I bought the Pulsetto Vagus Nerve Stimulator because I liked the idea of having a small device I could use at home instead of committing to something complicated or time-consuming. Pulsetto is worn around the neck and uses transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, or tVNS, with gentle electrical impulses. The company presents it as a convenient wellness device that can be used for short sessions, including before bed, after exercise or when you’re feeling stressed. I was interested enough to give it a try, so I ordered one and paid $260 altogether, including the device, conductive gel, tax and shipping. What I didn’t expect was how many problems I would run into after placing the order.
My biggest frustration isn’t simply that I didn’t like the device. It is the combination of what I was told when I bought it, what actually came with the package, and what happened with my credit card afterward. I was told the $260 purchase included everything I needed, yet I discovered that I couldn’t charge the device from a normal wall outlet without another piece of equipment. Then there was the supposedly free 14-day premium app trial that I never asked for, followed by a $49.17 charge to my card shortly after the device finally arrived. By the time I had finished dealing with those issues, I had lost confidence in the company and decided that I wanted to return the Pulsetto rather than continue using it.
What Is the Pulsetto Vagus Nerve Stimulator?
Pulsetto is a neck-worn wearable designed to provide transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation through electrical impulses delivered through electrodes positioned around the neck. The device connects to the Pulsetto app, where users can select different programs and adjust the intensity. Sessions are intended to be short, which is part of the appeal because you’re not dealing with a lengthy routine every time you want to use it.
The concept sounded reasonable to me when I first came across it. A small wearable that could be used at home and controlled through a phone seemed much more convenient than I expected from a vagus nerve stimulation device. I also liked that the sessions were only a few minutes long. That made it seem like something I could realistically fit into a normal day.
The problem was that my experience with the company became more important than the marketing description of the technology.
I Paid $260 and Thought Everything I Needed Was Included
I paid $260 for my Pulsetto, and that price included the gel, tax and shipping. My understanding was that I was paying for a complete setup that would allow me to start using the device once it arrived.
That turned out not to be the case.
The Pulsetto package included a USB charging cable, but it did not include a wall power adapter. The cable isn’t something I could simply plug into a standard wall outlet by itself, and it also didn’t fit the iPhone charger setup I had available. This might sound like a small issue, but it became frustrating because the company had presented the purchase as including what I needed to use the device.
When I contacted Pulsetto about it, I was told that the USB cable would work with iPhone chargers and that any USB charger I needed would be inexpensive. That wasn’t how the situation worked for me. Pulsetto sells its own required charger for $20, or $13 when discounted, before tax.
After spending $260 on a device that I had been led to believe was ready to use, discovering that I needed to spend more money just to charge it left a bad impression.
The “Free” 14-Day App Trial Was Another Problem
The charger issue would have been irritating enough, but then I noticed another charge on my credit card.
Pulsetto automatically enrolled me in what was described as a free 14-day premium app trial. I hadn’t requested this trial, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to see a $49.17 charge connected to it.
The timing made the situation even more frustrating. My device took nearly 14 days to arrive. The day after it finally showed up, I was charged $49.17 for the premium app trial. That meant I effectively had less than 15 hours with the device before the supposed 14-day period resulted in a charge.
That is not how I expected a free trial to work.
I contacted the company and demanded a refund of the $49.17. At the time of writing this review, I’m still waiting for that refund to be resolved. The charge was particularly frustrating because I had never intentionally signed up for the premium trial in the first place.
For me, this was one of the biggest reasons my confidence in the company dropped.
My Pulsetto Arrived After Nearly Two Weeks
Shipping was another part of the experience that wasn’t what I expected. My device took nearly 14 days to arrive, which meant I had already spent a considerable amount of time waiting before I could even test it.
Normally, I wouldn’t make a huge issue out of shipping time by itself. Packages can be delayed and delivery times can vary. What bothered me was that the delay became relevant when combined with the app subscription issue. By the time I actually had the device in my hands, the supposedly free trial was already creating a billing problem.
That made the whole process feel much less straightforward than I expected when I placed the order.
I Only Tested the Pulsetto Once
I want to be clear about this part because I don’t want to pretend I completed some kind of long-term clinical test of the device. I used my Pulsetto once.
I tried it at intensity level 5 on the company’s 1-to-10 scale. I didn’t use the maximum setting, and I wasn’t trying to push the device as far as it would go. I simply wanted to see what the experience was like and whether I would want to continue incorporating it into my routine.
For me, the experience wasn’t comfortable afterward. Twenty-four hours later, I was still experiencing uncomfortable sensations in my head and face. I can’t say from one personal experience exactly what caused those sensations, and I wouldn’t tell another person that they should expect the same thing. What I can say is that this was my reaction after using the device once, and it was enough for me to decide that I didn’t want to continue using it.
Given everything else that had happened with the purchase, I wasn’t willing to experiment further.
Does Pulsetto Actually Stimulate the Vagus Nerve?
The underlying technology is different from simply buying a massage gadget or a relaxation app. Pulsetto uses transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, commonly referred to as tVNS, to deliver electrical stimulation through the skin around the neck.
