A daily check-in, fingertip HRV scan and short movement exercises. The camera reading holds up at rest; "relief in 7 days" rests on the company's own uncontrolled data.

Short breathing sessions with your pulse read through the phone camera. Sound method and a real biofeedback expert on board, but no published results and murky pricing.

A headband that listens to your brain while you meditate and answers in sound. Its sleep tracking tested well in a lab; the case that brain feedback beats plain meditation is thin.

An ear clip that shows your heart rhythm live as you breathe slowly. The method has real evidence; "heart-brain sync" is mostly slow breathing with good branding.

A chest-worn ECG patch that buzzes you into slow breathing. The method has decent evidence; Lief's best trial is in addiction recovery, and there are no returns.

The US version of the Nurosym ear clip. Strong heart-condition research, thinner stress and sleep evidence, a $900 price and return terms worth reading twice.

A neckband that sends a mild current through gel on both sides of your neck. Easy to use and well liked, but its research is thin and company-funded, and the app upsells hard.

A prescription neck device for migraine and cluster headache from Truvaga's maker. Real trials with mixed results, no published price, and not cleared for stress or sleep.

An ear device that stimulates both ears, with more studies than most rivals. But they're small, none test sleep, the earset is a common gripe, and returns cost $25.

A prescription earclip device cleared for anxiety and insomnia. Modest anxiety evidence, thin sleep data, no edge over sham for depression, and not really a vagus tool.

A cheap, FDA-cleared TENS unit for sore muscles that DIYers clip to an ear. Labs have tried TENS on the ear, carefully; this one's manual says no electrodes on the head.

A UK ear zapper that reads your heart rate and breathing and adjusts as it goes. A clever idea and a polished app, but no published trial of its own, at £695.

A beeping, pen-sized TENS unit sold mostly to therapists. FDA-cleared for sore muscles, not stress; its vagus claims rest on tiny studies by its own team.

An ear-worn electrical vagus nerve stimulator with an app-based "AI Coach" on the Luna Plus. The ear is a gentle place to start, but the studies it cites used other devices.

A pendant that pulses a weak magnetic field over your chest. Its one study is 33 people sitting for an hour with no comparison group, and sitting still can do that too.

A neckband and pillow pad said to replay the magnetic "signatures" of caffeine or melatonin. No independent evidence, a paid app, and a company in trouble.

A tiny necklace that AMO Lab says calms your nervous system with a signal you can't feel. The research is small and company-backed, so treat the 30-day return as your safety net.

A sound app that aims to walk your brain from stress into deep rest. Loyal fans, big claims, tiny studies, and refunds that are hard to come by.

An app that flashes your phone's light at your closed eyes to paint vivid patterns. Absorbing for many, but not a vagus nerve tool or a sleep aid, and a firm no if light triggers seizures.

A light-and-sound headset for guided 20-minute rests. Many owners find it calming, but it's costly, thinly studied, not a vagus nerve tool, and a no if flashing light affects you.

A pretty bedside sunrise alarm and sound machine that nudges better sleep habits. The research behind it is thin, and setup pushes you into a subscription trial.

A handheld coach for a long, slow exhale, with scent and lights, sold for panic. A sensible idea, but the evidence is thin and the app and renewals add strings.

A palm-sized pacer you follow by touch, eyes closed. Slow breathing has good evidence; Moonbird's own studies are small, and its one trial with a no-exercise group found no edge.

A huge, genuinely free library of meditations and sleep tracks, plus a timer that doubles as a breathing pacer. The catch: uneven quality and a pushier app than it used to be.

A German breathing pacer: $7.99 once, no subscription, no data collected. The rhythm has good research; the app has none of its own and hasn't been updated since 2022.

A tidy breathing pacer with a usable free tier. Slow breathing has real research behind it; this app has none of its own, and most people won't need Plus.

A tidy, private iPhone breathing pacer from a solo French developer. Slow breathing has real evidence; the app's HRV, cortisol and lung claims are its own.