In a world where we spend most of our time working on laptops, the issue of back and neck pain is not an extraordinary thing. Poor posture has an impact on health in a long-term perspective with complications including chronic back and neck pain, headaches, rounded shoulders, and even breathing difficulties.
Moreover, the data shows that low back pain in computer users is a common problem with 80% of users complaining about having this concern.
Fortunately, a person can avoid all these symptoms by correcting posture which seems to be a great tip. However, this is not realistic when you are stuck to a monitor spending days in front of the screen. The posture corrector apps are here to help. We decided to test 10 posture corrector apps that will change your daily struggle with discomfort in your body.
9 Posture Corrector Apps That Got Your Back!
The key to fixing poor posture is to change your position every 30-60 minutes and sit upright in a chair.
Luckily, technology came to the rescue. In today’s tech-driven world, numerous apps can remind you of sitting straight and relieving associated discomfort. The applications monitor how you sit and alert you when you slouch or hunch. They usually offer posture reminders, and personalized training plans, provide real-time feedback, and use a gamified approach.
However, when health is at stake, it’s better to examine all the pros and cons to get the best out of the app. Thus, this article will focus on the main features, prices, and disadvantages of the popular tools.
Please, be aware that the review of apps relies on our own assessment, users’ experiences, and their reviews available online. Consequently, the evaluation may change over time. The aim of the article is to gather all available information to help readers in making well-considered choices.
So, get ready to uncover the truth of about 10 posture corrector apps that quite literally can get your back.
1. BLiiNK
BLiiNK is a desktop application focused on helping users avoid widespread health concerns. The app is a holistic tool that can help improve their health and productivity. It’s not simply a posture reminder app, but rather a kit of AI-powered tools.
Compared to other apps, BLiiNK offers several features in one. In addition to being a posture corrector, it tackles vision-related concerns and helps children and adults stay away from eye health problems. BLiiNK provides an assessment of health habits and the historical performance of posture and blinking rates. It also provides 5 different groups of office-adapted exercises.
Having a notification system that appears on the screen, BLiiNK is not simply a reminder but requires users’ engagement to make corrections in posture and blinking frequency.
Businesses willing to enhance the productivity of their employees can order a demo presentation by scheduling a meeting with company representatives.
One of the standout features is that it operates locally on PC not to allow personal information leakage. The tool is now available for downloading both for Windows and MacOS.
Pros:
- Contains 4 features in one with possibilities to fix poor posture, calculate the blinking rate, and monitor the distance from the screen and do stretches.
- Works locally without an internet connection
- Has a customized notification system
- Provides detailed statistics and educational content
- Has 3 languages, external webcam selection, screening mode
Features You Will Love!
Once downloaded, the app offers to adjust general settings in order to proceed. When opening a webcam, it tests posture and makes distance corrections to implement in real-time.
Posture Checking
This interactive feature helps avoid muscle and neck pain as well as widespread thrown-out back problems by periodically checking the sitting posture. The first thing is to adjust the general settings to select the frequency, size, and type of notifications. Once the settings are ready, BLiiNK periodically provides updates if there are deviations from the recommended posture in addition to a chart with historical performance to develop healthy sitting habits over time.
Blinking Counting
Being a perfect fusion of tech and health, the tool is designed for remote workers, students, and anyone looking to enhance their digital wellness. Blinking counting is essential for not falling below the frequency of 15-20 times per minute which is a normal indicator for healthy eyes. Meanwhile, when being in front of a monitor this falls to only 7 times per minute which can cause eye dryness and strain.
The tool has a flexible notification system, reminding you to blink more often. That said, a small notification banner will appear on the screen and let you know how to correct the situation. The pop-up will disappear once you start blinking upon its recommendations.
Distance Measuring
This feature uses a camera to measure the distance between you and a monitor. The app recommends keeping an appropriate distance of a minimum of 40 centimeters so as not to put an extra burden on the eyes.
