14 best massage guns for 2024, from just £39.99

If it’s bang for your buck you’re after...we got you. With a choice of five massage heads and speed settings (more than most mini massagers), this good-looking gadget has many of the features you’d expect from pricier models but comes in under £80.

It moved seamlessly over testers’ skin, targeting our DOMS hotspots without causing any discomfort, and it was easy to switch between settings mid-massage thanks to the ergonomic design. For percussive therapy novices, the manual provides plenty of step-by-step routines, showing you how to use each massage head correctly. It also supports USB-C charging, so you don’t have to carry around a gazillion plugs. On that note, it comes with a sturdy travel case, making it a top choice for commuting and taking on hols.

Any downsides? The Q2 doesn’t pack as much power as the Theragun Mini and the handle is on the short side, but when it comes to value for money, this small but mighty massage gun is top of the charts.

Sure, this massager is the size of a standard mobile phone but it has everything its chunkier counterparts offer and more. It packs a formidable punch, you get four interchangeable massage heads to target different areas, and our expert raved about how well it glided over their muscles. The handy travel case means it can be your new gym buddy, making it easy to banish those post-workout pains.

The short handle makes it a bit awkward to reach the lower back, and it wasn’t the quietest device on test, but these are small flaws for an otherwise exceptional product.

Yet more proof that good things do come in small packages. This pocket-sized gadget will slip easily into your gym bag, but don’t let its modest proportions fool you – it's more than powerful enough to pummel your muscles back to their prime. Our tester praised its seamless movement over their skin, and it comes with useful step-by-step instructions. Plus, the sleek white design stands out in a sea of black devices.

We would have liked a carry case, but the compact, lightweight design cements its portability creds. There are two massage heads to choose from, and you get access to Hyperice’s app, which is packed with personalised routines and guidance to help you get the most out of your massager.

We don’t usually like our fitness kit to blow hot and cold, but we’ll make an exception here. This HoMedics massage gun can heat up to 47C in under two minutes, helping promote blood flow to prime targeted muscles.

However, if you’re looking to cool down, you can swap the interchangeable heads and use the cold one instead. After a few hours in the freezer, this will provide a completely different experience, helping soothe aching muscles after a serious squat session.

Our expert loved this innovative feature, and the array of other attachments this massage gun boasts. They also praised the massage gun for being surprisingly quiet and gliding smoothly over skin without snagging.

This device from new kid on the block Lola grabbed the attention of our experts for its sleek, aesthetically pleasing design. They couldn’t enough of the cute pastel colourway and smooth material, saying it was the best-looking massager they’d seen.

Good looks aside, it performed exceptionally across the board. The compact gadget (smaller than an iPhone, FYI) proved extremely effective at loosening tight muscles and tackling knots. It comes with four attachments, which were refreshingly simple to get on and off, it glided smoothly over clothing and skin, plus it was uber quiet – making it an ideal choice for on-the-go recovery. Additionally, it felt ultra lightweight and didn’t cause aching arms during lengthier sessions.

The handle is on the short side, but that’s a recurring them for smaller massage guns and wouldn’t put us off using it time and time again. Not convinced? Lola offers a 30-day money back guarantee, so if it’s not for you, you can return it drama-free.

Good ol’ Boots has released its own massage gun and, for under £50, it’s a total steal. You have four interchangeable heads at your disposable – a ball, bullet, fork and flat head – and three different speed settings, allowing you to fine-tune your recovery. The massager moved smoothly over our expert’s muscles for the most part (there was a teeny bit of snagging with the ball head) and it was hella quiet, so you can pummel your muscles in peace, without inviting awkward questions from your flatmates.

The compact device comes with a sleek little travel case, with enough room to fit all the accessories, so you can easily take it to the gym or shove it in your suitcase if you’re jetting off on holiday.

The short handle was a little tricky to grip and we couldn’t reach niggly areas on our lower back but that’s often the case with smaller products. It wasn’t as powerful as the other options on this list, but it makes up for that with its price and portability. Plus, it was simple to use, with one control button to switch it on and off and cycle through the speeds.

If you’re new to the percussive therapy game and you’d appreciate some guidance, the new Theragun mini is a trusty pick. It pairs with the Therabody app, which is jam-packed with follow-along tutorials, to show you how to get the most out of your sesh. It has just one control button to turn it on and off and cycle through the speeds, making it a doddle to use.

