Airlift vs Intake Breathing: which is better in the UK?

Airlift vs Intake Breathing: what each one is

Airlift is a reusable magnetic clip that sits across the front of the nose. It attaches to two single-use stickers, each holding a steel disc. A UK company sells it, and only through its own website.

Intake Breathing is a reusable magnetic band that sits across the front of the nose. It attaches to two single-use tabs, each holding a metal disc. A US company in Santa Barbara makes it and ships it from the US.

How we compared

We judged both on the same eight criteria we use for every comparison: fit and sizing, what's in the box, ongoing cost per night, adhesion support, guarantee and returns, UK availability and delivery, subscription flexibility, and published evidence.

Every price and policy comes from each brand's own pages, Healf's listings and Amazon UK, checked on 27 October 2026. Prices are for one person, with one pair of stickers or tabs a night. Intake's prices are the pound prices on its own UK store.

We didn't test airflow, how firmly each one holds, comfort or how long the adhesive lasts, so nothing wins on those until we run our own tests. When we do, we'll publish the method and the raw data.

Prices, sizes and policies side by side

Where Intake Breathing wins

Intake has been around longer and has far more reviews. It started in 2019, and its starter kit page shows 2,103 reviews averaging 4.4 out of 5, plus thousands of ratings on Amazon in the US. Airlift's company was set up in November 2024 and has no Trustpilot reviews yet. Intake also lists nine US patents on magnetic nasal dilation, with their numbers and dates, and it has commissioned a home sleep study. Airlift hasn't commissioned any.

Intake makes six band sizes to Airlift's five. Four come in the starter kit, and Intake sends the smallest (S1) or largest (L2) free if you ask, though UK buyers pay the postage. For training there are Sport Tabs, made for sweat with a stronger three-layer adhesive and prep pads in the pack. Intake says they aren't meant for sleep.

You can buy Intake's refills from a UK retailer. Healf stocks the refills, bands and case, delivers subscriptions free in the UK, and takes returns for 365 days with free UK return postage, as long as items are in their original packaging and consumables are unopened. Bought in bulk, the tabs are cheap: £0.64 a night on the 360-night pack and £0.68 on the 90-night pack, before delivery from the US. That 90-night pack costs less per night than Airlift's 90-night stickers pack (£0.76).

Where Airlift wins

Every Airlift starter box has all five clip sizes, XS to XL, so finding your fit doesn't mean swapping anything or paying postage. Complete and Ultimate also include 30 cleansing prep pads with every 30 nights, where Intake sells its prep pads separately apart from Sport Tabs and its bundles. The shop page shows what's in each system.

It costs less to start and less over a year. Starting from nothing, 390 nights of Airlift Complete on the Annual plan cost £240, while the cheapest way to get the same 390 nights of Intake is £293.99 from its own UK store, before delivery from the US. Airlift's prices are in pounds, with no import charges. Standard delivery is £5, free on one-time orders of £50 or more, and every subscription order ships free by next-day delivery, with no minimum spend. Orders placed before 3:30pm on a weekday are dispatched the same day.

Under the 90-Night Airlift Test, you email within 90 days of receiving your order and get back everything you paid, delivery included. You keep the clip and send nothing back. It's once per customer.

The clip has a lifetime warranty against failure in normal use, for the original buyer: automatic on Ultimate, and on other orders when you register within 30 days of delivery. Intake's warranty covers manufacturing defects for one year.

Round by round

Of the eight rounds, Airlift wins six, Intake wins one and one is split. The airflow, hold and comfort round has no winner until there's test data.

Fit and sizing: Airlift

Airlift puts all five sizes in the box. Intake makes more sizes, six in all, but its kit has four, and a UK buyer pays the postage to get either of the other two. Intake's own pages also list the kit's sizes in two different ways: S2, M1, M2 and L1 in some places, and S, M, L and XL in others.

What's in the box: Airlift

An Airlift Complete starter has the clip in five sizes, a magnetic applicator, 30 nights of stickers and 30 prep pads. Intake's starter page lists four bands and 15 or 30 tabs. Its other pages disagree on whether prep pads or an applicator come with it, so we've gone by the starter page.

Ongoing cost: Airlift

Per night on refills, Airlift is cheaper at most pack sizes. For 30 nights, Airlift's stickers are £25 (£0.83 a night), against £31 (£1.03) on Intake's UK store and £29.99 (£1.00) at Healf. For 180 nights, Airlift's stickers pack is £117 (£0.65), against £122 (£0.68) for two of Intake's 90-night packs, and at 360 nights it's £182 (£0.51) against £229 (£0.64). Intake's prices are before delivery from the US, while Airlift's packs of £50 or more and every plan include UK delivery.

Intake is cheaper in two places. Its 90-night pack is £0.68 a night, against £0.76 for Airlift's 90-night stickers pack. And Healf's refill subscription is £26.99 for 30 nights (£0.90 a night), against £30 (£1.00) on Airlift's Monthly plan, which also includes 30 prep pads. Airlift's 6-Month and Annual plans work out lower, at £0.83 and £0.67 a night, but they're paid upfront.

Adhesion support: split

For sleep, Airlift includes alcohol prep pads with every delivery, which clear oil from the skin before the stickers go on. For sport, Intake has a dedicated tab with a stronger adhesive, and its own FAQ table says its standard tabs hold through sweat for up to an hour. Airlift has no sport version. Neither brand has published hold test data.

