Compare 17 wearables and home devices used in clinical research by sensors, raw data access, data routes, battery, and regulatory status.
Filter by what your protocol needs, compare up to three devices side by side, and open any device for its full record with sources. Figures are the makers’ published specifications, not our test results.
Data checked on 20 October 2026. 17 devices from 9 makers, grouped by maker and not ranked.
Side by side
17 devices
Series 12, Ultra 4 and SE 3
Apple Inc.
SmartwatchConsumer
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideVia Apple Health
vívosmart 5, vívoactive 6, Venu 4 and Forerunner
Garmin
SmartwatchConsumer
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideNative integration
Wrist band with an upper arm band accessory
Garmin
Screenless bandConsumer
Worn on the wrist, upper arm
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
Screenless band
Google (Fitbit)
Screenless bandConsumer
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideSupported
Fitness band
Google (Fitbit)
Fitness bandConsumer
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
Pixel Watch 5 and Pixel Watch 4
SmartwatchConsumer
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideVia Health Connect
Watch9, Watch Ultra2 and Watch8 Classic
Samsung Electronics
SmartwatchConsumer
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideVia Health Connect
Ring 5, Ring 4 and Ring 4 Ceramic
Oura Health Oy
Smart ringConsumer
Worn on the finger
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG
WHOOP, Inc.
Screenless bandConsumer
Worn on the wrist, upper arm, chest, waist or hip
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
Chest strap heart rate sensor
Polar Electro Oy
Chest strapConsumer
Worn on the chest
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
Optical heart rate sensor
Polar Electro Oy
Optical armbandConsumer
Worn on the upper arm, forearm
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
ScanWatch 2, ScanWatch Nova and ScanWatch Nova Brilliant
Withings (France)
SmartwatchConsumer
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
BPM Vision, BPM Connect, BPM Pro 2 and BPM Connect Pro
Withings (France)
Blood pressure cuffMedical
Worn on the upper arm
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
Sleep Rx and Sleep Analyzer
Withings (France)
Under mattress sensor matMedical
Not worn, placed under the mattress
WeGuideVia Apple Health or Health Connect
Includes LEAP Core
Ametris (formerly ActiGraph), a Signant Health company
Research actigraphResearch grade
Worn on the wrist, upper arm, waist or hip, ankle
WeGuideNot integrated
Model CPW01
Ametris (formerly ActiGraph), a Signant Health company
Research actigraphResearch grade
Worn on the wrist
WeGuideNot integrated
Legacy model
Ametris (formerly ActiGraph), a Signant Health company
Research actigraphResearch grade
Worn on the wrist, waist or hip, ankle, thigh
WeGuideNot integrated
0 of 3 selected
Every record was checked against the maker’s current pages, developer documentation, the FDA database, and PubMed on 20 October 2026. Products, firmware, and access terms change often, so check them again at protocol lock. For a wider introduction, read our guide to wearables in clinical trials.
A wearable is fit for purpose only for a defined measure in a defined population. The V3 framework splits that question into verification of the sensor, analytical validation of the algorithm, and clinical validation of the measure in the people you study[1]. FDA guidance on digital health technologies asks sponsors to show that a device is fit for purpose in the proposed population. Its example is a step algorithm that works in healthy participants but may not work for people with Parkinson’s disease who walk with a shuffling gait[2].
In a network meta-analysis of free living studies, wrist and ankle research devices recorded 15% to 30% more daily steps than hip devices, and consumer wrist devices recorded 3% to 15% more[3]. Do not pool step counts across placements without calibration, and write the wear location into the protocol.
Our digital biomarkers library lists measures with their evidence, which helps you name the measure before you shortlist devices. The first regulatory qualification of a primary endpoint derived from a wearable, stride velocity 95th centile in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, came from EMA in 2023. It used an ankle worn sensor that is not in this comparison[4].
Summary data are values the maker’s algorithm has already computed, such as daily steps, resting heart rate, or sleep stages. Raw data are the sensor signals underneath, such as accelerometer samples or a PPG waveform. Raw data let you rerun one fixed algorithm across devices and firmware versions, but access is usually gated and the files need processing.
