Head to head

Sofwave vs Ultherapy (2026)

The biggest practical difference is cost of entry: Ultherapy's new pricing is $130k–$175k, while Sofwave's is $100k–$150k. Both are used for HIFU/ultrasound lifting, so choose on consumable cost per treatment, cleared indications and how many treatments you can realistically book each month.

Category group: Skin tightening & remodeling (RF microneedling, monopolar RF, HIFU)

Device A

Device B

Price comparison

Price comparison: Ulthera System (Ultherapy) vs Sofwave
Attribute	Ulthera System (Ultherapy)	Sofwave
New price range	$130k–$175k	$100k–$150k
Used asking range	$20k–$60k	$60k–$95k
Payback calculator	View ROI calculator	View ROI calculator
Next step

New price range

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): $130k–$175k
Sofwave: $100k–$150k

Used asking range

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): $20k–$60k
Sofwave: $60k–$95k

Payback calculator

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): View ROI calculator
Sofwave: View ROI calculator

Next step

Ulthera System (Ultherapy)

Sofwave

Consumable economics

Consumable economics: Ulthera System (Ultherapy) vs Sofwave
Attribute	Ulthera System (Ultherapy)	Sofwave
Consumable cost / lock-in	DeepSee transducers are serialised, chip-locked consumables. Reseller listings put a new transducer at $1,800–$2,965 (Starlight; MNML Aesthetics, September 2026). Merz does not publish transducer life, so no per-treatment cost is published here. A full-face protocol uses several depths.	Treatment capacity is licensed, not free: Sofwave sells pulses under a pulse-purchase license per its own provider FAQ and terms, and used units require Sofwave inspection to restore e-store access. The US per-pulse price is not publicly disclosed — get it in writing before modeling per-session margin.
Service cost	Not published	Not published

Consumable cost / lock-in

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): DeepSee transducers are serialised, chip-locked consumables. Reseller listings put a new transducer at $1,800–$2,965 (Starlight; MNML Aesthetics, September 2026). Merz does not publish transducer life, so no per-treatment cost is published here. A full-face protocol uses several depths.
Sofwave: Treatment capacity is licensed, not free: Sofwave sells pulses under a pulse-purchase license per its own provider FAQ and terms, and used units require Sofwave inspection to restore e-store access. The US per-pulse price is not publicly disclosed — get it in writing before modeling per-session margin.

Service cost

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): Not published
Sofwave: Not published

FDA clearance

FDA clearance: Ulthera System (Ultherapy) vs Sofwave
Attribute	Ulthera System (Ultherapy)	Sofwave
FDA status & indication	FDA ClearedDe Novo: DEN080006, K121700, K122528, K132028, K134032, K180623, K233996, K243035, K250418, K260618 “1064nm: The Cynosure Affirm Family laser is intended for the coagulation and hemostasis of benign vascular lesions, such as, but not limited to, port wine stains, hemangiomas, warts, telangiectasia, rosacea, venus lake, leg veins, spider veins and poikiloderma of civatte; and treatment of benign cutaneous lesions such as warts, scars, striae and psoriasis. The laser is also intended for the treatment of benign pigmented lesions such as, but not limited to, lentigos (age spots), solar lentigos (sun spots), Caf6 au lait macules, seborrheic keratoses, nevi, chloasma, verrucea, skin tags, keratoses, tattoos (significant reduction in the intensity of black and/or blue/black tattoos) and plaques. The laser is also indicated for the treatment of wrinkles such as, but not limited to, periocular and perioral wrinkles. 1320nm: The Cynosure Affirm Family laser is indicated for use in general surgery and dermatology for the incision, excision, ablation, vaporization, coagulation and hemostasis of soft tissue. It is also indicated for the treatment of periorbital and perioral wrinkles. It is also indicated for the treatment of fine lines and wrinkles. 1440nm: The Cynosure Affirm Family laser is indicated for use in general surgery and dermatology for the incision, excision, ablation, vaporization, coagulation and hemostasis of soft tissue. It is also indicated for the treatment of periorbital and perioral wrinkles and pigmented lesions. The XPL Pulsed Light System Handpiece is intended for permanent hair reduction and the treatment of dermatological vascular lesions, facial and leg veins, benign pigmented lesions, and inflammatory acne. The Affirm Family System Laser Attachment is intended for: Er:YAG 2,940 nm - for skin resurfacing and for the incision, excision, ablation or vaporization of soft bodily tissues.”	FDA ClearedK211483, K230019, K231537 “The SofWave System is indicated for use as a non-invasive dermatological aesthetic treatment to improve facial lines and wrinkles, lift the eyebrow, and lift lax submental (beneath the chin) and neck tissue; which can also affect the appearance of lax tissue in the submental and neck regions for subjects aged 22 and older.”

