Hinge Health vs Sword Health vs Lin Health: 2026 Comparison

Roughly one in four US adults lives with chronic pain, and many turn to digital programs for help. Hinge Health, Sword Health, and Lin Health all show up in that search, often through an employer benefit or a health-plan partner page, and it is easy to assume they are the same kind of program. They are not.

This article compares the three side by side on what they treat, how care is delivered, who provides it, and who each program tends to fit. It is descriptive, not a head-to-head efficacy ranking. No peer-reviewed trial has compared Hinge Health, Sword Health, and Lin Health to one another, and any decision about chronic pain care is best made with a clinician.

Key Takeaways

• Hinge Health and Sword Health deliver digital musculoskeletal (MSK) care built around exercise therapy, motion-sensor or computer-vision feedback, and care from Doctors of Physical Therapy and coaches. Lin Health is a behavioral program for chronic pain and persistent symptoms, with no exercise component and no physical therapists.
• The three programs sit in different therapeutic categories, so most patients are not really choosing between equivalent options. Many adults with chronic pain benefit from movement-based care, behavioral care, both at different times, or both at once.
• Hinge Health and Sword Health are most often accessed through an employer health plan or large insurer. Lin Health is covered by health insurance directly in CO, TX, FL, CA, and NY, with coverage in additional states.
• In adults with chronic back pain, pain reprocessing therapy reduced pain versus placebo and usual care, with effects present at 5-year follow-up. Lin Health's behavioral approach is informed by this body of research; Lin Health is not the therapy of record in those trials.
• The CDC's 2022 prescribing guideline directs clinicians to maximize nonopioid and nonpharmacologic therapies for many chronic pain conditions, which is the broader policy backdrop all three programs operate in.

How These Three Programs Differ at a Glance

Hinge Health and Sword Health are digital MSK programs. They are built around the idea that targeted exercise therapy, guided by a Doctor of Physical Therapy and supported by motion-tracking technology, can help adults with joint and muscle pain build strength, restore function, and reduce pain over time. Their conditions list centers on the parts of the body PTs are trained to treat: back, knee, hip, shoulder, and neck.

Lin Health is a different category. It is a behavioral program built around the research finding that, after three or more months, chronic pain often involves changes in pain signal processing, not just ongoing tissue damage. The work is talk-based: recovery coaches help adults address fear of movement, the emotions and thoughts that surround pain, and the learned alarm patterns the nervous system can build over years.

That difference is the most important thing to understand before picking one. Hinge and Sword serve adults who want movement-based MSK care. Lin Health serves adults whose chronic pain is persistent, often spans multiple body areas or symptoms, and may benefit from a brain-first behavioral approach. The CDC's first-line nonpharmacologic recommendation is broad enough to encompass both categories.

Hinge Health at a Glance

What it is

Hinge Health is a digital musculoskeletal care program delivered through a mobile app, marketed by the company as "online physical therapy" for MSK pain. It is among the largest virtual MSK programs in the US by member count and is offered through employer health plans and major insurers, with care available across a long list of body areas.

How it works

Members complete an intake, get matched with a care team, and follow exercise-therapy sessions designed by physical therapists in the Hinge Health app. According to the company's own materials, sessions are short, often around 15 minutes, and use smart camera technology to provide real-time form feedback during movement. Wearable sensors or computer vision provide guidance depending on the program tier and condition.

Who delivers care

The Hinge Health care team is described on the company's site as including a board-certified health coach and a physical therapist. Members can message their care team for support between exercise sessions.

Conditions addressed

Hinge Health addresses chronic musculoskeletal pain in the back, knees, hips, shoulders, and neck. It also offers a separate pelvic health program for women covering bladder and bowel control, pelvic pain, and pregnancy- or postpartum-related pelvic dysfunction.

Cost and access

Hinge Health is typically offered at no out-of-pocket cost to eligible members, and the company states it is available through 2,800 or more companies and health plans. For most adults, the path to enrollment runs through an employer benefit or an insurance partner; direct individual purchase is not the primary access model.

Who it tends to fit

Adults with localized or multi-site musculoskeletal pain who want a movement-based program, who have access to Hinge through their employer or insurer, and who are comfortable with an exercise-led approach guided by a PT and coach.

Sword Health at a Glance

What it is

Sword Health is a digital health platform that the company markets as "AI Care," combining licensed clinicians and AI to deliver virtual care across several body and life domains. The flagship pain program is called Thrive, focused on muscle and joint pain.

How it works

Members use the Sword Health app and a set of motion-tracking sensors. The Thrive program delivers personalized exercise programs designed by clinicians, with real-time feedback from sensors and computer vision during sessions, and an AI care specialist that supports day-to-day program management between clinician interactions.

Who delivers care

Care is delivered by Doctors of Physical Therapy paired with an AI care specialist. The company describes its model as "Human Clinicians + AI," with the human PT setting the clinical plan and the AI extending day-to-day touchpoints.

