The Stelo CGM is the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor cleared by the FDA in the United States. Made by Dexcom and launched in 2024, Stelo is a 15-day wearable sensor designed for adults 18 and older who do not use insulin — primarily people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes managed with lifestyle or oral medications.
What Stelo Does
Stelo measures glucose in interstitial fluid just under the skin and transmits a reading every 15 minutes to a paired smartphone. The Stelo app shows current glucose, 24-hour graphs, time spent in range, and “spike” notifications after meals. Unlike prescription CGMs, Stelo intentionally omits urgent alarms for severe highs or lows, which is why it is limited to people not on insulin.
According to the FDA announcement in March 2024, Stelo was authorized specifically for people “who want to better understand how diet and exercise may impact their blood sugar.”
How It Works
The Stelo sensor contains a thin filament inserted painlessly into the skin on the back of the upper arm. A glucose-oxidase enzyme on the filament produces a tiny electrical signal proportional to surrounding glucose. That signal is sampled, smoothed, and sent over Bluetooth Low Energy to the Stelo app on iOS or Android.
Because it measures interstitial fluid rather than blood, there is a small lag of 5-15 minutes during fast changes — similar to all modern CGMs.
Accuracy
Stelo is built on the Dexcom G7 sensor platform, which has a published mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of about 8-9% versus laboratory reference glucose. That puts it among the most accurate CGMs on the market. It does not require fingerstick calibration.
That said, a CGM reading can still differ from a fingerstick by 15-20% in real time, especially after meals or during exercise when glucose moves rapidly. Stelo is best used for trend awareness rather than exact-value decisions.
Stelo vs. Prescription CGMs
| Feature | Stelo | Dexcom G7 | FreeStyle Libre 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescription required | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sensor life | 15 days | 10 days + 12 hr grace | 14 days |
| Reading interval | 15 minutes | 5 minutes | 1 minute |
| Urgent low alerts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Intended user | Non-insulin adults | All diabetes types | All diabetes types |
| Typical MARD | ~8-9% | ~8.2% | ~7.9% |
Who Benefits Most from Stelo
Stelo is a particularly good fit for:
- Adults with prediabetes who want to see how specific meals affect their glucose
- Type 2 diabetes users on metformin or lifestyle alone who want better feedback than quarterly A1C tests
- People curious about postprandial spikes, exercise effects, or stress and sleep patterns
If you use insulin or have hypoglycemia unawareness, Stelo is not appropriate — you need a CGM with urgent alerts.
What It Costs
Stelo is typically sold as a monthly subscription of two sensors. Pricing varies but has run around $89 per month without insurance. Most commercial plans do not cover Stelo because it is available over the counter, though some HSA and FSA accounts accept it.
Tips for Getting Value
The highest-value use of any CGM is pattern discovery, not obsessive tracking. Try the following during your first two sensors:
- Test identical meals at different times of day
- Walk 10-15 minutes right after dinner and compare the curve
- Check how poor sleep or stress raises morning fasting values
- Identify the three foods that spike you most, and modify them
Our nutrition hub offers meal ideas that tend to produce flatter glucose curves.
What Stelo Data Means in Context
The Stelo app reports your time in a “healthy range” of 70-140 mg/dL. For people without diabetes, most of the day should fall in this band. People with prediabetes typically see occasional post-meal excursions up to 160-180 mg/dL that return to baseline within two to three hours. If your glucose stays above 140 mg/dL for more than an hour after most meals, or if fasting values repeatedly exceed 100 mg/dL, share the data with your clinician — this suggests prediabetes that warrants formal testing.
Common Application Mistakes
A few beginner errors reduce Stelo’s reliability. Applying to a freshly shaved or moisturized arm shortens adhesion. Placing the sensor on the tricep rather than the back of the upper arm can cause signal issues when you sleep on it. Skipping the one-hour warmup and trusting very early readings leads to false spikes. And forgetting to pair your phone to Bluetooth means you will miss the real-time alerts the app provides. Review the startup checklist once, and later sensors go on smoothly.
The Bottom Line
Stelo makes continuous glucose monitoring accessible to millions of people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes who never had access before. It is accurate enough for trend learning, easy to wear, and does not require a prescription. Just remember that it is a coaching tool — not a replacement for your A1C or a substitute for medical care if you use insulin.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Talk to your healthcare provider before making changes to your diabetes management.