Its petite size means it's small enough to carry on the go (it comes with a handy travel case you can hook onto your bag), plus it’s uber-quiet so you can give your overworked muscles some TLC without attracting attention.

Yes, it’s teeny, but this sleek device certainly isn’t short on power. It glides smoothly over skin and comes with three tips for soothing different areas. There’s only room for one head in the case but that was our only gripe.

That much for a massage gun, we hear you say? Pricey, yes, but for anyone chasing peak performance, the shiny new Theragun PRO is worth the extra spend. It boasts a high-res OLED screen on the robust handle with four built-in routines – warm-up, recovery, sleep and work break – so you can quickly soothe your niggles, without having to reach for your phone.

When you’ve got more time on your hands, our expert raved about the range of follow-along tutorials available via the extensive Therabody app, with handy on-screen visuals to ensure your massage technique is on point. It can remotely adjust the speed to take any guesswork out of your recovery and it connects to myriad health apps, suggesting personalised routines based on your weekly exercise load. Cool, huh?

Thanks to the Theragun PRO’s clever handle and moveable arm, there are no sore spots this massage gun can’t reach, and it comes with a whopping six interchangeable heads to soothe all manner of aches and pains. Despite its hefty size, the EQ-150 brushless motor means it’s surprisingly quiet and it offers super-fast USB-C charging, so don’t need to worry about running out of juice.

The clever design of this model — with its long, curved handle — meant our expert was able to reach even the most awkward spots. It’s incredibly powerful and we found it was effective at lessening post-workout pains. The inclusion of four interchangeable massage heads, a carry case and recovery massage oil was appreciated too.

It is a bit bulky and heavy, and the handle vibrates a bit too much for our liking when it’s on full power, meaning it wasn’t the most comfortable to use. But the ability to link it to Musclegun’s Deep app, which provides guidance on how to use it, is handy for newcomers to the massage gun world.

Take your foam rolling routine up a notch with this vibrating device, which Hyperice claims will 'accelerate your warm-up, speed recovery time and keep you moving better.' Sounds great, but does it live up to the buzz? It certainly helped our expert ramp up their relaxation efforts, leaving them feeling 'thoroughly massaged' afterwards. They appreciated the slanted ridge pattern that allows you to get deep into your muscles, while the supple foam covering makes for a comfy massaging experience.

It’s a top choice for all-round recovery, but if you want to target smaller muscles and niggly areas, look elsewhere. It’s also worth noting the device is fairly loud when placed on the floor, so you may want to warn flatmates before commencing a rolling sesh.

'Small but mighty' is a fitting way to describe this massage gun. Despite its pocket-sized design, it packs quite a punch, so we’d only recommend it to those looking to give their muscles a serious seeing to.

It comes with four massage heads, though our expert said these felt a bit cheaply made, and the lack of instructions felt like an oversight. It did, however, pick up plenty of points for its staggering battery life, offering six hours of use before it runs out of juice.

It’s safe to say that Therabody knows its way around a massage gun, and this model is no different. It made short work of our lactic acid-filled legs after hard workouts thanks to its enhanced 16mm amplitude, and our expert said they could feel the benefits for days afterwards.

The Therabody app was incredibly helpful, telling you where to massage and how much pressure to apply, and the wide range of options gave testers plenty of control without being complicated. It was rather noisy. But when it comes to soothing muscles, there are few that can go toe to toe with the Elite.

So, the endless squats and glute bridges are paying off and your booty gains are well under way? Great news! Climbing a steep set of stairs the day after a high volume session can be a painful prospect though. Luckily, this super strong massage gun is more than powerful enough to soothe your biggest muscle (trust us, your glutes will thank you.)

This power does come at a small price — it was quite noisy and weighed heavily in our hand when using it for longer stints — but the overall effectiveness was impressive. It’s a bit pricey too, but if you take your training seriously, we think it’s a worthy investment.

Made for athletes by athletes, the MyoPro is ideal for those who take their training and recovery seriously. The sheer variety of unique heads it offers is what really sets it apart – beyond the usual tips you’d expect, we loved the ‘thumb’ (self-explanatory), the ‘scraper’ (more enjoyable than it sounds), and the ‘damper’, which glides over joints like a dream. Then there’s softer options like the ‘ball’ for when your DOMS are particularly bad.

This muscle gun might be on the larger side, but it’s certainly powerful and makes for a satisfying massage experience. It comes with a handle on the carry case if you did want to take it to the gym.