Yes, BrainHQ is legit. It is a real brain training program made by Posit Science, a San Francisco company co-founded in 2003 by neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, and it has the deepest published research record of any brain training app we have reviewed. The honest caveats: that research tested its exercises in study settings, some studies have authors with financial ties to the company, and the evidence that gains carry over into everyday life is limited and debated. No app can promise to prevent dementia.
Asking whether BrainHQ is legit is really asking two things: is the company real, and is the science real? Both are, with caveats worth knowing before you pay. We used BrainHQ hands-on and checked its claims against its own policies, the published studies, and public records.
Who makes BrainHQ, and who owns it
BrainHQ is made and owned by Posit Science Corporation, based at 160 Pine Street in San Francisco. Its terms of service and privacy policy are both issued in that name.
The company was co-founded in 2003 by Michael Merzenich and Jeff Zimman. Merzenich is a professor emeritus of neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco, and received the 2016 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for his work on brain plasticity. He is still Posit Science’s chief scientific officer.
The company began as Neuroscience Solutions Corporation and announced its change of name to Posit Science in January 2005. Its chief executive, Henry Mahncke, earned his PhD studying brain plasticity with Merzenich, joined at the start in 2003, and has run the company since 2011. BrainHQ itself launched in August 2012.
This is not a fly-by-night app. The company has more than 20 years of history, a street address, and named leaders whose records you can check.
Does BrainHQ work? What the research shows
BrainHQ says more than 100 published papers back its exercises. The most important come from the ACTIVE study, a trial funded by the National Institutes of Health that enrolled 2,832 adults aged 65 to 94. They were randomly assigned to ten group sessions of memory, reasoning, or speed of processing training, or to no training. BrainHQ says that speed training was an earlier version of its Double Decision exercise.
Two follow-ups get the most attention.
At 10 years, Edwards and colleagues reported a 29% lower risk of dementia in the speed training group than in the control group. The result only just cleared the usual bar for statistical significance, and dementia was identified from interviews and test scores, not a clinical diagnosis.
At 20 years, Coe and colleagues matched 2,021 participants to their Medicare records. People who did speed training plus at least one booster session had about a 25% lower risk of a dementia diagnosis than the control group. Speed training without boosters showed no lower risk, and neither did memory or reasoning training.
That is a real, published finding from a publicly funded trial, and it is the main reason BrainHQ scores 8.6 out of 10 in our BrainHQ review.
The caveats that matter
It was a study, not the app. ACTIVE participants trained in group sessions organized by researchers. Posit Science later acquired that speed training software and updated it into Double Decision. The BrainHQ exercise descends from the research program, but it is not the identical program, and training at home on a phone is not what the trial tested.
Some authors have financial ties. One author of the 20-year study, Karlene Ball, disclosed that she consults for Posit Science, owns stock in it, and sits on its scientific advisory board. Two authors of the 10-year study disclosed earlier links, including consulting work and software licenses supplied for research. Disclosed ties don’t make a result wrong, but you should know they exist.
The headline result is disputed. A 2026 reanalysis by William Dickens of Northeastern University found that, after correcting for the number of comparisons made, none of the training groups’ 20-year results stayed statistically significant. He argued the pattern may fit a protective effect shared by all three kinds of training, strongest in the youngest participants, not something unique to speed training.
Experts are cautious about apps. The National Institute on Aging says there is not enough evidence that commercially available brain training applications have the same impact on cognitive abilities as the ACTIVE training.
Carry-over is limited. A major 2016 review by Simons and colleagues found extensive evidence that brain training improves the tasks you practice, and little evidence that it improves everyday cognitive performance.
A bigger trial may settle some of this. The PACT study enrolled 7,600 older adults to test speed training against clinically diagnosed mild cognitive impairment and dementia. It is due to finish in 2028.
