The best glucose meters, also known as glucometers, are small handheld devices used for blood sugar testing. They are an important tool for managing diabetes. When paired with a testing strip, glucose monitors display your blood sugar level in that moment. In turn, that reading can help you make better decisions about medication (such as insulin), food and physical activity, and to figure out how each of those factors affect your blood glucose levels. Over time, a good glucometer can help you get an idea of what’s causing any blood sugar spikes or crashes.
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Choosing from among the best glucose meters is largely your choice. But your doctor should have some general guidance for you (they will also advise how often to test your blood glucose levels). When it comes to cost, while the price of the actual glucometer is important. It’s actually the cost of testing strips that you need to watch out for. After all, at first the best glucometer for you might be the cheapest one you can find. But if the test strips are expensive, it’s going to be very costly in the long run.
Let’s take a look now to see which the best one for you is.
1. Contour Next One Glucometer – Best glucose meter for smart diabetes management
Instantly shows if your blood glucose is in the target range.
SPECIFICATIONS
Result speed: Five seconds | Memory capacity: 800 readings | Blood sample size: 0.6 μL | Warranty: Five years
Reasons to Buy
- Blood glucose target range indicator
- Large display with clear numbers
- Compatible with Apple Health
Reasons to Avoid
- Still requires lancing
The Ascensia Contour Next One Glucometer is designed to work with the Contour Diabetes smartphone app (iOS, Android). It has a five-second results countdown. You can program the glucose meter with alarms to remind you to check your blood sugar throughout the day, which is handy if you often forget, and there’s a bright port light for increased visibility during testing.
One of the most useful features is the smartLIGHT target range indicator. This gives you instant visual (colored light) feedback by immediately recognizing if you blood glucose reading is above, below or within target range. This is one of the reasons why it’s rated as one of the world’s best glucose meters.
If you pair the Contour Next One with the Contour Diabetes app, readings will be stored for you to look through and pick out any trends. Pre- and post-meal blood sugar level reading results are saved, with Fasting, Before Meal, After Meal, and Overall results viewable on a daily graph.
The Contour Next One Glucometer presents averages over a 90-day period, and you can add in notes regarding diet, exercise and medication. This means you can not only see patterns, but the potential causes, enabling you to better manage your blood glucose day to day.
Another cool feature concerns the test strips, designed to enable Second-Chance sampling. This give you 60 seconds to reapply more blood, which could help prevent wasted strips if you didn’t add enough blood for a reading the first time. The user manual goes into detail on all of these features. It includes information such as how to use the Contour Next One, and how to clean your glucometer.
2. Fora 6 Connect Blood Glucose and Ketone Testing – Best glucose meter for ketone readings too
This sleek device doubles as a glucometer and ketone meter.
SPECIFICATIONS
Result speed: Five seconds (blood glucose), ten seconds (ketones) | Memory capacity: 1,000 readings | Blood sample size: 0.5 μL (blood glucose), 0.8 μL (ketone) | Warranty: Five years
Reasons to Buy
- Stores large number of readings
- Tests blood glucose and ketones
- Well-designed app
Reasons to Avoid
- Tech could be OTT for some users
The Fora 6 Connect glucose meter is popular among people who want to capture accurate blood glucose readings to see what foods and other factors spike their blood sugar, and could therefore help you make more informed nutritional choices to better manage your blood glucose levels.
An attractive aspect of the Fora 6 Connect is that it doubles as a ketone meter. It is one of few devices to do both types of monitoring effectively. It does so using two separate strips – one for glucose, one for ketones.
As a Bluetooth-enabled device, the Fora 6 Connect glucose meter saves readings to a companion phone app, iFORA HM (iOS, Android). So that you can dig into the data and pinpoint trends. Keeping readings is a vital part of diabetes management. Especially if you are taking medication and want to see how effective it is. With the capacity to store 1,000 readings, the Fora 6 is a real ally here.
When used to test blood glucose, ForaCare’s six-parameter glucometer requires a small sample size (0.5 μL) to measure not just blood sugar, but also hematocrit concentration (HCT), hemoglobin (HB), β-Ketone (KB), Uric Acid (UA), and Total Cholesterol (TCH). This is valuable for advanced diabetes management, with results displayed in just five seconds.
The large display also makes this one of the best glucose meters for people with sight issues, as the numbers are easy to read, and the backlit display is comfortable to look at, especially in dimly-lit rooms. We’d advise reading through the Fora 6 Connect’s user manual to acquaint yourself with the various symbols shown on the display during a reading. To aid ease and accuracy of testing, the Fora 6 Connect is designed with a bright port light and an eject button.