Exercises
This feature enables users to setup office adapted quick stretches as well as water reminders over the working day and release strain from the muscles. It includes stretches for back, neck , eyes, hand and wrist as well exercises for general wellness.
Pricing
BLiiNK offers two pricing options for individuals and flexible plans for businesses with 3-day free trial.
Monthly Plan: $4.90
Annual Plan: $3.90/month or $49
The packages for businesses vary based on the organization size .The enterprise plan is also available with the possibility to discuss the terms and conditions.
2. Smartposture
This is a smart posture corrector designed to improve posture and promote a healthy lifestyle. Compared with the previous app, Smartposture is more of a reminder than a comprehensive tool, while its free features include posture correction reminders and posture screens as well as in-app statistics for the last 14 days.
Moreover, the app can compare your results with users worldwide in case of signing up for additional Pro features.
Pros:
- Customized recommendations: It analyzes the sitting habits and tailors recommendations to your specific needs.
- Parental screen control: Enables users to monitor a child’s health remotely.
Cons:
- Inaccurate work: The software sometimes stops working randomly.
- Available only on mobile (no desktop version)
- Inability to switch off: Smartposture relies on sensors in the user's device to track posture. This means when just lying on the table or being in the pocket it does not disable itself and keeps on sending notifications.
Pricing
The good news is it’s free when using the main features and requires a $2.99/year payment for the advanced characteristics. This includes enjoying the software ad-free, getting monthly data, or customizing the experience with other options. Some comments by reviewers suggest that even basic customization may require payment.
3. Posture Pal
Have you ever thought about how to stop slouching? Posture Pal is an effective tool to remind that a person has to sit or stand straight during the day. Additionally, it is connected to AirPods which allows the detection of a bad posture by means of motion sensors and alerts a person to pull the shoulders back.
This app’s features include setting a daily goal and using timers to improve posture during the period from 5 to 60 minutes. It contains three different sensitivity levels, visual and sound alerts, and custom colors with a colorful cartoon-themed giraffe (or another pal in the case of the Pro plan) tracking your progress.
Pros:
- Daily goal: The app sets a daily goal before you start.
- Colorful interface: It offers to choose a colorful animated pal that will help you track your lifestyle habits.
Cons:
- Incompatibility with headphones: The developers assure it works with AirPods and all other headphones that can send motion data to iPhone. However, it did not work with the beats that we used when trying the app.
- No desktop version available
Pricing
The Pal Pro is a free app for using the main features, while the price for the Pro version is $5.99 with a 7-day trial. The Pro package has custom colors and theming, 12 different app icons, and a choice between your own pals.
4. Upright
Upright is not simply a mobile app to give recommendations but a kit containing a little device you wear on your upper back to track your posture throughout the day.
In order to prevent slouching, it emits a vibration to make you sit straight and provides you with detailed feedback, namely with data on how often you slouch, for how long, and in what positions.
In fact, the manufacturer offers 2 models: Upright Go 2 and Upright Go2 S. The number of movement sensors, feedback plans, and the period of auto app syncing depends on the model.
Pros:
- An easy-to-use device with a discreet sensor
- Detailed feedback
- Option allowing you to select the main training goal before you start
Cons:
- Uncomfortable: Some people find it uncomfortable to wear a device on their back.
- Limited usage: The app offers just one product which limits the targeted audience.
- Noisy: It may be too intrusive in different environments because of powerful vibrations.
Pricing
Unlike other options, the device and app are rather expensive. The price of Go 2 is $79.95 with an extra $19.95 for premium protection. Be ready to pay an additional $19.95 for a necklace that represents a USB-C connector and is available in 5 different colors.
5. SitApp
SitApp is a posture application using a webcam and machine learning to help individuals sit straight and prevent the negative impact of prolonged sitting. After downloading, you meet a droid that immediately runs an analysis of a good posture and slouch. From now on, you are under the guise of an eye that follows your movement.
Pros:
- Easy-to-install: Installation and downloading take a couple of minutes.
