Whoop 4.0 Review: In-Depth Tracking for Athletes and Runners, at a Cost

Training like a professional athlete used to mean working with a personal trainer to help you set and achieve challenging fitness goals. Enter the Whoop 4.0: Calling itself, “the latest, most advanced fitness and health wearable available.” This sleek, slim fitness tracker is designed to provide personalized coaching, just like a trainer would. Over time, the app displays trends that inform you when you’re ready to perform at your best, or when it’s time to take it slow. 

Once you slide the low-profile band on your wrist, the Whoop 4.0 starts tracking your calories burned, heart rate variability, and menstrual and sleep cycles, among other statistics. Its screen-free design and unique insights set it apart from other trackers on the market. But it’s also expensive, ranging from $360 to $480, depending on the membership plan you choose.

As a fitness editor, I test health and wellness gear for a living. So when the Whoop burst onto the scene, I knew I had to try it for myself. For weeks, I wore the Whoop 4.0 every day. I watched as it tracked my workouts, my sleep, my recovery, and more. After dozens of sweat sessions, here’s how I think the Whoop stacks up against its current competitors—and whether it’s really worth the high price tag. 

Who It’s For

Just because the Whoop 4.0 is screen-free, doesn’t mean it’s low-tech. With a vast range of features and highly specialized insights, it’s an ideal fitness tracker for athletes or runners who need to track in-depth health and wellness patterns over time. But the app is rather complicated and the tracker itself isn’t very user-friendly, so the Whoop 4.0 will likely feel overwhelming for more casual users. 

If you want to track absolutely everything, you’ll appreciate the Whoop’s highly personalized activity and sleep recommendations. If you’re searching for a low-profile fitness tracker to give you occasional updates and a daily step count, I’d look elsewhere. 

Ease of Setup: Middle of the road (3.9)

The Whoop 4.0 comes with everything you need to get started: The tracker, a band (that you can customize when ordering), a charger, a battery pack, and instructions on how to set up and use your new device. You’ll also need to download the free Whoop app on your smartphone to activate your tracker and link it to your Whoop membership. 

While downloading the app and connecting it to my Apple Health profile was simple, figuring out how to put the tracker on was not. The end of the band folds over the tracker itself, which I found was tough to do with one hand. And sometimes, it popped off of my wrist, unless the clasp was perfectly aligned with the actual tracker. I found taking it off to be even more difficult.

It was also tricky to connect the battery pack to the tracker so that I could charge it—I had to use the Whoop website’s Support section to fully understand the process. Compared to other fitness trackers I’ve tried, setting up my profile in the app was easy. But the band took some getting used to, earning the Whoop a 3.9 out of 5 for ease of setup. 

Ease of Use: Not the most intuitive (3.5)

Physically, the tracker is easy to use: Just slide it onto your wrist and open the app to start tracking your activity, sleep, and more. But since the Whoop 4.0 has so many features, I found that it wasn’t as user-friendly as other fitness trackers I’ve tried, especially in the beginning. 

In the app, it’s easy to toggle between sections and check your statistics. However, understanding what all of Whoop’s metrics mean takes a while. I noticed that it wasn’t until my second week of wearing the tracker that I finally started to get a handle on what my scores and coaching insights actually meant. 

Also, as a casual exerciser, the sheer volume of insights in the app felt overwhelming—I wouldn’t have a reason to use them all. For example, the app sometimes suggested that I increase my activity level after slower days to make my training more efficient. As someone who likes to mix up my workouts, I’m not always trying to be the most “efficient.” But I could see how the data might be useful for athletes or people who train for long periods of time, like marathon runners. 

While I wouldn’t say the Whoop 4.0 is easy to use, the advanced metrics might be worth it for some users, earning the tracker a 3.5 out of 5 in this category.

Fitness Tracking: Detailed, in-depth insights (4.8)

The Whoop 4.0’s robust tracking capabilities are some of its best features. When you open the Whoop app, you’re immediately greeted by your Strain and Recovery Scores, your heart rate variability, and how many calories you’ve burned that day. Scroll down to find a line graph tracking your strain and recovery patterns throughout the last week. 

