If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
Our Favorite Massager (With Heat!)
Gravity Move Heated Mini Massager
Read more
This One Adds Cold Therapy Too
Sharper Image Powerboost Pro+
Read more
More From Sharper Image
Sharper Image Powerboost Deep Tissue Massager
Read more
If Massagers Never Have Enough Attachments
LifePro Sonic Massage Gun
Read more
Massage guns, also known as percussive therapy devices, help relax and soothe sore muscles and decrease recovery time, whether you’re an athlete or just hunching over a desk all day. Some even include heat and cold therapy. We’ve tested several across price ranges, and here you’ll find our favorites, plus some fun extras like a massaging pillow and goggles.
Theraguns (made by Therabody) tend to be some of the most popular in name, but they’re also the most expensive. This list is for our favorite Theragun alternatives, but we have a guide on Therabody’s whole lineup too.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.
-
Photograph: Gravity
Our Favorite Massager (With Heat!)
Gravity Move Heated Mini Massager
The weighted blanket brand we love also makes great massagers, as it turns out. This little device is powerful. Even level one moves so fast it’s hard to see. I love the heated attachment, which reaches 126 degrees Fahrenheit and is controlled by a button directly on it, rather than the main button on the handle. This means you can use it with or without pulsations, and even without it being attached to the device at all. The attachment needs to be charged separately, too, and it comes with its own USB-C charger. I wish the case were bigger, so that all the attachments could fit instead of just one at a time.
The Move is easy to maneuver, but if you’d rather a regular handle for better ergonomics, consider Gravity’s Relax ($150). It’s larger, with two additional attachments, including a heated one.
Comes with four attachment heads and a small carrying case.
-
Photograph: Sharper Image
This One Adds Cold Therapy Too
Sharper Image Powerboost Pro+
Sharper Image’s Powerboost Pro+ is my favorite of the brand’s several great massage guns. It uses heat, like the Gravity Move, but its temperature attachment also includes cold therapy, with a range from 38 degrees to 115 degrees. You can use this one for just the heat and cold, or with pulsations like any other percussive attachment. It has five other heads, and they’re all made from a nice hard silicone. The Pro+ is one of the quieter models in this guide too. It gets louder as you increase the speed, but even then it’s not blaring. It has a charging stand, which is convenient.
Comes with six attachment heads, a carrying case, and a charging stand
-
Photograph: Sharper Image
More From Sharper Image
Sharper Image Powerboost Deep Tissue Massager
We’ve tried several of Sharper Image’s massagers and all were great. You may find these in-store more readily than the others, as the brand is frequently sold at stores like Kohl’s or TJ Maxx. They just go in and out of stock and are updated frequently. The Pro+ gently works out all the pains and kinks in your muscles—don’t expect a ton of power behind each pulse—and it’s light and comfortable to hold. There is a slightly updated version available too that we haven’t tried, but seems to be similar.
The Powerboost Flex for $90 is one of the only non-Therabody massage guns I’ve tried with a pivoting arm to help reach those inaccessible spots. The four attachments aren’t as nice as the Powerboost Pro+, but it’s smaller and lighter, with the same six speeds.
Comes with five attachment heads and a carrying case
-
Photograph: LifePro
If Massagers Never Have Enough Attachments
LifePro Sonic Massage Gun
The LifePro Sonic has eight attachments, the most of any massager we’ve tried. They have a focus on deep tissue work and specific knots; there’s even one that looks creepily like a finger (for deep pressure). It’s quite powerful at its highest level, so if you have gnarly aches, you might like it over the priciest Theragun. The Sonic is a little heavy and doesn’t have a digital display, but it offers LEDs to show the five intensity levels as well as a battery indicator. I also like LifePro’s hand massager and eye massager if you need a whole-body reset.
Comes with eight attachment heads and a carrying case
-
Photograph: iLive
If You Need to Spend as Little as Possible
iLive Portable Massage Gun
The portable iLive massager is cheap, so it’s a good choice if you just need something and really don’t want to spend too much. You’re giving up power for price, but it’s soothing enough for minor aches. There’s no carrying case, though it’s small enough to throw into a bag. Kohl’s also sells it if you really want your Kohl’s cash, but if you’re going to spend $60, you might as well get a nicer massager like the LifePro or Gravity.
