Garmin just launched a screenless fitness band that looks almost exactly like a Whoop, tracks nearly everything a Whoop tracks, and costs $199.99. Once. No monthly fee, no annual subscription, no unlock-the-features-you-already-paid-for tax.
The Garmin Cirqa is a fabric-wrapped health tracker with no display, one button, and a ten-day battery. It monitors heart rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature, sleep stages, stress, and recovery around the clock. It syncs to the Garmin Connect app over Bluetooth, supports over 80 activity types via connected GPS, and delivers metrics like VO2 max, HRV status, training readiness, and Body Battery.
That feature set puts it squarely against the Whoop 5.0, which requires a membership that runs between $199 and $359 per year depending on commitment length. Buy the Cirqa once and you own it. Garmin does offer an optional Connect+ subscription for $6.99 a month if you want extras like nutrition tracking and advanced coaching, but the core health and fitness data is yours without a recurring charge.
The band itself weighs about 21 grams with the strap, measures 47mm long and 9mm thick, and can be worn on the wrist or upper arm. It's swim-rated to 5 ATM, charges via a proprietary plug, and comes in four colors: black, French Gray, berry, and navy. Both small/medium and large/extra-large sizes cost the same $199.99.
Garmin is positioning the Cirqa as a complement to its watches, not a replacement. If you already own a Fenix or Forerunner, the Cirqa fills in 24/7 health data when you're not wearing your watch, and everything syncs back via TrueUp. If you don't own a Garmin watch, the Cirqa works standalone as a capable fitness tracker that lives entirely in the app.
The pitch is blunt: pay once, track forever. In a category where Whoop pioneered the hardware-as-service model and others followed, Garmin is betting that enough people would rather own their tracker outright. The Cirqa became available on July 24 directly from Garmin and works with iOS and Android.
Whether this kills the subscription model is doubtful. Whoop has built a devoted user base around its coaching and community features. But for anyone who wants continuous health tracking without a recurring bill, Garmin just handed you an out.
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