{
  "id": 32620,
  "title": "I tried 3 free sleep trackers for iPhones and compared them to my gold standard sleep tracker — one seriously impressed me",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/i-tried-3-free-sleep-trackers-for-iphones-and-compared-them-to-my",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-02T06:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Guide",
    "slug": "tom-s-guide",
    "url": "https://www.tomsguide.com/wellness/sleep-tech/i-tried-3-free-sleep-trackers-for-iphones-and-compared-them-to-my-gold-standard-sleep-tracker-one-seriously-impressed-me"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In an attempt to find a free alternative to the Oura Ring 5 for sleep tracking, three popular sleep tracking apps were tested on an iPhone: Sleep Cycle, SleepScore, and Sleepwave. The Oura Ring 5, priced at $399, is a premium sleep tracker known for its accuracy in measuring sleep duration, sleep stages, sleep debt, nighttime breathing, and heart rate variation. The other three apps were chosen due to their high reviews and similar motion-sensing technology. After wearing the Oura Ring 5 and using each app for a night, the results showed that Sleepwave was the most accurate, with its sleep stage data being within a 5-minute threshold of the Oura Ring. Sleep Cycle and SleepScore, while offering intuitive apps and accessible data, had notable inaccuracies in tracking sleep stages, making Sleepwave the standout choice among the free options.",
  "summary": "I pitted 3 sleep trackers against my $499 Oura Ring 5 and compared the data. But which one impressed me the most: Sleepwave, Sleep Cycle, or SleepScore?",
  "key_points": [
    "Sleepwave app most accurate, within 5-minute threshold of Oura Ring 5",
    "Sleep Cycle and SleepScore had notable inaccuracies in tracking sleep stages",
    "Free sleep tracking apps tested against premium Oura Ring 5"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}