What is the difference between Dexcom Stelo and Abbott Lingo?

Both are over-the-counter CGMs for adults 18+ not on insulin. Stelo (Dexcom) wears up to 15 days per sensor and frames itself around glucose awareness and prediabetes; Lingo (Abbott) wears about 14 days and wraps the same Libre-derived hardware in a coaching-oriented app with a Lingo Count metric. Hardware accuracy is comparable; the choice mostly comes down to price at time of purchase and which app ecosystem you prefer.

Do Stelo and Lingo write glucose data to Apple Health?

Yes, both can share glucose readings with Apple Health on iPhone, which is what lets third-party companion apps like spike analyze your per-meal responses. Note that Stelo writes to Apple Health on a delay of roughly 3 hours by design; your live number stays in the sensor's own app.

Do I need a prescription for a CGM in 2026?

Not for Stelo or Lingo; both are over-the-counter in the US for adults 18+ who don't use insulin. FreeStyle Libre and Dexcom G7 remain prescription products aimed at diabetes management, usually with insurance coverage for people with diabetes.

Which CGM is best for tracking meal responses?

For wellness use, any of them works; the analysis app matters more than the sensor brand. All major sensors write to Apple Health, and a companion app like spike computes each meal's curve, peak, and recovery regardless of which sensor supplied the data. Pick the sensor by price and availability, then pick the app by the answers you want.

Blog · July 5, 2026 · 7 min read

Stelo vs Lingo vs Libre: which CGM should you buy?

Two over-the-counter sensors and one prescription workhorse dominate the US market. The good news: for wellness use you can't pick badly, because the hardware has converged. The differences that remain are price, wear time, app philosophy, and what happens to your data. Here's the map.

The short version

	Dexcom Stelo	Abbott Lingo	FreeStyle Libre
Availability	OTC, adults 18+ not on insulin	OTC, adults 18+ not on insulin	Prescription
Wear time	Up to 15 days	About 14 days	About 14 days
Approx. cost	~$99 per two-pack, ~$89/month subscription	~$49 per sensor, plans available	Varies with insurance
Own app's focus	Glucose awareness, weekly summaries	Coaching, Lingo Count metric	Diabetes management
Apple Health	Yes (~3h delay)	Yes	Yes
Best for	Metabolic curiosity, prediabetes awareness	Lifestyle coaching fans	People with diabetes and coverage

Dexcom Stelo: the default choice for wellness

Stelo is Dexcom's OTC sensor: up to 15 days of wear, about $99 for a two-pack (roughly a month of coverage) or ~$89/month on subscription. The app is clean and low-pressure, oriented around awareness rather than coaching. It shares data with Apple Health, with one quirk worth knowing before you buy: readings arrive there on a roughly 3-hour delay by design. We wrote a full explainer on the delay; the short version is that it doesn't matter for meal analysis and your live number stays in the Stelo app.

Longest OTC wear time, the most neutral first-party app, and the widest third-party compatibility make it the default pick for most people reading this.

Abbott Lingo: the coached experience

Lingo is Abbott's consumer play, built on the same core sensing technology as the Libre line, worn about 14 days. The intro price per sensor tends to undercut Stelo, and the app is more opinionated: challenges, coaching nudges, and a proprietary "Lingo Count" that gamifies your glucose day. If you want the sensor to come with a personality, Lingo delivers. If you'd rather have quiet data and pick your own analysis tools, that personality is overhead. Lingo also writes to Apple Health, which keeps your companion-app options open.

FreeStyle Libre: the prescription workhorse

Libre remains a diabetes-management product: prescription in the US, widely insurance-covered for people with diabetes, about 14 days of wear, real-time readings and alarms in its own app. If you have diabetes, this (or Dexcom's G7) is the appropriate tier, chosen with your clinician; the OTC products explicitly aren't for insulin dosing. If you don't have diabetes and no prescription path, the OTC sensors get you effectively equivalent wellness data with zero friction.

The part that matters more than the sensor

Here's the buying insight most reviews bury: for wellness use, the sensors have converged; the analysis hasn't. All three write glucose to Apple Health on iPhone. All three first-party apps show you a line chart and basic logging. None of them will tell you, automatically, per meal, what your food did: where you started, how high you went, how long you took to recover.

That's the layer spike adds, and it's sensor-agnostic by design. Whichever sensor you buy, spike reads its Apple Health data, ties every photo-logged meal to its exact glucose response, and pushes you the verdict. Buy the sensor on price and availability; the understanding comes from the app you pair with it.

The bottom line

No prescription and want maximum flexibility: buy Stelo, the 15-day wear and neutral app make it the best default. Prefer built-in coaching or find Lingo cheaper at checkout: Lingo is equally capable hardware. Have diabetes: talk to your clinician about Libre or G7 with coverage. Then, whichever you choose, add a per-meal analysis app; the sensor collects the data, but the companion app is where the answers live.

whichever sensor you pick, spike speaks its language.

Stelo, Lingo, Libre, or Dexcom G-series via Apple Health. Free trial on the App Store.

Download on the App Store

This article is for general wellness education and is not medical advice. spike is a wellness app, not a medical device. Sensor pricing, wear times, and features are approximate as of July 2026 and change frequently; confirm current details with Dexcom and Abbott. OTC CGMs are not for insulin dosing decisions. Stelo and Dexcom are trademarks of Dexcom, Inc. FreeStyle Libre and Lingo are trademarks of Abbott. spike is not affiliated with either company.