SleepHQ vs OSCAR
For most people on CPAP, SleepHQ is the better choice. It charts every night breath by breath, just as OSCAR does, but there is nothing to install: it runs in any browser and in native iPhone and Android apps, and a Magic Uploader Xtreme can send each night to your account without you touching the SD card. OSCAR is free, open source software for your own computer, and it suits people who want their data kept on that one machine and are happy to load the SD card into it themselves.
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SleepHQ vs OSCAR at a glance
| SleepHQ | OSCAR |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| Free Basic plan with your most recent 30 days and one machine. Pro is a paid membership with unlimited data. | Free, and its makers say it always will be. |
| What you install | |
| Nothing. It runs in any web browser. | Desktop software for Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook or Raspberry Pi. |
| iPhone and Android | |
| Native iOS and Android apps. | No iPhone, iPad or Android version. |
| Getting each night in | |
| Upload your SD card from any browser, or let a Magic Uploader Xtreme send it automatically over wifi. | Load your SD card on the computer OSCAR is installed on. |
| Level of detail | |
| Breath by breath, with event flags. | Breath by breath, with event flags. |
| Where your data lives | |
| In your SleepHQ account, encrypted at rest and in transit, on any device you sign in on. | On the computer you installed it on. |
| Help | |
| SleepHQ support, plus the SleepHQ Community with Pro. | The Apnea Board forum and wiki. |
Is OSCAR or SleepHQ better?
For most people, SleepHQ. You get the same breath-by-breath view of every night that OSCAR gives you, on any device, without installing software, and with a Magic Uploader Xtreme, without touching your SD card at all.
SleepHQ shows usage hours, AHI, pressure, leak rate and respiratory rate for every night, plus flow limitation on machines that record it, with the detailed charts underneath and event flags on them. It reads machines from ResMed, Philips Respironics, Fisher & Paykel, Löwenstein and BMC, and the supported devices page lists every model.
OSCAR is genuinely good at what it sets out to do. It is free, it is open source, and it keeps your data on the computer you install it on. If that is exactly what you want, and you are comfortable loading your SD card into it yourself, OSCAR will serve you well. Most people want their nights on their phone, uploaded without effort and easy to show their doctor, and that is what SleepHQ is built for.
Can I use OSCAR on a Mac or an iPhone?
On a Mac, yes. On an iPhone or an Android phone, no: OSCAR’s download page offers versions for Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook and Raspberry Pi OS, and none for iPhone, iPad or Android.
SleepHQ runs in Safari, Chrome or any other browser on a Mac or a PC, and has native iOS and Android apps. Your nights are in your account, so the night you upload on one device is waiting on all of them.
Do I have to take the SD card out every morning?
Not with SleepHQ. A Magic Uploader Xtreme goes in your machine’s SD card slot, holds your SD card, and sends each night to SleepHQ over your home wifi. It works with ResMed, Philips Respironics, Löwenstein and BMC machines, and with any SleepHQ account, free or Pro.
If you would rather not buy one, you can still copy the files off your SD card and upload them to SleepHQ from any browser, on a computer or on a phone with a card reader.
Can I see my oxygen levels next to my CPAP data?
Yes. Pair a SleepHQ O2 Ring Pro with a Magic Uploader Xtreme and your overnight oxygen and pulse readings land on the same dashboard as your CPAP data, lined up night by night.
Is my data private on SleepHQ?
Yes. Your SleepHQ data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and SleepHQ does not share it without your permission.
You stay in control of it. You can download all of your data from your account at any time, and you can delete your account and everything in it. SleepHQ engages independent security firms for regular penetration testing and is working towards SOC 2 Type II certification. The privacy policy sets out what is collected and why.
Can I share my data with my doctor?
Yes, in two ways. If your doctor or sleep specialist has a SleepHQ clinical account, they can give you a link to connect your account to theirs. If they do not, you can create a share link and email it to them, and they can open your full high resolution data with one click.
Is SleepHQ free like OSCAR?
SleepHQ has a free Basic plan, and it reads the same files a paid one does. It covers one CPAP or O2 device and your most recent 30 days of data, with breath-by-breath analysis and share links.
A Pro membership adds unlimited data, unlimited devices and account members, Apple and Google Health sync, the SleepHQ Academy and the SleepHQ Community, and starts with a 14 day free trial. See the plans and prices.
Questions about SleepHQ and OSCAR
Can I use SleepHQ and OSCAR together?
Yes. Both read the data your CPAP machine records to its SD card, so the same card can go into OSCAR on your computer and up to SleepHQ.
Using one does not stop you using the other. SleepHQ adds your nights on your phone, and, with a Magic Uploader Xtreme, uploads that happen without taking the card out.
Do I need a computer to use SleepHQ?
No. You can upload your SD card from a phone with a card reader, read every night in the SleepHQ app on iPhone, iPad or Android, and set up a Magic Uploader Xtreme from the same app.
A computer works too: SleepHQ runs in any web browser, with nothing to install.
Is SleepHQ open source like OSCAR?
No. SleepHQ is a service run by the SleepHQ team, with a free plan and a paid Pro membership. OSCAR is open source, released under the GNU General Public License version 3.
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