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 the best massage guns. We’ve tested to find the best Theraguns, as well as several of the more affordable alternatives available. Our favorites are below, along with what we learned speaking to a physical therapist and athletic trainer to see what exactly these devices are doing.
Updated August 2022: We’ve added a new portable option from iLive and removed the currently unavailable Sportneer, and we’ve added the Lairlux Massage Gun EM-03Pro to our honorable mentions. We’ve also promoted the Yunmai Slim Elegant to our favorite Theragun alternative.
Julian Chokkattu and Jaina Grey have also contributed to this guide.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). 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. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
More News
TikTok ban expected to become law, but it’s not so simple. What’s next?
Well, hello, Voyager 1! The venerable spacecraft is once again making sense
Justice Department is being urged to protect researchers testing AI platforms