Neurofeedback technology has recently made significant strides in both accessibility and effectiveness, revolutionizing how you can take control of your mental well-being.
These wearable devices offer a unique opportunity to harness brainwave data in real-time, giving you the power to improve cognitive function, manage stress, and optimise your focus.
Among the growing array of these neurofeedback tools, headbands stand out—they’re comfortable and non-invasive, can measure a wide area of your brain activity, they’re portable, and increasingly affordable.
Muse and Sens.ai are two of the leading neurofeedback headbands, so let’s explore their unique features, user experiences, and the science behind their technology.
1. Sens.ai
The Sens.ai was crowdfunded on IndieGogo, drawing in almost $900,000 to help make the device a reality.
Strictly speaking, this is not just a neurofeedback device, but a neuromodulation device. It combines several technical features including EEG recordings, audio cues, heart coherence feedback, and advanced light stimulation.
There are three EEG sensors along the mid-section, capable of recording a wide range of activity from important hubs in the brain, giving Sens.ai valuable data to draw from for the neurofeedback.
The advanced light stimulation—transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM)—is a form of neuromodulation with near-infrared light, which can navigate through skin and bone to interact with the brain.
This interaction can improve brain cell oxygenation, boost cerebral blood flow, enhance metabolic function, promote neurogenesis, and activate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways.
As well as improving the health of your brain cells, targeted photobiomodulation can also gently nudge your brain cells into sync, helping enhance cognition and mood.
Sens.ai then adds heart coherence biofeedback to the mix, a type of biofeedback that uses heart rate variability (HRV) to enhance your physiological resilience and adaptability to stress.
HRV measures the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats, serving as an indicator of how well the body can adapt to stress and environmental demands.
In line with these technically advanced features and the science behind them, Sens.ai reported that after one month of using the device, 77% of users saw improved sleep, 79% experienced increased accuracy and reduced brain fog, and 93% had a decrease in reaction time.
When you sit down to take advantage of all of this brain tech, you’ll find a large selection of Sessions and Missions you can take part in.
Sessions are 15-20 minutes long and include soundscapes and meditations, followed by quantified biometrics to peruse through afterwards.
Or there are 16 different Missions, which are structured collections of the Sessions, providing you with a longer-term guided progression over 5-12 weeks.
All of this tech and practical guidance makes for a particularly powerful device, and this is where the cost comes into the equation.
At $1,700 for the device, the Sense.ai is on the very expensive side of at-home neurofeedback devices, and all wearables more generally.
What’s more, while you get a 60-day trial to the Membership, if you want continued access to all the Sessions and Missions, you’ll be paying $239.99 a year ($20 per month), or $60 a month.
If you opt out of the membership, you’ll be left with a subset of the Boost sessions (which use the light stimulation) and the HRV training only.
This is all a hefty investment, so if you’re only curious about neurofeedback and want to try it out, you’re better looking elsewhere.
But if you’ve tried others and/or are serious enough to stick to a plan and use it regularly, the Sens.ai can deliver improvements to cognitive function and mental well-being that can make the price worth it.
2. Muse
Muse is a popular neurofeedback device, lighter and simpler than Sens.ai, but still capable of measuring your brain activity, heart rate, breath, and body movement.
There are two options: Muse 2 ($249.99), which is a more rigid device that sits over the ears and loops around your forehead, and is more for daytime neurofeedback, meditation, and training.
Then there’s the Muse S ($399.99), which is built from a more comfortable elastic material, designed to be worn during sleep.
Under the hood, both have similar hardware.
Their Smartsense EEG sensors are perched where they can read activity from your frontal cortex, providing neurofeedback on the brain activity most closely related to attention, working memory, and other executive functions.
There are PPG detectors, which can provide biofeedback on your heart rate and circulation. There’s also a gyroscope to detect movement and posture, and an accelerometer for measuring breathing rhythms.
Like Sens.ai, Muse also has a premium subscription ($12.99 per month or $49.99 per year), giving you access to over 500 guided meditations, programs, and courses. You’ll also need it to use audio and music from other apps.
As you meditate or engage in the programs, Muse will check your brainwaves to make sure you’re still focused, and send you gentle audio cues when you go off course to get you back on topic—you will need your own pair of headphones.
As part of the subscription, you’ll also be able to see your Alpha Peak score, a measure of your cognitive performance, processing speed, and preparedness. A higher value suggests you are able to better focus, make faster decisions, and can think and retain information with more clarity.
Without the subscription, you still get plenty of functionality. You can still watch your brainwaves in real-time, tracing the ups and downs in different frequency bands—this is something Sens.ai doesn’t appear to provide.
You’ll also get post-session reports, access to some meditations, and with the Muse S you can track your sleep patterns, monitor your sleep quality, and the time spent in light, deep, and REM sleep stages.
Their research found that over 70% of users could better regulate their emotions, manage stress, focus more effectively, and were more calm and relaxed. There was also a 20% improvement in sleep quality for those using the Muse S.
If you want to upgrade your Muse Headband to do professional-level neurofeedback with a coach, you can sign up for the Myndlift Program, which costs $150/month.
A Final Comparison
Choosing between the Sens.ai and Muse will come down to your priorities, budget, and how committed you are to using neurofeedback to improve your mental well-being.
Sens.ai is a highly advanced option, packed with cutting-edge features like transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) and heart coherence feedback. It doesn’t just aim to enhance cognitive function but also to support overall brain health.
However, Sens.ai’s biggest barrier for most people will be the cost—at $1,700 for the device plus a membership, it’s a serious investment.
If you’re comparing the price with visiting a professional neurofeedback clinic then it’s a good deal as a full neurofeedback program with a doctor can run in the range of $5000-$10,000.
Muse, on the other hand, is a more affordable entry into the world of neurofeedback.
The $249.99 to $399.99 price range, paired with a more modest subscription fee ($239.99 per year or $60 per month for Sens.ai, $49.99 per year or $12.99 per month for Muse) all makes Muse much more accessible.
While it lacks the neuromodulation component, and you need your own headphones, it does provide the essential features for tracking brain activity, heart rate, and breathing.
And if you are particularly interested in tracking sleep, you’ll want the Muse S—it’s the most comfortable option, and has sleep-specific features to gather data and draw insights from.
As part of their subscriptions, both have a wide range of guided programs and courses to help you along. However, only the Muse appears to let you watch your brain waves in real-time, Sense.ai opts for post-session reports and scores.
Overall, if you’re serious about biohacking, committed to using the device consistently, and want comprehensive support for improving cognitive health, Sens.ai might be worth the splurge.
However, if you are new to neurofeedback, want a cost-effective solution, or are looking for an easy way to improve your meditation and sleep quality, Muse is the better choice.