Comes with four attachment heads
-
Photograph: Gravity
For Your Eyes
Gravity Eye Massager
The first time I tried an eye massager, I was a little scared that it would hurt my eyes instead of help them. Instead, I found that they eased tension, helped my chronic headaches, and gave me a good reason to simply shut off.
I’ve now tried Gravity’s eye massager (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and Therabody’s. Both are similarly great and you’ll likely be happy with either one, but I like that Gravity’s has Bluetooth speakers so you can listen to relaxing music or a guided meditation.
-
Photograph: Synca Wellness
A Massaging Pillow
Synca Corron Rollup Massager
The Synca doesn’t use percussive technology like a massage gun, and instead has rolling nodes that knead into muscles with or without heat—if you’ve ever been to a salon or mall with massage chairs, they likely were similar. I particularly liked it for my back and shoulders, but it’s not as easy to lie down on as some of the photos show. It can actually kind of hurt that way, so it’s better to lean against it.
The mat part doesn’t also massage, but you can use it to hang off the back of a chair, keeping the actual pillow against your neck or shoulders without falling. It’s not cordless, so you’ll need to be near an outlet.
-
Photograph: Sportneer
Other Massagers We Like
Honorable Mentions
Lyric Massager for $172: Lyric’s massager was one of our top picks. As of this writing, the brand’s website is down to prepare for “a whole new Lyric experience,” but it was like that the last time we checked in November. Hopefully it actually does come back. If you happen to find it in stock, it’s a great massager that also looks pretty. The small touchscreen explains each of the four attachments and walks you through guided massages—or you can use it manually. Plus, it has an extension handle you can click on to get hard-to-reach areas like your back.
Bob and Brad D6 Pro Massage Gun for $250: This massage gun feels very high-end. It’s heavy in a good way, with nice attachments. I also like that the brand was started by two physical therapists. But it’s pricey compared to our other favorites, and I found the noise it makes to be quite annoying.
Turonic GM5 Massage Gun for $160: I really like using the Turonic. It’s light (much lighter than the LifePro Sonic above) and has one of the lowest intensity levels. That’s good for people who generally feel that “low” isn’t quite low enough on massage guns. It’s still quite powerful too. It has seven attachments.
Dr Massage Prowlr Massage Gun for $100: The Prowlr looks a bit like you’re putting a floor sander on your body. The large head spins, instead of the hammering-like motion of other guns. It feels more like a traditional rubbing massage, rather than a device that pounds into deep muscle knots. The handle is great for gripping and getting difficult-to-reach areas, but the attachments feel cheap. I also wish there was one smaller head for working on areas like your neck.
Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth for $229: If you can find the Hypervolt on sale, it’s a good option that has a Bluetooth-connected app like Therabody’s devices. It’s heavy and doesn’t come with a carrying case, though it has a small case for its five attachments.
Yunmai’s Slim Elegant (SE) for $180: Like the Lyric, Yunmai’s Slime Elegant was our favorite non-Theragun device. It lived up to its elegant name with its soft coating on the attachments and charging stand. However, it’s nearly impossible to find on sale.
-
Photograph: Georgii Boronin/Getty Images
What Does a Percussive Therapy Device Do?
What the Experts Have to Say
Massage guns can relieve soreness, but they also increase blood flow for faster recovery and loosen up tight muscles. Jacklyn Plonski, an outpatient orthopedic and pediatric physical therapist, likens percussive therapy devices to using a foam roller or getting a professional physical therapy treatment. Here’s what she has to say:
“As we exercise and challenge our muscles, we cause breakdown within the muscle fibers, which in turn stimulates muscle growth and regrowth, hypertrophy (increased muscle size), and strength. Mechanical stimulation of a muscle causes increased blood flow and the release of histamines to the stimulated area. What this does is allow the increased blood flow to decrease the inflammatory response, decrease muscle soreness, and break up knots in athletes’ musculature.” Plonksi has seen anecdotal evidence supporting the use of a precussive device, and no apparent negative effects, but she recommends people always talk to a physician before trying a device.
Shelby Milne, an athletic trainer at the University of Pennsylvania, says athletes at the school swear by massage guns and have used them for both pre- and post-training. “The oscillations can also act as a warming modality for the muscles and tissues before the activity.”
