Key facts
- Oura’s Readiness Score uses nine contributors and a 0 to 100 scale; 85 to 100 is labeled Optimal. 1
- Garmin’s Training Readiness uses six inputs and a 1 to 100 scale; 95 to 100 is labeled Prime. 2
- WHOOP’s developer documentation shows Recovery as green at 67 to 100, yellow at 34 to 66 and red at 0 to 33. 3
- Oura says it can take up to two weeks for the app to learn your average values. 1
What is a readiness score?
A readiness score, sometimes called a recovery score, is a single daily number that a wearable builds from several signals. The idea is simple. Instead of reading sleep, resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) separately, the app blends them into one figure and a short message about how hard to push today.
Each maker calls it something different and builds it differently. This page reads the makers’ own pages on October 16, 2026 and records what they say, with the page date when one is shown. If a page did not state a value, the table below says so. Nothing here ranks the scores or judges their accuracy.
Two ideas hold across the brands read. First, the score is judged against you. Oura says its contributors are based on personal averages, and Fitbit’s launch post describes comparing your recent data with your personal baseline.14 Second, the score reflects recent days, not only last night. Garmin includes sleep history for the last 3 nights and stress history for the last 3 days, and Fitbit says it looks at several nights of sleep.24
What goes into each brand’s score?
| Oura | Garmin | WHOOP | Fitbit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Readiness Score.1 | Training Readiness.2 | Recovery.3 | Daily Readiness Score.4 |
| Inputs listed | Nine contributors: resting heart rate, HRV balance, body temperature, recovery index, sleep, sleep balance, sleep regularity, previous day activity, activity balance.1 | Six: last night’s sleep score, recovery time, HRV status, acute load, sleep history (3 nights), stress history (3 days).2 | Resting heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate, sleep duration and quality, skin temperature, blood oxygen.3 | Activity, HRV (calculated during deep sleep) and sleep over the past several nights.4 |
| Scale | 0 to 100.1 | 1 to 100.2 | 0 to 100 percent in three colors.3 | No numeric ranges on the page read.4 |
| Bands | 85 to 100 Optimal, 70 to 84 Good, 60 to 69 Fair, 0 to 59 Pay Attention.1 | 95 to 100 Prime, 75 to 94 High, 50 to 74 Moderate, 25 to 49 Low, 1 to 24 Poor.2 | Green 67 to 100, yellow 34 to 66, red 0 to 33.3 | A high score means ready for action, a low one means prioritize recovery.4 |
| Baseline | Personal averages; up to two weeks to learn them; “long-term” means the past two months.1 | Not stated on the page read.2 | Not stated on the page read.3 | Your personal baseline.4 |
| Needs | Not stated on the page read.1 | Updated continuously through the day.2 | Not stated on the page read.3 | Fitbit Premium and a listed device, worn day and night, per the 2021 post.4 |
Garmin’s wording comes from the Instinct 2 Series owner’s manual (April 2026); other models may differ. The Fitbit source is a post dated August 25, 2021, so the list of devices and the plan may have changed. WHOOP’s own help and blog pages could not be read, so its row relies on the developer documentation, which shows no update date.
The table shows how little the formulas overlap. Oura and Garmin both list HRV and sleep. Only Oura lists body temperature among its nine contributors, and only Garmin lists stress history and acute load. WHOOP’s documentation lists respiratory rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen, and Fitbit’s post lists activity, HRV and sleep.1234 The same night can therefore produce an “Optimal” at one brand and a middling number at another.
| Signal | Oura | Garmin | WHOOP | Fitbit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep | Listed (sleep, balance, regularity).1 | Listed (last night and 3 nights).2 | Listed (duration and quality).3 | Listed (several nights).4 |
| HRV | Listed (HRV balance).1 | Listed (HRV status).2 | Listed.3 | Listed.4 |
| Resting heart rate | Listed.1 | Not listed on the page read.2 | Listed.3 | Not listed on the page read.4 |
| Activity or load | Listed (previous day, balance).1 | Listed (acute load, recovery time).2 | Not listed on the page read.3 | Listed (activity).4 |
| Temperature | Listed (body temperature).1 | Not listed on the page read.2 | Listed (skin temperature).3 | Not listed on the page read.4 |
| Stress | Not listed on the page read.1 | Listed (stress history).2 | Not listed on the page read.3 | Not listed on the page read.4 |
“Not listed on the page read” means the page examined did not name the signal. A brand may use it elsewhere in the app.
How do the scales work, with an example?
The scales run in the same direction (higher is more ready) but not on the same ruler. Oura’s bands start at 60 for Fair. Garmin’s start at 50 for Moderate. WHOOP uses three colors with the break at 67.123 The same 62 would be Fair at Oura, Moderate at Garmin and yellow at WHOOP, but those labels come from three different formulas.
Oura gives some of its own thresholds, which makes a worked example possible. It says resting heart rate averages of 40 to 100 beats per minute are normal, and that the contributor score may drop with a resting heart rate 3 to 5 beats above, or 10 to 15 below, your usual average.1 If your usual average is 58, then 61 to 63 beats per minute is the 3-to-5-above band and 43 to 48 is the 10-to-15-below band (58 plus 3 to 5, and 58 minus 10 to 15). Oura frames such a shift as possibly a sign of stress or illness, not a diagnosis.1
Oura gives a temperature range as well: long-term nighttime averages of 95.9 to 99.3°F are considered normal, and the score is affected when changes extend beyond your personal baseline.1
Oura describes a score of 85 or higher as possibly a sign that you are ready to take on new challenges, and a score below 70 as a hint that you may benefit from prioritizing rest and recovery.1 Note the verbs. The brand says “may” in both directions. The score is a prompt for you, not a command.