Until then, the fair summary is this: most people get better at the exercises they practice, and how much that helps in daily life is uncertain. No app can promise to prevent, treat, or slow dementia, and BrainHQ’s own terms say its content is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you or someone close to you is noticing memory changes, talk to a doctor.
For more on the evidence, see is BrainHQ worth it and our guide to whether brain training apps work.
What BrainHQ costs, and what is free
On its website, BrainHQ costs $14 a month or $96 a year, and family members can be added to an annual plan for $59 a year each. The App Store lists $13.99 a month and $94.99 a year. Subscriptions renew automatically, and you can cancel at any time. Our BrainHQ cost guide has the full breakdown.
Is BrainHQ free? Partly. A free account includes the Daily Spark, one exercise a day from a different training category each day of the week. Four more exercises on BrainHQ’s homepage can be tried without an account. BrainHQ’s plan page lists no free trial of the full program. Our BrainHQ free trial guide covers every free route.
BrainHQ, Medicare, and libraries
Original Medicare doesn’t cover gym memberships or fitness programs, Medicare.gov says, and BrainHQ’s own Medicare list covers only Medicare Advantage plans. For 2026 that list names three: Elderplan, Kaiser Permanente (Mid-Atlantic), and SummaCare, where it excludes members of the Garnet, Topaz, and Quartz HMO plans.
If your plan isn’t listed, call the member services number on your card. BrainHQ says a plan missing from the list may no longer offer it.
BrainHQ also says many US libraries offer the full version free to their patrons, so ask at yours.
Refunds and cancelling
BrainHQ offers a 30-day refund guarantee on subscriptions bought through its website. Its help center says purchases made in the iPhone or Android app are handled by Apple and Google under their own refund rules. If the refund matters to you, buy on the web.
When you cancel, BrainHQ’s terms say you keep access until the end of the period you paid for.
Privacy
BrainHQ’s privacy policy, last updated on July 1, 2024, says it collects contact details, payment data, your exercise and assessment results, and device and usage data.
The policy says Posit Science does not sell personal information for money. It does work with advertising partners on interest-based ads, which it says some laws may class as a sale or sharing, and a “Do Not Sell” link lets you opt out. It also says it may use de-identified data for scientific research.
Two practical points. If you get BrainHQ through an organization such as a health plan or a library, the policy says that organization may receive some information about you, such as how often you train. And you can ask for your data to be deleted by emailing support@brainhq.com, though the policy says these rights depend on where you live and some requests may be declined.
Regulators and complaints
We searched the Federal Trade Commission’s website in October 2026 and found no FTC action against Posit Science. That matters because the FTC has acted in this field: in 2016, Lumos Labs, the maker of Lumosity, paid $2 million to settle charges that it made unfounded claims about its games. Our BrainHQ vs Lumosity comparison sets the two side by side.
When we checked in October 2026, Posit Science’s Better Business Bureau profile showed an A+ rating, no BBB accreditation, no complaints filed in the last three years, and no customer reviews. A quiet BBB page is mild reassurance, not proof of anything.
App store ratings are mixed. BrainHQ is rated 4.6 out of 5 from about 22,000 ratings on the App Store, but about 3 out of 5 from roughly 1,100 reviews on Google Play. Android users should try the free version before paying.
The honest downsides
It looks dated. In our hands-on use, the interface felt years behind newer apps, and some exercises on a phone have to be played in landscape.
It can feel like work. Most exercises are fast perception drills, not puzzles or games. BrainHQ recommends at least 60 to 90 minutes of training a week, which is more than a quick daily brain game asks of you.
It is not cheap. At $96 a year, it costs more than double Elevate at $39.99.
You can’t try the full program free. The Daily Spark is a useful sample, but it is one exercise a day.
Who BrainHQ suits, and who should skip it
It suits older adults who care about the research and will train several times a week for months, people who prefer evidence to entertainment, and anyone who can get it free through a Medicare Advantage plan or a library.
