Whoop vs Soma Axon: what a band reads and what a scan adds
Whoop is a screen-free band you wear around the clock, sold as a yearly membership. Soma Axon is a pod we're building to read your whole body once a week, in a few minutes.
| Soma Axon | Whoop | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A closed pod you step into for a whole-body scan, and an iPhone app between visits | A screen-free band worn around the clock, WHOOP 5.0 or WHOOP MG, with a phone app |
| Where | Planned for Soma's own studio, longevity clinics, gyms, workplaces and pharmacies | On your body, wherever you are |
| How often | Once a week, for a few minutes. The app reads your phone and watch in between | All the time. Recovery, strain and sleep scores update every day, and WHOOP MG takes an ECG when you ask |
| What it reads | Skin photos, heart and breathing, ECG, EEG, thermal imaging, body composition, balance and grip strength, plus an optional finger-prick blood test | Heart rate, strain, steps, sleep and VO2 max all day, HRV, breathing rate, blood oxygen and skin temperature during sleep, plus an ECG and blood pressure estimates on WHOOP MG with the Life plan |
| Price | Not announced. It'll be priced like a weekly habit | A yearly membership with the device included: One $199, Peak $239, Life $359 |
| Medical status | General wellness: not a medical device, not cleared by the FDA, and it doesn't diagnose | The ECG on WHOOP MG is cleared by the FDA. Whoop says its blood pressure insights aren't a medical device, and its other scores have no FDA clearance |
| Available | Not yet. The first prototype is being built, and the waitlist hears first | Yes. WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG have been sold since May 2025 |
What each one reads
Whoop reads you around the clock. During sleep it records your resting heart rate, HRV, breathing rate, blood oxygen and skin temperature, which feed a Recovery score each morning, and during the day it tracks strain and activity. WHOOP MG, on the Life plan, adds an ECG you take on demand, cleared by the FDA, and daily blood pressure estimates once you've calibrated it with a cuff.
Soma Axon will read what a band can't reach: photos of your skin all the way around, body composition, balance and grip strength, along with your heart and breathing, EEG and thermal imaging. It'll take a few minutes, once a week, and it'll read you the same way every time.
How they work together
Whoop says it writes resting heart rate, blood oxygen, breathing rate, sleep and workouts to Apple Health. The Soma app runs on iPhone and reads Apple Health between visits, and it never writes anything back.
Which one fits
If you train hard and want a daily read on recovery and strain, that's what Whoop is built around, and it's available now. If you'd rather watch slower changes, like your skin, your body composition and your strength, measured the same way every week, that's what we're building Axon for. The two can sit side by side.
Questions people ask
Is Whoop a medical device?
Its ECG feature is, on WHOOP MG: the FDA cleared it in April 2025. Whoop says its blood pressure insights aren't a medical device. The FDA sent Whoop a warning letter about that feature in July 2025 and closed it in June 2026, after Whoop changed the feature. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't a medical device.
Can I wear a Whoop and use Soma?
Yes. Whoop writes sleep, resting heart rate and workouts to Apple Health, and the Soma app reads Apple Health between visits. The pod adds what a band can't read, like your skin and your body composition.
How do the costs compare?
Whoop is a yearly membership with the device included: $199, $239 or $359 depending on the plan, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. Soma hasn't announced a price. It'll be priced like a weekly habit, and prices come out before the first pod opens.
Does Whoop do blood tests?
Yes, in the US. Whoop's Advanced Labs are drawn at Quest Diagnostics locations and reviewed by a clinician. Soma's blood test will be an optional finger prick at pods with an attendant, sent to a partner lab, with results a few days later.