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What Does a Percussive Therapy Device Do?
What the Experts Have to Say
Best for Serious Athletes
Theragun Pro Plus
A Nearly-Silent Theragun
Theragun Sense
The Cheapest Theragun
Theragun Relief
Massage guns, also known as percussive therapy devices, help relax and soothe sore muscles, whether you’re an athlete or just hunching over a desk all day. Theraguns (made by Therabody) tend to be some of the most popular. We’ve tested and like the entire range, but they’re expensive. There are plenty of Theragun alternatives out there for hundreds of dollars less. In this guide, you’ll find a mix of both for all budgets—plus helpful information from a physical therapist and athletic trainer on how these devices can help our bodies. These are our favorite massage guns.
If you decide to get a Theragun, there are additional accessories available. Most importantly, you can buy foam tips separately, so don’t think you have to buy the Theragun Pro to get the relief you need. Just be sure to check each one’s compatibility.
Updated November 2023: We’ve added the three newest Theragun devices, the Pro Plus, Sense, and Relief. We’ve also removed other options that are no longer available and updated prices throughout.
Julian Chokkattu and Jaina Grey also contributed to this guide.
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Photograph: Georgii Boronin/Getty Images
What Does a Percussive Therapy Device Do?
What the Experts Have to Say
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 [with a device like the Theragun] 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 Theragun-like 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.”
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Photograph: Theragun
Best for Serious Athletes
Theragun Pro Plus
Theragun Pro models are always the most expensive, and the kind of devices used by college athletic departments and professional sports teams. This Pro Plus adds a few new, welcome features over previous years, like heat therapy. However, if you also want cold therapy, you have to purchase an additional attachment for $89, which seems excessive given the $600 price tag. A vibration head offers less intense massage so you can treat sensitive areas. There’s also near-infrared LED light therapy to help promote circulation and speed up recovery. We can’t independently verify if this was actually happening inside our bodies, but studies have shown positive benefits.
I like the breathwork feature that walks you through deep breathing via the LCD screen, paired with a heart rate sensor. This is also on the Theragun Sense device, below, if you don’t need all the other features here. Compared to the 6th-gen Pro, you get a better carrying case, but lose the rotating arm.
Comes with seven attachment heads and a carrying case.
★ Alternative: The 5th-gen Pro came out in 2022, so it’s still a solid device for athletes. If you can find it on sale and don’t need all the latest updates, you should still be happy with this one.
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Photograph: Theragun
A Nearly-Silent Theragun
Theragun Sense
The Sense is slightly smaller and lighter than the Pro Plus and it’s also significantly quieter. Some settings are almost completely silent. It has the same LCD screen for controls, which includes several guided routines. You’ll also find the same breathwork feature with a heart rate monitor on the handle. There are three fewer attachments here but the Sense is more the average person needs.
You don’t need the Therabody app (iOS, Android) to operate any of the Theragun massagers, but if you’ve never used something like this, it can be helpful. It walks you through exactly how and where to use your device for treating specific ailments, like leg cramps or lower back pain, or to accompany workouts, be it pre- or post-session. You can select certain ones to show up on your device’s LCD screen too. There are also tutorials for all of the specific attachments.
Comes with four attachment heads and a carrying case.
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Photograph: Theragun
The Cheapest Theragun
Theragun Relief
The Theragun Relief is the last of 2023’s new devices and is the cheapest one so far—even cheaper than the Mini and I like this one more. The Relief is lighter and does feel a bit more plasticky but doesn’t seem like it will break easily. It keeps the same triangle design which makes holding and maneuvering Theraguns comfortable and easy.
For the price, you’re losing the screen and fancy extras, but if you need them, you can still walk through recovery routines by watching in the app. There are three attachments and three speeds—the other two have five speeds—and no carrying case. You can find cheaper on this list, but it’s a solid device for the price if you want to stick with the brand.
Comes with three attachment heads.
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Photograph: Gravity
The Best Portable 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. More and more devices are adding heat, as this one does. The metal attachment 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. It has its own USB-C charging port, which I’ve never seen before (it comes with two chargers).
The case only fits the handle with one attachment on it, so I wish it was a little bigger.
★ More From Gravity: The brand also has an older massage gun, the Relax ($150). I tried both the Move and Relax together, and they’re similar with the same heated attachment. The Relax is larger, with two additional attachments and a wider range of intensity levels, but I prefer the Move, which is more compact.
Comes with four attachment heads and a small carrying case.
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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 Theragun Pro Plus and Gravity Move, but its temperature attachment also includes cold therapy, going 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
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Photograph: Sharper Image
A Budget Pick
Sharper Image Powerboost Deep Tissue Massager
This Sharper Image model is usually around $100 or less, making it the best full-size budget massage device. It 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.
Comes with five attachment heads and a carrying case
★ Another Sharper Image massager: Sharper Image’s 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.
