Since the early 2000s, there has been a lot of popularity around fitness trackers. Brands like Fitbit, Garmin and Apple have been some of the industry leaders. As popularity and health interests continue to grow, new brands are entering the fitness tracker scene. When it comes to Amazon Halo vs WHOOP, you’re talking about a whole new age of fitness tracking. These can’t be compared to Fitbit or Apple watches because the way they track activity is completely different.
Today we’re going to take a detailed look at the Amazon Halo vs WHOOP and give you all the details about each one!
Table of Contents
Amazon Halo vs WHOOP review - by category
Initial setup
Summary: Both Amazon and WHOOP have an app associated with their product that offers an impressive, step-by-step instructional guide to get started. Because I struggled to realize I needed to open the app in order to learn how to even open the band, I gave WHOOP a slightly lower score.
Amazon Halo
Because of the amount of features included (see the Features section for the full list), the setup for the Amazon Halo took longer than the WHOOP. The app asks that you do things like read through a series of short sentences so that it can better track your tone. If you want to measure and track body fat, you need to take pictures to be scanned. There are a lot of pieces to the initial setup but it is very well done and you can skip parts of the setup at any time if you prefer.
WHOOP
I was so eager to open the box and try the WHOOP on that I did not think to use the app first. When you first open the box, there are instructions telling you to download the app for setup but I failed to read that. I struggled for a good five minutes to open the band before giving up and deciding to give myself a break by exploring the app. After I opened the app, I found all the instructions were right in front of me.
Thankfully, the app starts at the very beginning by showing you how to open the band. This is by far the most difficult part of setup so I appreciated that it showed you how to do it. After that, WHOOP provides basic information on its features and what to expect. The app requires you to wear the band for four full days before it can provide accurate assessments such as Recovery details.
Band design
Summary: Both bands have their own unique design. Going off of the ease of getting it on and off, I rated the Amazon Halo higher.
Amazon Halo
The Amazon Halo band is a much skinner than the WHOOP band. Standard fabric bands come in three colors currently — black + onyx, blush + rose gold and winter + silver. Amazon also offers a high performance band which looks and feels more like the Apple Watch bands. Getting the band on and off is easy with the velcro strap but I do worry I don’t get it tight enough for best results.
WHOOP
The first major difference between Amazon Halo and WHOOP is that the WHOOP bands are much thicker. It’s certainly personal preference but I tend to like my watch bands thicker, so I preferred this band size more.
On the WHOOP store there are tons of different types of bands and colors to choose from. Each band is thred through the clasp so it is fairly easy to change the band out. There is a steep learning curve when it comes to figuring out how to open the clasp though, so be warned it takes time. But, because of the clasp design of the band, you will always get the same fit, each time you wear it.
Comfort
Summary: The Amazon Halo was by and large more comfortable to wear. WHOOP asks that you wear the band extremely tight in order to get the best results. Needing to wear something so tight on my wrist was personally a struggle for me. But note that WHOOP offers bicep bands as well.
Amazon Halo
The Amazon Halo wins the comfort battle for sure. Although the main device is heavier than the WHOOP, you don’t notice you have it on. There can be a tinge of discomfort if you bend your wrist into the main device but otherwise it is very comfortable.
WHOOP
I’ll just cut right to it. Following the app tutorial instructions, I made the band tight enough so that one finger could barely fit under the band. The first night I wore the band I’m not even sure I slept. With the band so tight, I truly felt like my wrist was going to fall off.
After a night like that, I stumbled upon the meme below on reddit and have never felt like anything was more accurate.
If keeping the band this tight is required in order to get best accuracy, it’s not worth it to me. But after loosening the band considerably, I have personally still seen valid results. Also, WHOOP offers alternatives to the wrist band such as a bicep band. So for those that already have a favorite watch or bracelet, you can choose to wear the band around your bicep and out of the way.