What a readiness score cannot tell you
A score is a summary, and summaries hide detail. Here are the limits to keep in mind.
- It cannot say why. A low number may reflect a short night, a hard workout, alcohol, illness or a loose strap.
- It is not comparable between brands, because each uses a different formula and baseline.1234
- It is not a medical result. The Cleveland Clinic says HRV that is normal in one person may not be normal for another, that numbers do not tell the whole story, and that a healthcare provider should interpret results.6
- Its inputs have error. A systematic review of 158 publications found that commercial wearables were accurate for heart rate in lab settings, but this varied by maker and model.7
- Wrist-based HRV is the weakest input. The Cleveland Clinic says an EKG is more accurate than a smartwatch and that most wrist-worn trackers usually are not sensitive enough to detect HRV accurately.6
For the HRV input, see our guides to heart rate variability and to how to improve HRV. For the sleep input, see the page on sleep score. If you are choosing a device, the published guide to the best HRV monitors compares what each records.
How to use a readiness score without over-trusting it
- Give it time. Oura says it can take up to two weeks for the app to learn your average values, so early scores mean less.1
- Watch the trend, not the day. A week of scores shows your range. One low morning is not a signal on its own.
- Check the inputs. Open the contributors, if the app shows them, and see which one moved. Oura shows nine.1
- Add what the sensor cannot see. Note sleep timing, alcohol, training and stress. Those are the factors linked to HRV in studies, covered in our guide on improving HRV.
- Decide for yourself. Use the label as one input next to how you feel. If you feel unwell, speak to a health professional.
The point of a score is a daily conversation with your own data. It works best when you already know what a normal week looks like for you.
Where does Elio fit?
Chutex’s Elio is a screenless wellness band. Its product page says it measures HRV overnight and combines it with sleep and resting heart rate to compute a recovery score, shown each morning as an index in green, orange or red.5 The Chutex app also shows sleep information and training load alongside it.5
Like the scores above, Elio’s index is a wellness estimate built from Chutex’s own formula. It is not comparable with an Oura, WHOOP, Garmin or Fitbit number. It is meant to show you your own trend.
Frequently asked questions
What is a readiness score?
A single daily number that a wearable builds from signals such as sleep, resting heart rate, HRV and activity, compared with your own baseline. Oura calls it Readiness, Garmin calls it Training Readiness and WHOOP calls it Recovery.
How does Oura calculate its Readiness Score?
Oura lists nine contributors: resting heart rate, HRV balance, body temperature, recovery index, sleep, sleep balance, sleep regularity, previous day activity and activity balance. Scores run 0 to 100, and the exact weights are not published on the page read.
What is a good Oura readiness score?
Oura labels 85 to 100 as Optimal, 70 to 84 as Good, 60 to 69 as Fair and 0 to 59 as Pay Attention. Oura says a score of 85 or higher may be a sign you are ready to take on new challenges.
How does Garmin Training Readiness work?
Garmin’s manual lists six inputs: last night’s sleep score, recovery time, HRV status, acute load, sleep history over the last 3 nights and stress history over the last 3 days. Scores run 1 to 100, from Poor to Prime.
What is the Fitbit Daily Readiness Score?
A 2021 Google post describes a score that weighs activity, HRV during deep sleep and several nights of sleep, and says it requires Fitbit Premium and a listed device. Check Fitbit’s current pages, since details may have changed.
What are the WHOOP Recovery colors?
WHOOP’s developer documentation shows green at 67 to 100, yellow at 34 to 66 and red at 0 to 33. It lists resting heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate, sleep, skin temperature and blood oxygen as inputs.
Can I compare my readiness score with a friend’s?
Not usefully. Scores are measured against each person’s own baseline, and each brand uses a different formula, so the same number can mean different things.
Is a low readiness score a sign of illness?
Not by itself. A low score can follow a short night, hard training or stress. Oura says a changed heart rate or temperature may be a sign of stress or illness, which is a possibility, not a diagnosis. Speak to a health professional if you feel unwell.
Sources
- Oura Member Care, Readiness Contributors (last updated October 7, 2026), Oura. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- Garmin, Training Readiness, Instinct 2 Series Owner’s Manual (April 2026), Garmin. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- WHOOP Developer Platform, WHOOP 101 (no update date on the page; copyright 2026), WHOOP. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- Google, Rebuild stronger with Fitbit Premium and Daily Readiness (post dated August 25, 2021), Google (Fitbit). Retrieved October 16, 2026
- Chutex Elio US product page, sensors and recovery index, Chutex. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- Cleveland Clinic, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) (date shown on page: 09/02/2026), Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- Fuller D, Colwell E, Low J, et al. Reliability and validity of commercially available wearable devices for measuring steps, energy expenditure, and heart rate: systematic review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020;8(9):e18694, PubMed. Retrieved October 16, 2026