Neuralink competitors

By: Renee Day

This blog was updated on November 20, 2025.

The field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) is rapidly advancing, attracting significant public interest and investment. As new companies emerge, understanding how Neuralink's technology compares to other brain-computer interfaces and identifying key Neuralink competitors becomes crucial. Paradromics is one such competitor, with a strong aim to push neurotechnology forward and a distinct mission and design philosophy compared to Neuralink. In this article, we focus on key differences between these two companies.

Consumer tech vs. patient-centric BCIs

The fundamental difference lies in the ultimate goal of each company. Elon Musk has stated that Neuralink's vision is to create a ubiquitous consumer-level BCI as an "existential hedge against AI." Correspondingly, their devices are designed for frequent upgrade. This approach reflects a belief that users will acquire a new BCI as frequently as they upgrade to a new smartphone.

In contrast, Paradromics focuses on patients with unmet medical needs, aiming to restore lost abilities due to injury or illness. For these individuals, reliable, long-lasting therapeutic devices are paramount, ideally serving them for their lifetime. This patient-centric approach shapes Paradromics’ design decision to focus on long-term reliability and high-performance outcomes.

Materials, durability, and device lifespan

Neuralink utilizes thin polymer threads that suffer with issues of biocompatibility, with an expected lifespan of less than two years and a tethered design that risks electrode displacement if the brain moves. Paradromics, conversely, employs metals and ceramics (specifically platinum iridium) for decades-long durability, improving upon older technologies like the Utah Array.

Waterproofing is also an important factor for BCIs, as a result of the body’s harsh environment. Paradromics uses airtight packaging methods, similar to those used in spaceships, to ensure robust protection of internal electronics. In addition, Paradromics' Connexus® Cortical Module is a tiny, metal disk designed to sit directly on the brain's surface and move with it, enhancing long-term stability.

BCI data speed: How Neuralink’s transfer rate compares to competitors

While both Neuralink and Paradromics utilize wireless BCI platforms that record directly from many neurons, there's a significant difference in their reported data transfer rates. Neuralink's device transfers 10 bits per second (bps), with demonstrated uses for gaming, cursor control and robotic control. Paradromics' system delivers a world-record 200+ bps, providing 20 times more data. This substantial difference is akin to comparing dial-up to DSL modems in terms of internet speed. Higher bandwidths are vital for advanced applications like speech decoding and dexterous robotic hand control, which demand more neural information than simple cursor control.

Real-world applications and first markets

The full capabilities will emerge as Neuralink and Paradromics’ devices are tested in preclinical and clinical trials. Gaming, cursor control and robotic control could potentially be enabled with lower data rates (e.g. 10 bps), but higher data rates will be required for more advanced BCI applications like restoring natural human speech (e.g. at 40 bps). The demonstrated 200+ bps upper boundary of Paradromics Connexus BCI suggests that this is possible, and Paradromics is the first to receive FDA approval for a clinical trial to explore speech restoration with a fully implantable system. In addition to being capable of restoring speech, higher data rates will allow better performance more generally, e.g. enabling more fluid cursor control, more dextrous robotic arm movement and a broader range of potential BCI applications.

Why Neuralink competitors like Paradromics may set the future standard for BCIs

Ultimately, Neuralink has substantially innovated within the BCI space, but competitors like Paradromics are now emerging with durable high-performance devices that could set a new bar for what BCIs are capable of. High-data rate BCIs hold the biggest potential for long term therapeutic use, ensuring that patients can regain crucial functions, significantly improving their quality of life, and propelling the future of brain medicine forward.