I scoured the web seeking the best HRV biofeedback device on the planet. Why?
Want to learn to drop into a hyper-focused flow state on command? To tame stress without losing your edge?
To stay centered and maintain your composure in the most unruly environments?
Heart rate variability (HRV) therapy gives you control over subconscious roadblocks. Real-time biofeedback coaching keeps you performing at your peak. Only then can you shift into the brain state of elite performance.
Or maybe you just want to better understand how your heart rate fluctuates throughout the day.
Either way, I researched the best heart rate variability biofeedback devices so that you don’t have to. In this review, I’ll share everything you should know before choosing one of the many training systems.
The Best HRV Monitors & Biofeedback Systems of 2025
Overall: HeartMath InnerBalance
Value: Muse
Premium: Sens.ai
App-free: HeartMath emWave 2
Continuous: Lief Therapeutics
The global biofeedback market is projected to grow rapidly from $2.3B in 2024 to $5.8B by 2032 at a CAGR of 14%
Primary uses of HRV biofeedback include non-invasive stress management, mental health, decision making, sleep enhancement, athletic performance and recovery, and cardiac health
Wearables like Garmin, Apple Watch, Whoop, Oura, and others do track HRV but cannot perform true biofeedback
Top devices include HeartMath InnerBalance 2, HeartMath emWave 2, Sens.ai, and Muse Athena
Sensor-free camera-based HRV apps are growing rapidly and making this technology far more accessible to the world
How to Choose the Right Heart Rate Variability Wearable
Each wearable in this list is backed by large contingents of raving fans.
Your ideal choice depends on your lifestyle:
- Budget
- Phone type
- Preferred device form
- Expected use case
To make comparison easier, I’ll break down the following for each device:
Since it will come up…
ANT+ is an old wireless protocol commonly used in wearables before BlueTooth. Few modern phones support it, so you’ll need to either:
- Buy an adapter for your ANT+ device
- Choose a more modern device
Before we get started, there’s one final thing you must know.
HRV Monitoring vs HRV Biofeedback Training
HRV devices fall into two distinct categories, based upon how they work:
- Passive
- Active
HRV monitoring is more popular, but it doesn’t work as well (passive). HRV trainers are far more effective (active).
In other words:
- Passive monitors show you the past
- Active training device show you the present
This tiny detail makes a serious difference.
Training shows you in real-time how lifestyle habits (breathing, moving, thinking, etc) impact your HRV scores. Only trainers help you spot the cause and effect so that you can visualize and unlearn bad habits.
That’s what makes these the next generation of HRV monitoring devices. I listed the best of each category separately below.
Top HRV Biofeedback Devices (Active)
HeartMath InnerBalance
Overview
Specialty: Original
Sensor type: Ear
Data transmission: Bluetooth or Lightning cable
App compatibility: HeartMath app
Water resistant: No
Battery: Rechargeable, 80-hours of usage (Bluetooth model)
For many years, HeartMath’s emWave 2 has been the best HRV device. Now, HeartMath has released another upgrade that is InnerBalance. It features the same high-tech sensors, but with two advantages: portability and price.
Instead of a built-in breath and heart rate gauge, InnerBalance displays the information on your phone. Which is a double-edged sword. The device is more compact, but requires a phone connection.
They offer both a Bluetooth and a wired version of the product.
If you’re new to this world and want great value, the InnerBalance is the best dedicated HRV biofeedback device. It does this one thing well. HeartMath products are even used by NASA, Kaiser, Intel, Stanford, and medical researchers everywhere.
Muse Athena
Overview
Specialty: Value
Sensor type: Ear
Data transmission: Bluetooth
App compatibility: Muse + 3rd party apps
Water resistant: No
Battery: Rechargeable, 10-hours of usage (Bluetooth model)
Both the Muse 2 and the Muse Athena are next-generation biofeedback devices that combines EEG, PPG sensors, and other technologies to provide real-time insights into brain activity and blood flow. This multi-sensor approach allows you to monitor and train your cognitive performance, focus, and emotional regulation.
The Athena is more expensive, but also includes a fNIRS sensor that measures your brain oxygenation levels in the prefrontal cortex. Both devices can perform actively heart rate variability training.
The built-in gyroscope enables posture detection, and the accelerometers allow for breath analysis.
