The Best At-Home Massage Guns To Knead Out Pesky Knots

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Achy neck from staring at a laptop? What about back pain from poor posture? We get it. Working from a desk all day can get to your muscles, leaving you tight and uncomfortable. If you’re looking for a little body TLC, you’re a perfect candidate for a massage gun.

What Are Massage Guns?

Massage guns use percussive therapy in a drill-like fashion, helping to promote blood flow within muscles by reducing inflammation and residual tension. They’re meant to be used right before exercise to loosen muscles, or directly after a workout to combat soreness. While foam rollers and massages can help as well, massage guns target specific points — so, if one select muscle is aching, you can use the percussive therapy to target the source.

So, can a handheld machine actually work? Physical therapists say yes. Donald Zerio, a physical therapist at Spear Physical Therapy, explains that massage guns are “another method of soft tissue mobilization that provides the benefit of loosening up tight muscle tissue, which provides a feeling of relief and provides a short-term improvement in flexibility.”

How To Use A Massage Gun

Using a massage gun improperly can result in zero relief, or even injury, so seek a professional before you go to town. Ashley Rozek, physical therapist and clinical director at Spear, says that “it is important to come see a physical therapist and learn how to safely and correctly use the gun on your body so you can effectively use it at home.”

When looking for a massage gun, there are many things to keep in mind. First: speeds.

Dr. Karena Wu, owner and clinical director at ActiveCare Physical Therapy, explains that “different speeds will translate to being more gentle and calming versus faster and more stimulating.” So, consider what you’re needing — if you want something super intense, look for guns that are marketed to deeply impact the area.

Heads are another important part of massage guns to consider. Different heads have different effects on muscles. For example, fork heads are good for larger, tight muscles; bullets are useful for deep tissue therapy; and flat round heads are good for any slight soreness. There are many heads to choose from — you can choose a massage gun with a specific head, or you can choose one that has multiple options.

Weight and ergonomic design are also major factors to keep in mind. You want to be able to hold the massage gun properly and comfortably in order to reap the benefits. Again: injury is the last thing you want.

If you’re sold on buying one of these, good news: there are plenty of effective massage guns on the market. Read on for our favs!

• Best Overall: Theragun Elite

• Best For Hardcore Athletes: PUREWAVE CMX

• Best For Casual Exercisers: HoMedics Therapist Select Pro

• Best Speed Options: VYBE Pro

• Deepest Massage: Hypervolt 2 Pro 

• Quietest: opove M3 Pro

• Best Splurge: Theragun Pro

• Most Affordable: TYIAUS Muscle Massage Gun

• Most Portable: Flow MINI

• Best Battery Life: Achedaway Percussion and Vibration Massager

Best Overall: Theragun Elite

Theragun Elite has all the features in one massage gun. Its special feature: it can connect via bluetooth to an app on your phone, so you can choose the perfect treatment based on the exercise you’ve performed.

On top of this, it has a customizable speed range, so you can get the perfect amount of percussion; a two-hour battery life; and an OLED screen to show real-time force and speed. Basically: you need it, it’s got it.

SHOP – $399

Best For Hardcore Athletes: PUREWAVE CMX

If you tend to go hard when exercising, you need a massage gun that can cover a lot of ground while also targeting the spots that need it. PUREWAVE’s CMX has five attachments — its X-bullet attachment, specifically, is meant to break up scar tissue and loosen the tightest of muscles. If you’re looking for deep massage post-workout, this is your new best friend.

SHOP – $139.95

Best For Casual Exercisers: HoMedics Therapist Select Pro

If you’re more of a casual exerciser — for example, going for a couple-mile run every now and then, or participating in low-intensity activities — you probably don’t need a massage gun to break up scar tissue.

HoMedics’ massage gun is ideal for gentle massage pre- or post-workout. It will help loosen you up after putting stress on your body, but it won’t pulverize your scar tissue. It comes with four attachments, three intensity levels, and features pressure sensor technology. Translation: you can monitor your massage throughout the entire session. 

SHOP – $199.99

Best Intensity Options: VYBE Pro

Sure, you can switch between three, mayyyybe four speeds. That’s not good enough for VYBE, which is why their Pro massage gun features nine different intensity levels. It can apply up to 30 pounds of pressure to your body, working out the tightest of kinks.

On top of its intensity levels, it also has eight — count ’em, eight! — different attachments, some of which you won’t find elsewhere. For example: its trigger cone is for knots, its wedge head is for stripping soft tissues to help movement, and the flathead helps fight knots in joints and soft tissues. 

SHOP – $199.99

Deepest Massage: Hypervolt 2 Pro 

If you’re the type to carry…and carry…and carry stress until they’re knots, then the Hypervolt 2 Pro is for you. As they say in their description, the 2 Pro offers “deep-penetrating relief to stiff muscles, so you can train harder and recover faster.” It features five speeds, with a dial to reach the precise level of intensity you desire.  

On top of this, it has five different attachments to target exact areas where you need relief. Don’t know what you need? Connect to an app and it will guide you through recovery routines.

SHOP – $399

Quietest: opove M3 Pro

Sometimes, the pulsing is just too damn loud. Not the case with opove’s massage gun. It has a max stall force (read: amount of force applied before the motor stops working) of 55 pounds, so experience the massage of your life…while also carrying conversations, watching TV, or listening to music. Yep, it’s that quiet, thanks to the stall force.

Its battery lasts between four to six hours depending on the intensity you choose, and its five head attachments will precisely target pain points.

SHOP – $199.99

Best Splurge: Theragun Pro

Look, we know we’ve mentioned Therabody already, but honestly: their products are just that good. 

The Pro has a bunch of features wrapped into one massage gun. Its motor is quiet, it has an OLED screen to see force being applied, a customizable speed range, and smart app integration. We also love its ergonomic grip; the rotating arm helps you reach every spot without any awkward straining.

SHOP – $599

Most Affordable: TYIAUS Muscle Massage Gun

If you don’t know if massage guns are for you, or you can’t see yourself splurging on one you barely use, TYIAUS’s massage gun fits the bill. At less than $45, you can still reap the benefits of a massage gun with this fella. It has six attachments, so it’s capable of working out knots that have built up over time.

SHOP – $42.49

Most Portable: Flow MINI

No one wants to lug around a heavy massage gun throughout the day, especially if you’re going straight from workout to the grocery store. The Flow MINI is small and lightweight (less than two pounds!), but it doesn’t sacrifice any features in order to be portable.

It has three intensity levels, four heads, and a three-hour battery life. It’s also extremely quiet — perfect when you need to work out a cramp and want to be discreet.

SHOP – $199

Best Battery Life: Achedaway Percussion and Vibration Massager

Achedaway’s massage gun has a battery that lasts for five. whole. hours. on one charge. And it’s just as strong as other massage guns, so don’t worry about trading intensity for time. 

It also has five intensities, ranging from wake-up muscles to muscle recovery, and four heads to change out, so you can massage exactly where and how you want it.

SHOP – $229

Which massage gun is your favorite? Did we miss one? Tell us in the comments!

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