Every comparison answer, part 2 of 35
Answers 21 to 40 of 692: Soma Labs' own answers, drafted from the comparison pages and dated as they are. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
What has the FDA cleared on Withings BodyScan 2 and the 2023 Body Scan?
On both scales, the FDA has cleared the 6-lead ECG, according to Soma's Withings post, which cites FDA 510(k) K230812 for Withings Scan Monitor 2.0 with sources as of September 26, 2026. Withings says everything else on its scales is for general wellness and that BodyScan 2 isn't a medical device for diagnostic purposes. It also lists Blood Pressure Insights on BodyScan 2, describing it as a wellness insight that doesn't measure your blood pressure. Soma Axon, still being built, isn't a medical device and isn't cleared by the FDA.
From Withings BodyScan 2 vs Body Scan, and what a weekly scan adds, Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon, FAQ and About.
When did Withings BodyScan 2 go on sale in the US?
July 15, 2026, going by Withings' own announcement, which Soma's comparison cites with sources read on September 26, 2026. The 2023 Body Scan, sold in the US since September 2023, was still on sale then. Soma Axon has no release date: Soma Labs Inc. in Palo Alto is still building the first prototype of this general wellness pod, and its waitlist will hear first when one opens.
From Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon, Withings BodyScan 2 vs Body Scan, and what a weekly scan adds, About and FAQ.
Smart scale at home or a weekly pod: what's the trade-off?
A scale lives at home, which Soma calls its strength: you can step on it every morning in 30 seconds. Soma Axon asks for a weekly trip instead, and in return the pod is designed to read you under the same light, from the same positions and with the same instrument every week. Soma's blog adds that even a bathroom scale can give a different number on a rug than on tile. Axon is a wellness product and isn't a medical device, and Soma Labs is still building it.
From Withings BodyScan 2 vs Body Scan, and what a weekly scan adds, Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon, The same instrument, every week, FAQ and About.
What will Soma Axon read beyond a smart scale's body composition?
Beyond body composition, which it will read the same basic way as a smart scale, Soma Axon is designed to add photos of your skin all the way around, balance, grip strength, EEG and thermal imaging, along with heart and breathing. Withings BodyScan 2, by comparison, lists weight, body composition by zone, heart rate, vascular age, a 6-lead ECG, blood oxygen and a nerve response score, per Soma's September 26, 2026 comparison. Axon is a general wellness product and isn't available yet.
From Withings BodyScan 2 vs Body Scan, and what a weekly scan adds, Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon, FAQ and Compare.
What is a full-body scan?
It depends on who's offering it, according to Soma's guide, whose sources were read on September 26, 2026. A full-body scan can mean an hour in an MRI machine, a few minutes under a DEXA arm or 30 seconds on a smart scale. A clinic scan like Neko Health's puts several instruments and a clinician in one visit. Since they read different things, it's worth asking what a scan measures before you book it. Soma Axon, the weekly pod from Soma Labs in Palo Alto, is a general wellness product still being built.
From Full-body scans compared, About and FAQ.
Which full-body scans don't use radiation?
Most of them. Of the full-body scans in Soma's guide, with sources read on September 26, 2026, only DEXA uses X-rays, at a very low dose. Whole-body MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves, and Prenuvo, Ezra and SimonMed describe their scans as radiation-free. The others read you with light, cameras, sensors you touch or a small electrical current. Some imaging clinics add CT scans of the heart or lungs, and those use X-rays too. Soma Axon, a general wellness pod still being built, uses nothing ionizing.
From Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
How much does a whole-body MRI cost?
About $899 to $2,499, according to Soma's full-body scan guide, with sources read on September 26, 2026. Prenuvo, Ezra (Function Health) and SimonMed offer it. A scan takes images of your organs and tissue in 22 to 60 minutes with no radiation, and providers suggest once a year. Soma Axon won't image your organs. Soma Labs, a Palo Alto company, is still building this general wellness pod and hasn't announced its price.
From Full-body scans compared, About and FAQ.
How does a DEXA scan differ from a weekly pod?
A DEXA scan reads body fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone density, measuring what you're made of in about 7 to 11 minutes with a very low dose of X-rays. BodySpec and DexaFit offer it, and providers suggest a scan every 3 to 6 months at about $40 to $185, per Soma's guide with sources read on September 26, 2026. Soma Axon is a weekly pod with no radiation, still being built by Soma Labs. It's for general wellness only.
From Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
What does a 3D body scanner measure?
A 3D scanner measures your shape. Gym scanners such as Fit3D and Styku read your body's shape and measurements, posture and an estimate of fat and lean mass in under a minute, with no radiation. Fit3D suggests a scan every 30 to 90 days, and each gym sets the price, according to Soma's guide with sources read on September 26, 2026. Soma Axon, a general wellness pod Soma Labs plans for gyms among other places, is still being built.
From Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
What do professional bodies say about whole-body scans and routine skin exams?
The American College of Radiology's 2023 statement on total body MRI says there isn't enough evidence to recommend whole-body scans for people with no symptoms, risk factors or family history. It also cautions that incidental findings can lead to more tests and costs. The US Preventive Services Task Force, in its 2023 recommendation, calls the evidence insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of routine skin exams in people without symptoms. Soma's guide suggests a talk with your doctor before any scan meant to look for disease. Soma Axon, still being built, won't image organs and isn't a medical device.
From Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
How often should you get a full-body scan?
Each kind runs on its own schedule. Going by Soma's guide, with sources read on September 26, 2026, Prenuvo suggests a yearly MRI for most adults over 40, DEXA providers suggest every 3 to 6 months and Fit3D suggests a 3D scan every 30 to 90 days. Soma Axon is built for a weekly visit, so you can see how your readings change from one week to the next. Soma describes the pod as a wellness product, and Soma Labs is still building it.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ and About.
Is Soma Axon a full-body MRI?
No. Soma Axon isn't an MRI, and it doesn't take images of your organs. It reads you with cameras, light and sensors you touch, covering skin photos, heart and breathing, ECG, EEG, thermal imaging, body composition, balance and grip strength in a few minutes once a week. It uses no radiation. Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company making it, calls it a general wellness product. It's still being built, so you can't book a visit yet.
From FAQ, Full-body scans compared and About.
Whole-body MRI or a weekly pod: what's the difference?
A whole-body MRI takes images of your organs and tissue, using a magnetic field and radio waves, in 22 to 60 minutes. Providers suggest once a year, and Soma's guide lists it at about $899 to $2,499 with sources read on September 26, 2026. Soma Axon won't image your organs. It's built for the trend: the same readings, taken the same way every week, in a few minutes. It isn't medical care, and Soma Labs is still building it.
From Full-body scans compared, Neko Health vs Soma Axon, Compare, FAQ and About.
Why is Soma Axon built for a weekly visit instead of a yearly one?
Soma's reasoning is that one reading on its own doesn't tell you much, while readings taken the same way every week show what's changing and how fast. Weekly visits add up to 52 whole-body reads a year, where a yearly check-up gives you one. Soma also agrees with Neko Health's FAQ, as read on September 26, 2026, that a scan is worth more each time you repeat it. Soma Axon is a general wellness product that doesn't replace your doctor or your check-ups, and it's still being built.
From FAQ, How Soma compares with Neko Health, Neko Health vs Soma Axon and Compare.
How does Soma describe Soma Axon on its comparison pages?
As a closed pod you step into for a whole-body scan, plus an iPhone app between visits. The pod is meant for once a week, for a few minutes, with the app reading your phone and watch in between. Its price isn't announced, and Soma says it'll be priced like a weekly habit. Its medical status is general wellness: it isn't a medical device and isn't cleared by the FDA. Because Axon isn't available yet, those pages describe it as Soma is designing it.
From Compare.
What's a Soma Axon visit like compared with a Neko Health scan?
A Neko Health scan takes about an hour, half of it with a clinician going through your results, based on what Neko published as of September 26, 2026. Soma describes a Soma Axon visit as in and out in the time it takes to get a coffee. You change in a private room, stand with your hands on the grips and feet on the plate for a few minutes, then a recovery part follows. The pod shows you one calm number on your way out. Axon is a wellness product that's still being built.
From How Soma compares with Neko Health, Home, FAQ and About.
Is a smart scale enough to track body composition?
A smart scale's strength, as Soma puts it, is that it lives at home: you can step on it every morning in 30 seconds while it estimates body composition with a very small electrical current. Conditions still matter, and even a bathroom scale can give a different number on a rug than on tile. For bone density and lean mass, Soma's guide lists DEXA, with sources read on September 26, 2026. Soma Axon, a general wellness pod still being built, will read body composition under the same light and with the same instrument every week.
From Withings BodyScan 2 vs Body Scan, and what a weekly scan adds, Full-body scans compared, The same instrument, every week, Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon and FAQ.
Is there a full-body scan I can do every week?
Most scans in Soma's guide are spaced further apart: whole-body MRI once a year, DEXA every 3 to 6 months and gym 3D scans every 30 to 90 days, going by what providers suggest in sources read on September 26, 2026. A smart scale like Withings BodyScan 2, checked the same day, offers a 90-second Longevity Scan meant for once a week. Soma Axon is a pod built for a weekly whole-body read in a few minutes, but it's still being built and isn't available yet. It's a general wellness product.
From Full-body scans compared, Withings BodyScan 2 vs Body Scan, and what a weekly scan adds, Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon, Compare and FAQ.
How long does each kind of full-body scan take?
Going by Soma's guide, with sources read on September 26, 2026: about 30 seconds on a smart scale, or 90 for its weekly scan, under a minute in a gym 3D scanner and about 7 to 11 minutes for DEXA. A dermatology skin check takes about 10 to 30 minutes, a whole-body MRI 22 to 60 and a clinic scan like Neko Health's about an hour. Soma Axon, a general wellness pod still being built, is meant to take a few minutes.
From Full-body scans compared, Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon, How Soma compares with Neko Health and FAQ.
Can I use an HSA or FSA card for a body scan?
For some options, yes. As of September 26, 2026, Neko Health accepted HSA and FSA cards for its $499 scan in New York, and Withings BodyScan 2, a $599.95 smart scale, was HSA and FSA eligible. Soma Axon has no announced price yet. Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company building this general wellness pod, says prices will come out before the first pod opens, with its waitlist hearing first.
From Neko Health vs Soma Axon, Withings Body Scan vs Soma Axon, Compare, About and FAQ.