The maker’s server sends data after each participant links an account. Google switches off the legacy Fitbit Web API on 30 October 2026, and new builds must use the Google Health API, with every participant giving consent again[5]. Oura’s API caps apps at 10 users until Oura approves them, and it exposes no raw PPG or accelerometer data[6].
Code in your study app reads the device directly. Samsung’s Health Sensor SDK exposes raw accelerometer data at 25 Hz, PPG at 25 Hz continuously or 100 Hz on demand, and ECG at 500 Hz on demand. An app that uses it needs Samsung partner approval[7]. The Polar H10 streams single lead ECG at 130 Hz through the free Polar BLE SDK, over a live Bluetooth link only[8].
Apple has no server or OAuth API for Apple Watch data. A study app reads HealthKit on the participant’s iPhone with permission for each data type, and it cannot tell whether read access was denied[9]. Raw signals need SensorKit, which requires an Apple approved study and entitlement, holds data for 24 hours before release, and gives access to 7 days of prior data[10].
Apple Health and Health Connect hold the summaries that each maker’s app chooses to write. Oura does not write HRV to Apple Health[11], and WHOOP writes no HRV to either store[12]. WeGuide reads these stores, which is why most devices on this page are listed as indirect.
ActiGraph LEAP samples acceleration at 32, 64, 128, or 256 Hz and delivers raw files for each participant and day through the CentrePoint V3 API, after upload from a phone app, a cellular hub, or a site PC[13]. Withings offers raw accelerometer and PPG data for ScanWatch only under a research contract, and switching it on disables other watch features and cuts battery life to 3 to 4 days[14].
Garmin offers a cloud Health API for business use and two Health SDKs. The Standard SDK keeps data off Garmin servers, the Companion SDK works alongside Garmin Connect, and Garmin notes that some device models may not be supported[15]. WeGuide’s Garmin integration collects raw accelerometer and gyroscope data at 25 Hz on supported models.
The FDA clears or authorises software features for a named indication, not whole devices. On Apple Watch, the ECG app (De Novo DEN180044, 2018), irregular rhythm notifications (De Novo DEN180042, 2018), AFib History (K213971, 2022), the Sleep Apnea Notification Feature (K240929, 2024), and the Hypertension Notification Feature (K250507, 2025) each have their own record[16]. Apple labels its Blood Oxygen app as wellness only[17].
FDA’s January 2026 general wellness guidance says FDA may treat noninvasive optical estimates of blood pressure, oxygen saturation, or HRV as general wellness products when they are intended only for wellness, but not when they are intended for “screening, diagnosis, monitoring, alerting, or management of a disease”[21]. WHOOP’s ECG feature is cleared (K243236, 2025), while its Blood Pressure Insights feature is not FDA cleared[16][22]. Wellness outputs can still serve as exploratory measures, but they carry no FDA performance claim.
Validation is specific to a metric, a population, a wear location, and a firmware version. The studies in each device record favour independent work and clinical populations, and studies funded by or written with the maker are flagged.
Record the model, firmware, and app version for each participant, report skin tone, and check subgroup performance before you rely on a metric.
Charging gaps are a common source of missing data in continuous wear studies. Each card shows the maker’s published battery figure, measured under the maker’s own assumptions, and continuous raw capture shortens it. Withings states 3 to 4 days for ScanWatch with raw capture switched on[14].
Current Apple Watch models need an iPhone 11 or later with iOS 27[33]. Galaxy Watch pairs only with Android phones, and its regulated features also need a Samsung Galaxy phone[34]. A device that works on one platform turns a cohort into iPhone owners or Android owners unless you provide phones.
Oura Ring Gen3 and later need an active membership for API access and for sync to Apple Health or Health Connect[35]. WHOOP stops collecting data when a membership ends[36]. For Withings accounts created on or after 13 October 2026, Withings+ is needed to share data with other apps, including Apple Health and Health Connect[37].
Letting participants use their own device widens reach but mixes models and firmware versions. Providing one model keeps data consistent but adds logistics and cost. Our guide to BYOD and provisioned devices compares the two, and our article on choosing consumer wearables goes deeper on selection. WeGuide supports provisioned devices in wearable device studies.
We list current models as shown on each maker’s website on the date in the record. Specifications such as sensors and battery life are the maker’s published figures, not our test results. Data access routes come from the maker’s developer and support documentation.
