Comparison

Patient Controller NR vs HFX

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Patient Controller NR

Manage your prescribed neuromodulation therapy programs conveniently from your smartphone. This app allows you to control stimulation settings, check device status, and even connect with your clinician remotely for adjustments.

Highlights
  • Turn stimulation ON/OFF
  • Select stimulation programs
  • Adjust stimulation amplitude
  • Check device battery
  • Activate MRI mode
  • Remote clinician connection
  • Secure video chat
Read full description

This Patient Controller NR app is for use with Abbott non-rechargeable (NR) devices, such as Proclaim™ SCS systems, Proclaim™ DRG therapy, and Infinity™ DBS systems. The NeuroSphere™ Patient Controller NR app was developed by Abbott for people living with chronic pain and neurologic disorders who are treated by Abbott neuromodulation devices. This application helps patients conveniently manage the programs prescribed by their physicians and uses Bluetooth® wireless technology to communicate between the implanted stimulator and the Patient Controller NR app. The Patient Controller NR app runs on Abbott recommended devices (as mentioned below) and is easy to use, while the wireless interface provides patients the convenience of managing prescribed stimulation settings from a familiar iOS device. Some of the key functions available for patients include: - Turn stimulation ON/OFF - Select stimulation programs for changing therapy needs - Adjust stimulation amplitude - Check device battery - Turn on MRI mode for MR Conditional systems - Activate and de-activate Surgery Mode In addition, NeuroSphere™ Virtual Clinic on the Patient Controller NR app enables users to connect with their clinicians for routine programming adjustments remotely. Patients no longer need to visit the clinic for adjustments to their prescribed stimulation settings. Secure in-app video chat enables telehealth sessions directly from within the PC application. Note: - This application will work on select Appleⱡ iPhoneⱡ devices running iOS 12.5.5 or later. - For a list of compatible devices see www.NMmobiledevicesync.com/cp - For the Privacy Policy see https://www.virtualclinic.abbott/policies - For the Terms of Use see https://www.virtualclinic.abbott/policies - iPod Touch is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. - iOS is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. - ⱡiPhone is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. - Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth Special Interest Group

About

HFX

Manage chronic pain with personalized relief. This app pairs with a spinal cord stimulator to learn your pain patterns and deliver tailored therapy. It offers features like progress tracking, favorite program saving, and proactive patient support.

Highlights
  • Personalized pain relief recommendations
  • Proactive patient support
  • Save favorite therapy programs
  • Track pain relief progress
  • Earn achievement badges
  • Check device battery level
  • Enable MRI Mode
Read full description

There's now a better way to manage your chronic pain. The HFX App pairs with the Nevro HFX iQ spinal cord stimulator to learn from your unique pain and deliver personalized pain relief from your smartphone. Join over 100,000 people who have been treated with HFX therapy. The HFX App is easy to use:   1. You complete simple check-ins  2. HFX iQ learns from your unique pain experience  3. Get your personalized recommendation  With the HFX App you can:   Get continuous pain relief.   HFX iQ will learn from your inputs, preferences, and unique pain experience to deliver personalized pain relief.   Receive proactive patient support within 24 hours. The HFX App will send alerts to your Nevro Care Team so they can proactively reach out to provide support when you need it.    Save your favorite programs.  Bookmark your favorite programs that you like to use or want to easily return to. You can personalize your favorites by giving it a name like “walking” and selecting a color.  Track your progress.  Better understand your pain level trends, review your relief over time, and how your pain responded to past programs.   Earn badges.  Collect badges as you complete goals, achieve more pain relief, or reach a milestone.   Check your battery level.  Your battery level is conveniently displayed on your Home screen. When your battery is low or empty, you will get a notification to recharge.   Safely get an MRI scan.*  Easily turn on MRI Mode so you can safely get a full-body MRI scan.     *Within conditional parameters. Refer to https://www.nevro.com/English/us/patients/patient-manuals/default.aspx  for detailed information on MRI safety and conditions.  ________________________________________  The HFX App will work on select Apple devices: iPhone 8 and above running iOS 15 or later. To view the list of compatible devices, go to https://www.NevroHFX.com/resources/hfx-app/ The HFX App is approved for use with the Nevro HFX iQ Spinal Cord Stimulator within the U.S., English Only.  The HFX App controls an implanted medical device only available if prescribed by a physician. You should consult your physician before using the Nevro HFX iQ Spinal Cord Stimulator (including the HFX App) or making medical decisions.  The HFX App can change your HFX iQ therapy settings; use only as directed by your Nevro Care Team or physician.  Nevro Corp. 1800 Bridge Parkway Redwood City, CA 94065 U.S.A.  Provider and Patient MRI Questions p: +1-888-895-8105  HFX, the HFX logo, HFX iQ, the HFX iQ logo, NEVRO, and the NEVRO logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nevro Corp. iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.  Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and Nevro’s use is under license.

Screenshots

Patient Controller NR3 screens
HFX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HFX at 3.5 against Patient Controller NR's 2.4. Patient Controller NR's advantage is ratings volume (732 vs 71) and iOS requirement (12.5.5 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HFX holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Patient Controller NR has 732 ratings behind it against 71, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 15% of Patient Controller NR's written reviews are positive against 12% of HFX's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Patient Controller NR ships an update every 5 months, HFX every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Patient Controller NR versus HFX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPatient Controller NRHFX
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (732 ratings)3.5 (71 ratings) — better
Positive reviews15.3% of reviews — better12.1% of reviews
Number of ratings732 — better71
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.5.5 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB59 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSt. Jude Medical, Inc.Nevro Corp.

Customer experience

Patient Controller NR

All ratings732 ratings
Positive28.8%
Neutral8.9%
Negative62.3%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive15.3%
Neutral5.1%
Negative79.6%

HFX

All ratings71 ratings
Positive56.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative35.2%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive12.1%
Neutral29.3%
Negative58.6%

Bugs and requests

Patient Controller NR

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes after iOS updates
  • Bluetooth connection frequently drops
  • Unable to access device settings on newer phones

Requested features

4 requests
  • Update app to support latest iPhone models
  • Add ability to set custom program names
  • Integrate with Apple Watch for easier control
  • Provide real-time battery level monitoring

HFX

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Patient Controller NR

No in-app purchases

None

HFX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Patient Controller NR free?
Patient Controller NR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HFX free?
HFX is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Patient Controller NR or HFX?
HFX is rated higher. Patient Controller NR averages 2.4 out of 5 from 732 ratings, while HFX averages 3.5 from 71 ratings.
Do Patient Controller NR or HFX have ads?
Neither Patient Controller NR nor HFX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Patient Controller NR or HFX?
Patient Controller NR ships an update every 5 months, and HFX every 3 months. Most recently, Patient Controller NR was updated on September 25, 2026 and HFX on September 22, 2026.

Other comparisons