Airlift vs Mute: an external Mute nasal dilator alternative

Is there a Mute nasal dilator alternative that doesn't go inside the nose?

Yes. External dilators work from the outside, opening the nostrils from the sides, and Airlift is one of them. Our guide to nasal strips vs nasal dilators compares the main types.

Mute, made by the Australian company Rhinomed, is an internal dilator. Two soft paddles sit inside the nostrils, joined by a bridge across the septum, and only the bridge shows. It uses no adhesive and no magnets, and each dilator is rated for up to 10 nights.

Airlift is an external magnetic dilator. A rigid clip sits across the front of the nose, and its magnets attach to two single-use stickers, one on each side. Each sticker holds a steel disc, which the sticker covers on the skin side. Nothing goes inside the nose, and every Airlift Complete starter (£33) has the clip in all five sizes.

What touches you is different too. Mute is made of what Rhinomed calls medical-grade polymers, and it sits inside the nostril. Airlift puts a latex-free adhesive sticker on the outside of the nose.

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.

Mute's prices and policies come from its own UK store and Amazon UK, and Airlift's from its own pages. The other brands further down are priced at the retailers named beside them. Everything was checked on 27 October 2026, except the Boots search, which we ran on 28 October. Costs are for one person: one dilator-night for Mute, and one pair of stickers a night for Airlift.

Adhesion support doesn't apply to Mute, because nothing on it sticks to your skin. We've marked that round "not applicable" rather than count it as a loss.

We didn't test airflow, comfort or how well either one stays in place, so nothing wins on those. When we run our own tests, we'll publish the method and the raw data.

Prices, sizes and policies side by side

How long does a Mute nasal dilator last, and what does the Starter Pack really cover?

Rhinomed rates each Mute dilator for up to 10 nights, worn for 8 hours or more a night and washed after each use. Its FAQ says the material can stiffen or discolour and the adjuster can wear, which is why it says to replace it after that.

The £14.99 Starter Pack holds one Small, one Medium and one Large. That's 30 nights if all three fit you. If only one does, you get 10 nights from it, and then you need a sized 3-pack at £19.99, or £17.99 on subscription.

Mute's FAQ says women are often a Small or Medium and men a Medium or Large. On swapping sizes, its pages say two different things. The returns policy says sized packs can't be exchanged for fit, while the FAQ says to get in touch if you bought the wrong size.

Airlift sizes differently. You pick the clip by how it sits across the outside of your nose, not by your nostril. All five clip sizes come in the box, and the clip is reusable (Airlift says it lasts years, though it publishes no number), so trying sizes doesn't use up any nights.

Where Airlift wins

Nothing goes inside your nose. The clip sits on the outside, and the stickers go on the skin at each side of it. Every starter box has all five clip sizes, XS to XL, so you don't use anything up while you find yours. Mute's Starter has three, so if only one fits you get 10 nights from it, and its returns policy says sized packs can't be exchanged for fit. Complete also includes 30 cleansing prep pads with every 30 nights, which clear skin oils before the stickers go on.

Under the 90-Night Airlift Test, you email within 90 days of receiving your order and get back everything you paid, delivery included. You send nothing back and keep the clip. It's once per customer. Mute's guarantee runs 30 days from your order and covers starter products bought direct.

Bought one-time, Airlift's first year costs less per night. The £33 Complete starter, plus £5 delivery, followed by Airlift's 360-night stickers pack at £182, comes to £220 for 390 nights, or £0.56 a night, though prep pads come with the first 30 nights only. Mute's subscription works out at £0.59 to £0.60 a night before delivery.

Airlift states faster delivery. Weekday orders placed before 3:30pm are dispatched the same day and take an estimated 1 to 2 working days from dispatch. There's an express option at £7, and every subscription order ships free by next-day delivery, with no minimum spend. Mute quotes 5 to 10 working days, depending on the page, with no express option.

Its subscriptions have published terms. You can skip, pause, change or cancel from your account at any time, with no minimum term. Mute doesn't publish its skip, pause or cancel terms.

Separately from the 90-night test, the clip has a lifetime warranty against failure in normal use, for the original buyer. It's automatic on Ultimate, and on other orders it applies when you register within 30 days of delivery. For other magnetic options, see our guide to magnetic nasal strips in the UK.

