High blood pressure (BP), or hypertension, can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and a number of other health problems. Whether you have a history of high blood pressure or not, a home blood pressure monitor can help you keep a close eye on your numbers and your health.
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association consider hypertension to be when a person’s systolic (top) blood pressure measurement is 130 mmHg or higher, and diastolic (bottom) is 80 mmHg or higher. Some monitors do this work for you too: Devices with a BP risk category indicator will flag high measurements as hypertensive.
In This Article
- Omron Platinum BP5450 (Amazon)
- Omron 10 Series BP7450
- Omron Evolv BP7000
- Omron 3 Series BP7100
Tracking your blood pressure at home is, in many cases, a more reliable option for getting an accurate picture of your day-to-day blood pressure levels than the readings you may get during a visit to the doctor’s office.
Research suggests that self-monitoring can even lead to better blood pressure control, particularly in the first few months of using a home BP monitor.
CR tests blood pressure monitors on real people, and we compare the results with those of a mercury sphygmomanometer, the device considered the gold standard in BP testing. Accuracy makes up the bulk of the score for each monitor, but we also evaluate ease of use and comfort.
After all, “you aren’t going to want to use the product if it’s not comfortable,” says Susan Booth, who oversees home blood pressure monitor testing at CR.
In our testing, we’ve evaluated over 20 arm and wrist blood pressure monitors, including those from CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. In general, we found that these don’t perform as well as name-brand monitors, particularly Omron.
Whatever monitor you choose, keep in mind that an accurate reading depends on using the right technique. Below, you’ll find five of our top-rated home blood pressure monitors. Members can access our full ratings and reviews. For more helpful information about how to use your monitor and how to buy the best one, check out our blood pressure monitor buying guide.
The Omron Platinum BP5450 monitor scores top marks for accuracy and convenience, and testers rated it as very comfortable. It’s packed with features, including an irregular heartbeat detector, a BP risk category indicator, a large-digit display, a split screen that shows the most current reading on the right side and prior readings on the left (through which you can scroll), a data averaging function, and more. It can store readings for multiple users, so you and a partner or family member can both use it. You can also sync your blood pressure data to another device using the Omron Connect app. The Platinum BP5450 has a feature specifically for calculating and averaging your daily morning blood pressure readings. It comes with a cuff that fits arm circumferences between 9 and 17 inches, and you can purchase a 7- to 9-inch cuff separately.
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The Omron 10 Series BP7450 monitor earns excellent ratings in accuracy and convenience. This monitor is similar to the Omron Platinum BP5450, but it comes with a different type of arm cuff. Compared to the BP5450, it also lacks the morning average indicator that alerts users when their measurements are out of range. This arm monitor does have many other features, including an irregular heartbeat detector, a BP risk category indicator, and a data averaging function. It also allows multiple users to store readings separately and has the ability to sync to the Omron Connect app via Bluetooth. The included cuff fits arms 9 to 17 inches in circumference.
The Omron Evolv BP7000 monitor earns top marks for accuracy, and our testers found it to be very convenient and comfortable. Unlike many blood pressure models, which consist of a cuff attached via a tube to the electronic monitor, this monitor is all one piece; the monitor is embedded in the cuff. This could be useful for users who need to keep up their blood pressure monitoring while traveling. This monitor also has plenty of convenient features, including an irregular heartbeat detector, a data averaging function, and the ability to store data for multiple users. If you sync your data via the Omron Connect app, you’ll also have access to a BP risk indicator. One downside is that, because of the device’s structure, if your arm is outside the 9- to 17-inch circumference range, there’s no option to sub in a differently sized cuff.
This earns top marks for accuracy, and our testers found it to be very convenient and comfortable. We did notice that it might be difficult for some users to wrap the cuff around their own arm and align the artery marker, and we also found the fabric fastener somewhat difficult to separate. Still, this monitor offers plenty of features, including an irregular heartbeat detector, a BP risk category indicator, a data averaging function, and the ability to store data for multiple users. The cuff fits arms of 8.6 to 16.5 inches in circumference, and a larger cuff for arms 12.2 to 17.7 inches in circumference can be purchased separately.
The Omron 3 Series BP7100 blood pressure monitor scores top marks for accuracy, and testers found it fairly comfortable. It has fewer features than the other top-rated Omron models and is sold at a lower price, making it a good choice if you want a no-frills device for your own use. The monitor doesn’t have a risk category indicator, which flags numbers that fall in the hypertension range. It can only store measurements for a single user and doesn’t offer a split-screen display. Still, the irregular heartbeat detector and the large-digit display make it easy to use. The cuff fits arms 9 to 17 inches in circumference.
How CR Tests Home Blood Pressure Monitors
In our blood pressure monitor tests, accuracy is the most important component, but we also examine ease of use and comfort. To test the accuracy of a blood pressure monitor, we compare the blood pressure readings from a monitor to those from a mercury sphygmomanometer, which is considered a gold-standard device for blood pressure measurement.
We note each monitor’s features, such as irregular heartbeat detection and past data storage for multiple users. We also ask subjects to rate how comfortable each monitor is.
Catherine Roberts
Catherine Roberts is a health and science journalist at Consumer Reports. She has been at CR since 2016, covering infectious diseases, bugs and bug sprays, consumer medical devices like hearing aids and blood pressure monitors, health privacy, and more. As a civilian, her passions include bike rides, horror films and fiction, and research rabbit holes. Follow her on X: @catharob.
