BrainHQ Reviews

by Brooklyn99Boy

If you have version 6 of brain HQ I do not recommend upgrading to version 7. I was a paid subscriber and unfortunately I upgraded my version of the Brain HQ app via BrainHQ store for their so called bug fixes. I am now with version 7, unable to downgrade, and unable to access the original better versions of Audiory Ace, Card Shark and other games. It’s been now over a month I’ve submitted multiple tickets to the team and never have been given a response as to how to fix this. I’ve also noticed that when you go to select a game the developers now added a completely useless / unproductive 2 to 3 second animation. I’ve also noticed that after you complete a level the developers added a significantly longer animation that shows your result. This all causes more time on BrainHQ with less levels being played. I’ve also noticed that when setting a weekly goal the new maximum is 3 times lower than then previous. So I am assuming the developers don’t want you to have high goals. The developers have also gotten rid of the Brain HQ widget that helps to track your progress. BrainHQ is now becoming annoying frustrating and unproductive and defeating its own purpose. Version 6 of Brain HQ was a good app with no bugs. Now version 7 is behaving like a -1 star app. Since these issues haven't gotten resolved I’ve received a refund for the rest of my subscription but would rather just have version 6 back.

by HonestGirl10

I came across BrainHQ after reading a news article that said it’s one of the few brain apps that research has shown to be effective for its intended purpose. Different games within BrainHQ are fun to play and after limited use I believe they do improve my mental skills. In that regard I’d rate BrainHQ five stars. However, I rate it one star due to the frustrations involved with navigating through the different training sessions and getting BrainHQ to work like it should. One shouldn’t need to call an app’s tech support to get the audio to work on an iPad. Also very irritating is the subscription box that often continuously pops up and won’t go away when I try to launch a new game. Seems like the developers of BrainHQ got the hard part right by developing games that are entertaining and effective, but failed on the easy part of developing a user interface that facilitates easy navigation through BrainHQ . At times I wonder if this was done intentionally by thinking users might pay for the subscription in hopes that the user interface problems will go away under the paid subscription mode. Unfortunately I like BrainHQ enough that I’ll likely test this theory.

by Petro 23856

I’ve been participating in the games in BrainHQ for about a month. I find the games and the training quite useful and helpful. I also like the statistics that it provides based on my progress.

But BrainHQ , though good in its ability to render games accurately, has little bugs all over the place that make it feel like it’s a half done product. Four instance, today is marked off as completed, and when I swiped backwards to see how I did last week, it changed the date to January 2012. That is obviously not last week.

That is just one of many little things that make BrainHQ annoying. I will continue playing the games because I can put these little annoyances aside, however for a company to have an app that basic functionality does not work properly is ridiculous. If it can’t do it correctly, simply remove that feature from BrainHQ . Make it so that to see your progress you have to go to the website. I would much preferThe app to do what it does well and leave everything else off rather than having an app that does somethings really well and others ridiculously poorly.

by Lil Ole

I’ve been using these programs since Posit Science launched the CD versions back in the Dark Ages. The iPad version is more convenient, but some of it is virtually unusable—esp the auditory exercises, which often are too garbled to be useful. Yes, even with headphones. And, no, additional “support”will not resolve these issues, only improving BrainHQ .

Some exercises never have been very good, e.g. (1) the facial recognition and (2) the conversations among people sitting at a table supposedly talking about friends—both annoying and too inane to remember. These need redesign.

That said, the exercises overall do make a difference, which is why I return to them every 3 years or so. Next time, though, I likely will try a different company unless these issues are resolved and the whole thing gets a refresh.

Anyone who needs help is pretty much out of luck. Responses are canned and it doesn’t seem to matter if they fit the problem (as the developer response below makes clear). At this price, support should be much, much better. And, a picky point, they will send reminders but only using standard time, not Daylight Savings Time—really?!

by Notashappywiththis

Hi should say that I am not paying for this. I am using the free version which gives you one exercise a day. I am surprised at how often they make me do the same exercise. And some of the exercises I don’t want to get better at like noticing everything really quick I already do that, so they don’t seem to gear the exercises to what I am bad at. Also, the exercise where you have to match up shapes and say whether they are the same or different has images flashing really really quickly. I have a neurological problem with lights flashing at me really quickly so it is very uncomfortable and I think it might be not a good idea for me to do

by Geoffhom

Update: They have updated some exercises now, and the website UI was updated (hopefully soon BrainHQ UI). So I upped to 3 stars. You can at least test it a little yourself. I wish they had some sort of full 3-day or 7-day trial, as the Spark is lacking.