Skip it if you want quick, playful sessions, if $96 a year is a stretch, or if you are hoping for a treatment. BrainHQ is not a treatment for memory problems or any other condition.
Alternatives worth a look
Elevate costs $39.99 a year and practices everyday skills such as reading, writing, and math in a smoother, more modern app. It doesn’t have BrainHQ’s research record.
Lumosity is the better-known rival, built around game-like exercises. It does not publish its prices; see our Lumosity cost guide.
Zenelia is a brain training app made by Mindkindly’s owner, so we don’t rank or score it here. It costs $6.99 a month or $44.99 a year, has a 7-day free trial, and is iPhone only for now; read more about Zenelia or see it on the App Store.
Common questions
Is BrainHQ a scam? No. It is a real subscription product from an established company, with published prices and a 30-day refund guarantee on website purchases.
Who owns BrainHQ? Posit Science Corporation, a San Francisco company co-founded in 2003 by neuroscientist Michael Merzenich and Jeff Zimman.
Does BrainHQ work? Most people improve at the exercises they practice. In one long-running trial, an earlier version of its speed training was linked to a lower risk of a dementia diagnosis for people who also did booster sessions. That finding is disputed, and it came from a study setting, not the app.
Is BrainHQ free? One exercise a day is, through the Daily Spark. Full access costs $14 a month or $96 a year unless your Medicare Advantage plan or library provides it.
Does Medicare cover BrainHQ? BrainHQ’s own list names only Medicare Advantage plans, three of them for 2026, and we found nothing showing Original Medicare covers it.
Can BrainHQ prevent dementia? No app can promise that.
The bottom line
BrainHQ is legitimate: an established company, a co-founder with real scientific standing, published prices, a refund guarantee, and no FTC action that we could find. Its research record is the deepest of any brain training app we have reviewed, and also narrower than it first sounds. Its best-known finding, on dementia risk, rests on one exercise tested in a study setting, with results that scientists still argue about.
Start with the free Daily Spark, check your Medicare Advantage plan and your library, and pay only if the slow, serious style suits you.
Sources
- About BrainHQ and Posit Science (BrainHQ)
- Science staff, including Henry Mahncke (BrainHQ)
- Dr. Michael Merzenich (BrainHQ)
- Neuroscience Solutions Corporation announces name change to Posit Science (BrainHQ, 2005)
- Posit Science launches BrainHQ (BrainHQ, 2012)
- How Posit Science’s BrainHQ helps people sharpen their cognitive abilities (Forbes, 2018, republished by BrainHQ)
- BrainHQ FAQ
- The ACTIVE study (BrainHQ)
- BrainHQ terms of service
- BrainHQ privacy policy
- BrainHQ subscription plans (BrainHQ Support)
- BrainHQ refund policy (BrainHQ Support)
- What is the Daily Spark? (BrainHQ Support)
- Exercises to try before you buy (BrainHQ Support)
- How much should I train? (BrainHQ Support)
- BrainHQ and Medicare offerings, full list for 2026 (BrainHQ Support)
- BrainHQ for libraries
- Gym memberships and fitness programs (Medicare.gov)
- BrainHQ on the App Store
- BrainHQ on Google Play
- Elevate on the App Store
- Posit Science Corporation (Better Business Bureau)
- Cases and proceedings (Federal Trade Commission)
- Lumosity to pay $2 million to settle FTC deceptive advertising charges (Federal Trade Commission, 2016)
- Effects of cognitive training interventions with older adults (Ball et al., JAMA, 2002)
- Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia (Edwards et al., 2017)
- Impact of cognitive training on claims-based diagnosed dementia over 20 years (Coe et al., 2026)
- Reanalyzing the impact of cognitive training over 20 years in the ACTIVE study (Dickens, 2026)
- Do “brain-training” programs work? (Simons et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016)
- Cognitive health and older adults (National Institute on Aging)
- Cognitive training to reduce incidence of cognitive impairment in older adults, the PACT study (ClinicalTrials.gov)