Best Continuous Glucose Monitors of 2025

Want to track your glucose levels without the hassle of finger pricks? A continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, is a much more convenient way to test your glucose levels. These wearable devices stick to your skin and sync with your smartphone or Apple Watch so you can check your blood sugar at a glance — no test strips or lancets needed.

While each monitor offers different features, they all provide real-time readings to help you make better daily decisions about food, activity and medication. To help you find the right CGM, we consulted doctors and researched the most popular models. Just be sure to talk to your doctor about diabetes monitor options so you can get the option that’s right for you.

Best continuous glucose monitors of 2025

<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best stand-alone continuous glucose monitor" description="

Editor’s note, June 25, 2024: Since this list was first published, the Freestyle Libre 3 has launched. This sensor is smaller than the Libre 2 and has readings sent directly to your smartphone every minute, along with other perks.

This meter is recommended by Dr. Rebecca Fenichel, an endocrinologist at&nbsp;Westmed Medical Group, and was&nbsp;previously recommended by Dr. Nate Favini, medical lead of Forward. "For people who are interested in deeper insights into their glucose levels, I’ll often recommend the Freestyle Libre for continuous glucose monitoring," Favini said.

"By placing a sensor on your arm, you can track your glucose constantly through the day and develop your understanding of what makes your sugar levels go up and down," he said. "People will often be surprised that foods that they assumed were good for their glucose levels may be causing spikes in their sugar. Although continuous glucose monitors are more expensive, they can help you understand what types of food and exercise are best for you."&nbsp;

To read your blood sugar on the Freestyle Libre, you do a quick scan with the CGM device to get a reading. There are also optional alarms if your blood sugar gets too high or too low.

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Editor’s note, June 25, 2024: Since this list was first published, the Freestyle Libre 3 has launched. This sensor is smaller than the Libre 2 and has readings sent directly to your smartphone every minute, along with other perks.

This meter is recommended by Dr. Rebecca Fenichel, an endocrinologist at Westmed Medical Group, and was previously recommended by Dr. Nate Favini, medical lead of Forward. “For people who are interested in deeper insights into their glucose levels, I’ll often recommend the Freestyle Libre for continuous glucose monitoring,” Favini said.

“By placing a sensor on your arm, you can track your glucose constantly through the day and develop your understanding of what makes your sugar levels go up and down,” he said. “People will often be surprised that foods that they assumed were good for their glucose levels may be causing spikes in their sugar. Although continuous glucose monitors are more expensive, they can help you understand what types of food and exercise are best for you.” 

To read your blood sugar on the Freestyle Libre, you do a quick scan with the CGM device to get a reading. There are also optional alarms if your blood sugar gets too high or too low.

<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best continuous glucose monitor for pairing with phones or Apple Watch" description="

Editor’s note, June 25, 2024: Since this article was first published, Dexcom has launched the G7. This sensor is smaller than the G6 and has an improved alert system, along with a few other differences.

"I find continuous glucose monitoring to be a valuable tool in the management of both type 1 and 2 diabetes," said Dr. Josh Emdur, medical director of SteadyMD. "CGM data provides actionable insight to help patients track their glycemic response to dietary choices and activity levels."

The Dexcom G6 doesn’t require you to manually scan to get a glucose level reading; instead, you get a wireless reading either on a dedicated receiver device or to your phone or Apple Watch. The Dexcom G6 reads your blood sugar every 5 minutes, keeping track of your blood sugar level as long as you’re wearing it night and day. You can set a custom range for where you’d like your blood sugar to be, and if it goes into low blood sugar or high blood sugar ranges you set, you will get notified.&nbsp;

"For patients on an insulin pump, the Dexcom G6 may connect with your pump and offer a closed-loop system to turn off your insulin if you are going low. The Dexcom monitor is also approved in pregnancy and offers continuous monitoring that you can see on your phone at all times," Fenichel said.

” page-position linktext linkurl like=”~ Real-time tracking, shareable with up to 10 people ~ Customizable alerts ~ Discrete sensor” dislike=”~ Short sensor life” can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer techobjectinfo overridecredit=”Dexcom” overridecaption=”

The Dexcom G6 is a wireless continuous glucose monitor that sends near constant readings via Bluetooth to a smartphone or watch app. Its readings are a few minutes behind, but its depth of data is like no finger stick.

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