Where Mute wins

Mute costs less to start and less on subscription. Its Starter Pack is £14.99 for up to 30 nights (£0.50 a night), and a sized 3-pack on subscription works out at £0.60 a night before delivery, against £0.67 on Airlift's Annual plan with delivery included.

There's no adhesive at all, so nothing sticks to your skin. That suits people whose skin reacts to tapes or strips, or who have facial hair or oily skin where a sticker would sit. It's also clear and sits mostly inside the nose, so it's less visible than a clip.

It has a long track record. Mute has been on Amazon UK since December 2015 and has 18,659 ratings there, averaging 3.7 out of 5. Airlift has no Trustpilot reviews yet. You can buy Mute from its own UK store and from Amazon UK (dispatched by Amazon).

Rhinomed publishes its two studies in full and names the sponsor. Airlift has published no study at all. Each Mute dilator also has paddles that adjust separately on each side, for nostrils that aren't the same size.

The research also leans Mute's way on format. A 2026 review by UK surgeons found most research is on adhesive strips such as Breathe Right, and that devices worn inside the nostril tended to perform better than external ones.^[1]

Round by round

Airlift wins four rounds and Mute wins two. One is split, and adhesion support doesn't apply to Mute. Airflow, comfort and staying in place have no winner until there's test data.

Fit and sizing: Airlift

All five clip sizes come in every box, and trying them uses up no nights. Mute has three sizes in its Starter and adjustable paddles, but it has to fit inside your nostrils while Airlift's clip fits across the outside, so we don't claim either one fits better.

What's in the box: Airlift

Airlift Complete adds a magnetic applicator and 30 prep pads to the clip and stickers. Mute's Starter is three dilators and needs nothing else.

Ongoing cost: Mute

A Mute 3-pack on subscription is £0.60 a night before delivery, against £0.67 on Airlift's Annual plan with the clip and delivery included. Once you own a clip, Airlift's stickers-only 360-night pack is £182 (£0.51 a night), with no prep pads.

Adhesion support: not applicable

Mute has no adhesive, so there's nothing to support. We've left this round out rather than count it as a loss for Mute.

Guarantee and returns: Airlift

Mute gives 30 days from your order on starter products bought direct, and doesn't say whether you send the dilator back or who pays postage. Airlift gives 90 days from receiving your order, with nothing sent back and delivery refunded.

UK availability and delivery: split

Mute is easier to get hold of: you can buy it from its own UK store or Amazon UK. Airlift sells only through its own website, but it states faster delivery, has an express option and delivers subscriptions free. Mute has no express service and doesn't publish a subscription delivery charge. On one-time orders both charge £5, Mute under £40 and Airlift under £50.

Subscription flexibility: Airlift

Mute's 3-packs come monthly to yearly at 10% off, but the Starter has no plan and the skip, pause and cancel terms aren't published. On the quarterly, six-monthly and yearly plans, one 3-pack (30 nights) arrives each period. Airlift's plans can be skipped, paused, changed or cancelled from your account, with no minimum term.

Published evidence: Mute

Rhinomed has published two studies it paid for, and Airlift has published none.

Airflow, comfort and staying in place: no winner

There's no comparable test data for these two products. Mute's airflow figure comes from Rhinomed's own 2003 test of a prototype, not from a test against Airlift, so we haven't awarded this round.

Real cost over 6 and 12 months

Mute is cheaper over six months whichever way you buy it. Over 12 months it costs less in total if all three Starter sizes fit (£212.88 for 360 nights, against £220 for Airlift's 390), but Airlift's one-time route is cheaper per night (£0.56 against £0.59), and cheaper outright if only one Mute size fits or you buy 3-packs one at a time. These totals are for one person, with one dilator-night or one pair of stickers a night. Mute doesn't publish a delivery charge for subscriptions, so its rows are before delivery, while Airlift's plans include delivery. Airlift's first subscription box also carries 30 bonus pairs of stickers, which we haven't counted.