App
Summary: As far as the apps go, I was very surprised to find that the Amazon Halo vs WHOOP was a tie in this category. With WHOOP being a much smaller, newer brand, I found this extremely interesting. The only reason I did not rate them both 5 stars is because some things were hard to find. Like any app though, with time, you learn where things are located.
Amazon Halo
With Amazon being a leading business in what feels like everything that it touches, I expected the app to be well done and it is. When you open the app, the dashboard displays a bunch of cards. Each card is a summary of a particular feature. If you click on a card, you’re able to dig into further detail about that particular feature, such as Sleep.
WHOOP
The WHOOP dashboard is also easy to navigate and well designed. Because WHOOP introduces a lot of new things like Strain and Recovery to their tracking, they have placed a lot of quick “tips” within the app. Each question icon that you click gives you a brief explanation to help you understand what they’re tracking.
Figuring out how to view your live heart rate was the only thing I found that was not intuitive. Also, if you join a community by mistake, it is fairly difficult to figure out how to remove yourself from the group. With that said, with any app there is usually a little learning curve to figure out how things function.
Features
Summary: The feature rating feels like the most subjective of all the ratings on this list. By that I mean that my rating is truly just based on my personal preference. I think the set of features you end up preferring, comes down to what you’re looking for and which device offers it. Overall, the WHOOP features feel like they are geared more towards the serious athlete or the data nerd, compared to Amazon Halo. Overall, the Amazon Halo feels like it’s a step above other fitness trackers out there, as it offers so many new features never offered before.
Amazon Halo
Like a lot of other fitness trackers, the Amazon Halo tracks activity and sleep. What takes the Amazon Halo to the next level is the rest of its features.
For starters, the watch offers an entire list of seriously great at-home workout programs. Not just a 5 minute preview type of workout either. I’m talking serious 20+ minute workouts, all located in the app. For $3.99 a MONTH! I knew it included programs but I was blown away once I started scrolling through the videos. Honestly, there are so many great videos like Orange Theory, stretching, meditation, etc. that I got overwhelmed and had to stop looking.
A big feature that the Halo also offers is a way to measure your body fat composition. I did not test this yet so I can’t attest to it’s accuracy but I plan to add an update once I have.
Lastly, the Halo comes with voice tone analysis and I personally found this fascinating. I tried saying sad sentences in a happy tone and found that the device was not so easily tricked. Seeing that I tend to have a more monotone voice in meetings at work, has encouraged me to try to sound more pleasant while conversing with co-workers.
WHOOP
While it may have a less extensive list than the Amazon Halo, the features WHOOP offers are new and very well done. What’s neat about the WHOOP too is that the more you wear it, the more it can tell you about your body.
With the tracker, you can monitor activity and sleep levels. After wearing the device for 4 days, the WHOOP app can also share with you how your body is recovering day to day. For those serious athletes, you may be interested to know that the WHOOP tracks your HRV (heart rate variability). HRV is considered a prime metric to determine how your body is and will perform.
One additional feature that makes the WHOOP stand out is it’s journal feature. Every morning as your app processes the prior night’s sleep, it will ask you a serious of customizable questions. Things like whether you slept in your own bed or drank alcohol. This helps the WHOOP understand your body better and make suggestions accordingly.
90 DAY UPDATE: The data that WHOOP provides from its fitness tracker is hands down the most insightful data available on the market. After wearing the WHOOP for three months I’ve:
- learned that if I consume more than 2 alcoholic beverages, my recovery score is terrible the next day
- woken up to a 1% recovery, only to find out later in the day that I was sick (aka my WHOOP knew I was sick before I did!)
- there is a correlation between some of my bad moods and a low recovery score
Price
Summary: Price can have an important part to play in deciding which fitness tracker is right for you. Both of these fitness trackers require you to pay for a monthly membership. You can’t beat the super low monthly membership for the Amazon Halo but you do have to pay an initial fee for the band. The WHOOP offers their basic model bands for free with sign up but has a higher monthly membership price of $30 (take a look below for more details). Both end up costing you $90 up front.
