Coverage
+4.0 CapillusiRestore 4.0–10.0 vs Capillus 1.0–10.0.
Brand comparison
iRestore vs Capillus
iRestore scores 5.2 across 9 products; Capillus scores 5.2 across 7. They overlap in laser hair growth caps & helmets. That is 33% of what iRestore sells and 100% of what Capillus sells. iRestore leads on value, Capillus on coverage.
5.2
5.2
These two are tied across everything we scored.
Too close to call
tied · 0.01 apart
Level on the overall score. The trade-offs below decide it.
Pick iRestore when
Value matters most5.0vs4.0
Pick Capillus when
Coverage matters most10.0vs6.0
What only iRestore sells — and only Capillus
Not a loss for either brand. If you need one of these, the choice is already made.
Only iRestore
Only Capillus
Nothing outside the shared categories.
Where iRestore and Capillus differ
Median scores on a 0–10 scale. Each row is one criterion.
Ease of Use
+4.0 CapillusiRestore 4.0–7.0 vs Capillus 7.0–9.0.
Wavelength Spec
+3.0 CapillusiRestore 5.0–7.0 vs Capillus 7.0–10.0.
Warranty & Support
+2.0 CapillusiRestore 1 Year (4); Capillus 3 Years (4).
Value
+1.0 iRestoreiRestore: 5 of 9 scored products carry this criterion.
Verification
tiediRestore 2.0–7.0 vs Capillus 2.0–7.0.
Build Quality
tiedCapillus all scored 5.0.
Light Output
Not enough data on either side. iRestore 1 of 9; Capillus 0 of 7.
The scores above are our reading of the evidence below. This is the evidence.
FDA status is recorded per product from FDA's own records, not from the maker's wording. A 510(k) clearance can be checked by its number in FDA's 510(k) database.
Warranty terms
iRestore
9 of 9
Capillus
7 of 7
What iRestore and Capillus owners report
Independent sources pooled per brand. Each row is one source.
N of M = how many scored products carry the brand-level reading shown, out of all scored.
Amazon
+2.0 iRestoreiRestore: 1 of 9 scored products carry this reading; Capillus: 1 of 7 scored products carry this reading.
Source details
iRestore
- Both Apex panels share one Amazon US listing, sold by iRestore, which holds 3 ratings, too few to score.
- IRestore's most-rated device on Amazon US is the Essential hair-growth cap, at 4.0 from 3,511 ratings, split 60 percent five-star against 13 percent one-star.
- Amazon's review summary tags its value for money 229 times, 122 negative.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 9 scored products carry this reading
Capillus
- The HairBand has no Amazon listing, so the closest Capillus file is the 82-laser CapillusUltra cap (currently unavailable, last listed at $995), which holds 3.8 from 391 ratings, split 53 percent five-star to 16 percent one-star.
- Its tags show quality mentioned 27 times, ease of use 19 times and comfort 5 times, all positive, while fit (18 mentions) and value for money (15) are negative and adhesiveness (10) is mixed.
- The caps now in stock, sold by Curallux, rate lower on small files: the PRO at $1,699 holds 3.4 from 12 ratings (39 percent five-star to 31 percent one-star) and the Pro S1 at $2,199 holds 3.1 from 17 (46 percent to 44 percent).
- Separate older files for the Pro (3.4 from 80), Plus (3.5 from 77) and ONE (3.8 from 75) are all unavailable.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 7 scored products carry this reading
Owner reviews
+2.0 iRestoreiRestore: 1 of 9 scored products carry this reading; Capillus: 1 of 7 scored products carry this reading.
Source details
iRestore
- No US retailer shows reviews of either Apex panel: Target lists both with none, and a retailer search found no other listing with reviews of an iRestore panel.
- IRestore's native retailer pools are about its hair helmet and face masks: Costco's listing for the Professional helmet with serum and battery pack, now unavailable, holds 3.6 from 370 reviews, split 181 five-star against 81 one-star, and its face-and-neck mask duo holds 4.2 from 234, 154 five-star against 16 one-star.
- Walmart's iRestore files are labelled as from irestorelaser.com and are not counted.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 9 scored products carry this reading
Capillus
- The HairBand sells only on capillus.com, so the retailer pool is Costco's own review file for Capillus caps, which is native to Costco, not syndicated, and carries no incentive flags.