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Photograph: Lyric
The Prettiest Massager
Lyric Massager
I’m tired of shiny, ugly plastic, so I appreciate that Lyric prioritized function and design with its massage gun. It’s pretty, with a modern shape that’s much thinner than other guns and pleasant matte colors. (It looks more like a sex toy, which is a compliment.) Its small touch screen 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. As of this writing, the brand website is down for maintenance to prepare for “a whole new Lyric experience.” We’re not sure if that means a new device is coming but we’ll keep an eye out.
The company says this massager uses Rhythm Therapy based on vibroacoustic science and offers a wider frequency range and lower amplitude than other massage guns. It claims this can “help nourish the body’s parasympathetic mode” to promote rest or increase energy, depending on which function you choose. I can’t say if it was vibroacoustically soothing me to sleep, and its highest level isn’t as powerful as others in this guide, but I liked using it for day-to-day needs.
Comes with four attachment heads and a docking station
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Photograph: LifePro
If Massagers Never Have Enough Attachments For You
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
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Photograph: Therabody
More From Therabody
Rollers and TENS Units
Therabody offers other muscle aids aside from massage guns, some of which we’ve tried. The SmartGoggles ($199) (9/10, WIRED Recommends) have become an essential part of my nighttime routine. Connect them to the Therabody app to choose one of three modes—Focus, SmartRelax, and Sleep. It vibrates, massages, and heats up and makes me go into an almost catatonic state in the best way. I get some gnarly headaches right behind my eyes, and these really help.
One WIRED writer tried the fancy (and expensive) facial device, the TheraFace Pro ($400). She noticed her skin was softer and brighter, but noted that no studies prove that microcurrent is an effective facial treatment. If you can afford it and like to pamper yourself, it could be a nice little gadget.
Foam rolling is great for releasing tension and soothing sore muscles, and Therabody has three devices that combine rolling and vibrations. The Wave Roller ($149) is the most similar to a traditional, textured foam roller, but with the vibrations of a percussive device. This one is best for full-body rolling. The small Solo ($79) and the Duo ($99) (we tried the latter), are both more portable and designed for more pinpointed treatment. Consider spending the extra $20 for the Duo.
The PowerDot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator ($349) works for sore muscles and period cramps by using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). A reusable pad (or pads) sticks to the part of your body that’s sore, and the actual devices attach to that pad magnetically. Through an app, you can control the intensity or choose a dedicated session. I was scared it was going to hurt or feel like a shock, but it didn’t. Just start low and slow.
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Photograph: Sportneer
More Percussive Devices We Like
Honorable Mentions
We’ve now tried quite a few massage guns, and they all get the job done safely and comfortably and come with (mostly) the same attachments. Our picks above narrowly beat these out, you’ll still be happy with any of the devices listed below, especially if the price is right.
More Theragun Devices
- Theragun Elite 4th Gen for $399: This held our top spot for being the quietest before the slightly cheaper Sense took that title. If you can find it for less, it’s still a good buy. The Elite comes with five attachments.
- Theragun Mini 2nd Gen for $199: The Mini is as bare-bones as a Theragun can get, and much more portable than its siblings. It’s powerful, but the size makes it awkward to use on your back. We haven’t tried this version that was released in 2022, but it’s nearly identical to the model we tested, just slightly smaller and lighter.
- Theragun Prime 4th Gen for $299: We did not test the Prime, but based on its specs, it’s right in the middle of Theragun’s pack. This probably isn’t the best fit for a professional athlete constantly working their body to the max, but for everyday aches and pains, it’s more than sufficient.
- What about older Theraguns? Therabody still sells a few older generations as well as refurbished models directly. You may find even older models for sale on Amazon. While we haven’t tried them all, we think it comes down to price. Anything older than 2019 or 2020 releases might not be worth it unless the price is shockingly low. You’re likely better off buying some of the alternative options brand new for less.
Other Massagers We Like
- Lairlux Massage Gun EM-03Pro for $35: Lairlux’s massage gun is great, but ultimately the foam attachments feel just OK (it comes with two foam attachments and four plastic ones). However, I love that the digital controls allow you to set it at exactly the right intensity from level one to 20, instead of what is sometimes a big jump between two levels. There’s also a significant price difference between the two different colors, so make sure you pick the cheaper version.
- Sportneer Percussive Massage Device for $120: I like the Sportneer nearly as much as the Sharper Image Powerboost Deep Tissue Massager above. It comes with six attachments, including two that are metal-topped for use with massage oil. There are six intensity levels, but the last two or three feel like overkill.
- Turonic GM5 Massage Gun for $130: 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.
- Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth for $200: 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.
- iLive Portable Massage Gun for $39: If you want to spend as little as possible, this one has four attachments and is small enough to fit in your bag or desk drawer. It’s not super powerful but it’s soothing enough at the price.
- Yunmai’s Slim Elegant (SE) for $180: This 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 for sale.
