At a glance
- No app, no charging, no ceremony
- AAA spares available anywhere on earth
- Two heat levels, 3 or 6 seconds
- Suitable from age 3, adult-operated
- Bulkier than the keyring options
- No light for finding bites at night
I HAVEN’T HELD ONE
- The original name in heat treatment
- Same AAA batteries, up to 300 uses
- Waterproof to IP42, and a silent night mode
- Usually pricier than the Beurer
- I can’t vouch for it personally
I HAVEN’T HELD ONE
- Keyring-sized, so it’s actually with you
- 12 app modes, including sensitive skin
- No batteries to buy, ever
- Needs your phone charged, with a free port
- Needs the app installed before you’re bitten
- Buy the right connector: USB-C or Lightning
| Beurer BR 60 | bite away Two | heat it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MY TESTING | Years of daily-carry use | Not yet. Specs only | Not yet. Specs only |
| POWER | 2× AAA, up to ~300 uses per pair | 2× AAA, up to 300 applications, works with rechargeables | No battery at all. Draws from your phone, using at most 0.1% of its charge per go |
| NEEDS A PHONE? | No | No | Yes, plus a free app to run it |
| SETTINGS | Two programmes, 3 or 6 seconds | Two programmes | 12 app modes, including sensitive skin and a children's setting |
| SIZE | Pocket pen | Pocket pen | Thumbnail-sized, lives on a keyring |
| AGES | From 3, adult-operated | From 3 with adult help, self-use from 12 | From 3 with adult help, self-use from 12 |
| CHEMICALS | None | None | None |
| EXTRAS | Nothing beyond the basics | Waterproof to IP42, silent night mode | App control, 12 modes |
Three ways to carry the same idea
Beurer BR 60 ✓ TESTED BY ME
This is the one I actually own and the reason this site exists. Two AAA batteries last me a season, spares are available anywhere on earth, and there is nothing to charge, pair, download or remember. I keep it in a bag and it works the moment I need it, which turns out to be the feature that matters most.
What you give up: it is bulkier than the keyring options, there is no light for finding a bite at 3am, and the heat is fixed rather than finely adjustable. In years of use, none of those has stopped it working.
The one I use: Beurer BR 60 on Amazon →
bite away Two NOT TESTED
The original. bite away created this category and still has the strongest name recognition, particularly in Germany where heat treatment went mainstream first. Same principle as the Beurer, chemical-free, marketed as suitable for allergy sufferers, pregnant women and children under adult supervision, with a claimed 300 applications from a battery.
The practical differences are small but real. bite away Two runs the same AAA batteries as my Beurer and claims the same 300 applications, heats to a slightly hotter 52°C, and adds two things the Beurer does not have: an IP42 splash-proof rating and a silent mode for treating a bite at 3am without waking anyone. It usually costs more. Note that the original bite away is now listed as unavailable, so Two is the one to buy.
Not tested by me, but here it is: bite away on Amazon →
heat it NOT TESTED
The clever one. heat it removes the battery entirely: it plugs into your phone, draws a sliver of its charge, and is small enough to live permanently on a keyring. Made in Germany, and its free app offers twelve intensity modes including settings for sensitive skin and for children, which is the finest control of the three by some distance.
The trade-offs follow from the design. You need your phone, charged, with a free port, and you need the app installed before the mosquito finds you. There are separate versions for USB-C and for older Lightning iPhones, so buy the right one. And it is the only pen here that turns treating a bite into a two-device operation.
Not tested by me, but here it is: heat it for USB-C phones → or the Lightning version for older iPhones →
Also on the shelf, and also untested by me: budget heat pens from brands like Sinocare and rechargeable models with temperature displays from Aokitec. And if the sting of heat is the dealbreaker for you, the Bug Bite Thing uses suction instead, which is painless but a completely different mechanism.
My verdict
I can only vouch for one of these, and it is the Beurer BR 60, because it is the one that has been on my skin for years. If you want the simplest thing that works, with no app, no charging and no ceremony, that is my answer and it is what I carry.
Being fair to the others: bite away is the original and the specs are near-identical, so if you find it cheaper or prefer the brand, I would not talk you out of it. heat it is the one I am most curious about, because a pen that lives on your keyring is a pen you actually have with you, and twelve intensity settings would suit anyone who finds the standard heat too fierce. If your phone has USB-C and you never lose your keys, it may well beat mine.
What I will not do is rank products I have not used. When I get the others on the bench, this page gets updated and the badges change.
How this page was made: the Beurer column reflects years of hands-on use. The bite away and heat it columns come from manufacturer specifications and retailer listings, and I say so rather than pretending otherwise. All three work by the same published principle, local hyperthermia, where a plate heated to roughly 50°C is held against a fresh bite for a few seconds. The strongest evidence for the approach comes from pilot studies reporting itch relief within minutes for many users, which is promising but earlier-stage than the research behind oral antihistamines. Prices and versions move around, so check the listing before buying. Nothing here is medical advice: severe reactions, bites on young children, or anything that looks infected need a pharmacist or doctor rather than a website.