Over 40 Products Tested to Find the Best Massage Gun in 2022

By Amanda Capritto

Massage guns have been a topic of heated debate among fitness professionals and enthusiasts since percussive technology became popular in the late 2010s. Whether or not they really work is a story for a different day—and since you’re here, I’m assuming you don’t need convincing anyway. What I can help you with is understanding what makes a percussion massage gun a good one and determining which of the best massage guns is actually best for you.

For those really looking to wallop their muscles, the Theragun Prime should satisfy. This Bluetooth-enabled percussive therapy gun comes with four massage head attachments and a customizable speed range with unlimited—yes, unlimited—speed settings between 1750 and 2400 percussions per minute.

The Prime doesn’t come with a carrying case (just a drawstring bag), nor does it have a very palatable price point. Running at about $300, the Prime can induce sticker shock, but the impressive 30-pound stall force, 16 millimeter amplitude, ergonomic design, and powerful brushless motor make it worth the green.

Fitness people tend to become brand loyalists, so we might ruffle some feathers when we say we’re fans of Hyperice and Therabody. Can you really blame us, though, when both brands manufacture incredible recovery tools?

One of our favorite Hyperice products is the Hypervolt 2 Pro, which features five different speed levels, five interchangeable heads, and a 90-watt motor that somehow has a noise level no louder than the hum of a refrigerator. Oh, and the detachable lithium-ion battery lasts three hours on a full charge. Boom! Unfortunately, our listed amplitude and stall force are only guesses based on our product testers’ experiences with other massage guns, since Hyperice doesn’t publish that info.

Hardly larger than the latest iPhone model, the Ekrin Athletics BANTAM mini massage gun is a steal. At $150, you’d never guess this small and affordable massager can loosen tight muscles and relieve trigger points as well as a bulkier, full-sized massage gun can.

Although the listed 10 to 11 millimeter amplitude is just an educated guess (Ekrin does not post this spec), the impressive 35-pound stall force is not—yep, this massage gun is half the price of the Theragun Prime yet beats its stall force by 5 pounds. Not to mention, the BANTAM has a 6-hour battery life and a high-torque motor.

Bit by the travel bug but don’t want to give up your fitness recovery protocol? The Hypervolt Go 2 is the best massage gun for travel thanks both to its small size and its suite of international charging adapters. Did I mention it’s explicitly TSA-approved? Although it only comes with two massage head attachments, this usually isn’t an area of concern for frequent flyers, as most are likely trying to keep clutter to a minimum.

Although Hyperice doesn’t publish info on amplitude or stall force, our product testers can make an educated guess based on experience with more than 40 massage guns. The amplitude feels to be around 10 to 12 millimeters and the stall force around 20 to 30 pounds—not bad at all for a mini massager.

The Theragun Pro never fails to impress with a whopping 60-pound stall force, 16 millimeter amplitude, rotating head that allows you to reach all different muscle groups with ease, five-hour battery life (with detachable batteries), and array of closed-cell foam attachments.

On the OLED screen, you can see your precise, customized speed (which you control via the Therabody app), as well as how many pounds of force you’re applying to the gun in real time, thanks to the responsive force meter. These elite-level features don’t come without a price, though: You’ll have to hand over six Benjamins for this top-tier percussive massager.

Where are my people who refuse to order anything that’s not available with Prime shipping? (I know, “patience is a virtue” and all that, blah, blah.) If you want a good massage gun and you want it now, try the Sportneer Elite D9 Massage Gun, which features six speed settings between 1,300 and 3,200 percussions per minute. It also comes with six attachments, including two aluminum ones that you can use for cryotherapy or aromatherapy.

I’m the first to say I expected more out of this massager based on its heavy weight and size (it weighs over 2 pounds and measures about 10 inches in height), yet it has an amplitude of just 11 millimeters and a stall force just under 20 pounds. These specs aren’t bad, per say, but a little low considering the heft of the gun. But the Elite D9 has rave reviews on Amazon and arrives at your doorstep in 48 hours, so there’s that.

Benefits of Massage Guns

A massage gun will never be a replacement for professional treatment such as physical therapy, but they do come with a suite of enticing benefits. (It’s no wonder they’ve become such popular tools.)

• • Improved muscle recovery: Much like a foam roller, a handheld massager can enhance the recovery process by manipulating the muscle tissue and encouraging the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the treatment site.
• • Mobility: Feeling stiff? High-quality massage guns have been shown to objectively increase functional range of motion.
• • Efficient warmups: A massage gun can get your blood flowing before a workout to help prepare your body for exercise.
• • Decreased muscle soreness: After a workout, hit your worked muscles with a few minutes of percussive massage therapy to reduce your risk of severe delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
• • Pain relief: Whether you have localized back pain or general muscle pain, a massage gun can help relieve soft tissue discomfort temporarily.
• • Improved circulation: Battering the muscles sends increased blood flow to the targeted area.

What to Look for in a Massage Gun

There are several things to consider before clicking “add to cart” and buying a massage gun.

Power: Amplitude and Stall Force

Amplitude refers to how deeply a massage gun reaches into muscle tissue, measured in millimeters. Theraguns represent the gold standard in amplitude at 16 millimeters, but anywhere from 10 to 16 millimeters is generally acceptable.

Stall force refers to how many pounds of force a massage gun can endure until the motor stalls. The higher the stall force, the harder you can push a massager into your muscles without it stalling. The Theragun Pro and Theragun Elite feature the highest stall force on the market, but most people will never come close to needing 60 pounds of stall force.

Motion: Vibration vs. Percussion

Many people believe vibration therapy and percussive therapy to be the same thing, but they’re not. Percussive therapy is a more powerful type of therapy: Percussive massage guns feature a punching sort of motion and reach deeper into soft tissue. Vibration therapy, which is generally seen in massage guns with lower amplitudes, is often the better choice for people with sensitive muscles or low pain tolerance.

Noise: Decibel Level

Noise level is an important but often overlooked factor when it comes to percussion massagers. Anything with a decibel level over 90 is probably too loud for the average person to comfortably use. We recommend looking for a device with a noise level between 40 and 80 decibels.

Charging and Battery Life

A decent battery life for a massage gun is two to three hours. Anything above three hours is very good, and anything above five hours is exceptional.

Attachments and Accessories

Make sure you know what you’re paying for: Some massage guns, such as the Theragun Mini, come with just one massage head attachment. (Not to say we don’t like the Mini, just that lots of people fail to realize it doesn’t come with multiple attachments.)

Check also for other accessories, such as international charging adapters (go Hypervolt!), carrying cases, charging cubes, and charging stands.