I’m a paid subscriber and have (tried) using this for months. Each day, it gives me 4 different exercises to do. This should be a well-oiled machine, considering the company has been doing this for ten years, but it’s not. Some exercises, especially the audio ones, are horrible. What really makes this a 1-star app to me is that I don’t foresee BrainHQ improving anytime soon. If you write to Customer Service they are polite and fast. But nothing changes. No new exercises come. Old ones are neither improved or retired (like if they are lame). I can’t justify recommending BrainHQ to anyone, as it would enable the company’s poor behavior. I’ve written to Customer Service several times, but again I’ve never seen a single change in BrainHQ since I started. Hence this public review.

by Lexi491625

I’ve been using this for a while in the mornings to help with my cognitive flexibility, however I have a recommendation to make for the programmers for the Face 2 Face game: there’s really no reason every person we “meet” should be a white man. A) There are simply more people in the world than that. B) I know many people with racial bias actively struggle with discerning between multiple Black individuals, multiple Asian individuals, etc. This type of game has the potential with helping people with their subconscious bias by forcing them to recognize people and remember things about them, but instead it is only used to help reinforce that white men are the standard. C) Most of the people I interact with are not white men (I am very much not alone in this experience) and this is simply not as helpful of a training by limiting the subject pool in this way. D) It’s also just kind of unpleasant to feel forgotten and unrepresented by BrainHQ developers. It feels as though women and people who are not men of any race, and men who are not white were not on your mind at all when generating this program. That realization definitely soured my otherwise favorable experience. If y’all get the chance to rework that section I think it could be beneficial, both in terms of inclusion and in practice for collective brain development and societal improvement.

by ShanzyNV

So far, I have been using the games daily and am finding that some of the syllable and pronunciation games to be terrible. One woman’s voice I can barely understand because it is difficult to decipher which word she is saying. Another I just played was just as bad. The words come quicker and the first letter of like words is omitted so all you hear is the second and third letters of the word, which are identical. I wind up getting everything wrong even when using earphones when the game speeds up. Maybe it will get better once I am used to playing them, but right now I am having real difficulty with the speakers’ enunciation, not to mention some of the words themselves being used.

by Chloelynndancer

I’ve had this app for over a year now and while I love the easy access to scientifically backed ways to keep my brain sharp, I wish the user experience was a little better. When I’m using BrainHQ , the stars and points are meaningless to me and don’t provide much motivation. (Compared to DuoLingo—which has a very intuitive format to demonstrate progress through lessons) I wish I could customize the text reminders, the automated ones just get filtered out by my neurodivergent brain. (No need to get as sassy as that Duo owl though)

Idk what happened to my original review from awhile ago, but I appreciated the prompt response from the this app team re: the lack of diversity in the facial recognition challenges. I’d love to know if updated images are coming soon, I’d like to be adept at recognizing people of all races, not just the white people currently featured.

by GatorguyNC

While I feel challenged with most of the daily HQ tests, at least 1 of 4 directions just aren’t clear. Most of my results fall within 65-80% of my age group so I’m not all that dense. Random answers are obviously going to give poor results so I hope the designers review such outliers and take it upon themselves to clarify the required answers for the particular quiz. Also, auditory challenges that entail silly, teenage-type conversations/interchanges I find so dumb I simply block them out no matter how hard I try to focus. I reported it but got an equally generic/canned response. Most people taking these brain challenging tests are way beyond teenage and pre-teen conversations and our brains have become more tuned to adult interchanges. Too much of that and most of us older quiz takers will simply drop BrainHQ .

by Marco Antonio 2018

The software is fantastic scientifically.

However the software team needs to improve calibration for hardware that cannot keep up as the speed increases.

When the visual or especially audio effects get faster (to below the 100ms range) the visuals and sounds get noticeably randomly clipped. Especially if I’m reacting quickly and not giving the phone time to process the next batch and catch up.

This makes it impossible to read my true ability because BrainHQ is not outputting a true full signal.

It is faulty for people who operate at the high end of human ability like myself. This isn’t a problem I would imagine for a plus one sigma deviation of the population and below. But for the small minority of us at two or three sigma plus who want to have an accurate assessment it is annoying.

Graphics and a fancy interface are popular but they sacrifice too much processing capacity. I would suggest at faster speeds (sub 100ms) to cut graphics more and allow time for the next module to load before executing it on the standard predetermined GUI time table.