FDA status & indication

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): FDA ClearedDe Novo: DEN080006, K121700, K122528, K132028, K134032, K180623, K233996, K243035, K250418, K260618
“1064nm: The Cynosure Affirm Family laser is intended for the coagulation and hemostasis of benign vascular lesions, such as, but not limited to, port wine stains, hemangiomas, warts, telangiectasia, rosacea, venus lake, leg veins, spider veins and poikiloderma of civatte; and treatment of benign cutaneous lesions such as warts, scars, striae and psoriasis. The laser is also intended for the treatment of benign pigmented lesions such as, but not limited to, lentigos (age spots), solar lentigos (sun spots), Caf6 au lait macules, seborrheic keratoses, nevi, chloasma, verrucea, skin tags, keratoses, tattoos (significant reduction in the intensity of black and/or blue/black tattoos) and plaques. The laser is also indicated for the treatment of wrinkles such as, but not limited to, periocular and perioral wrinkles. 1320nm: The Cynosure Affirm Family laser is indicated for use in general surgery and dermatology for the incision, excision, ablation, vaporization, coagulation and hemostasis of soft tissue. It is also indicated for the treatment of periorbital and perioral wrinkles. It is also indicated for the treatment of fine lines and wrinkles. 1440nm: The Cynosure Affirm Family laser is indicated for use in general surgery and dermatology for the incision, excision, ablation, vaporization, coagulation and hemostasis of soft tissue. It is also indicated for the treatment of periorbital and perioral wrinkles and pigmented lesions. The XPL Pulsed Light System Handpiece is intended for permanent hair reduction and the treatment of dermatological vascular lesions, facial and leg veins, benign pigmented lesions, and inflammatory acne. The Affirm Family System Laser Attachment is intended for: Er:YAG 2,940 nm - for skin resurfacing and for the incision, excision, ablation or vaporization of soft bodily tissues.”
Sofwave: FDA ClearedK211483, K230019, K231537
“The SofWave System is indicated for use as a non-invasive dermatological aesthetic treatment to improve facial lines and wrinkles, lift the eyebrow, and lift lax submental (beneath the chin) and neck tissue; which can also affect the appearance of lax tissue in the submental and neck regions for subjects aged 22 and older.”

Which chains run each

Which chains run each: Ulthera System (Ultherapy) vs Sofwave
Attribute	Ulthera System (Ultherapy)	Sofwave
Chain adoption	0 recorded pairings	2 recorded pairings
Chains using it	—	OrangeTwist(Confirmed) SKINNEY Medspa(Confirmed)
Approved reviews	0	0

Chain adoption

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): 0 recorded pairings
Sofwave: 2 recorded pairings

Chains using it

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): —
Sofwave: OrangeTwist(Confirmed)
SKINNEY Medspa(Confirmed)

Approved reviews

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): 0
Sofwave: 0

Specs and platform

Specs and platform: Ulthera System (Ultherapy) vs Sofwave
Attribute	Ulthera System (Ultherapy)	Sofwave
Manufacturer	Ulthera	Sofwave Medical
Built by (OEM)	Ulthera Inc.	Sofwave Medical Ltd.
Category	HIFU/Ultrasound Lifting	HIFU/Ultrasound Lifting
Technology	Microfocused ultrasound + DeepSEE imaging (HIFU / Ultrasound)	Synchronous Ultrasound Parallel Beam (SUPERB) (HIFU / Ultrasound)
Launch year	2009	2021
Status	Legacy-used-market	Current
OEM platform	—	—

Manufacturer

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): Ulthera
Sofwave: Sofwave Medical

Built by (OEM)

Ulthera System (Ultherapy): Ulthera Inc.
Sofwave: Sofwave Medical Ltd.

Alternatives

Other devices in the same subcategory.

Jeisys ULTRAcel Zii

HIFU/Ultrasound Lifting

New: —

Jeisys ULTRAcel

HIFU/Ultrasound Lifting

New: —

Classys Shurink Universe

HIFU/Ultrasound Lifting

New: —

Classys Ultraformer MPT

HIFU/Ultrasound Lifting

New: $40k–$70k

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