VITALThe short version
If you want a purpose-built sensor on your wrist day and night, with recovery, sleep and strain at the centre of everything, WHOOP is made for exactly that. If you’d rather not buy or wear anything new, and you want readiness alongside sleep, training, nutrition, mood and more in one iPhone app, Vital is the lighter option.
At a glance
| Vital | WHOOP | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware needed | None beyond your iPhone. Vital uses an Apple Watch if you have one | A WHOOP band (WHOOP 5.0, or WHOOP MG on Life), included with the membership |
| Price | Vital Club: £9.99 a month or £69.99 a year (UK) | One £169 a year, Peak £229 a year, Life £349 a year (UK) |
| Apple Watch required | No. Without overnight heart readings, Readiness is estimated and marked as an estimate | No. WHOOP uses its own band |
| Readiness or recovery score | One daily Readiness score, judged against your own usual | Daily Recovery score, alongside Sleep and Strain scores, on every tier |
| Sleep | Reads sleep from Apple Health, learns your sleep need and suggests a bedtime | Sleep score, with a haptic alarm on the band |
| Training | Training page and workouts, with logging | Strain score, VO2 max and heart rate zones, and a Strava connection |
| Nutrition | Nutrition page, with logging | Not listed among WHOOP’s membership features |
| Privacy notes | Health data is processed on your iPhone and never sent to analytics | WHOOP says it never sells your information, and that data used for research is aggregated or de-identified |
Checked October 2026 against WHOOP’s UK membership page. Prices and features change, so check WHOOP’s site before you buy.
Where WHOOP is stronger
The band is made for this one job. It’s worn around the clock, WHOOP quotes a battery life of 14 days or more, and it takes its own heart readings while you sleep, so the Recovery score always has heart data to work with. Recovery, sleep and strain are the core of the product, and every tier includes them.
The higher tiers add things Vital doesn’t offer. Peak includes Healthspan with WHOOP Age, a real-time Stress Monitor and a Health Monitor with alerts. Life adds ECG readings through the Heart Screener, irregular heart rhythm notifications and blood pressure insights, on the WHOOP MG band. Memberships also come with a lifetime warranty on the device while you’re a member, 24/7 support, and the option to move between tiers.
If you don’t wear a watch and want overnight heart data every morning, a WHOOP band is one of the most direct ways to get it.
Where Vital is different
Vital doesn’t come with hardware. It reads Apple Health, so it can use an Apple Watch if you already have one, and it still works if you don’t. Without overnight heart readings, Readiness is estimated from last night’s sleep, a short morning check-in and your recent training, and it’s marked as an estimate. There’s more on how that works in readiness without an Apple Watch.
Vital also brings more of your day into one place. Alongside Readiness there are pages for Sleep, Heart, Activity, Training, Nutrition, Mood, Stress, Body and Cycle, with logging, workouts, widgets and Live Activities. It learns how much sleep you seem to need and suggests a bedtime.
On price, Vital Club is £69.99 a year in the UK, against £169 a year for WHOOP One. That isn’t like for like, because WHOOP’s price includes a device and Vital’s doesn’t. Vital processes your health data on your iPhone and never sends it to analytics.
Which might suit you
- WHOOP may suit you if you want a dedicated sensor, don’t wear an Apple Watch but want heart-based recovery every morning, or want features such as Healthspan, ECG or blood pressure insights.
- Vital may suit you if you already have an iPhone, perhaps with an Apple Watch, don’t want another device to wear and charge, and want readiness alongside nutrition, mood, body and cycle in one app.
In Vital
Vital gives you one daily Readiness score from Apple Health, with or without an Apple Watch, read against what’s usual for you.
Get Vital for iPhoneCommon questions
Do I need an Apple Watch to use Vital instead of WHOOP?
No. Vital works with or without an Apple Watch. Without overnight heart readings, Readiness is estimated from last night’s sleep, a short morning check-in and your recent training, and it’s marked as an estimate.
Is Vital’s Readiness the same as WHOOP Recovery?
No. Each company builds its score in its own way, so a number from one can’t be compared with a number from the other. Both are estimates, not medical tests.
Does a WHOOP membership include the band?
Yes. WHOOP says each membership includes a device, a charger and a set of features. One and Peak come with WHOOP 5.0, and Life comes with WHOOP MG.
How much do they cost in the UK?
When we checked in October 2026, WHOOP was £169 a year for One, £229 for Peak and £349 for Life, each including the band. Vital Club is £9.99 a month or £69.99 a year, with no hardware to buy.
WHOOP is a trademark of its owner. Vital is not affiliated with or endorsed by WHOOP. Vital gives general information about fitness and wellbeing. It is not medical advice, and it does not diagnose or treat any condition.