Plus, they have one of the most extensive libraries of programs in their app. The Muse app also lets you easily track your progress and sessions. Or, you can use it with third-party apps.
The Muse Athena is their latest model which contains more sensors and has more uses, but costs more. The Muse 2 is more affordable and also great for HRV biofeedback. Over the last 2 decades, Muse has established themselves as a trusted choices of clinicians and at-home users alike.
Use Muse exclusive code URBAN for 15% off
Sens.ai Brain Trainer
Overview
Specialty: Powerful
Sensor type: Ear
Data transmission: Bluetooth
App compatibility: Sens.ai app
Water resistant: No
Battery: Rechargeable
Sens.ai is one of the newest brain training systems available. Not only does it excel at a potent form of biofeedback that specifically targets the brain (neurofeedback), but it also has a high-quality HRV biofeedback training mode (called Heart Coherence training).
In fact, this brain training system actually contains the equivalent of five devices in one. I use it daily, combining neurofeedback training with HRV training. Plus, I take advantage of the stimulation technologies built-in. Learn more in my new Sensai brain trainer review.
This system also has a clinical-grade module to assess and track your cognitive performance over time. No more wondering if your training works or was a waste of money.
The main downside? It’s pricey. You get state-of-the-art tech all in one headset. But if you want the absolute very best, premium multi-modality biofeedback system, Sens.ai is the clear winner.
Use the Sens.ai promo code URBAN to save $100
HeartMath emWave2
Overview
Specialty: Standalone unit
Sensor type: Ear
Data transmission: Wifi, USB
App compatibility: Not required. Windows & Mac apps available.
Water resistant: No
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion
The emWave2 is a state-of-the-art HRV biofeedback trainer at an affordable price. It generates clear feedback via color and tone. It has a breathing coach built-in that automatically tracks your sessions and provides feedback along the way.
Difference levels continue to challenge you as you improve. Perfect for getting into the zone, falling asleep quickly, or before stressful meetings. For many years this was the best overall device. Granted, it’s also still the best value device you can get today.
If that’s not enough, emWave2 is scientifically validated by decades of research and thousands of glowing customer reviews.
The emWave2 is your ideal choice if you’re looking for a pocket sized, cord-free device with clinical backing and at an affordable price.
Lief Therapeutics
Overview
Specialty: Continuous HRV & personal coaching
Sensor type: Adhesive patch
Data transmission: Bluetooth
App compatibility: Lief app
Water resistant: No
Battery: Rechargeable, 1-6 days depending on usage
Lief Therapeutics is a newcomer that’s rapidly becoming the choice of clinicians, researchers, coaches, and health professionals. Lief is one of the few companies whose products use true HRV biofeedback.
But instead of a cumbersome wearable or wired sensors, Lief gathers data via sensors embedded into minimalist adhesive patches. These sensors can hide under clothing and provide continuous medical-grade ECG monitoring.
Unlike other devices, Lief logs HRV trends throughout the day and vibrates in real-time to help you discover and reverse triggers. They’re also the only company to offer personal HRV coaches that help turn your data into value.
Use the exclusive coupon code URBAN for 15% off.
Top HRV Monitoring Devices (Passive)
4iiii Innovations Viiiiva V100 Heart Rate Monitor
Overview
Specialty: Price
Sensor type: Chest strap
Data transmission: Bluetooth, ANT+
App compatibility: Most popular apps
Water resistant: IP67
Battery: Coin cell battery, lasts 200 hours
The Viiiiva is a no-frills, passive chest heart rate monitor usually used during workouts. It’s budget-friendly, light, and has internal memory. You can go for a run and leave your phone at home knowing the V100 will capture your workout to its internal storage.
The V100 falls into the category of previous generation monitors. Thus it is ANT+ compatible and runs on removable batteries. It’s also IP67 dust and water-resistant.
WHOOP
Overview
Specialty: All-in-One
Sensor type: Wrist strap
Data transmission: Bluetooth
App compatibility: Most popular apps
Waterproof: Yes
Battery: Rechargeable, 14-day life.
WHOOP is possibly the most advanced wearable company around in 2025. Their “Locker” webpage is a hub for the latest high-performance research. Their HRV algorithm is more advanced than other passive monitors.