- The CapillusUltra cap holds 3.35 from 353 reviews written in 2019 and 2020, with 151 reviewers recommending it to 88 not, a 63 percent recommend rate.
- The current Capillus Pro Cap listing ($1,199.99 at Costco versus $1,699 on capillus.com) holds 3.46 from 67 reviews dated December 2023 to April 2025, split 14 to 14 on recommending it, and its low-rated reviews cite a unit that beeped nonstop and failed out of the box, a single cap size too small for two reviewers, a missing promised shampoo bundle, and price.
- Across Costco's eight Capillus laser-cap listings, 238 reviewers recommend and 172 do not, a 58 percent rate.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 7 scored products carry this reading
iRestore: 1 of 9 scored products carry this reading; Capillus: 1 of 7 scored products carry this reading.
Source details
iRestore
- Neither belt is discussed on Reddit.
- Reddit's iRestore owners are hair-helmet buyers: a March 2026 warning thread (87 upvotes, 41 comments) describes a full refund refused after a year of use in favour of a 25 percent service fee.
- That guarantee is the helmets' 12-month one; the belts carry a 60-day trial.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 9 scored products carry this reading
Capillus
- Reddit discussion of Capillus centers on its caps, not the HairBand, which went on pre-order on September 23, 2026.
- A June 2025 r/redlighttherapyhair thread (12 comments) reports a Capillus Spectrum that took two weeks to arrive with no tracking, unsealed packaging and residue inside the cap, though the owner rated build quality 8 out of 10.
- A May 2026 report, posted in two threads, describes a Capillus cap returned for being too big, shown delivered by USPS tracking, and still unrefunded (about $2,000) six months later.
- In a June 2025 r/redlighttherapy thread comparing Kiierr with the Capillus Pro (9 comments), two owners call the Capillus fit loose or wobbly, and a September 2024 thread (6 comments) reports the v4.6 battery pack discontinued, with rewiring for the newer pack costing a couple of hundred dollars.
- One 2023 r/Hairloss commenter, hit by Theradome's 25 percent return deduction, named Capillus as the only brand upfront about its fee.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 7 scored products carry this reading
iRestore: 1 of 9 scored products carry this reading; Capillus: 1 of 7 scored products carry this reading.
Source details
iRestore
- No written review has tested the Sculpt belt; The Coolector's August 2026 piece restates the brand's specifications and sale price.
- Independent written testing of iRestore covers its hair helmets: Innerbody, testing units it bought, describes the brand's reputation as mixed, with complaints that include the terms of the growth guarantee.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 9 scored products carry this reading
Capillus
- Written coverage of the HairBand so far consists of reprints of Capillus's September 23, 2026 press release (PR Newswire, Trend Hunter, Fitt Insider, Brands Review Magazine), with no hands-on test.
- The one current hands-on Capillus test is Wareable's September 2026 two-month review of the PRO, Spectrum and TriSpectrum caps, on a site that earns affiliate commissions on its Capillus links.
- The tester found the 6-minute session far easier to keep up than Kiierr's 30 minutes, but had to recharge the battery every five to six days, about 36 minutes of use, and called the price, from $1,019.40 on sale, the main drawback.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 7 scored products carry this reading
YouTube
tiedCapillus all scored 5.0.
Source details
iRestore
- No video reviews either Apex panel, and there is no independent video of any iRestore panel: YouTube searches for the Apex 1500 and 2160, together and by name, returned none.
- Independent iRestore videos are all about its hair helmets: JesseDriftwood (July 2021, 200,213 views), who bought the Professional himself and turned down payment from the brand, calls it cheap-feeling plastic with a harsh beep, while Cassandra Bankson (March 2024, 64,583 views), who earns commission on tagged products, and Cybernews (March 2026, 13,927 views), which sells the Elite through an affiliate link, find the Elite comfortable and easy to keep up.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 9 scored products carry this reading
Capillus
- No independent video covers the HairBand yet, so the pool rests on four owner videos of older Capillus caps from 2020 to 2023.
