Title: Dario Blood Glucose Meter & “Unlimited” Subscription — A Closer Look
By Mike Wilson, Reviewboard Magazine (Reviewboard.com)
Diabetes technology has come a long way in the last decade. Sleeker meters, smarter apps, integrated coaching—there’s no shortage of companies promising to “reinvent” the daily grind of glucose testing. Dario is one of the more heavily marketed options, especially with their flashy subscription model that claims UNLIMITED test strips and lancets delivered right to your door.
It’s a bold promise—one that would be a game-changer for frequent testers. Unfortunately, after spending several months with the Dario system and subscription, the reality didn’t quite match the hype.
The Meter: Compact, Clever… and Inconsistent
Let’s start with the hardware.
The Dario meter is genuinely well-designed.
It’s compact, smartphone-friendly, and integrates cleanly into the app ecosystem. It’s exactly the kind of device you want to carry—lightweight, attractively packaged, and convenient.
But accuracy is the core of any glucose meter, and this is where the Dario struggles.
Across dozens of daily tests, I compared Dario’s readings against the Contour Next, widely regarded as one of the most accurate consumer-grade glucose meters available today. The discrepancy? Routinely between 12–18% off, and not in a predictable direction. Both high and low readings tended to drift.
For anyone who makes dosing decisions or behavioral adjustments based on these numbers, this level of variance can be problematic. A meter can look good and work seamlessly with an app, but if the numbers aren’t close to reliable, the rest doesn’t matter.
I rate the meter itself: 3 out of 5.
Good concept, decent hardware, but accuracy is king—and this one misses the mark.
The Subscription: “Unlimited” Is Not Unlimited
Dario advertises an UNLIMITED test strip and lancet program, delivered automatically through their quarterly subscription service.
On paper, this is incredible. For people who test frequently (as I do), unlimited supplies mean less stress, fewer pharmacy runs, and predictable billing.
In reality?
It’s nowhere close to what’s advertised.
I was billed $75 per quarter, and in return I received:
- 3 boxes of strips
- 3 boxes of lancets
That’s it.
I test multiple times a day, so those supplies didn’t last long. Here’s where things break down completely:
There is no obvious or accessible way to request additional supplies. No button in the app, no “order more” link, no clear support channel dedicated to subscription fulfillment. I ran out—and then waited nearly a full month before the next shipment arrived.
That’s not unlimited.
That’s not even flexible.
That’s just a fixed quarterly shipment with misleading marketing.
When a health-related service markets itself as unlimited but delivers something far more restrictive—and fails to provide a mechanism to restock—trust evaporates quickly.
I rate the subscription service: 2 out of 5.
The entire value proposition collapses when the promise can’t be fulfilled.
Final Word
Dario has a nicely designed meter and a slick app, but accuracy concerns paired with a subscription model that fails to live up to its own advertising make it hard to recommend. Health management requires reliability, transparency, and trust—and unfortunately, this system falls short in every area where it matters most.
OFFICIAL FINDING: NOT WORTH IT
