The CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen scores 4.5 and ranks 16th of 26 in Handheld Devices; the Solawave Bye Acne scores 5.0 and ranks 8th of 26 in Handheld Devices. The Anti-Acne Pen leads on warranty & support.
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen: Registered or listed only · Solawave Bye Acne: Not stated.
Wavelength Spec
tied
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
5.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
5.0/10
Coverage
tied
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
1.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
1.0/10
Build Quality
tied
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
5.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
5.0/10
Ease of Use
tied
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
7.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
7.0/10
Value
tied
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
9.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
9.0/10
Light Output
one side unscored
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
—
Solawave Bye Acne
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What CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen and SolawaveBye Acne owners report
Independent sources, scored for each model. Anti-Acne Pen on 5 of five, Bye Acne on 5.
CurrentBodySolawave
Reddit
tied
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
5.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
5.0/10
The CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen reading covers the whole brand.
What they say
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen
Reddit has no owner report on the Anti-Acne Pen; it comes up only as a suggestion in r/redlighttherapy and in an r/30PlusSkinCare question whose replies discuss masks instead.
An r/30PlusSkinCare thread asking whether CurrentBody's face mask is worth it (44 comments) leans positive where expectations stay modest, while a second r/30PlusSkinCare thread, titled "Don't waste your money with them", describes a broken promotional gift, a missing item and slow customer service.
SolawaveBye Acne
Reddit barely covers the Bye Acne.
In a September 2025 r/Ulta thread one owner calls it good for the occasional pimple, using it when she feels one coming, but slow at three minutes per spot and too small to use all over.
In a September 2022 r/Skincare_Addiction thread an owner with sensitive, acne-prone skin says it works if used consistently, with her spots calming after two to five sessions.
A January 2024 r/30PlusSkinCare thread on sanitizing it is not counted because Solawave's own account posts in it.
Google
+1 Solawave
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
6.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
7.0/10
Both readings are about these exact models.
What they say
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen
Both written tests are on units CurrentBody supplied.
Beautymone (March 2024) reports small spots gone after one to three sessions over a month and says widespread breakouts suit a mask better, and Unfading Beauty (February 2025, affiliate code) reports her partner's spots cleared by day three or four, with inconsistent use.
SolawaveBye Acne
Harper's Bazaar (June 2022), which earns commission, rated it 4.0 out of 5 after two weeks of testing, praising the three-minute sessions and a size that targets single spots, while noting it has to be held in place and used only once a day on each spot.
Mashable (May 2023), testing a unit Solawave sent, saw her skin stay about the same over two weeks, found one 30-minute charge lasted the whole test, and thought its launch price of $99 steep for a device too small to treat more than a spot or two; it now lists at $69.
YouTube
+1 CurrentBody
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
6.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
5.0/10
The Solawave Bye Acne reading covers the whole brand.
What they say
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen
Brazilian Girl Channel (March 2024, 3,312 views, made in partnership with CurrentBody) reports a breakout calmed overnight.
Tabitha Isobel, a skin specialist whose channel earns commission (April 2024), saw jawline spots reduced within four days but found the vibration uncomfortable and three minutes per spot tedious.
SolawaveBye Acne
The one video on the Bye Acne, Doctor Sarah's (March 2023, 8,888 views, affiliate links, not sponsored), walks through Solawave's claims and published research on light therapy rather than a long-term test of the device.
Solawave's other independent YouTube coverage is about its 4-in-1 wand, where Britt Witkin's 90-day review on a brand-sent unit found the skin felt smoother but saw little change in fine lines.
Amazon
+1 Solawave
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
6.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
7.0/10
The CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen reading covers the whole brand; the Solawave Bye Acne reading covers its product line.
What they say
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen
The pen is not listed on Amazon US.
CurrentBody's most-rated device on Amazon US is the LED Face Mask Series 2, at 4.1 from 699 ratings, split 71 percent five-star against 15 percent one-star.
Its critical reviews centre on reliability, including masks that stopped working after about a month.
SolawaveBye Acne
The original Bye Acne has no rated Amazon US listing live: Solawave's storefront now sells the Bye Acne Pro, a larger version with 24 LEDs and six times the original's coverage area, at $89.
That listing, sold by Solawave, holds 4.0 from 60 ratings, split 57 percent five-star against 15 percent one-star.
Owner reviews
+3 Solawave
CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen
5.0/10
Solawave Bye Acne
8.0/10
The CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen reading covers the whole brand.
What they say
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen
No US retailer rates the Anti-Acne Pen from enough reviews to count.
Costco's CurrentBody Face & Neck Kit, the earlier Series 1 masks, holds 3.7 from 55 reviews, 25 of them five-star and 8 one-star, and its critics name discomfort around the eyes and nose bridge, loose straps and brightness.
SolawaveBye Acne
Ulta's listing for the original device in Periwinkle and Charcoal holds 4.3 from 56 reviews, all written on Ulta, with 40 five-star against 9 at one or two stars and a 70 percent recommend rate; Target sells the same Ulta listing at 4.2 from 57, one review file rather than a second pool.
Owners there like the quick sessions and small size and several report calmer early spots, while critics call it too tiny for more than a spot or two and some saw no change.
Ulta's separate $89 Bye Acne listing holds 3.1 from 7, too few to read, and Walmart's $89 V2 listing carries 4.6 from 24 ratings, almost all labelled incentivized.
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen vs SolawaveBye Acne: pros and cons
What each one does well, and where it falls short.
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen
What we like
$79.99the lowest-priced CurrentBody device
Published peaks at 415 nm blue and 633 nm red
3-minute spot sessions with a beep
Cordlesscharges over USB-C in 1.5 to 2 hours
0.71 oz
What holds it back
Sold as FDA clearedthe cited 510(k) names other models and not this pen
Stated 30 mW/cm2 has no independent measurement
One spot at a timetedious across several
Vibration uncomfortableper one reviewer
No eye protection includedthough CurrentBody warns blue light is harmful to the eyes
SolawaveBye Acne
What we like
$69, the lowest-priced Solawave device
Published peaks at 415 nm blue and 630 nm red
3-minute spot sessions that end on their own
Cordless and pocket-sized
Ulta 4.3 from 56all native reviews
What holds it back
Sold as FDA clearedno 510(k) or listing found
No LED countmaterials or output published
One spot at a time
Not for Fitzpatrick skin types V or VIper Solawave's own page
One-year warranty
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen vs SolawaveBye Acne: the numbers
Price, scores and rank, then only the specs that differ. Green marks the side with more.
CurrentBodyAnti‑Acne Pen vs SolawaveBye Acne: common questions
Is the CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen better than the Solawave Bye Acne?
On our scores, the Solawave Bye Acne is ahead, 5.0 against 4.5. The CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen leads on warranty & support (4 against 2).
Which is cheaper, the CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen or the Solawave Bye Acne?
The Solawave Bye Acne, at $69 against $80: $11 less.
Which has the longer warranty, the CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen or the Solawave Bye Acne?
The CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen: 2 Years, against 1 Year.
What do owners say about the CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen and the Solawave Bye Acne?
Across 5 independent sources scored for both, the CurrentBody Anti-Acne Pen is ahead on YouTube; the Solawave Bye Acne is ahead on Google, Amazon and Owner reviews; Reddit is level.
More handheld devices comparisons
More head-to-heads with these two, plus the full brand comparison.
Scores calculated 8 October 2026 · Products excluded where fewer than two independent sources cover them · Researched and edited by Michael Ambrose · Unbroken Ads LLC · How we score