Would you buy an Oura Ring with a subscription, or a Galaxy Ring without?

One of our biggest fears with the Samsung Galaxy Ring was the potential for a subscription service that would balloon the costs of owning its first smart ring. At $399, the Galaxy Ring is not a cheap device, but thankfully, you don’t have to pay a monthly fee to access all of its features.

Compare this to Oura. The company’s Oura Ring 3 requires a monthly $5.99 subscription to unlock the vast majority of features, making that $299 initial price tag considerably steeper the longer you own one.

With this in mind, we want your input. Would you prefer a higher smart ring price if it doesn’t demand a subscription fee? Is the $299 Oura Ring with a subscription a better buy than the $399 Galaxy Ring without?

It’s important to note that while Samsung doesn’t need a subscription service to keep developing features or its health services alive, Oura does. As a considerably smaller company, it’s admirable that its hardware is $100 cheaper than the Samsung. And if our experience with the Ring 3 is anything to go by, it’s an excellent fitness wearable for sleep and wellness tracking.

The Galaxy Ring has its pros. It’s a steeper initial investment, but it offers special tricks when used with a Galaxy Watch, boasts gesture controls, and gains access to Samsung’s Galaxy AI smarts, provided you own a compatible smartphone.

Of course, you may be considering neither, as the Oura Ring 4 is just around the corner. Either way, be sure to vote in our poll above, and let us know your raw thoughts in the comments below.