buying

Subscriptions and your data: what to check before you buy a wearable

Some wearables need a membership for core features or API access. Here's a five-question checklist for buying a device whose data you'll still control in three years.

2026-10-20

Illustration: Subscriptions and your data: what to check before you buy a wearable — Original illustration by Own Your Wearable (CC BY 4.0).

A subscription isn’t automatically bad, but it changes who controls access to your data. Before buying, answer these five questions.

1. Does the device work without a subscription?

Examples from our scorecards: WHOOP is sold as a membership. Oura ties most features and API access to its membership. Eight Sleep’s key features need Autopilot. Others, like Ultrahuman, RingConn and Garmin, don’t need a subscription for core tracking.

2. Is there an official API you can use yourself?

“Partner-only” APIs (e.g. Garmin’s developer program) aren’t available to individuals. Open ones (e.g. Withings, Polar AccessLink, Ultrahuman) are.

3. Can you export everything, in a usable format?

CSV, FIT or JSON beats screenshots and PDFs. See our export guide.

4. Does it work without the vendor cloud?

Gadgetbridge support is the best indicator of a device that keeps working if the vendor changes course.

5. Has the vendor changed the rules before?

APIs do change. Fitbit’s Web API is shutting down on Oct 30, 2026. Prefer platforms with open protocols or easy bulk export.

Compare devices on the scorecard table or side by side.

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