That doesn’t mean every health or wellness claim associated with vagus nerve stimulation has been established specifically for the Pulsetto device. This is an important distinction because research into vagus nerve stimulation as a general technology is not the same thing as clinical evidence proving that a particular consumer device will produce a particular result for every user.
Pulsetto itself positions the product as a wellness device, and its programs are designed around things such as relaxation and stress-related wellness rather than claiming to replace medical treatment. I think consumers should keep that in mind rather than buying it with the expectation that a few minutes of electrical stimulation will automatically solve a medical problem.
For me, though, the technology question became secondary once I had an uncomfortable experience and became concerned about the company’s billing and purchasing practices.
The App Is Part of the Pulsetto Experience
The Pulsetto device isn’t completely standalone. The accompanying app is used to control the device, choose programs and adjust the stimulation experience. That means the app isn’t just an optional extra if you want the full functionality Pulsetto is promoting.
That’s precisely why I was so unhappy about being enrolled in the premium trial without asking for it.
If someone knowingly chooses a paid subscription because they want additional app features, that’s one thing. My problem was being placed into a “free” 14-day trial that I hadn’t requested and then being charged $49.17 shortly after receiving the device.
When a physical product already costs $260, unexpected recurring or subscription-related charges are the last thing I want to discover afterward.
My Biggest Issue With Pulsetto Isn’t the Price Alone
The $260 price is significant, but the price itself isn’t what made me decide to return the device.
I’m willing to spend money on something if I believe I’m getting what I paid for. What bothered me was feeling that the total cost wasn’t as straightforward as I initially understood it to be. I expected to receive everything necessary to use the device, but then discovered the separate wall charger issue. I also didn’t expect a $49.17 app charge connected to a trial I never requested.
Those things changed how I looked at the purchase.
Instead of simply wondering whether Pulsetto could become part of my routine, I found myself wondering what other costs or conditions I might encounter later. Once you lose that sense of confidence in a company, it’s difficult to enjoy the product itself.
What About the Pulsetto Warranty?
Pulsetto advertises a two-year warranty, which initially sounded reassuring to me. However, after everything that happened with my purchase, I wasn’t confident enough in the company to want to rely on that warranty if something went wrong later.
That’s ultimately why I’m returning the device rather than keeping it and hoping everything works out.
Another thing that bothers me is that customers are responsible for return shipping costs. When I’m returning a product because I’m dissatisfied with the purchasing experience and the product itself didn’t work out for me, having to pay to send it back makes the overall cost even more frustrating.
My Experience With Pulsetto Vagus Nerve Stimulator
There are things about the Pulsetto concept that I genuinely found interesting. The device is compact, the sessions are short, and the idea of being able to perform tVNS at home without a complicated setup is appealing. I understand why someone interested in vagus nerve stimulation might look at Pulsetto and think it could be worth trying.
My experience, however, was not a positive one.
I paid $260 for the device, gel, tax and shipping, believing I had everything required. I then discovered that I needed a separate wall charger, which Pulsetto sells for an additional $20 before tax. I was also automatically enrolled in a premium app trial that I didn’t request and subsequently charged $49.17. Since the device itself took nearly 14 days to arrive, I ended up with less than 15 hours before that charge appeared.
Then there was my actual experience using the device. I tested it once at intensity level 5, and 24 hours later I was still dealing with uncomfortable sensations in my head and face. Because of that reaction, combined with the problems I had already experienced with the purchase, I decided I wasn’t comfortable continuing with it.
Would I Buy Pulsetto Again?
No, I wouldn’t.
That isn’t because I think the underlying idea of vagus nerve stimulation is automatically useless. It’s because my experience with this particular purchase left me uncomfortable with both the product and the company.
The unexpected charger expense, the $49.17 app charge, the nearly two-week delivery time, my reaction after using the device and the fact that I would have to pay return shipping all added up. By the end, I simply didn’t trust the purchase enough to keep the device.
I’m returning my Pulsetto and waiting for the $49.17 app charge to be refunded.
Is Pulsetto Worth It?
My answer is no, at least based on my experience.
Pulsetto may appeal to people who are specifically interested in trying an at-home vagus nerve stimulation device, and I can see why the short sessions and app-controlled design would be attractive. But the experience I had was not what I expected when I paid $260.
I expected the purchase to include everything necessary to use the device, but I discovered the separate charger requirement afterward. I didn’t knowingly request a premium app trial, yet I was charged $49.17 for it. The device took nearly two weeks to arrive, and when I finally tested it at intensity 5, I experienced uncomfortable sensations in my head and face that were still present the following day.
At that point, I had no interest in continuing to experiment with it.
Conclusion
So if you’re searching for Pulsetto reviews, or whether Pulsetto is worth the money, this is my experience: I paid $260 expecting a complete product, encountered additional costs and an unwanted app charge, had an uncomfortable reaction after my first use, and ultimately decided that returning it was the right choice for me.
The technology may be interesting, but my experience with the purchase was enough to make me walk away.
Check out, MoonBrew Gummies , that I reviewed earlier.