3. Dario LC Blood Glucose Monitoring System – Best glucose meter for small blood samples
The best glucometer for spotting blood sugar trends
SPECIFICATIONS
Result speed: Six seconds | Memory capacity: Unlimited | Blood sample size: 0.3 μl | Warranty: One year
Reasons to Buy
- Helps you analyze trends
- Built-in hypoglycemia alert
- Lightweight and compact
Reasons to Avoid
- Some users say the test strips are tricky to open
Analyzing data from past blood sugar readings could help you spot potential trends. Dario is one of the best glucose meters for doing just that. The no-coding Dario LC Blood Glucose Monitoring System works with a companion app (iOS 12+, Android) and automatically records results in-app, saving you the hassle of inputting data.
The Dario LC Blood Glucose Monitoring System is also designed to provide analysis of your readings, and you can opt to share data with your doctor or healthcare professional as needed.
This glucometer is small and lightweight, which is essential if you’re carrying it with you throughout the day. You don’t have to fiddle around with batteries or charging cables either, as it connects directly to your phone via its charging port. The device tracks a variety of metrics including carb intake, exercise and medication.
Dario says that the meter can provide accurate readings in six seconds. And that ‘95% of Dario measurements are within ±15% of the medical laboratory values. There’s also an integrated hypoglycemia alert that can be used in tandem with your GPS location to help you stay safer. When you buy the starter kit, you’ll get the Dario glucose meter itself, plus 24 test strips, ten lancets and ten disposable covers.
4. Roche Accu-Chek Guide Glucometer – Best glucose meter for fast results (non-CGM)
A simple to use glucose meter that’s packed with handy features
SPECIFICATIONS
Result speed: Four seconds | Memory capacity: 720 readings | Blood sample size: 0.6 μl | Warranty: Three-year limited
Reasons to Buy
- Easy-read digital display
- Spill-resistant test strip pack
- Port light
Reasons to Avoid
- Some users report app pairing issues
The Bluetooth-enabled Accu-Chek Guide Glucometer from Roche Diabetes is designed to be very simple to use for beginners upwards, with a clear display showing reading results in four seconds. According to the company, ‘95% of measured glucose results shall fall within ±10 mg/dL of lab reference value for blood glucose concentrations <100 mg/dL and within 10% for blood glucose concentrations ≥100 mg/dL.’
Download the free Accu-Chek Connect App and sync the glucose meter. It will automatically record your blood sugar readings to the app for you to analyze on demand. The backlight screen is bright and backed up by a port light that automatically comes on when you insert a test strip. This is handy if you have low vision, or if you are using the Accu-Chek Guide Glucometer in a darkened room.
There’s also a test strip eject button on the right-hand side of the glucose meter to aid usability and accuracy. And because the compatible test strips are quite light and small. This simple eject function is necessary so that you don’t have to fumble around. The anti-spill test strip storage pack is a nice touch – no more spilling strips when you take one out.
Roche has designed the test strips with ease of use in mind too, as you can add a small drop of blood for testing anywhere along the strip, as opposed to just in a specific spot.
5. Abbott FreeStyle Libre Glucometer – Best glucose meter for fewer fingerprick tests
One of the best glucose meters for freedom and comfort
SPECIFICATIONS
Memory capacity: 90 days of typical use | Sensor: Water-resistant amperometric electrochemical (5mm H, 35mm D) | Warranty: One year
Reasons to Buy
- Regular monitoring
- Helps you spot patterns
- Cuts down on fingerprick tests
Reasons to Avoid
- No hypo alert
The Abbott FreeStyle Libre provides ‘flash glucose monitoring’ and reduces your need to take multiple fingerprick tests each day. Instead, this glucose meter works with a disposable 14-day sensor that’s applied to your upper arm, and a companion app (iOS, Android). As a system, the FreeStyle Libre tracks your glucose data for 90 days and provides instant readings whenever the sensor is scanned by the reader. The sensor’s blood glucose reading range is 40 to 500 mg/dL.
The Abbott FreeStyle Libre sensor measures the level of glucose in interstitial fluid, a method of measurement often used by continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). Still, experts recommend carrying out some standard blood glucose tests to ensure CGM-type devices are accurate.
As such, the reader works with FreeStyle Optium blood glucose test strips (the test strip port sits at the bottom of the reader). The reader measures 95 x 60 x 16mm and weighs 65g, and has a battery life of seven days typical use. The microUSB data port (for downloading readings) doubles as a charging port.
The amperometric electrochemical sensor, meanwhile, has an eight-hour memory, with glucose readings stored every 15 minutes. The sensor has a small, flexible tip that is inserted just beneath the skin. The reader will store up to 90 days’ worth of blood glucose data captured by the sensor, and you can enter notes regarding physical activity, food and insulin to help you better understand how they affect your blood glucose. Reports are generated in the companion app and can be shared with your doctor as needed.