Whoop decouples health wristband from subscription, at least in one market
While Amazfit Helio Strap and Polar Loop do not require a subscription at all, Google Fitbit Air ($99 on Amazon) at least allows access to the collected data without having to pay monthly. Whoop takes a different approach - without an expensive subscription, the manufacturer's wristbands are useless.
For this reason, subscribers have so far received the hardware "for free" if they have taken out a subscription that has been paid for at least one year in advance. This is now changing, as Whoop has started to sell wristbands and hardware separately in Australia. Whoop 5.0 costs AU$99 ($71), but requires a subscription to use it, which costs AU$300 ($215) per year. Since the subscription was previously offered for AU$399, customers pay the same in the first year as before this change, and even save money from the second year onwards if no new hardware is required.
Whoop MG with ECG costs AU$149 ($106), but requires a subscription to use it, which costs AU$450 ($322) per year. Those who pay five years in advance receive a discount, but AU$1,580 ($1,130) plus the cost of the wristband is no small sum.
With this price model, Whoop is obviously reacting to the growing competition, but the very expensive subscriptions still ensure that Whoop is considerably more expensive than all alternatives currently available. Whoop aims to justify the high price by offering in-depth health insights, including sleep, stress and cycle tracking.
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