You can look through the Strain, Recovery, and Sleep tabs for more specific data, like monthly trends and weekly averages. There are also Strain and Recovery Coaches, a Health Monitor (which tracks your respiratory rate, body temperature, and more), and individualized Performance Assessments to help provide a full picture of your health and wellness. When it comes to workouts, you can log them manually and watch as Whoop calculates your strain. Or, tell the app which activities you do most often, and the band will automatically recognize and log your sweat sessions. 

The Whoop claims to track your activity, sleep and menstrual cycles, your heart rate, calories burned, and more. While I didn’t try its menstrual cycle tracking features, I found that everything else was impressively detailed and (as far as I could tell) accurate. However, I scored the band a 4.8 out of 5 in this category because it doesn’t track your daily step count, a basic feature that almost every other fitness tracker on the market has. 

Membership Subscription: Expensive, but worth it for some (4.3)

Unlike other fitness trackers, you can’t use the Whoop 4.0 without purchasing a membership first. While the band itself starts around $49, a Whoop membership costs $30 per month with a 12-month minimum (that adds up to $360 for your first year). You can save a little by opting to purchase a one-year membership upfront for $300, or a two-year membership for $480. Still, the total cost is high for a fitness tracker, contributing to the Whoop band’s score of 4.3 out of 5 in this category. 

Although it’s a large investment upfront, I think the Whoop membership could be a great fit for certain groups. Athletes could absolutely benefit from Whoop’s regular Strain and Recovery insights, plus the app’s push notifications with tips on how to adjust your upcoming sleep and workout schedules. While I didn’t use many of these myself, I could also see how the detailed insights would be helpful for runners who often plan their workouts and recovery days in advance. 

Comfort: Lightweight and low-profile (4.8)

The band itself, while a pain to put on, is lightweight and comfortable to wear. The fabric is smooth and durable—true to Whoop’s claim that it can hold up to daily use. I was also impressed that the metal clasp didn’t scratch.

The screen-free design means the Whoop 4.0 lies flat against your wrist, and it doesn’t move around after you put it on. I forgot I was wearing it during almost all of my workouts, from yoga classes to pickleball games. But because it’s on the wider side, it’s not the most comfortable to sleep with—earning the Whoop a 4.8 out of 5 in this category. 

Design: Sleek, but not seamless (4.2)

The Whoop 4.0 doesn’t look like a fitness tracker—its sleek design confused more than a few friends when I mentioned I was wearing one. But since it’s tough to take on and off, I found that the physical design lacks the convenience that I look for in a fitness tracker. 

I also like the design of the app: All of the tracked metrics and statistics are organized well. But it can be difficult to sort through all of the numbers, and it takes time to read and digest each chart. While the Whoop 4.0 feels modern, its stylish exterior leaves some functional features to be desired, earning the tracker a 4.2 out of 5 for design. 

Features: High-tech and plentiful (4.8)

As far as features go, the Whoop 4.0 has an impressive list. On the outside, it’s water-resistant, durable, and compact. You can also charge it while you wear it, which sets the Whoop apart from other trackers on the market. 

In the app, you can use your membership to connect with other Whoop users and post photos to show off your latest achievements. The support center has answers to most of your questions, should you need additional guidance. And in the Whoop Shop you can extend your membership, pick up new bands, or gift a membership to a friend or family member. 

Besides all of the features mentioned above, the Whoop app also has a Pregnancy Coaching option, a goal-setting tab, and a daily journal. The journal was one of my favorite features in the app, as it lets you choose categories that reflect your daily routines, and log your progress each day. The app then factors your responses into your Strain, Recovery, and Sleep scores. For example, if you tried a tough workout in the morning and had a few alcoholic drinks that night, the app might send you a push notification to let you know that you’ll need more sleep than usual. 

While its list of tracking features is long, the Whoop doesn’t provide a daily step count. And it can’t show you calls or texts like other fitness trackers can, since it doesn’t have a screen. As a result, the Whoop band earned a 4.8 out of 5 in this category. 

Battery Life: Average for a fitness tracker (4.0)

The battery life of a fitness tracker varies depending on which model you have and how often you use it. Most trackers have a battery life somewhere between 18 hours and 10 days. The Whoop 4.0 has a battery life of up to 5 days, which puts it right in the middle. 