Conditions addressed

The Thrive program addresses back, joint, and muscle pain across the body. Sword Health also runs separate programs in women's pelvic health (Bloom), cardiometabolic health (Pulse), and mental health (Mind); those are out of scope for this article, which focuses on chronic-pain offerings.

Cost and access

Sword Health describes its pricing model as "transparent, fair pricing, based on real health outcomes," which the company structures as outcome-based contracts with employers and health plans rather than direct-to-consumer subscription. For most adults, the path to enrollment runs through an employer benefit or insurer.

Who it tends to fit

Adults with chronic MSK pain who want exercise-based care guided by a Doctor of Physical Therapy, who have access to Sword through their employer or health plan, and who are comfortable with an AI-assisted, sensor-tracked program.

Lin Health at a Glance

What it is

Lin Health is a behavioral program for chronic pain and persistent symptoms, delivered by trained recovery coaches plus a companion app. It is not physical therapy, does not include prescribed exercise, and does not involve injections or medications. Conditions addressed go beyond classical MSK pain to include persistent symptoms like migraine, IBS, fibromyalgia, long COVID, tinnitus, and POTS.

How it works

After signup on lin.health, a Lin Health team member calls the same day to check insurance eligibility. A first call with a physician follows; if appropriate, the patient is enrolled and matched with a recovery coach. Care is weekly: live coach sessions, between-session chat in the app, and structured learning and practice modules.

The brain-first mechanism explained

Acute pain is the body's danger signal. After three or more months, the tissue is usually healed, but the pain alarm can remain active, a pattern recognized as nociplastic pain. Lin Health's approach addresses this through behavior change: working with fear of movement, the emotions that surround pain, and the thought loops that reinforce it.

This is the gap Lin Health aims to fill. Movement, medication, and procedural care address one set of mechanisms; the brain-first approach addresses a different one. Some adults benefit from one path, some from the other, and some from both at different points in their care.

Modalities used

Lin Health's recovery coaches deliver structured behavioral modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and emotional awareness and expression therapy, with additional modules built by Lin's clinical team. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a first-line recommendation in the American Psychological Association's 2024 clinical practice guideline for adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Emotional awareness and expression therapy is a newer behavioral modality with recent randomized-trial evidence in older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain, though it is not currently named among the treatments in the APA guideline.

Conditions addressed

Lin Health addresses chronic pain and persistent symptoms including lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic migraine, sciatic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and chronic pelvic pain. The condition list is broad because the underlying mechanism applies across many persistent-symptom conditions.

Cost and access

Lin Health is covered by health insurance directly, with high coverage in Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York, and some coverage in additional states. Most enrolled patients pay zero out of pocket. There is no requirement for an employer benefit.

Wait times and onboarding

After signup, a Lin Health team member typically calls back the same day to check eligibility. Wait time to the first call with a physician is short by design, since adults with chronic pain often face long waits in general behavioral health.

Who it tends to fit

Adults with chronic pain (≥3 months) or persistent symptoms who:

• Have tried physical therapy, medications, injections, or surgery and still have pain
• Have pain that spans multiple body areas or includes non-MSK persistent symptoms (migraine, IBS, fibromyalgia, long COVID)
• Want live human support, not only a self-paced app
• Live in a state where Lin Health has insurance coverage
• Are open to a behavioral, brain-first approach as part of a coordinated plan with their clinician

Side-by-Side Comparison Table

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This table summarizes facts about each program as described in their own materials and the relevant research. It is not a ranking and does not represent any efficacy comparison; no peer-reviewed trial has compared Hinge Health, Sword Health, and Lin Health to one another.

The Research Each Program Draws On

Hinge Health and Sword Health draw on the broader field of physical-therapist-led MSK rehabilitation and exercise therapy. Their own internal outcome studies describe program-specific results; those are not head-to-head trials against Lin Health and are out of scope for this article.

Lin Health is informed by a separate body of research on behavioral retraining for chronic pain. The most relevant trials, each scope-bound to the population studied:

• In adults with chronic back pain, pain reprocessing therapy showed substantial pain reduction compared with placebo and usual care, with effects still present 5 years later. Lin Health is not the therapy of record in that trial; the program is informed by the same brain-first principles the trial tested. Findings apply to chronic back pain specifically and should not be extrapolated to other conditions without supporting evidence in those populations.
• In older US military veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain, emotional awareness and expression therapy produced larger pain reductions than CBT in a randomized trial. That finding applies to older veterans with chronic MSK pain and is not a general claim about EAET in all adults with chronic pain.
• The American Psychological Association's 2024 clinical practice guideline recommends cognitive behavioral therapy as a first-line psychological treatment for adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain, and conditionally recommends mindfulness-based stress reduction among second-line options. Newer behavioral approaches like emotional awareness and expression therapy and pain reprocessing therapy are not currently named in the APA guideline but have recent randomized-trial evidence in specific populations.

