Garmin challenges Whoop with CIRQA, a €200 screen-free fitness band with no subscription
Priced at €199.99 / $199.99, the CIRQA Smart Band tracks heart rate, sleep, and over 80 activities without a display or recurring fees, launching in Spain on July 24.
Design and hardware
The CIRQA Smart Band is a screen-free wearable with a single side button and a woven fabric strap, available in seven colours including Citron Grey and Captain Blue. It can be worn on the wrist or, with an optional accessory, higher on the arm, a design that Tom's Guide noted resembles the Whoop 5.0. Inside sits Garmin's Elevate heart-rate sensor, and the band promises up to 10 days of battery life. There is no display; all data is reviewed in the Garmin Connect mobile app.
Tracking and features
The band continuously monitors heart rate, sleep stages, naps, respiration, heart-rate variability, stress, skin temperature, and blood oxygen saturation (Pulse Ox). It also supports menstrual cycle and pregnancy tracking, using overnight temperature data to refine period and ovulation predictions. For fitness, the CIRQA can automatically detect activities like walking and running, and users can manually start tracking for more than 80 sport types by pressing the side button. Outdoor workouts rely on a connected smartphone's GPS, and LiveTrack location sharing is available when paired with a phone. Garmin's Body Battery energy gauge and training readiness score help users decide whether to push hard or recover.
Subscription model
Unlike its main rival Whoop, which requires a membership costing between $199 and $359 per year, the CIRQA offers all core tracking features without a recurring fee. Google's screenless Fitbit Air also charges a monthly fee for its Gemini coach. Garmin does offer an optional Garmin Connect+ subscription at $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year for deeper analytics, but the headline health and fitness metrics remain free. Over three years, a Whoop membership can cost more than the CIRQA's one-time $199.99 purchase price.
- CIRQA
- 199.99 $
- Whoop (low est.)
- 597 $
- Whoop (high est.)
- 1077 $
Market positioning
Garmin frames the CIRQA as a complement to its smartwatch lineup, not a replacement.
With its discreet design and the trusted health and fitness tracking tools Garmin is known for, this smart band complements our lineup of popular smartwatches.
The device enters a category that Whoop has defined almost entirely through subscription revenue, and Garmin is betting its sensor expertise can match that experience without a paywall. The company previously dipped into screen-free wearables with the 2025 Index Sleep Monitor, but that device focused narrowly on sleep and recovery.
Availability and pricing
The CIRQA Smart Band will be available in Spain starting July 24, priced at €199.99. In the United States, it will sell for $199.99. It comes in two sizes and includes the fabric strap; additional colours and the upper-arm accessory are sold separately.