Over a year, buying Mute's 3-packs one at a time on Amazon UK (£239.88) cost about the same as Airlift's Annual plan (£240), and more than Airlift's one-time route (£220 for 390 nights). If you'd rather have prep pads in every delivery, the Complete Annual plan is £240 with delivery included. You can see all of Airlift's refill prices on the refills page.

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 strips such as Breathe Right, and that devices worn inside the nostril tended to perform better than external ones.^[1] That finding favours Mute's format over Airlift's.

We found no published, independent study of Mute either. Rhinomed publishes two studies it paid for. Its airflow figure comes from a 2003 test, sponsored by a Rhinomed company, of a prototype called BreatheAssist in 20 healthy adults over one session. Its snoring figures come from a sponsored five-night survey of 118 Australian men who reported their own results, and the survey says it wasn't a clinical trial.

On snoring, reviews of nasal dilators don't find much. A 2016 review of 14 studies found strips made no significant difference to snoring measured in sleep labs.^[2] A 2026 review of 17 studies (496 people) found nasal dilators made no significant difference to snoring measured in sleep labs.^[3] None of these studies tested a magnetic dilator, so they aren't evidence for or against Airlift in particular.

For more, see our science page and do magnetic nasal strips work?

Who should choose which

If you don't want anything inside your nose, we think Airlift is the better choice for most UK buyers. If you're fine with Mute, it costs less to start and has the longer record, and for some readers it's the right one.

Choose Airlift if

• you don't want anything inside your nose
• Mute felt sore, or none of its three sizes fitted you
• you want every clip size in the box
• you want 90 nights to try it, with nothing to post back

Choose Mute if

• you're comfortable with something inside your nostrils
• you want the lowest cost to start, or the lowest cost on subscription
• your skin reacts to adhesives, or you have facial hair or oily skin where a sticker would sit
• you'd like to buy from Amazon UK

If Mute fitted well and still did nothing for you, an external dilator may not help either, and the guide below explains why. With no comparable test data for either product, it makes sense to pick one where getting a refund doesn't mean posting anything back. Under the 90-Night Airlift Test, you can start with the Complete starter (£33) and, if it isn't right for you, email within 90 days of receiving your order for a full refund.

Mute vs the other names people search

Mute vs Breathe Right

Breathe Right is an adhesive strip that sits across the outside of the nose. Each strip is used once, for up to 12 hours a day. Original and Clear come in Small/Medium or Large, and Extra Strength in one size. Original strips cost less per night than Mute, and Breathe Right is easier to pick up today. On Boots' own website on 27 October 2026, a 30-pack of Original Small/Medium strips was £13.99 (£0.47 a night) and a 26-pack of Extra Strength was £14.99 (£0.58). You'll also find it at Superdrug, Tesco and other shops. Mute's advantage is that it uses no adhesive. More in our Breathe Right alternatives guide.

Mute vs Intake Breathing

Intake Breathing is a magnetic band that sits across the outside of the nose on single-use adhesive tabs, so, unlike Mute, nothing goes inside the nostril. Intake's own store sells the starter at £54.99 for 15 nights (£3.67 a night) or £64.99 for 30 (£2.17) in black, plus delivery from the US, with refills at £31 for 30 (£1.03) on its store. Mute is far cheaper to start. If Mute didn't work for you, the same caveat applies as for Airlift. More in Airlift vs Intake Breathing and our Intake Breathing UK review.

Mute vs Turbine

Turbine comes from the same company. It's Rhinomed's dilator for sport, with ridged paddles and a ratchet on each side, and Rhinomed recommends Mute for sleep. On Mute's UK store, the Starter is £16.99 and sized 3-packs are £19.99, or £17.99 on subscription, with each device rated for 10 uses. It isn't for contact or water sports. Users disagree on whether Turbine is sturdier than Mute.

Mute vs Silent Mammoth

Silent Mammoth (Modern Mammoth Technologies) is also internal: a stainless steel wire frame coated in silicone. It comes in two sizes, chosen by measuring your nose, and there's no starter pack. One device costs £29.99 at Breath and Balance, a UK stockist, plus £3.75 delivery, or £39.00 (Large) and £42.99 (Small) on Amazon UK from third-party sellers. The brand's FAQ says to replace it every 60 days, which works out at £0.50 a night (£0.56 with delivery). Breath and Balance's listing says 30 uses or up to 60 days, and on 30 uses it's £1.00 a night (£1.12). It has a granted US patent (2026), but we found no published, independent study of it, and it has 604 global Amazon ratings averaging 3.8. It costs more upfront than Mute's Starter, but you replace it less often.