Amazon Halo
For just a little more than the WHOOP band price, you can buy the Amazon Halo. This includes the band, a charging device and six months free membership. After the six month time period, the monthly membership fee begins. Amazon does not require you to sign up for a contract so you can quit the membership at any time. Monthly membership fees can add up though, so I couldn’t give it 5 stars.
WHOOP
On the flip side, WHOOP offers you a free $30 band and charger when you sign up for one of their three membership options. The three options are:
- a monthly membership for $30 per month
- an annual membership for $24 per month
- or an 18 month membership for $18 per month
Obviously, the longer contract you sign up for, the less per month the membership will cost you. Having a higher monthly fee than the Amazon Halo, I did have to give it a lower rating. But ultimately, you are looking at paying a minimum of $90 upfront, in order to get started.
Battery life
Summary: Batteries seem to last longer and longer on devices. Having a long battery life is something I have personally come to expect out of most of my devices. Personal fitness trackers are no different. By and large, when it comes to Amazon Halo vs WHOOP, the WHOOP has a much longer battery life.
Amazon Halo
Before turning on the tone tracking feature, Amazon let’s you know that it will take up a significant amount of battery. That is absolutely accurate. Even still, I was blown away with how quickly the battery died. Within 3 days I had to take off the band and charge it. With tone tracking turned off though, the battery life increases significantly. For me, battery life almost tripled. But again, why have a feature that depletes the battery so significantly that it makes you want to turn it off? For that, I gave this a low rating.
WHOOP
Not only is the WHOOP battery life impressive but the entire charging aspect of it was well thought out. For me, the WHOOP battery life easily lasted the five days it claims it will last and some. What is super convenient too is that you don’t have to take off the band in order to let it charge. WHOOP designed a way for you to charge a device on its own and then whenever your band is dying, you slide the charged device onto your band. This allows you to continue monitoring your day, without missing a beat.
Accuracy
Summary: Full disclosure here. If you don’t wear the device as suggested by the company, then it will never give you complete, accurate results. With that in mind, while I did not wear my WHOOP painfully tight, I still found both the Amazon Halo and the WHOOP to give me similar day-to-day results. They differed a small amount when it came to sleep (like when it thought I woke up at night). But overall they were both within a few degrees of each other with things like heart rate and sleep.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, when it comes to Amazon Halo vs WHOOP, you can’t go wrong with either one. Because they offer similar but different things, it truly depends on what you want most and what your goals are.
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that takes you to the next level and doesn’t just count your steps but instead, measures your activity levels for the day, then the Amazon Halo is for you. With access to built in workout and meditation programs at a low monthly price to help you along your fitness journey, it’s a great deal.
As for the WHOOP, this fitness tracker is made for the serious athlete or someone seeking detailed, personal data. This is for someone who wants to monitor the nitty gritty aspects of their day and their workout, in search of areas to improve. Understanding how alcohol or sleep can affect your body’s recovery is important when you’re trying to improve your level of fitness and physique. The monthly membership price is high but the level of detail you get in return makes it worth it!
Let us know your thoughts and views on the Amazon Halo vs WHOOP. Also be on the look out for individual, detailed reviews of each fitness tracker that offers a more in depth look at each one.
Think you’re ready for one? Check out the links below to grab yours today!
If you loved this post and want to nerd out on some other comparison reviews, take a look at our popular post about PBfit vs PB2. Or if you just love you some peanut butter, learn how PBfit or PB2 can win your taste buds over!
17 Responses
This was honestly the absolute most useless review/comparison I’ve ever read. You rated everything perfectly and made no discernable contrasts between these bands. You did not make my decision any easier at all. Why did you even write this?
Thanks for the feedback! My main takeaway for this post was to illustrate the fact that both options are really good choices, which is why they were both rated highly. It’s ultimately going to be up to you and what you’re looking for in a fitness device as both options have different features and cost.
Relax bud
This was honestly the best review/comparison I’ve read so far. You rated everything very thoroughly and made subtle, but fair contrasts between these similar/comparable bands. You helped make my decision a bit easier. Thanks for writing this!
Glad to hear you found it helpful! What did you end up going with? Always curious to hear what pulls people to one or the other.
Appreciate this review, currently own the Halo and now have decided to stay with it rather than transferring to the Whoop.
Glad you found it helpful!
How are the results from Halo for you.. Do they seem accurate?
I used to have the whoop strap, and it is a very good tracker and provides tons of data. The problem I had was the monthly subscription for $30 and did nothing with the data. Unless you plan on using the data to make improvements the whoop strap is really not worth the monthly fees. This was a great review and will probably try the Halo. Lower cost and will give me basically the same information.
You’re right, WHOOP is a hefty fee if the data isn’t something you’re evaluating on a regular basis. I only just recently started wearing my WHOOP again to see if I can help figure out some of my sleep issues. The journal helps me track my habits to try and narrow down a potential root cause. Let us know if you end up trying the Halo!
This article is very useful. I have some questions.
Has the amazon band the recovery and the strain indicators as whoop or something similar?
And the amazon is whaterproof?
Thanks in advance
Great questions! So the Amazon band does have a daily activity score. You earn more points for each minute with high intensity and points are deducted for sedentary time like sleep. It is certainly not as scientific as the WHOOP strain but may be helpful to some in giving an overview to how hard (a high daily point total) or little (low daily point total) you worked out in a day. As far as recovery goes, that is something unique to WHOOP. Lastly, the Amazon Halo is waterproof in shallow water (up to 50m). So you are safe to wear the Halo in places like the shower or swimming in shallow waters. Hope that was helpful!
Has anyone with Halo noticed any targeting advertising based on your health data shared with Amazon?
I have had Whoop for the last 2 years and it has interesting data and the journal feature used to be my favoreite. However I have lost faith in it recently. Some months it would tell me that a specific activity improved my recovery. Then a couple months later it would tell me the exact same activity reduced my recovery. Understandably it can’t take certain trends into account for example when you are on vacation your recovery may be better but it isn’t related to the journal activities but other things not accounted for. I think at the end of the day trying to match the journal behaviors with recovery is too difficult for a band to do.
It was unclear to me how the recovery was processed as well because sometimes it would say that my recovery is low because my HRV is at a certain level in combination with the RHR and sleep. Then on another day I’d get a similar recovery rating but my the HRV/RHR and sleep would be improved from the previous day.
I’m giving Halo a try instead
Wow, bravo for taking the time to try and analyze the journal details. I mean, taking the time to try and learn from the journal information would be a huge benefit but to your point, I think the app makes it difficult to personally determine any trends from the journal data you input.
I certainly can’t vouch for how recovery is calculated but that’s interesting that one day your workout increased your recovery, while the same workout decreased your recovery another day. My only thought is whether other daily factors could have potentially caused the change? Like stress induced elevated heart rates or increased overall activity throughout the day if you usually are sedentary due to your job? Just some random thoughts.
Let us know what you think of the Halo!
Hi. Thanks a lot for the thorough review. I’ve been looking for something like this bands for a while, and didn’t know they existed! I don’t want a smartwatch. I just wanted some kind of tracker, and these both look good.
My only concern is if both work with any phone. Can you find and make work both apps in an iphone or android OS?
And if I stop using the tracking that much and decide to stop paying subscription for a while, will minimum features still work?
Thanks again for all the info.
Good questions! So yes, I can confirm the apps work on both iPhone and Android as I have tested the apps on both devices. As far as the subscriptions go, it is a little different for each device. For the WHOOP, a membership is required in order to sync your data with the app. Therefore if you don’t have a WHOOP subscription, you won’t be able to access any of your data so it is basically useless without a subscription. Whereas with the Amazon Halo, if you cancel the small monthly subscription, you still get access to a select few basic features. Things like sleep data, daily steps and heart rate are still accessible if you cancel your Amazon Halo membership. For the full list of what is accessible for non-members, take a look on this page. Hope that was helpful and thanks for stopping by!