Two devices, one place
How do WHOOP Recovery, Oura and Apple Watch Readiness differ?
Updated · 4 min read
- Steps
- Cardio
- Heart
- Sleep
Short answer
WHOOP Recovery is a percentage, Oura Readiness runs 0 to 100 and Apple Watch Readiness 0 to 10. Each uses its own inputs, and WHOOP says to watch trends.
WHOOP Recovery, Oura Readiness and Apple Watch Readiness each turn your heart readings, your sleep and other signals into one number, on its own scale. Only WHOOP and Apple Watch list respiratory rate and blood oxygen, and only Oura and Apple Watch list activity.
Scales and bands
| Score | Scale | Bands, from high to low |
|---|---|---|
| WHOOP Recovery | Percent | Green, 67% or above. Yellow, 34 to 66%. Red, 33% or below. |
| Oura Readiness | 0 to 100 | Optimal, 85 to 100. Good, 70 to 84. Fair, 60 to 69. Pay Attention, 0 to 59. |
| Apple Watch Readiness | 0 to 10 | Go For It, 8 to 10. Ready, 5 to 7. Pace Yourself, 2 to 4. Recover, 0 to 1. |
WHOOP says to look for trends over time rather than at the change of a single day.
What goes into each score
Each maker compares your readings with your baseline: your usual level, from your own past data. Oura calls each of its nine inputs a contributor.
| Reading | WHOOP Recovery | Oura Readiness | Apple Watch Readiness |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRV (heart rate variability) | Against your 30-day baseline | Your last 14 days against your three-month average | Overnight |
| Heart rate | Resting heart rate during sleep | Your lowest heart rate of the night, and how long you sleep after it | Overnight and during the day |
| Respiratory rate | Yes | Not one of its nine contributors | Overnight |
| Temperature | Skin temperature | Body temperature | Wrist temperature |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Not one of its nine contributors | Overnight, with the limit below the table |
| Sleep | Hours slept against hours needed, light sleep and time awake | Your total sleep in the last 24 hours, including confirmed naps; your sleep over the past two weeks; and how consistent your bedtime and wake-up times were over those two weeks | Your recent sleep score |
| Activity | Not among WHOOP's key metrics | The day before, and your last 14 days against your last two months | Active calories, workout effort ratings and training load |
| Menstrual cycle phase | WHOOP adjusts for hormonal changes, if this applies to you | Not a contributor of its own: Oura says that a significant change in body temperature may indicate the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle | Not among the metrics that Apple names |
- HRV
is the variation in time between heartbeats. WHOOP says that HRV is the most heavily weighted factor in Recovery, and resting heart rate the second major factor.
- Blood oxygen on Apple Watch
is not available in the Vitals app, Apple's app for overnight health metrics, for models bought in the United States on or after January 18, 2024 with part numbers ending in LW/A or LS/A.
- Training load
compares the intensity and duration of your workouts over the last 7 days with the previous 28 days.
When WHOOP and Apple Watch update
WHOOP calculates Recovery each night during sleep and gives the score in the morning. Apple Watch Readiness updates during the day, from the calories that you burn, your naps and your daytime heart rate.
Set up Apple Watch Readiness
You need Apple Watch Series 12 or Apple Watch Ultra 4, and you must be 13 or older.
- In the Fitness app on your iPhone, set up your height, weight and age.
- Set up Activity: the three rings of the Activity app on your Apple Watch, for moving, exercise and standing.
- On your Apple Watch, open the Sleep app. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up Sleep.
- Wear your watch to bed for at least 7 nights. Apple's baseline needs at least 7 of the past 49.
- Set up Overnight Vitals: the heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen and other readings that the Vitals app on your Apple Watch shows from your sleep.
Apple's Readiness page names steps 2 and 5 but gives no menu path for them.
If you don't get a score
- Apple Watch shows no score
Check each step under "Set up Apple Watch Readiness".
- Oura shows no score yet
Sleep at least one night with the ring on: Oura gives the first score the next morning. Oura says that it can take up to two weeks for the app to learn your average values for each contributor.
- WHOOP shows no new score
Check your membership, as in the FAQ below.
Questions
Where do I see Apple Watch Readiness on my iPhone?
Open the Fitness app on your iPhone. Tap Readiness. You may need to scroll to the bottom of the screen. On the watch, open the Readiness app, and tap the Activity, Vitals and Sleep buttons to learn more.
Do I need a membership to see Oura Readiness or WHOOP Recovery?
For Oura, no. Without an active membership, Oura says that you can only see its three daily scores, Readiness among them, plus the ring battery, basic profile information, app settings and Explore content. For WHOOP, its page says that once your membership has ended, WHOOP no longer collects, uploads or analyzes your biometric data. You can still view your past data, but new data is not recorded after you cancel.
Sources
- 1WHOOP Recovery, WHOOP Supportsupport.whoop.com (opens in a new tab)
- 2Your First 30 Days: Coaching Moments, WHOOP Supportsupport.whoop.com (opens in a new tab)
- 3Canceling Your Membership, WHOOP Supportsupport.whoop.com (opens in a new tab)
- 4Readiness Contributors, Oura Helpsupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 5Set Up an Oura Ring, Oura Helpsupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 6Oura Membership, Oura Helpsupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 7Use the Readiness app on Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 8Track your vitals on Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 9Track your training load on Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 10Get started with health features on Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 11Track daily activity with Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 12WHOOP integration: what Biomon reads and how to connect, Biomonbiomon.io (opens in a new tab)
- 13Oura integration: what Biomon reads and how to connect, Biomonbiomon.io (opens in a new tab)
- 14Apple Watch integration: what Biomon reads and how to connect, Biomonbiomon.io (opens in a new tab)