The honest disclosure: this evidence supports the behavioral category Lin Health works in. It does not establish a head-to-head efficacy ranking against Hinge Health or Sword Health, because no such trial exists.

How To Choose Between Hinge Health, Sword Health, and Lin Health

Because the three programs sit in different therapeutic categories, the better question is not "which is best" but "which fits my situation." A few practical questions to ask:

1. What kind of care do I want right now? Movement-based and PT-led (Hinge or Sword) or behavioral and coach-led (Lin Health)?
2. What is my pain pattern? Localized joint or muscle pain, often tied to a specific area (Hinge or Sword overlap with this well), or pain that has spread, persisted for years, or comes with non-MSK symptoms like migraine, IBS, or fatigue (Lin Health's scope is broader here)?
3. What is my access path? An employer benefit or insurer that already partners with Hinge or Sword, or direct health-insurance coverage in a state where Lin Health is in-network?
4. What have I already tried? Adults who have completed physical therapy or another exercise-based program and still have pain may benefit from layering in a behavioral approach.
5. What does my clinician think? Any chronic-pain decision benefits from a conversation with a clinician who knows the full picture.

These programs are not mutually exclusive in principle. In practice, most adults pick one as a starting point and adjust based on what helps.

How Lin Health Helps With Chronic Pain

Lin Health was built for adults whose chronic pain has not fully responded to medications, physical therapy, injections, or surgery, and who are open to a behavioral, brain-first approach. The work centers on retraining how the nervous system processes pain signals: addressing fear of movement, the emotions that surround pain, and the thought loops that reinforce the alarm.

Care is delivered by trained recovery coaches, with structured behavioral modules built around cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, emotional awareness and expression therapy, and other approaches. The program is not physical therapy and does not replace medical care; it is designed to work alongside the care a patient is already receiving.

Access is built to be quick. Sign up on the Lin Health patient page, and a team member typically calls the same day to check eligibility. Health-insurance coverage is high in Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York, with coverage in additional states. Most enrolled patients pay zero out of pocket. Conditions covered include lower back pain, chronic migraine, fibromyalgia, sciatic pain, and other persistent symptoms.

If you have chronic pain that has not responded to other approaches, a behavioral, brain-first program may be worth exploring as part of a coordinated plan with your clinician. Check eligibility with Lin Health. Most enrolled patients pay zero out of pocket, and onboarding is typically a same-day call.

FAQ

Is Hinge Health the same as Sword Health?

Hinge Health and Sword Health are similar in category. Both are digital musculoskeletal programs delivered through an app, with exercise therapy designed by physical therapists and motion-tracking technology for feedback. The companies differ in care-team structure, technology details, and contracting model, but a patient comparing the two is generally choosing between two delivery variants of digital MSK care.

Is Lin Health a competitor to Hinge Health or Sword Health?

Lin Health sits in a different therapeutic category from Hinge Health and Sword Health. Hinge and Sword are digital MSK / virtual physical therapy programs. Lin Health is a behavioral program for chronic pain and persistent symptoms, with no exercise component and no physical therapists. The three programs serve overlapping populations but use different mechanisms, so they are often complementary rather than direct alternatives.

Has any trial compared Hinge Health, Sword Health, and Lin Health head to head?

No. As of 2026, no peer-reviewed randomized trial has compared Hinge Health, Sword Health, and Lin Health to one another. Each program's own outcome studies report on its own members and are not head-to-head comparisons across the three.

Which program is covered by health insurance?

Hinge Health and Sword Health are most often covered through an employer health plan or large insurer partnership. Lin Health is covered directly by health insurance in Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York, with coverage in additional states. Coverage details and out-of-pocket costs depend on the specific plan, employer, or state.

Can I use more than one of these programs at the same time?

In principle, yes. The programs address different mechanisms, so a movement-based program and a behavioral program can be complementary. In practice, the decision depends on plan coverage, time commitment, and a clinician's read on what is most appropriate for the patient's specific situation. Anyone considering this should talk with their clinician first.

What if I have already tried physical therapy and still have pain?

Adults who have completed physical therapy and still have chronic pain often benefit from layering in a different mechanism. The CDC's 2022 guideline directs clinicians to maximize use of nonopioid and nonpharmacologic therapies, and the behavioral category Lin Health works in is one of those options. The evidence base includes pain reprocessing therapy for chronic back pain in adults, and other behavioral approaches recommended by the APA in 2024.

Which conditions does each program treat?

Hinge Health and Sword Health focus on musculoskeletal pain (back, knee, hip, shoulder, neck) and offer additional non-MSK programs out of scope here. Lin Health covers chronic pain and persistent symptoms more broadly, including back, neck, shoulder, fibromyalgia, arthritis, sciatic, complex regional pain syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, chronic migraine, IBS, long COVID, tinnitus, and POTS.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not replace consultation with a qualified clinician. Always speak with your healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment.