EMDR Light Bar Alternatives

Written by Murat Yön, clinical psychologist, EMDR Europe accredited therapist

Updated 2026-10-11 · For EMDR-trained clinicians

The EMDR light bar, a strip of LEDs that sweeps a light left and right, is familiar equipment in many consulting rooms, but it is not the only way to deliver bilateral stimulation (BLS). This guide is for clinicians trained in EMDR who are looking for an online light bar, an EMDR simulator or another alternative, and it compares four categories: dedicated hardware, free browser tools, online platforms where the client joins through a link, and native apps. If you want to try one right now, the free online EMDR bilateral stimulation tool runs in a browser with no account.

This guide is written by the developer of EMDR Mobile, one of the options compared. Competitor features and prices are taken from their own websites on 11 October 2026 and may change.

How we compared

Each option is described by the same criteria: what the client has to do (install, open a link, or nothing), whether it suits online use, in-person use or both, whether it works offline, which modalities it offers (auditory, visual, tactile), which platforms it runs on, whether an account is needed, and how it is priced. Facts about other products come from each vendor's own website; where a price or feature could not be confirmed there, it is left out. Nothing is ranked.

What a light bar does well

A light bar gives a visible, steady target for eye movements, which is the modality used in much of the original EMDR research base (see what bilateral stimulation is and what the research says). In the room it has real advantages:

• The client tracks a defined line of lights, with no need to follow the therapist's hand across a long session.
• Speed is usually adjustable from a handset, and many units offer several light patterns.
• It works with no screen, headphones, app or internet connection, and does not depend on the client's device.

Its limits are practical rather than clinical. It is a physical device that has to be where the client is, so it does not travel to a video session. It requires sustained visual tracking, which some clients find tiring or activating. And it is one more item to keep charged, stored and cleaned.

Dedicated hardware: light bars, tactile pulsers and kits

This category covers light bars, handheld tactile pulsers that alternate vibration between the hands, and kits that combine them with headphones. All of them work offline and without the client's own phone or computer. They suit in-person work and do not move into a video session. Prices and specifications vary widely by maker, so none are quoted here. Tactile delivery is also possible without any device, for example the therapist tapping the client's hands or knees, which is a clinical judgement covered by your EMDR training and consultation.

Free browser tools

A browser tool is the lowest-friction option: open a page, put on stereo headphones and start. The free tool at emdrmobile.com/bls plays alternating left and right audio with an optional moving light, offers speed, volume and tone controls, a pass counter and a Test left / right button, and needs no account or download. It has no tactile output. The general limits of the category are that the tab must stay in the foreground, the sound depends on the device's audio path, and for remote work the client either opens the page themselves or you share your tab through a video call, where shared audio is often reduced to mono and moving images can stutter. For face-to-face work with a laptop beside you, it is a sensible low-effort substitute for a light bar; no special hardware is needed for auditory BLS.

Online platforms with a client link

These services were built for remote work: the therapist controls the stimulation in a browser, and the client joins by opening a link. Three that clinicians commonly ask about, with only what each states on its own site:

• bilateralstimulation.io. The client joins by clicking a link, with no signup or installation. It offers visual, auditory and tactile BLS, the last through separate USB buzzers that need a laptop or desktop with a USB or USB-C port. A free plan includes basic BLS; the Professional plan is listed at EUR 15 per month and adds options such as more motion patterns, a full sound library, a personal link and saved client preferences. It has no built-in video, so you run it beside your own video software.
• remotEMDR. The therapist controls synchronized BLS on the client's device, with a built-in video chat, adjustable colour, speed, direction and sound, and saved settings per client. The site says no software or app needs to be installed. Pricing is listed as USD 25 per month or USD 250 per year, with a 14-day trial.
• EMDRsuite. A browser-based session room with video, patient links, saved BLS settings and notes, offering visual movement patterns and bilateral audio. The Professional plan is listed at EUR 24.99 per month with a 7-day trial.

The advantage of this category is that the client installs nothing and the therapist keeps the controls. Check how each service handles session data and what your regulator requires; this guide does not assess any vendor's privacy or compliance position, so ask each one in writing. Also check whether you would be adopting a built-in video platform when you already have one.

Native apps, including EMDR Mobile

A native app is installed on the devices that run the session. EMDR Mobile is one such app. It runs on iOS, iPadOS, Android, macOS and Windows, in 12 languages. In face-to-face mode, the therapist's device delivers auditory BLS through stereo headphones and works without an internet connection. In online mode, the client installs the free client app and joins with a link or the username and password the therapist shares, and the stimulus plays on the client's own device from the therapist's live settings, so the video call does not carry it. The client can set the shape, colour, background and size of what they see. The therapist subscription includes a 7-day free trial and is shown on the site as USD 2.99 per month or USD 34.99 per year (US App Store prices; the store shows the exact price in your currency). One subscription covers all platforms, and the client app is free.

Its limits are plain. It has no tactile or haptic output. The therapist panel has no left / right test (the free browser tool has one) and no choice of stimulation mode. The client has to be able and willing to install an app. It is not a practice-management or video platform.

Comparison table

Common problems when moving away from a light bar

• Assuming audio is stereo. The most frequent fault is a mono path: a single earbud, a Bluetooth call profile, or an accessibility setting. Always do a left / right check with the client before the first set. The setup details for video calls are in the guide to EMDR via Zoom and telehealth.
• Matching the old speed by feel. Speed scales differ between devices. Start slower than you expect, run a short calibration set and adjust from the client's report. The speed table on the BLS tool page shows how its speed numbers map to passes per minute.
• Forgetting the visual risks. Moving lights are a concern for clients with photosensitive epilepsy or migraine; an audio-only option is a sensible alternative to have ready.
• Letting the tool lead. Pick the modality for the client and the setting first, and the product second.

Choosing for your practice

1. List your settings. Face to face only, remote only, or both. Remote work rules out the physical light bar for those sessions.
2. Ask what your clients tolerate. Visual tracking, tones and tapping suit different people; keep more than one option available.
3. Decide where the stimulation plays. On the client's own device is steadier than streamed through a video call.
4. Count the client's steps. A link is lighter than an install; an install is lighter than an account and payment.
5. Test in a low-stakes session. Try any new tool with a colleague before a reprocessing session. The BLS settings guide has a short first-minute check.
6. Check data and cost on the vendor's own pages. Prices and terms change, so confirm them at the source.

For a vendor question list and a trial plan, see how to choose an EMDR BLS tool. None of these options changes the protocol: BLS is one component of the eight phases, and the choice of modality is made inside the treatment plan.