Mute vs AIRMAX

AIRMAX, sold by the Dutch company Airmax BV, is an internal dilator: a soft one-piece device in Small and Medium only. The Trial Pack, with one of each, is £14.75 on Amazon UK. Its leaflet says to replace it every 2 months, which works out at £0.12 a night if both sizes fit, or £0.25 if only one does. A 2-pack of one size is £16.45 (£0.14). That makes it the cheapest reusable dilator per night we've checked, Mute and Airlift included. There's no brand guarantee for UK buyers, Amazon UK was the only UK seller we could find with it in stock, and the Trial Pack averages 3.4 from 16,107 ratings. AIRMAX links a peer-reviewed 2013 study of 30 people with nasal valve problems. It isn't in our evidence library, so we quote no figures from it.

Mute falls out, hurts or doesn't fit: what to try next

These are the four complaints that come up most in Mute's own reviews. The counts come from the 76 reviews rated one to three stars on Mute's UK site, out of 414 in all. That pool isn't UK-only, and 286 of the 414 reviews date from 2021.

Sore or uncomfortable inside the nose

Discomfort inside the nose is the most common complaint: 45 of the 76 mention it, though comfort is also the top theme in Mute's four- and five-star reviews (107 of 338 by our keyword count). An external dilator such as Airlift's clip puts nothing inside the nostril, but it puts an adhesive sticker on the outside instead, so try one on your arm first if your skin is sensitive, and don't use it on broken skin.

Falls out overnight

Fifteen of the 76 say it fell out or worked loose. External dilators hold on with adhesive instead, and we have no test data on whether any of them stays put better, Airlift included. More in magnetic vs adhesive nasal strips, and for ways to keep a strip or sticker on, see nasal strips that stay on.

Wrong size, or between sizes

Nineteen of the 76 say no size fitted or they were caught between two. Mute's sizes and exchange rules are covered above, and Airlift's help page explains how to pick a clip size. Our nasal dilator size guide covers sizing for each type.

No change

Twenty-six of the 76 report little or no effect on snoring. Dilators work at the front of the nose, and Airlift's help page says it doesn't claim to end snoring and can't help with snoring from the throat or blockage deeper in the nose. Sleep-lab reviews found no significant change in snoring (see What the evidence says). If your nose stays blocked, that's the point to stop switching products. See also the best nasal strips for snoring in the UK.

Sources checked

All checked on 27 October 2026 unless dated otherwise.

1. Mute Starter Pack and Mute Medium 3-pack, Mute UK store: format, sizes, prices, subscriptions and reviews.
2. Mute FAQ: lifespan, sizing guide, materials and delivery.
3. Mute returns policy and sales policy: the guarantee, size exchanges and delivery.
4. Mute research page: the two studies Rhinomed published.
5. Mute on Amazon UK, Starter Pack and Medium 3-pack: prices, ratings and listing date.
6. Turbine Starter Pack and Turbine Medium 3-pack: Turbine design, prices and uses.
7. Breathe Right products and FAQs, plus Boots listings for Original Small/Medium 30 and Extra Strength 26: sizes, wear time and prices.
8. Intake starter kit, UK store and Intake refill packs: Intake format and prices.
9. Silent Mammoth FAQ, Breath and Balance listing, Amazon UK Small and Large, and US patent US12564510B2: Silent Mammoth design, prices, lifespan and patent.
10. AIRMAX instruction leaflet, AIRMAX FAQ, AIRMAX research page and AIRMAX on Amazon UK, Trial Pack and Medium 2-pack: AIRMAX sizes, lifespan, prices and ratings.
11. Airlift on Trustpilot: review count.
12. Airlift's shop, refills, refunds, shipping, terms and help pages: Airlift's products, prices and policies.
13. Boots website searches for "mute nasal dilator" and "rhinomed", 28 October 2026: no Mute or Rhinomed product found.

Questions people ask