One study found that after 4 months WHOOP members increased HRV by an average of 8 milliseconds.
WHOOP’s primary product, the “Strap 5.0” is lightweight, waterproof, and accurate. It uses your personalized baseline along with a 3-axis accelerometer to capture profoundly accurate heart rate data.
The problem? As of this writing, the only option for purchase is actually rental. The device itself is free with a membership commitment (starting at $199 per year for basic features, and extending up to $359 per year for premium access). If you’re okay with that, WHOOP could be a perfect choice.
Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor
Overview
Specialty: Gold-standard
Sensor type: Chest strap
Data transmission: Bluetooth LE, ANT+
App compatibility: Most popular apps
Waterproof: Yes
Battery: Coin cell battery, lasts 400 hours
Polar is the oldest name in heart rate monitoring. Even today, several of their products are common. Their H10 model is the most accurate they offer and the choice of many professional athletes.
It’s waterproof up to 30 meters, has a basic internal memory for storing workouts, and a long 400-hour battery life.
The device is decently accurate and compatible with third-party apps. But at the same time, it’s more finicky and less reliable than other HRMs.
Popular biohacking YouTuber Siim Land recommended this for tracking cardio.
This is only one of his recommendations when I asked him for top biohacking expert advice you can start implementing yourself.
Polar H9 Bluetooth Heart Rate Sensor
Overview
Specialty: Beginner HRM
Sensor type: Chest strap
Data transmission: Bluetooth LE, ANT+
App compatibility: Most popular apps
Waterproof: Yes
Battery: Coin cell battery, lasts 400 hours
With the Polar H9, you get basic heart rate monitoring. This is their newest and most affordable model. Compared to the H10, the H9 is cheaper because it lacks internal storage and the strap is made of lower quality material. Users also report that you must login to use the Polar app.
If you’re unsure whether you’ll actually use HRM, this could be a good device.
Oura Ring
Overview
Specialty: Minimalist
Sensor type: Finger
Data transmission: Bluetooth LE
App compatibility: Most popular apps
Waterproof: Yes
Battery: Rechargeable, 5-7 day life.
Oura is a household name among biohackers. One of the first wearables to track HRV during sleep, Oura recently updated their software to allow on-demand HRV tracking through a feature called “Moment”. Oura’s known for its robust and highly accurate HRV algorithm. The rechargeable battery easily lasts five days on a single charge.
It’s waterproof, has Bluetooth, and airplane mode. I’ve used my Oura Ring for about three years and have been able to spot trends in lifestyle actions and HRV.
If you’re looking for the most sensors and data crammed into the smallest device, nothing compares to the Oura Ring.
Heart Rate Variability Smartwatches & Apps
Virtually every smartwatch and wearable manufacturer (Apple Watch, Whoop, Oura, Fitbit, Garmin, etc) now directly or indirectly through third-party apps tracks HRV.
Some of the popular HRV tracking apps include:
- Welltory
- Elite HRV
- HRV4Training
- HRV4Biofeedback
- Optimal HRV
- MindBreath
And many others. Some don’t require any hardware sensors and simply use your phones camera. Others integrate with chest straps (listed above) and other hardware to visualize your real-time data.
Many of the other devices have major accuracy issues. For example, a 2023 study concluded the following,
“However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of HRV data obtained from smartwatches, such as accuracy, individual variability, contextual interpretation, and the subjective nature of stress perception.”
The Future of Stress Management: Integration of Smartwatches and HRV Technology
Smartwatches and apps can certainly be helpful and highlight longer-term trends.
The primary issue with most HRV apps is that they don’t provide real-time data, so it is not true biofeedback.
Q & A of Heart Rate Variability Therapy Devices
Are there any FDA approved HRV devices?
Currently, the only FDA-cleared device is the Inmedix CloudHRV System which the FDA cleared in 2025. It is not available direct to consumers, however. Another company called DeepWell DTx is pioneering gaming biofeedback therapy, but that too isn’t available yet.
Can Garmin smartwatches perform HRV training?
No. While Garmin watches do feature a “HRV Status” biomarker, it is passive and does not allow you to train HRV actively. I have a newer Garmin Fenix watch, and I still haven’t found any third party apps that let you actively trian HRV either.
Do the new Apples Watches have active HRV biofeedback training?
