Brain Training Mobile Apps Ranked in a Journal of Medical Internet Research

September 15, 2025 at 08:00 AM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Researchers conducted a comprehensive and systematic review of mobile cognitive training apps and published their peer-reviewed findings ranking the apps in JMIR mhealth and uhealth, a top-tier journal of health informatics. They found that not all apps are created equal and that the BrainHQ brain training app from Posit Science earned the highest score.

The review article notes that the researchers looked for cognitive training apps using multiple search terms on Google Play and the App Store and identified 4,822 possible apps, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria (English language, a free version, for individual use, normal functionality) for apps designed for older adults looking to address cognitive impairment.

The reviewers then judged each app using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) criteria for “mhealth” (mobile health) apps, with scores of 1 to 5 assigned by independent reviewers across four categories (engagement/useability, functionality/efficacy, aesthetics/appeal, and information/credibility). The reviewers found a wide range of quality across the cognitive training apps.

BrainHQ got the top score of all apps surveyed and was the only app to get a score of 4 or higher across all four categories. Only two apps (including BrainHQ) got an overall “good” score (4 or above), another nineteen apps got an overall score of 3 or above and were deemed “acceptable,” and three apps got even lower overall scores, which were deemed “insufficient.”

The reviewers concluded that current cognitive training apps for older adults “demonstrate moderate quality with considerable variability.” They also advise that future “development should prioritize enhancing user engagement, incorporating personalized features, and involving health care professionals and experts to align with evidence-based guidelines.”

“I confess I was surprised, and very pleased, by this news when a colleague forwarded a link to the article,” said Dr. Henry Mahncke CEO of Posit Science, which makes BrainHQ. “I already knew that BrainHQ was the best brain training program on the market, because of its scientifically proven results and the incredible real-world benefits that BrainHQ users report. But it’s great to see a careful, objective, scientific review come to the same conclusion.”

When the first comprehensive review of brain training programs targeting older adults was published in Neuropsychology Review in 2017, the reviewers found most such programs had no evidence of efficacy, and only one — BrainHQ — was backed by multiple high-quality studies.

As of 2025, BrainHQ exercises have shown benefits in more than 300 studies. Such benefits include gains in cognition (attention, speed, memory, decision-making), in quality of life (depressive symptoms, confidence and control, health-related quality of life) and in real-world activities (health outcomes, balance, driving, workplace activities). BrainHQ is used by leading health and Medicare Advantage plans, by pre-eminent medical centers, clinics, and communities, and by elite athletes, the military, and other organizations focused on peak performance.

Consumers can try a BrainHQ exercise for free daily at https://www.brainhq.com.