- HairHoney's February 2022 video (11,414 views, a cap given to the creator's mother, channel links its own Etsy shop) calls the 272-laser cap massive and hard to keep on straight and notes slight warmth, on a cap that cost about $3,000.
- Ryan's Reviews' December 2023 video (6,470 views, Amazon affiliate links) reports an eight-year-old Capillus still running, 3 to 4 sessions per charge, and a loose fit on a smaller head.
- The Costco Review Guy's November 2020 first look at a Costco-bought Capillus 82 (about $900) found operation simple but felt itching or a burning sensation near the end of the 6-minute session.
- Florencia Rodriguez's May 2023 video on the CapillusUltra (about 6,300 views) praises a battery pack that lasts several uses and the auto shutoff when the cap comes off.
Brand rollup across scored products.
1 of 7 scored products carry this reading
Best iRestore vs best Capillus, category by category
The three best-scoring products each brand sells in every category they both compete in, ranked by overall score.
Laser Hair Growth Caps & Helmets
See all Laser Hair Growth Caps & Helmets productsShared: 1 · Capillus only: 1
Wavelength bands — Shared: Red (620-680 nm). Capillus only: Near-infrared (800-880 nm).
iRestore leads
8.2
1st of 40 in Hair Caps & Helmets
Its 510(k), K222081, matches the 300-laser, 500-diode build exactly
Laser majority: 300 of 500 diodes
12-minute daily sessions
$2,699, and the battery pack is $99 more
7.5
4th of 40 in Hair Caps & Helmets
510(k) K143199 and K163170 describe the 272-diode, 650 nm cap
272 lasers at 650 nm and 5 mW each, Class 3R stated
6-minute auto-timed daily session, cordless
No total output published or measured
6.7
7th of 40 in Hair Caps & Helmets
Its 510(k), K183417, describes the exact 82-laser, 200-LED build
Coverage reaches temples and sides
Amazon 4.4 from 1,299, the best-rated iRestore helmet there
Only 82 of the 282 lights are lasers
6.1
13th of 40 in Hair Caps & Helmets
304 lasers at 650 nm and 5 mW each, 1,520 mW total stated
Class 3R stated, with wavelength and per-diode output published
6-minute auto-timed daily session, cordless
Sold as FDA-cleared; listed under K162994 and K163170, which describe no 304-diode cap
5.0
29th of 40 in Hair Caps & Helmets
Its 510(k), K213094, names model ID-500
655 nm lasers and LEDs, 600 mW in total
Lightest iRestore helmet at 1.03 lb
Covers the top and crown, not the temples or sides
5.4
21st of 40 in Hair Caps & Helmets
312 lasers, 40 of them near-infrared at 808 nm
Both wavelengths, 5 mW per diode and Class 3R published
Up to six 6-minute sessions per charge, with a docking station
Sold as FDA-cleared; K162994 describes a 312-laser cap at 650 nm only
iRestore vs Capillus: the numbers
5.2
Products scored9 of 11
Price range$499 – $2,699
5.2
Products scored7 of 7
Price range$225 – $3,699
iRestore vs Capillus: common questions
Is iRestore or Capillus better?
iRestore 5.2 from 9 scored products; Capillus 5.2 from 7. Level on overall score — the difference is in the criteria.
What is the biggest difference between iRestore and Capillus?
Coverage: iRestore medians 6.0, Capillus medians 10.0 (Capillus by 4.0).
Which is better for ease of use, iRestore or Capillus?
Capillus on ease of use — iRestore 5.0, Capillus 9.0.
Which is better for wavelength spec, iRestore or Capillus?
Capillus on wavelength spec — iRestore 7.0, Capillus 10.0.
What does iRestore make that Capillus does not?
iRestore sells led face & neck masks, red light therapy panels, and wraps, pads & belts; Capillus does not, in the products we scored.
Which iRestore and Capillus laser hair growth caps & helmets should I buy?
iRestore: iRestore Elite Hair Growth System. Capillus: Capillus PRO 272 Laser Cap.
How does Stuff VS Things score iRestore and Capillus?
Our own product medians: 9 iRestore and 7 Capillus. A criterion is compared only where both brands clear the floor.
Other comparisons
Scores calculated 4 October 2026 · Products excluded where fewer than two independent sources cover them · · How we score