Regulatory status is recorded per feature, not per device, and every US clearance or De Novo number links to its FDA database record. “No FDA record found” means we found no 510(k), De Novo, or PMA for that feature on the FDA’s openFDA database. Validation highlights are a small selection of peer reviewed studies, chosen to favour independent studies and clinical populations, and each cites its PubMed record. We flag studies funded by, or written with, the device maker.
We do not score or rank devices, because fitness for purpose depends on your endpoint, population, and protocol. WeGuide’s own integration status is shown for each device, and for devices without a native WeGuide integration we describe what data can reach WeGuide and how. Some devices on this page are made by companies that compete or partner with WeGuide, and the same rules apply to all of them. Products, firmware, and APIs change often. If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page and we will correct it.
Planning a wearable study?
WeGuide collects wearable data alongside ePRO, eConsent, and automated reminders in one participant app. Garmin is a native integration, with raw accelerometer and gyroscope data at 25 Hz on supported models, and Apple Health, Health Connect, and Fitbit Air are supported. Provisioned devices are supported too.
Answers about raw data, regulatory status, phone health stores, and validation when you choose a wearable for a study.
Have another question?Several do, but almost always behind a gate such as an approval or a contract. Garmin, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Apple Watch, Polar H10, Polar Verity Sense, Withings ScanWatch, and the ActiGraph devices document raw or near raw routes. Oura, WHOOP, and Fitbit Air do not. Through WeGuide, raw accelerometer and gyroscope data are available from supported Garmin models only.
No. The FDA clears or authorises specific software features for specific indications, such as an ECG app that classifies atrial fibrillation in adults. Heart rate, HRV, sleep stages, and SpO2 on consumer wearables are usually wellness features. Check the feature and its 510(k) or De Novo number, which this tool links to the FDA database.
No. Apple has no server or OAuth API for Apple Watch data. A study app reads HealthKit on each participant’s iPhone, with permission for each data type, and then uploads the data. Raw signals such as PPG and accelerometer data need SensorKit, which is only available to research studies that Apple has approved.
It means the maker’s phone app writes summary data into the phone’s health store, and WeGuide reads it from there. Only the data types that the maker writes can arrive, and they differ by maker. For example, WHOOP writes no HRV to either store, and Oura writes no HRV to Apple Health. It is not a direct integration with the maker.
For Oura Ring Gen3 and later and for WHOOP, yes, because data access or collection stops without one. New Withings accounts created on or after 13 October 2026 need Withings+ to share data with other apps, including Apple Health and Health Connect. Garmin, Apple, Samsung, Polar, and Fitbit devices work without a subscription for core data.
Not automatically. Validation applies to one metric, population, wear location, and firmware version. FDA guidance asks sponsors to show that a device is fit for purpose in the proposed population, and the V3 framework separates verification, analytical validation, and clinical validation. Use published studies to shortlist devices, then plan the evidence your endpoint needs.
It depends on the measure and the wear schedule. Rings and screenless bands suit continuous overnight wear, wrist devices offer the broadest set of metrics, and chest straps such as the Polar H10 give beat to beat intervals but suit supervised sessions with a set start and end. Wear location also changes step counts, so do not mix placements without calibration.
Measurements can shift after an update. FDA guidance asks sponsors to keep a record of the timing and nature of updates for each device, so record the model, firmware, and app version for each participant and log the update dates. Where raw data are available, you can reprocess every participant with one fixed algorithm.
Yes, several can. Garmin, Fitbit Air, Fitbit Charge 6, Oura, WHOOP, Polar, and Withings devices work with both platforms. Apple Watch works only with iPhone, while Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch work only with Android phones. Use the phone platform filter and choose Both to see the devices that suit a mixed cohort.
No. Google switches off the legacy Fitbit Web API on 30 October 2026, and new builds must use the Google Health API. Its health scopes are restricted and need a Google privacy and security review, and research use also needs an attestation with ethics approval. Every participant must also give consent again under the new API.
Free tools for planning and running clinical research, built on published methods.
Device records checked against the makers’ pages, developer documentation, openFDA, and PubMed on 20 October 2026 by the WeGuide editorial team. Some devices are made by companies that partner or compete with WeGuide, and the same rules apply to all of them. This tool is for research planning and education. It is not a medical device and does not give medical advice.
