Buy the Colmi R09 first. It costs $20 to $60 with no subscription, and on the nights it fit, it matched my Apple Watch Ultra. Pay $399 plus $69.99 a year for Oura only for the app.
Buy the Colmi R09 first. It costs $20 to $60, has no subscription, and on the nights it fit, its sleep data matched my Apple Watch Ultra almost to the minute. The Oura Ring 5 costs $399 plus $69.99 a year, which comes to $538.98 over two years before promos.
The Oura is the better ring on paper: smaller, lighter, with more sensors and an app that turns readings into advice. Buy it only after a cheap ring has proven you’ll wear one every night, and only if you’ll open that app daily. The R09 is wrong for you if you’re between ring sizes, which is how I ended up wearing mine on the wrong finger.
How I know
I bought the Colmi R09 myself and wore it for a week, day and night, next to my Apple Watch Ultra. It scored a 7. I have not used the Oura Ring 5.
The Oura side comes from Oura’s own US pages, all checked on November 6, 2026: the Oura Ring 5 store page, the membership page, the sizing page and Oura’s terms and conditions for the warranty. Colmi’s R09 specs come from its product page and refund policy, checked the same day. How a product earns a score here is on how I test.
The two side by side
| Colmi R09 | Oura Ring 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Nov 6, 2026) | $59.98 at colmi.com, sold out that day; $20 to $30 from marketplace sellers when I reviewed it (Oct 12) | $399 in silver or black; $499 in gold, deep rose, stealth or brushed silver |
| Subscription | None | $5.99 a month or $69.99 a year; first month free for new members |
| Two years, before promos | $20 to $60 | $538.98 (silver, yearly plan) |
| Battery (maker) | About 5 days typical, up to 15 days standby | 6 to 9 days, depending on size and use |
| Battery in my use | About a week, with short top-ups in the case | Not tested |
| Charging | Case with its own battery, included | Size-specific charger included; charging case sold separately |
| Weight (maker) | About 3.5 g (0.12 oz) in size 11 | From 2 g (0.07 oz), depending on size |
| Sizes | US 7 to 13 in Colmi’s store | US 6 to 13 |
| Sensors (maker) | Heart rate, HRV, SpO2, stress and temperature trends | Heart rate, HRV, respiration, blood oxygen, temperature trends, accelerometer |
| Returns and warranty | 30 days, unworn or unused, in original packaging | 1-year limited warranty on new rings |
| Tested here | Yes, 1 week, score 7 | No |
The difference that decides it: what you pay for after the ring
The hardware gap is real. The bigger gap is Oura’s membership. The ring and app still work without it, but Oura’s own FAQ says that without a membership “the insights, personal health data, and benefits you receive will be much more limited.” In practice the $399 price is a down payment on a $69.99 yearly bill.
What the membership buys is interpretation. Oura’s product page lists Cardiovascular Age, a VO2 max estimate it calls Cardio Capacity, blood pressure signals and temperature-based cycle insights, and the membership page says it tracks over 50 health metrics. That’s the reason to pay. If you want a number every morning that tells you how hard to push the day, Oura sells that and the R09 doesn’t.
What I wanted from a ring was simpler: sleep duration and timing, without a watch in bed. The R09’s QRing app shows sleep, heart rate and the rest with no paywall. It’s plain. On the five nights my ring stayed in place, plain was accurate enough to match a watch that costs 40 times more. If that’s your job for a ring too, the extra $480 to $520 over two years buys features you won’t use.
What the R09 did on my hand
On the five nights it stayed in place, the R09’s sleep duration and timing lined up with my Apple Watch Ultra. That tells me the two devices agree. It doesn’t prove either one is right, and it’s the comparison I had.
The battery never ran out. A few minutes in the charging case while I showered kept it going all week. Colmi rates it at about 5 days, so my week came from those top-ups.
The other two nights, the data was garbage. The ring slid on my pinky and the sensors lost contact with skin. There are no alerts either: no screen, no vibration, nothing that tells you the battery is low.
Sizing: the R09’s weak spot, and what Oura’s page says
I measured my index finger with Colmi’s sizing guide and ordered a size 11. It doesn’t go on my index finger on either hand. There was no sizing kit, so the ring went on my pinky with a silicone adjuster, and it still slides at night. That’s the single biggest risk with a cheap ring, and Colmi’s return policy doesn’t soften it much: returns must be requested first, within 30 days, and the ring has to be unworn or unused in its original packaging.
Oura’s sizing page says the Ring 5 comes in sizes 6 to 13 and that its “redesigned interior fits differently than Oura Ring 4,” so measure again even if you owned the last one. Its page offers a sizing guide and a video. I couldn’t confirm from Oura’s US pages whether a sizing kit ships before the ring, so check that at checkout before you pay $399 for a guess.
Whichever ring you buy, measure with a physical ring sizer from a jeweler. A loose ring is a bad tracker at any price.
Who should buy the Oura Ring 5
Buy it if a cheaper ring has already shown you’ll wear one every night, and you want the app to tell you what the readings mean. Buy it if size and weight matter: at 2.28 mm (0.09 in) thick and from 2 g, Oura calls it its slimmest, lightest ring yet, and the R09 weighs about 3.5 g in my size. Buy it too if you’re a size 6, which Colmi doesn’t sell.
Budget for the membership from day one. I haven’t worn an Oura, so this is a spec-sheet and pricing call.
Who should skip both
Skip both if you want a screen and notifications. A watch does those jobs. Skip both if you’re guessing your size.
If you want more than the R09 and less than Oura’s running cost, my sleep tracker guide picks the RingConn Gen 3 at $349 with no subscription. If you’re choosing between Colmi’s own rings, the Colmi R09 vs R02 comparison covers that.
My recommendation
Buy the R09 and wear it for a month. If it ends up in a drawer, you’ve lost $20 to $60 instead of $399. If you wear it every night and want the app’s coaching, upgrade to the Oura Ring 5 knowing it costs $538.98 over two years in silver. If sleep timing is all you want, keep the R09.
FAQ
Is the Colmi R09 as good as an Oura ring?
For sleep timing, it was good enough for me. On the five nights my R09 fit, its sleep duration and timing matched my Apple Watch Ultra almost to the minute. The Oura Ring 5 adds sensors, a lighter build and an app with readiness and health insights. I haven’t used the Oura, so I can’t compare the two rings’ accuracy directly.
Does the Oura Ring 5 work without a subscription?
Yes, with less in it. Oura says the ring and app still function without a membership, but the insights and data you get are “much more limited.” The membership is $5.99 a month or $69.99 a year in the US, and new members get the first month free.
Does the Colmi R09 need a subscription?
No. Colmi lists no subscription fees, and the QRing app showed me sleep, heart rate and the rest with no paywall.
How much does an Oura Ring 5 cost over two years?
$538.98 in silver or black on the yearly plan: $399 for the ring plus two years at $69.99, before promos or the free first month. The gold, deep rose, stealth and brushed silver finishes cost $499, which makes it $638.98.
Which ring has better battery life?
On paper, Oura: it rates the Ring 5 at 6 to 9 days against about 5 days typical for the R09. In my use the R09 lasted a week because I topped it up in its case during showers. Oura’s charging case is sold separately.