Blood Feud Oura’s Health Panels Take on Whoop’s Advanced Labs in Wellness Race
Oura and Whoop battle it out with their blood testing services for health tracking
San Francisco: Oura and Whoop are two popular trackers that offer blood tests now. Their goal is to help people monitor their health better. Many of us get blood tests during check-ups, but they can be really annoying. You often have to wait a long time, and some people don’t like needles.
This year, both Oura and Whoop added blood panels to their services, but you have to pay more. Ultrahuman also has a blood panel, but it’s not available in many states right now. I tried both Oura’s and Whoop’s tests after not eating for eight hours. I went to Quest Diagnostics for both tests.
It’s nice to book tests through an app, but it can be a hassle if you already have a doctor. My doctor orders tests for me, so I just go to the lab. At my Oura appointment, there was confusion about my order. I recommend printing your order if you use an app.
My doctor usually orders a basic test with three tests for 20 things, like diabetes and cholesterol levels. Oura’s test costs $99 and checks 50 things, which is a lot more than my doctor’s. It took almost two weeks to get all my results.
Most of my results looked good, but I had a high risk for heart problems that I can’t change with diet or exercise. Whoop’s test is more expensive at $349 for two tests a year, but it checks 65 things, and you can add tests you did with your doctor.
Whoop caught some issues that Oura didn’t, like low iron and vitamin D. That’s helpful and easy to fix with a vitamin. Both companies offer ways to stay healthy, but each has its perks for users.