The Apollo Neuro is a wearable device for stress relief. The brand claims that their product improves sleep, focus, heart rate variability (HRV), physical recovery, and sense of calmness. Apollo Neuro's founder David Rabin is a Medical Doctor (MD) with a PhD in neuroscience which is a good sign of the brand's legitimacy.
But are these health claims actually backed in research or is this another expensive health device with lacking proof of efficacy? Are there any health risks associated with Apollo Neuro use? How do real users rate and describe Apollo Neuro's effects on stress relief? And which retailer sells this product for the best price?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we review the clinical studies funded by Apollo Neuro, explain how the device is proposed to work, and feature unsponsored customer reviews of the product.
We'll also provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells Apollo Neuro for the best price.
Is Apollo Neuro Proven to Work?
The Apollo Neuro website claims that their product was “Born in the Lab,” but at the time we initially published this article, the brand had shared no clinical research showing their product to be effective for the stated health claims.
Since then, Apollo Neuro has added a Studies Roundup page on their website highlighting clinical research on their device. The majority of these studies are ongoing and the full data set is not yet accessible.
We would caution consumers to be wary of claims of efficacy based on "preliminary results" given the information asymmetry: the brand has access to these results but consumers don't.
Until the full study is published and researchers can analyze the study methodology and full set of data, we do not believe early results are particularly valuable (though we do believe it's a good sign that the company is engaged in a number of legitimate research trials).
A clinical trial on the Apollo Neuro has completed, and was published in the reputable Biological Psychiatry journal. The trial found that individuals using Apollo Neuro experienced an average increase of 10% in HRV, which suggests improved stress response.
A 2022 clinical trial reported that Apollo Neuro helped athletes recover from physical exercise.
These early trials are impressive, and we commend the brand for funding clinical studies published in peer-reviewed journals, which is the gold standard of product research.
We will wait for more data to emerge to consider recommending Apollo Neuro, but we consider the device to have the potential to be effective for stress relief based on the early data.
Real People Try Apollo Neuro
A YouTube creator named Katie Moore reviewed Apollo Neuro in a video that explains how the device works and includes HRV data tests:
A TikTok creator named Kayla Kervin shared her experience using all of the different settings of Apollo Neuro:
@kaylakervin #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystem #apolloneuro #nervoussystemhealing ♬ original sound - Kayla Kervin
How Does Apollo Neuro Work?
The proposed mechanism of action of the Apollo Neuro is called “touch therapy.”
The company claims that low frequencies of sound waves emitted from their device can cause changes in the nervous system which improve the way individuals respond to stress.
We can’t find any clinical studies not funded by Apollo Neuro suggesting that "touch therapy" is effective for stress relief.
However, we did locate a medical review published in the Healthcare journal on the effects of sound vibration on human health.
The authors of the above-linked review concluded that sound waves can have both positive and negative effects on human health, and that more research is needed to reach specific conclusions.
Given that Apollo Neuro has been studied in at least two published clinical trials, we consider the brand's proposed mechanism of action likely to be accurate.
Does Apollo Neuro Cause Side Effects?
We do not consider the Apollo Neuro device likely to cause side effects.
We have not come across any clinical studies suggesting that constant, low frequencies of sound waves are harmful to health, and in modern life we're routinely exposed to levels of sound waves much greater than that emitted by the Apollo Neuro.
That being said, we would prefer to confirm a lack of side effects from clinical trials, given that this is a novel device. Part of the reason we aren't yet comfortable recommending this device is because we would like to see long-term safety data emerge, and that data is not currently publicly accessible.
Since Apollo Neuro claims to influence the nervous system, we believe it may be prudent for consumers to wait for publicly-accessible safety data to emerge from clinical trials before purchasing this device, even though we consider the risk of side effects to be very low.
The Apollo Neuro FAQs page states that no significant side effects have been noted in either children or adults.
Where to Get the Best Price
Apollo Neuro is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown at the time of updating this article:
Brand website: $349.99 (free shipping, link)
Amazon: $349.99 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Equinox: $299 (free shipping, link)
Apollo Neuro is currently 15% cheaper at Equinox than on the brand's website or Amazon.
Real Customers Review Apollo Neuro
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
Apollo Neuro has been reviewed over 140 times on Amazon at the time of updating this article, with an average review rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Liane A" who gives the product a 5/5 rating, and claims it's helped with sleep quality:
"I wear it 24/7 and it’s on every 2 hours for an hour. The sleep setting definitely lets me fall asleep super fast and keeps me asleep until the morning when my alarm wakes me. I feel good and not at all still tired."
The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Colleen O'Neill" who gives the product a 1/5 rating, and claims it's loud:
"The device worked great for 2 months helping with anxiety, and sleep. However after only 2 months it now makes an annoying rattle noise whenever the vibration occurs, for no known reason. For the price I expected this to last much longer. I’m extremely disappointed."
Apollo Neuro currently has an average review rating of 1.8 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, and the company has failed to respond to the majority of customer complaints on that site at the time of updating this article.
Our Clean Mood Support Picks
There are ingredients that are clinically shown to help support relaxation.
Green tea was shown in a 2017 clinical trial to significantly reduce stress levels, and has been used to promote mental and physical wellness for centuries.
Pique Japanese Sencha Green Tea is our top green tea pick. It costs $16 for 14 servings at the time of updating this article, or only $1.14 per serving.
Magnesium is a mineral that 45% of Americans are deficient in according to a research review, and "existing evidence is suggestive of a beneficial effect of [magnesium] on subjective anxiety" according to a medical review published in the Nutrients journal.
Bulletproof Magnesium is our top magnesium supplement pick and costs under $15 at a subscription rate at the time of updating this article.
CBD is clinically shown to be absorbed through the skin, and was shown in a 2020 medical review to be a "promising" natural treatment for anxiety disorders.
Cornbread CBD Lotion is our top pick for a stress-relieving topical product.
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider unhealthy.
Pros and Cons of Apollo Neuro
Here are the pros and cons of Apollo Neuro in our opinion:
Pros:
- Clinically shown to be effective
- Company has funded many clinical trials
- Clinical trials are published in peer-reviewed journals
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- May help athletes recover from exercise
- Free shipping from brand's website
Cons:
- Research is somewhat early-stage
- Results are still pending from many clinical trials
- Expensive