No, the latest Apple Watches do passively measure HRV (especially when paired with third-party apps), but they will not work for real-time HRV biofeedback training. This is because they do not share live data via standard protocols.
What’s the most accurate HRV wearable for stress management in 2025?
The best HRV biofeedback device to manage stress are the HeartMath Inner Balance 2 or the emWave 2. The three top non-biofeedback devices to improve HRV are the Apollo Neuro, the VeRelief Prime, and the Sensate.
Are there HRV biofeedback devices suitable for meditation and breathwork?
Most true HRV biofeedback devices work well for meditation but some of the top products include Sens.ai, Muse, Inner Balance 2, and the emWave 2.
Choosing The Best Heart Rate Variability Device
The changing intervals between each heartbeat contains a trove of information.
HRV data is among the first and easiest (of 43+ biomarkers) self-quantification data new biohackers collect.
While you can use most smartwatches today or even iPhone/Android apps, accurately picking up these subtle cues for HRV training takes specially designed gear.
There are two types of HRV devices, and your optimal choice depends on your goal:
- Active biofeedback
- Passive monitoring
Active biofeedback gives you real-time coaching to crush stress while maximizing focus, attention, cognition, idea generation, and general brainpower. Making it one of the best biohacking tools to upgrade your health.
If you have the budget, the Sens.ai headset contains the equivalent technologies of five devices all in one. You can’t go wrong with it.
But nothing has more scientific validation than the HeartMath emWave 2 and Inner Balance 2.
Or you can go completely old-school. With enough meditation, you can train yourself to enter the same state of optimal performance. I’m impatient. I’d prefer to use technology to shave 40 years off that learning curve.
What’s your favorite HRV biofeedback device? Drop a comment below and let you know your experience. And if you found this article helpful, please send it to a friend or share it on social media.
Thanks!
Great insights on the latest HRV biofeedback monitors! I’m especially intrigued by the features of the top models and how they can enhance both personal and professional performance. Looking forward to trying out some of these recommendations!
Thanks for the comparison! I’m really interested in diving deeper into HRV biofeedback and how these monitors can enhance performance. The reviews were super helpful, especially the comparisons between models. Looking forward to trying one out!
Hi,
Which device do you recommend if one absolutely wants to read HRV parameters during sleep as well?
Hi Marcel, great question. I’m not sure of any devices that do a great job capturing HRV in real-time throughout both the day and night. Perhaps the Apple Watch will integrate that soon. I personally wear the Hanu for the daytime and Oura ring at night. Then I get HRV from both. Biostrap and WHOOP also do a good job of capturing data at night.
Hello, is the upper arm, finger, lower arm, good places to monitor HRV? Where is the best?
Hey Mark,
The best places to measure HRV (from best to worst):
You haven’t included the Biostrap wristband. Do you think it’s clearly inferior to the chest strap or other options for tracking passive HRV?
Hey Chris. For HRV, yes. Wrist-based measurements are usually less accurate due to the proximity to bone in the wrist. Although I do like the Biostrap wrist band too, it’s just not quite as accurate for HRV. It’s certainly not bad though and I thoroughly reviewed Biostrap a while back.
Hi Nick, I’m surprised you haven’t included Firstbeat Life and their bodyguard 3 device in your review. They have one of the longest research history behind their algorithm with continuous HRV monitoring, app connected via Bluetooth, Health coaches, totally affordable too. A finish company, check them out.
Hi Timea, thanks for commenting and pointing them out! I will have to check out Firstbeat Life’s bodyguard 3 system. Do you use this one?
CorSense is no longer available.
Thanks for letting me know! I will update the article
Hi, I want to monitor my HRV 24 hours in a day to understand my stress level changes. Also I want to see its graph/chart/diagram in mobile app. What gears should I choose? What app?
Should I wait for Oura Ring Gen3?
Hey Alex. The only real device I’ve found with continuous HRV monitoring is Lief. Not sure that the Oura 3 will deliver on that promise. Plus, the new model will have a monthly subscription.
Haha
Knowing your HRV will give you data but not the clue to improving it. Meditation will… and patience is also the key 😉
True! The experimentation is up to you. Sleep, meditation, relaxation, certain forms of breathwork, singing, humming, cold exposure – lots of options.