Guarantee and returns: Airlift

Both brands give you about 90 days. With Airlift you send nothing back, delivery is refunded and you keep the clip. With Intake you keep the used tabs, but the band and kit go back in their original packaging with all accessories. On international orders the original shipping and any duties or taxes aren't refunded, and Intake doesn't say who pays the return postage from the UK.

UK availability and delivery: Airlift

Intake's starter kit currently comes only from its own store, shipped from the US. Healf stocks refills, bands and the case but had no starter kit listed on 27 October 2026, and Intake's Amazon UK listings showed as unavailable. Intake doesn't publish a UK delivery charge in pounds. Its help centre gives courier delivery at $18 to $25 outside the US, taking 3 to 6 business days, and says Intake isn't responsible for charges added after purchase. Airlift delivers in an estimated 1 to 2 working days from dispatch, though only to UK addresses.

Subscription flexibility: Airlift

Airlift sells Monthly, 6-Month and Annual plans direct, with free delivery and no minimum term. You can skip, pause, change or cancel from your account at any time. Intake's help centre says it doesn't offer refill subscriptions outside the US, although its UK store shows subscription options, and we couldn't confirm a UK price. Healf runs its own Intake refill subscription at 10% off, every two weeks or every one, two or three months. If you already own an Intake band, that's a good option.

Published evidence: Intake

Intake has commissioned a home sleep study and Airlift has no study at all, so this round goes to Intake. Airlift states its magnet grade (N52) and Intake doesn't, but neither publishes a pull force, and a grade alone doesn't tell you how firmly a clip holds.

Airflow, hold and comfort: no winner

There's no comparable test data for either product, so we haven't awarded this round.

Real cost over 6 and 12 months

These totals use Intake's cheapest published route for a new buyer, and Airlift's 6-Month and Annual plans, which include prep pads with every delivery, over the same number of nights. Airlift's cheapest one-time route over a year is lower still: the Complete starter (£33, plus £5 delivery), then the 360-night stickers pack (£182), comes to £220 for 390 nights (£0.56 a night), with prep pads for the first 30 nights only. You can see Airlift's refill prices on the refills page.

Buying Intake's starter with Healf refills costs more: £226.93 for six months and £388.87 for a year, with the refills on a Healf subscription at £26.99. If you already own an Intake band, the cheapest year of refills is the 360-night pack at £229 (£0.64 a night), plus delivery from the US. Switching to Airlift's Annual plan costs £240 for 390 nights (£0.62 a night), with a new clip, prep pads and UK delivery included. Airlift's plans and Healf's subscription both renew until you cancel.

What the evidence says

We could find no published, independent study of any magnetic nasal dilator, including Airlift's. A 2026 review by UK surgeons reached the same conclusion.^[1] The same review found most research is on adhesive nasal strips, and that devices worn inside the nostril tended to perform better than external ones.^[1]

Intake cites a home sleep study it commissioned from SleepScore Labs. The participant numbers, methods and full results haven't been published, so we can't assess it.

Until someone tests these two products side by side, nobody can say which gives more airflow, holds better or feels more comfortable. You can also read our science page and why mouth breathing happens at night.

Who should choose which

For most UK buyers, we think Airlift is the better choice. You get every size and prep pads in the box, it costs less over six or twelve months, it arrives from a UK seller, and you can try it for 90 nights without posting anything back. Intake has real strengths, though, and for some people it's the better buy.

Choose Intake Breathing if

• you want the brand with the longer track record and far more reviews
• you train hard and want a tab made for sweat
• you already own an Intake band and want to keep buying its refills, from Intake or from Healf, a UK retailer with 365-day returns
• you'd rather pay monthly for refills at the lowest price, through Healf's subscription

Choose Airlift if

• you'd rather have every size in the box than ask for one
• you'd like prep pads included with every 30 nights
• you want to buy from a UK seller, with same-day dispatch on weekday orders before 3:30pm and no import charges
• you want 90 nights to try it, with nothing to post back
• you're starting from scratch, buying for a full year, and want the lower total

Sources checked

All checked on 27 October 2026.

1. Intake starter kit, UK store: starter contents, sizes, UK prices and review count.
2. Intake refill packs and Intake band 2-pack: refill prices and band sizes.
3. Intake prep pads: prep pad prices.
4. Intake help: a different size or replacement band: the free S1 or L2 band and postage.
5. Intake help: international shipping: delivery from the US.
6. Intake help: Better Breathing Guarantee and international returns: the guarantee and return terms.
7. Intake help: refill plans outside the US: subscriptions for UK buyers.
8. Intake help: Sport Tabs FAQ: Sport Tabs and sweat hold.
9. Intake help: patents and limited warranty: patents and warranty.
10. Intake's post on its SleepScore Labs study: how Intake describes the study.
11. Healf Intake collection, Healf Intake refills and Healf FAQs: what Healf stocks, its prices, delivery and returns.
12. Intake's Amazon UK listings for the starter kit and refills: availability.
13. Intake on Trustpilot and Airlift on Trustpilot: review counts.
14. Airlift's shop, refills, refunds, shipping, terms and help pages: Airlift's products, prices and policies.

Questions people ask