While Whoop manufactures excellent recovery trackers, Polar is a lot more versatile in terms of its product range as well as functions. If you’re wondering what exactly these two are, then you’re at the right place.
Thanks to innovative trackers like Polar and Whoop, tracking the training sessions or breaking free of the sedentary lifestyle that we’ve built for ourselves is now a lot easier. Of course, you need motivation to get going but getting your hands on these trackers is like having a full-time fitness partner.
Anyway, we’ll be doing a quick but comprehensive comparison between them. So let’s check that out!
Features and Function
Whoop
Whoop is known for its fantastic recovery trackers. They offer a few simple Whoop bands which sure get better with each upgrade, the latest being the Whoop 4.0.
Whoop bands can help you keep a check on your sleep cycle, heart rate variability, as well as burnt calories, which is great. But Whoop bands lack a lot of other features that we normally anticipate in fitness trackers.
Via: @Whoop
First off, your Whoop band cannot track steps which can be a major deal-breaker for many users. It doesn’t have the ability to track pace or distance either.
Additionally, the function of Whoop bands is entirely based on cardiovascular strain which renders it inaccurate for low-intensity workouts or strength training. To be fair, Whoop is quite limited in terms of its functionality.
But anyway, moving to the things it can do because it is not all disappointing. The Whoop bands are designed to track activity, heart rate, and sleep cycle. It monitors your cardiovascular strain and tracks recovery as you rest.
An efficient track record of heart rate variability and recovery can really help to redefine your lifestyle. You can create a healthy routine based on your tracked data. Even more so, Whoop gives you the facility to access personalized guidance from fitness coaches.
Polar
Polar, in contrast, manufactures a variety of different brands. Some of them are just basic heart monitors like Polar H10 while others are fitness trackers and GPS sports watches. So Polar is pretty versatile in terms of its products as compared to Whoop which is quite basic.
Fitness trackers by Polar are designed to track steps, activity, sleep cycle, heart rate as well as burnt calories. You can also get pace, distance, and oxygen tracking with Polar Vantage V. So unlike the Whoop band which lacks certain basic features, Polar offers all of them in its different product lines.
Polar fitness trackers can help you determine if you’re training too little or too much. This way you can prevent injury from excess workout or get a kick to increase your training sessions.
Additional Features
Well, there’s a lot more to Polar bands. They even offer push notifications for messages or calls etc. which I really appreciate as it helps you stay connected at all times. Not to forget the much-needed music controls in the Polar Pacer which is a GPS running watch. Also, you receive inactivity reminders too.
Via: @PolarFitness
Clearly, we don’t see as many options with any of the Whoop bands which makes Polar steal the show. Anyway, Whoop can still be a good choice for someone who doesn’t require a flexible functionality.
Pricing
Apart from the features and functions, what interests us the most is definitely the cost of any product. So about that, I found out that Whoop bands are free of cost and I’m pretty sure it gets them a lot of attention.
But that’s definitely a clever marketing strategy. While the bands are free of cost, you have to pay all year around to get access to the functions of your Whoop band. The memberships at Whoop are costly especially with the kind of limited functionality they offer.
The starting price for Whoop subscription is $30 per month. You can get slight cost benefits with annual or bi-annual deals as well. But as far as I think, these prices are a bit unfair just for a basic recovery tracker.
As for Polar, their product line is quite diverse which is why the prices vary too. The prices at Polar start at $60 for simpler devices like the H9 Heart Rate Monitor and can go up to $499 for premium trackers like the Polar Vantage V2.
These products vary a lot in terms of their functionality. The devices with premium functions come with a premium cost so we can’t really complain. Also, unlike Whoop which requires monthly subscription for a lifetime, these trackers are a one-time purchase only.
In essence, Polar gets an edge over Whoop in terms of pricing too. Their prices are flexible and based on each device’s function whereas Whoop will cost you subscription charges each month for very basic features.
Accuracy
There’s quite a lot of debate about the accuracy of Whoop bands, especially the wrist straps are notorious for erratic data tracking and monitoring but I’m glad that with Polar, it’s a lot different.
Polar produces exceptionally accurate and precise trackers that render the same results whether they’re placed on the wrist or the chest (which is considered best for HRV monitoring). Whereas Whoop fails to perform the same way if worn at different places on the body.
Now it’s not me who’s skeptical about Whoop’s performance, there are a whole lot of people who have experienced just the same.
So I think I’m not really a fan of Whoop at this point anymore and neither are you. However, we can’t brush aside the fact that Whoop does give accurate results with its bicep or chest straps. Here’s what a Whoop user had to say about it:
While Polar is definitely phenomenal in terms of precise monitoring, Whoop is nowhere near a fail either, for you can get accurate results with the bicep straps.
Battery Life
Polar and Whoop, neither of them fail to impress in terms of battery life. Both Polar and Whoop fitness trackers have a reasonable battery life.
Considering the versatile functionality of most Polar trackers, an average 40-48 hour function on a single charge is quite amazing. You can easily spend 2 days in peace before worrying about the next charge.
Likewise, the latest Whoop bands offer a 5 to 7-day function on a single charge which kind of overshadows the battery life of Polar. However, you shouldn’t forget that Whoop offers very limited functions whereas, with Polar, you get a full-fledged fitness tracker.
Return Policy
Since the Whoop band is free, you’ll be free to keep it in most cases even if you’re not going to use it. However, you get 30 days to cancel your subscription and get a refund for it in case you’re not satisfied with your experience.
Polar, on the other hand, offers a 30-day return policy as well. You just need to contact their customer support to proceed with your return process.
Additionally, what I really liked about Polar is that the products are backed by a 2-year warranty. So in case you find a defect or damage in your device after 30 days, it will be covered by their warranty policy.
Customer Support
While Whoop charges their users for monthly subscriptions, they also offer personalized recommendations and advices from fitness coaches which is a great service from their end. Apart from that, you can contact Whoop via phone or email to get help with any questions or concerns.
Similarly, Polar offers a customer-friendly service too. You can get your concerns addressed by reaching out to them via email or phone. You can contact Polar on their offical site.
Final Thoughts
Based on what we’ve just gone through, I think making a decision is pretty easy. If you’re looking for flexible functionality and all-in-one fitness trackers then, Polar is your place to be. However, if you’re just about the basics, Whoop can be a good choice too. But Polar definitely is the overall winner.