Kegelia vs Elvie.
Elvie and Kegelia are both apps for pelvic floor training, but only one of them needs a device to work. Elvie pairs its app with an insertable biofeedback sensor; Kegelia paces the exercise on-screen with nothing to buy or insert. We make Kegelia, so here's an honest look at what Elvie does well, and where we're different.
iPhone (iOS only for now)
The short version
Elvie Trainer is a premium biofeedback device — insert it, connect it to the Elvie app over Bluetooth, and your contractions move a gem through a game in real time. It's a registered medical device, priced around $200, with an app required to use it. Kegelia is a free-to-start app with no device: a jellyfish paces the rhythm of the exercise on your phone screen.
What Elvie does well
Elvie's biofeedback gives you something Kegelia doesn't: direct confirmation, through a sensor, that you're contracting the right muscle and how strongly. The brand is well known and well engineered, and the gamified feedback loop — watching a gem move as you squeeze — is a genuinely different, more visual way to learn the movement than pacing alone. For someone who wants that kind of confirmation and is comfortable with the cost and the device, Elvie is a legitimate choice.
Where Kegelia is different
Kegelia doesn't measure your contraction the way Elvie's sensor does — it paces it, and that's a real trade-off we're upfront about, not something we work around with a bigger claim. What you get instead: no device to buy, nothing to insert, and a phone-only setup that can go fully discreet in stealth mode — Elvie's device, however well designed, is still a physical object you have to store, charge, and use somewhere private. It's also built for anyone: Elvie Trainer is designed for vaginal insertion, so it's women-only by anatomy; Kegelia's pacing works the same way for men and women.
Which should you choose?
If you want a premium, gamified biofeedback experience and the cost and device aren't a barrier, Elvie is a well-built option. If you'd rather start today for free, with nothing to buy or insert, and you want the option to practice completely unnoticed, Kegelia is built for exactly that. See how Kegelia compares to Perifit.
FAQ
What's the real difference between Elvie and Kegelia?
Elvie Trainer is an insertable device that measures your pelvic floor contraction and turns it into a biofeedback game through its app; Kegelia is a device-free app that paces the exercise visually and with haptics, without measuring the muscle.
Is Elvie worth the cost compared to a free app like Kegelia?
It depends what you're looking for. Elvie's sensor gives direct feedback on your contraction that a pacing app can't match; Kegelia gets you started for free with no device, which matters more if cost or simplicity is the priority. How to judge any Kegel app.
Do I need the Elvie app to use the Elvie Trainer?
Yes, the device requires the companion app over Bluetooth to function. Kegelia needs only the app itself, no separate device.
Can men use Elvie Trainer?
No, it's designed for vaginal insertion. Kegelia's app-only approach works the same way for men and women. Kegel exercises for men.
Which is more discreet, Elvie or Kegelia?
Kegelia — stealth mode shows only the jellyfish on your phone, with nothing to insert or store. Elvie's device is well designed but is still physical hardware you need somewhere private to use and keep. How Kegelia stays private.