If I have a 32ms ability (so far) I expect BrainHQ to keep up.

by Fan From Delaware

I’ve been reading Dr Merzenich’s SOFT-WIRED book & came across this in one of the chapters & knew I had to get it. At 68, still in the workforce with 30-& 40-somethings I know I have to be as sharp as I can be to stay in it. I was hooked on the free trial in 1 hour & took the leap for a subscription immediately. I get on it every night for 1 hour & I’m amazed at where I am vs where I think I am! This will definitely help me stay sharp not only in my work but in life issues too. Love it! Get it if you’re on the fence. You will be very thankful you did.

by Terbokids

I had three Traumatic Brain Injuries(TBI's) during my military career. Back then we called them confusions. I had two Grade 3(loss of consciousness for less than a minute) to close-in RPG strikes and one Grade 4(loss of consciousness greater than 1 minute) in a helicopter shoot-down. These didn't affect me very much and I attended and graduated from a Pyhsician Assistant college. However in 2008, I had a fourth TBI and lost both long and short-term memory. I had to give up medicine. BrainHQ although difficult to follow the first times of use, has made huge jumps in my memory capabilities. Be patient.

by LadyRuby34

I’ve been using this program as part of my brain therapy for over a year. Although, I still have a long ways to go towards improving my memory and other critical brain functions I lost while in the service. It’s hard work but worth the effort of getting better versus daily frustrations. Frustrations such as inability to follow conversations, forgetting faces, names, things to and other critical daily functions. I had to combine another program to help with also improving other parts of my brains. But Brain fitness is well worth the time.

by Peg 69

When you get something right, it advances. When you get something wrong it takes more points away than when you get something right. Twice I have complained to them that right and wrong answers should be weighted the same. They say they will pass the comment on to the developers. This is why i think it is punitive. They are very creative at changing things so it remains challenging and when I am having trouble with an exercise they slow things down until i can get it. That I appreciate. One new exercise was impossible for me and I called them and they explained that the difference was in the tail feathers of the bird I was to identify from a similar group if birds. This was not apparent to me until they pointed it out. Still difficult to spot but now I had a chance. I have to say they are very responsive to any call or email for help. The exercises are interesting.

by Tom Tee

This is an updated review from my earlier 3 Star one. Great idea, with good data behind it - tons of interesting research available through BrainHQ . Wide variety of exercises. Instructions have improved a lot though there may still be new user frustration- eg if you get the right answer but BHQ determines you were too slow, it’s the wrong answer. Response times to user questions also have improved though I really haven’t had any issues recently. Most mental challenges are still pretty easy for me at 70 and this is NOT - which is exactly what I wanted.

by Ordthebassman

I have Alzheimer’s, it killed both my dad an my mother! Now it is my turn! I constantly look for things to slow down the progression. I love my life, wife, family, kids, grand kids & great grandkids!
Daily Spark has helped me greatly to slow things down. I am a disabled combat veteran from Vietnam. My insurance changed and they will not longer pay for it. These very smart and kind folks give me one puzzle everyday free! I am so very grateful for it! These exercises are much more than a game! They actually help our minds to learn and develop new skill sets! These programs are so much more than just a game! They improve how our brain functions! It is a wonderful program and it really helps keep our minds learning and growing! Thank you so very, very, much!

by Tumblingdie

I enjoy these games in spite of their challenges to me. I sometimes get frustrated by them but then feel elated when I come back at another time and easily handle the challenge. I’m growing, improving and strengthening my brain power, wow 😲...

Update: they say that all these games do, really, is to allow you to improve at the games you play, nothing else. I get all that, but would counter that my walking three times a week does make me a better walker, able to increase the miles I walk over time. But, walking has so many side benefits that I don’t even want to list them all. Playing these games has similar side effects I feel. Yes, I get better at playing them and that feels good. But there are also many side benefits that aren’t readily apparent. Thanks

by Dooskie-66 Year Old Female

I am a 66 year old female who didn't start using a computer until a little over 20 years ago. I got my first cell phone around that same time, as well. In other words, I did not grow up with the ability to use a computer and/or smart phone hard wired into my brain in the ways that younger people have.
That said, I am able to navigate BrainHQ quite easily. And, after initial frustrations with customer service, I have since found them to be extraordinarily helpful. Moreover, I love perusing the website, when I have time, and find this helps me mentally organize my understanding of how all the pieces fit together. One thing I particularly like about the website is how it shows me where my deficits are and which exercise to focus upon in order to improve.

by Fran Buhler

After a stroke about a year and a half ago, I was introduced to this app.

At the time it was a nuisance, one of many new things I started doing to accept what I felt was my responsibility for my life, including my wife, my family and my own future.

I stuck with it over time and, today, while I claim no expertise in these matters, I feel I have benefitted significantly.

Sadly, I know some folks who passed up this app and the subsequent onset of dementia has been marked and noticeable.

I would recommend this app to anyone who experiences a stroke and recognizes I want to work my way—not back to the life I had (which may or may not be possible), but forward to a better life as I move from ER, Rehab and on through my recovery to the gift of the good future I have been given.

There is no sensible way around the truth: The brain is like a super-dupper muscle that functions best with regular exercise and challenge. Either I engage in a disciplined, regular this app activity schedule or I accept the sure and certain consequence.

It’s my life, my choice.

And I strongly suggest that may be true for you also: It is your life, your choice. And I hope you choose wisely.

Best wishes,
Fran Buhler age 78
Tallahassee, Florida