• sports bras
• boxers
• swimsuits
• shorts
• leggings

WHOOP Arm Sleeves

Price range: $34-$39

If you prefer to keep your wrists free during your workout (which may be helpful for anyone playing sports or swinging kettlebells), you may appreciate WHOOP Arm Sleeves.

These compressive sleeves are made from a blend of nylon and spandex jersey and are available in three colors and in sizes ranging from XS to XXL.

To determine whether WHOOP is right for you, make sure you can answer “yes” to the following questions:

• Do you want to wear a device 24/7?
• Are you comfortable with an annual or 24-month membership fee?
• Are you OK with not having a screen on your fitness tracker?
• Are you OK without GPS?

Who should use WHOOP?

If you’re interested in tracking your health trends on a granular level daily, WHOOP may be for you. It’s a good fit for folks who want a full picture of how their overall health is affected by:

• exercise
• sleep
• recovery

Athletes of all levels who want to share their data with a coach may appreciate the weekly and monthly performance assessments.

Since the WHOOP fitness tracker doesn’t have a screen, it may be a good fit for those who want to reduce their screen time.

Who shouldn’t use WHOOP?

If you like having a screen on your fitness tracker, the WHOOP 4.0 may not work for you. It might not be the best fit for people who prefer to view the time, notifications, or real-time workout data on their wrists.

Also, people who don’t like to wear a tracker when working, sleeping, or relaxing may not get the best use out of a WHOOP.

Getting started with WHOOP takes 3 easy steps.

1. Select a membership type & band

First, choose between the standard black knit WHOOP band and one of the more colorful band add-ons. Then, you’ll choose between a 12- or 24-month membership, which you’ll have to pay upfront.

If you’d like, you can try the free WHOOP trial, which allows you to test out the wearable for 30 days before deciding whether you’d like to purchase it or not.

2. Sync your WHOOP with the app

Your WHOOP 4.0 will come with:

• your selected band
• a battery pack
• a charging cable

When it arrives, you can connect it via Bluetooth to your phone’s WHOOP app, which is free with your membership.

3. Wear your WHOOP continuously

You’ll first receive personalized information after 4 days of continuous wear, but WHOOP says the device requires 30 days to calibrate your baseline metrics fully.