During testing, I found that the battery life was exactly the same as advertised, lasting a full five days on each charge. The battery life isn’t terrible, but it’s not as long as some competitors’: Certain Fitbit models have a battery life of up to 10 days, while the celebrity-favorite Oura Ring can last up to seven days on a single charge. As a result, the Whoop earned a 4.0 out of 5 in this category.

Accuracy: Great for sleep, questionable for activity (4.4)

Since the Whoop 4.0 tracks so many statistics, I had high hopes for its coaching capabilities. Unfortunately, most of the metrics the Whoop records are hard to verify. Since the app doesn’t track your daily step count, there wasn’t an easy way for me to check whether it was keeping up with my daily activity level. 

While I can’t confirm whether the calories burned or heart rate variability numbers were accurate, the Whoop 4.0 did automatically detect most of my workouts. This feature takes longer to kick in than I’ve found with other fitness trackers, though. 

The sleep tracking was fairly accurate, although sometimes my exact sleep and wake times were slightly off. But if I got a good night’s sleep (or a bad one), the tracker’s Sleep Coach reflected my experience in the app the next day. Since I couldn’t verify the Whoop’s accuracy when it comes to activity, the tracker earned a 4.4 out of 5 in this category. 

Dimensions and Weight: Wide, but light (4.5)

The Whoop 4.0 tracker and band together measure 0.4 x 1.1 x 7.1 inches. It feels lightweight on your wrist, although it’s wider than some other fitness trackers. The width makes it somewhat uncomfortable to sleep in, earning the Whoop a 4.5 out of 5 in this category. 

How We Tested

I wore the Whoop 4.0 nonstop for three weeks. When it arrived, I unpacked everything in the box and noted how long it took me to set up. I also practiced putting it on and taking it off, to see how user-friendly the actual band was. 

I logged over 15 workouts with my Whoop, slept with it on every night, and charged it every five days. I uploaded all of my personal data into the app and watched as it calculated my specific insights and coaching categories. Then, I compared Whoop’s data with my past performance to assess how accurately it tracked my activity, sleep, and recovery. 

Price

The Whoop 4.0 is one of the more expensive fitness trackers on the market. A band by itself costs around $50, while the membership runs anywhere from $300 to $500, depending on the package you purchase. For serious athletes or runners (especially marathon runners, who need to track their progress over a long period of time), I think the price is worth it for how detailed the insights are. But if you’re a casual exerciser who’s looking for a fitness tracker to show your daily step count and provide occasional updates, I’d recommend trying a different fitness tracker. 

The Competition: More connectivity, less cost

• Apple Watch Ultra: Larger and about twice as expensive, the Apple Watch Ultra logs many of the same statistics as the Whoop. But it also allows you to receive texts and calls, has GPS connectivity, and is more water-resistant. When we tested the Apple Watch Ultra we noted that, while the battery life is improved from older models, it can also feel overwhelming to casual users (much like the Whoop 4.0). 
• Fitbit: Fitbit makes a range of fitness trackers, from the Inspire 3 to the Versa 4. All of them track similar statistics to the Whoop 4.0, although most don’t offer the same detailed recovery coaching. However, they are significantly less expensive (in the $75 to $300 range) and don’t require the additional purchase of a Fitbit Premium Membership. We’ve tested Fitbit’s Sense and Charge 3, and we noted that both are easy to use, with helpful insights. 
• Garmin: Garmin fitness trackers include stylish smartwatches and low-profile bands. Most models cost between $80 and $300, so there’s an option for every budget. They also make trackers for every kind of user, from casual exercisers to serious athletes. When we tested Garmin’s Forerunner 235, we liked that it was lightweight and packed with running-friendly features. 
• Oura: The Oura Ring is a celebrity-loved tracker with a modern, low-profile design that’s similar to the Whoop’s. When we tested the Oura Ring, we loved its accurate sleep tracking and intuitive app. But the Oura Ring is just as expensive as the Whoop, ranging from around $350 to $550. You can opt to also purchase an Oura membership for a much cheaper $6 per month—however, using the ring without a membership will limit how much you can track.