- Affordable: It’s a free device with no subscription fees or additional payments for Pro features.
Cons:
- Intrusive: The droid’s eye is constantly following you which is rather uncomfortable.
- No recommendations: The app hardly contains any valuable information except for tracking the posture.
Pricing
SitApp is absolutely free for all users.
6. Text Neck - Posture Correction
Text Neck - Posture Correction is an app requiring no special equipment or set-up to help you improve spine health and relief pain. After defining the main goal and measuring your activity during the day, your digital helper shows you how to perform exercises. It all starts with exercises like drawing a snow angel on the wall or lifting your arms with the countdown helping to control the pace of the exercises. Compared with competitors, it is focused on routine, not real-time recommendations.
Pros:
- Easy to use: It requires no devices or sensors. The only thing is to keep following the exercises on the screen of a smartphone.
- Instructional videos: The video is an easy way for users to understand and perform the exercises correctly, ensuring maximum benefit.
- Diagnostics: It offers a questionnaire and a wall test to show the optimal program for your health.
Cons:
- Repetitiveness: Exercises repeat every day with little chance to make any changes in your workout routine.
- Repetitive ads: Although the app is free of charge, you must be ready to skip a lot of ads appearing on the screen while using it.
Pricing
The app is free of charge.
7. PostureNet
PostureNet is a comprehensive real-time slouch detection and posture monitoring app designed to promote better spinal health. Its machine-learning technology follows the movement with the help of a webcam to provide instant feedback on posture alignment. Users can track their progress over time and receive reminders for posture corrections and breaks to strengthen their posture muscles.
Pros:
- Just as with previous apps, the main advantage of the posture corrector is a real-time recommendation option.
Cons:
- There is a limited number of testimonials compared to other apps, which proves it to be not credible enough.
- It also has limited availability as the software does a posture check up on Mac only.
Pricing
The trial version downloaded from the official Apple Mac AppStore requires no credit card for 72 hours. The annual subscription plan is $9.99 per month or a two-month discount with an annual plan of $99.9 per year.
8. Nekoze
Like previous apps, Nekoze is a real-time posture monitoring feature using a built-in camera on a Mac to check your posture. Once you press start and run the app, it fixes the first image and emits the sound of a cat that meows each time the user slouches in front of a monitor. A menu allows you to activate or deactivate the automatic launch and contains general and advanced settings to regulate “the meow sound” and the frequency of notifications.
Pros:
- Overall, the basic features do not differ much from its competitors, but it can have an additional value for cat lovers because of a little meowing cat constantly popping up in the corner of the display.
Cons:
- Distracting: Although the concept is cute, it may be distracting and noisy, driving you and the people next to you insane.
- Lighting problem: The developers admit it may glitch because of the lighting in the room and advise adjusting it or changing the location of the camera if necessary.
- Not available on all stores: The app is available on the Mac App Store only.
Pricing
It is free for download on the Mac App Store and requires macOS 12.0 or later.
9. Vatobe
Vatobe is another AI-powered tool urging users to sit up straight to prevent back pain at regular intervals. The demo on the website shows you can adjust the notification intervals between 5 minutes and 2 hours.
The website does not brief on the technique the app uses or its pros against the competitors. One of the recommendations is to change the System Preferences Accessibility Speech on Mac to ensure its smooth operation. Anyway, for those interested in the etymology, Vatobe is the name of a lemur in the Australian Zoo which is an endangered species.
Being relatively new in the market, it has limited testimonials and comments from customers.
Pricing
Unfortunately, information on price was not available.
Key Takeaways
Posture corrector apps have emerged as valuable tools for combating back and neck pain for thousands of people sitting in front of laptops every day. To choose the best option you have to consider which interface and features are tailored to meet your needs.
Bliink.ai stands out with its holistic approach and a blinking rate tracker which is not typical for these kinds of apps.
If you want to improve your health habits and prefer tools combining multiple features, ask for a BLiiNK demo to correct the posture and boost productivity.