Garmin's HRV Status feature requires a $250+ watch. Pulse Rate gives you the same daily HRV insight using your iPhone camera — at zero cost.
Garmin locks HRV behind a $299+ watch. Pulse delivers the same insight from the phone you already carry.
| Pulse Rate iPhone-only · free | G Garmin Connect Watch · from $299 | P Polar H10 Chest strap · $99 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | $0 | $299+ | $99 |
| Monthly subscription | None | None | None |
| Charging required | No | Daily | Battery (CR2032) |
| Wearable hardware | None | Wrist watch | Chest strap |
| Heart rate | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HRV (RMSSD & SDNN) | ✓ | HRV Status only | RMSSD only |
| Blood pressure | ✓ | — | — |
| Apple Health 2-way sync | ✓ | Limited | Via Polar Flow |
| Wellness Index (ESC/AHA-aligned) | ✓ | HRV Status only | — |
| 3-year total cost | $0 | $300+ | $99 |
Four things a $349 ring or a $30/mo strap can't actually give you back.
Your iPhone camera is a clinical-grade PPG sensor. Pulse uses it to read your heart in 60 seconds — no ring, no strap, nothing else to remember.
Wearables forget you exist when the battery dies. Your iPhone has 80% at 7 a.m. — that's all the runway Pulse needs.
No cloud upload. No "anonymous" research-partner data deal. Just your iPhone, your numbers, and the Apple Health vault you already trust.
That's the lifetime cost of a Whoop subscription. Pulse charges you once — never. Every metric they measure, we measure. For free.
Download Pulse Rate and take a reading in the next 90 seconds. No card. No ring. No regret.
Free to download · Core tracking always free · iOS 15+