The Best Massage Guns of 2024

The Hypervolt looks like a cross between a hairdryer and a power drill. To me, that shape—which sometimes made it difficult to reach certain parts of my body—is the only thing that makes the gun inferior to the Theragun. The first thing that stood out to me, especially in comparison to the Theragun, was how quiet the Hypervolt is, despite its power.

At max speed, this machine is faster than the Theragun—3,200 PPM (percussions per minute) versus the max of Theragun’s 2,400 PPM—but my muscles didn’t feel like they experienced any more force. Even though it only has three speed settings (compared to the Vybe Pro, which has nine), each one hit on every amount of force I needed for recovery. It comes with five attachments, on par with Theragun.

Much like the Theragun, Hyperice has an app that goes along with the Hypervolt, where you watch videos that show you how to properly use your Hypervolt and follow along with warm-ups and cool-downs that target specific workouts and muscles. As an added bonus, Hyperice’s videos feature athletes, like NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes and Track & Field Olympian Colleen Quigley.

We did not test the Bluetooth version of the Hypervolt, as it wasn’t available during our testing. But according to staff members who personally own the Bluetooth version, some of the highlights include being able to sync your Strava, Garmin, and Apple Health data to the app, which allows it to give you personalized recommendations based on the workout you just completed.

Like the Theragun, you can select a warm-up, cool-down, or recovery treatment on the app, and the settings will automatically play on the Hypervolt. You can select treatments that focus on specific muscle groups, or general treatments that target the full body like “Work From Home Flow” or “Nighttime Relief.”

Hypervolt has one annoying issue, though. Unlike every other massage gun we tested, it doesn't come with a carrying case—you have to purchase it separately. This is a small issue, but I found it irksome, especially because the Hypervolt is one of the pricier massage guns and this would be enough for me to avoid buying it on principle.

The Theragun Mini has just one attachment and three-speed settings, but it packs a big punch in a small package. Its ergonomic design fits in the palm of your hand without feeling awkward. Because it’s significantly smaller than the other massage tools, this is your answer if you’re looking for something to travel with or throw in your gym bag.

While you can still benefit from using the Therabody app with the Mini, with plenty of videos showing you what muscle groups to massage depending on your needs, it does not have Bluetooth capability like the Theragun Elite, so it doesn’t automatically adjust or tell you how you should be holding the massage gun.

Of all the Theragun tools, the Mini offers the fewest bells and whistles. The tool itself only comes with one attachment, but you may use ones from another Theragun or (buy attachments for an additional $20 each.) Much like the Theragun Elite, this massage gun can be easily maneuvered to massage your back and shoulders, and it provides plenty of control wherever you use it.

Although three speed levels might seem not enough compared to what other massage tools have to offer, I felt that each level got the job done, and had enough distinction between them that I felt satisfied every time I adjusted it. If you’re looking for something small and basic, the Theragun Mini is a great choice, especially if you want a Theragun without forking over $300 or more for its other products. However, if you want to spend a little less and gain a little more without the sparkle of a hot brand name, there are better options out there.

The ExoGun DreamPro offers a solid massage, with six speed settings and four attachments, but with such stiff competition from the rest of the field, it didn’t stand out. This was the only massage gun that I had to look at the directions to see how to turn it on—you have to hold down the power button on the LCD screen—but other than that, it was easy for me to use. It looks more like a radar gun than a massage gun and offers subtle variation between each speed level without overpowering noise on any level.

ExoGun boasts that it’s designed ergonomically for hard-to-reach areas, but I didn’t think it differed much from the other standard massage guns that are shaped the same way.

The Ekrin B37, with its five speeds and four attachments, performed fine if not outstandingly throughout testing. The speeds each offer a decent enough massage, and the sound isn’t too overpowering, giving it a middle-of-the-road experience.

The main drawback of the B37 is that the button to adjust levels of pressure rests on the top of the gun, making it impossible to change speeds with one hand if you’re holding the gun at the bottom of the L-shaped handle. That knocked it down a few notches in our book, as other massage guns have perfected one-handed controls. Another minor flaw is that it requires you to churn through all of its speeds if you want to go down to a lower one because the one button on the gun only allows you to go up.

The Sportneer has five speed settings and six attachments, two of which are made of metal and specifically for use with oils, which no others in our test offered. I tried using the metal attachments with essential oils, and the experience was just OK. What I mainly enjoyed was that the metal attachments were cool to the touch, which was a welcome sensation after a long, sweaty run.

The Sportneer also felt much gentler than other guns I tested—though it has speeds up to 3,200 PPM, it doesn’t offer as much force. So, while I couldn’t get the deep tissue massage I sometimes wanted, it was the gun I reached for when my muscles were so tender, I didn’t even want to foam-roll. I’d start on the lowest setting, then gradually work my way up. Its lack of force, however, makes it one of the quieter guns we tested.

A small downside: I also found I had to recharge it more than others. All told the Sportneer could work well for someone who’s on a tighter budget and wants multiple levels of power but isn’t looking for something to get deep into their muscles.

The FlyBy is the most basic of all of the massage guns we tested. With three speeds and six attachments, it’s a solid option for someone who is looking for a gentle massage every now and then, as opposed to an athlete who really needs to work out sore muscles regularly.

The first speed level claims to be 1,800 PPM, which is pretty standard by the numbers, but it felt significantly weaker compared to the other ones we tried. This lack of power also made it quieter than many, though.

Even the packaging is more basic than others and didn’t include any directions. Still, if you have a smaller budget, don’t want deep pressure of any sort, and don’t mind doing some Googling to figure out best practices for using a massage gun, this one could work for you.