Dexcom / Abbott / Levels
Continuous Glucose Monitor (Stelo / Libre / Levels)
Now buyable without a prescription — the fastest way to learn how your own body handles food, and the easiest tool to over-interpret.
- Year one
- $99
- one-off
- Hardware
- $99
- ~$89–99 per month for OTC sensors; app-layer services like Levels cost more
- Subscription
- None
- not required
- Battery
- Sensor lasts 14–15 days
Over-the-counter CGMs turned a clinical device into a consumer one. Worn for two weeks, a CGM teaches you more about your personal glucose response to specific meals, exercise and sleep than any amount of reading — and that individual variation is real and large. The trap is treating normal physiology as pathology: healthy people spike after meals, and a 'scary' curve on toast is usually just a curve. Best used as a two-to-four-week experiment with specific questions, not as a permanent readout.
Is the measurement validated?
CGMs are well validated against blood glucose, with a known lag of roughly 5–15 minutes behind capillary readings and lower accuracy in the hypoglycaemic range. Accurate enough for patterns; not a diagnostic replacement for HbA1c or an OGTT.
What it measures · 1
- Blood glucose
Does it reach your record?
✓ SyncsMost export to Apple Health.
Explore your health record →Best for
Anyone with prediabetes, stubborn weight or energy crashes who wants to see cause and effect instead of guessing.
Watch out
Post-meal rises are normal. Don't build a restrictive diet around a two-week curve — pair it with HbA1c and fasting insulin for the real picture.
Price checked 2026-08-09 and quoted at MSRP — hardware pricing moves. Consumer devices estimate rather than diagnose; discuss anything clinical with your doctor.