Short answer: a full-face HIFU session in a Spanish clinic costs roughly €200–400. A Dualsonic Maximum Alpha at €1,250, paired with a Centro de protocolos plan from €14.99/month, works out at about €44.64 per month over three years — and roughly €5 per session if you follow a twice-weekly plan. Here is the full arithmetic, with nothing hidden.
Why “cost per month” is the only number that matters
Most people compare a home device against a clinic by looking at the sticker price: €1,250 versus €300. On that basis the clinic wins every time, and the comparison is useless — because it compares owning a device for years against renting a room for forty minutes.
The honest comparison is cost per month of active treatment, and cost per session delivered. That is what this article works out. If you want the clinical background first, our página de beneficios explains what focused ultrasound actually does in the skin, and the independent systematic review of micro-focused ultrasound for skin rejuvenation published in 2022 is a good neutral starting point.
What a clinic actually charges
Aesthetic HIFU pricing in Europe sits in a fairly narrow band:
- Spain (Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona): around €200–400 for a full-face session
- United Kingdom: around £400–700 for the equivalent treatment
Clinics generally recommend one to two full-face sessions per year. So a maintained clinic protocol in Spain lands at roughly €400–800 per year, or €33–67 per month, for one or two treatments annually — HIFU only. Radiofrequency, microcurrent, LED and electroporation are billed separately.
What the home route costs
There are exactly two line items, plus one consumable.
| Item | Precio | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dualsonic Maximum Alpha (Ruby or White) | €1,250 | One-off |
| Protocol Hub — 1 month | €14.99/month | Subscription, cancel anytime |
| Protocol Hub — 12 months | €119/year (€9.92/month) | Subscription, saves €60.88 |
| Ultrasound conductive gel | Consumable | Ongoing, modest |
There are no cartridges to replace. The Maximum Alpha runs on unlimited shots, which is the single biggest difference from the earlier Sistema HIFU Profesional Dualsonic — that model uses replaceable cartridges, and we compare the two in detail in Professional vs Maximum Alpha: which one should you buy?
Cost per month, three ways
| Ownership horizon | Device per month | + Protocol Hub (annual) | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 meses | €104.17 | €9.92 | €114.09 |
| 24 months | €52.08 | €9.92 | €62.00 |
| 36 months | €34.72 | €9.92 | €44.64 |
Three years is a conservative horizon for a device with a 3,350 mAh battery and no consumable head. Full specifications are on the Maximum Alpha product page.
Cost per session — the number that surprises people
A Protocol Hub plan typically schedules around two sessions per week across the six modes: a HIFU lifting session plus lighter DAILY-UP or COS-UP maintenance work. That is roughly 104 sessions a year, or 312 over three years.
€1,250 device + €357 (three years of Protocol Hub at the annual rate) = €1,607 ÷ 312 sessions = €5.15 per session.
At a clinic, 312 sessions at €200 each would be €62,400 — a number so absurd it makes the point. Nobody buys 312 clinic sessions. The realistic comparison is: the same €1,607 buys you between four and eight clinic visits over three years, or unlimited access to seven technologies at home for the same period.
What the home route does not replace
We would rather be straight about this than oversell.
- Energy density. A clinic machine delivers more energy per shot than any home device is permitted to. Home HIFU is a slower curve, not a compressed one — expect gradual firming over 8–12 weeks rather than a single dramatic session. Our first 12 weeks guide sets realistic milestones.
- Diagnosis. A practitioner assesses your skin. The Protocol Hub personalises a plan from what you tell it, which is not the same thing.
- Suitability. HIFU is not for everyone. Pregnancy, pacemakers and other implanted devices, recent fillers, active skin disease and several medical conditions are absolute contraindications — the full list is in the Preguntas frecuentes de Maximum Alpha, and it is worth reading before you buy, not after.
Where the Protocol Hub changes the maths
A device you use twice and put in a drawer costs €1,250 per session. That is the real risk with home aesthetics, and it is what the Centro de protocolos exists to solve: personalised protocols built around your concerns and your decade, hands-free guided session timing, ten complete concern protocols with exact settings, session reminders, and a before-and-after photo journal with standardised check-ins at weeks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12.
It is a €9.92-per-month insurance policy on a €1,250 purchase. Buy the device from la tienda Dualsonic and the first year of treatment guides comes with 15% off, bringing that first year to €101.15. We cover exactly how the personalisation works in How the Protocol Hub builds your personalised treatment plan.
The verdict
If you want one or two supervised, high-energy treatments a year and value clinical assessment, a clinic at €200–400 a session is the right choice. If you want continuous, multi-technology treatment — HIFU, triple radiofrequency, microcurrent, electroporation and LED — at a fixed monthly cost that falls every month you own it, the home route wins on arithmetic from about month fourteen onwards.
Not sure which Dualsonic fits? Start with the Comparación de Buscar tu Dispositivo, browse real user results in the galería, or talk to our team.
Preguntas Frecuentes
How much does a Dualsonic Maximum Alpha cost?
€1,250 for either the Ruby or White finish, including 15% off the first year of treatment guides. Prices are correct at the time of writing — check the current listing, as promotions run periodically.
How much is the Protocol Hub per month?
€14.99 per month, or €119 for twelve months — the equivalent of €9.92 per month, saving €60.88 a year. It is a fully digital subscription, cancellable at any time, available in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German.
Do I need the Protocol Hub to use the device?
No. The Maximum Alpha works on its own and ships with printed guidance. The Hub adds personalisation, guided session timing and progress tracking. See the página de recursos for the free user manual and brochure.
Are there ongoing costs beyond the subscription?
Only conductive ultrasound gel, which is required for the HIFU and radiofrequency modes. There are no cartridges to replace on the Maximum Alpha — shots are unlimited.
Is home HIFU as effective as clinic HIFU?
Per session, no — clinic devices deliver higher energy. Over months of consistent use, the published evidence on ultrasonido microfocalizado para el tensado facial supports gradual collagen remodelling, and histological work on collagen and elastin remodelling shows the mechanism. Consistency is what closes the gap, which is the entire premise of a guided plan.
Sigue leyendo:
- The six modes of Maximum Alpha explained
- Sus primeras 12 semanas con Maximum Alpha
- How the Protocol Hub builds your personalised plan
- Dualsonic Professional vs Maximum Alpha
Prices quoted in euros and correct as of September 2026. Individual results vary. Always read the contraindications in the Preguntas frecuentes oficiales before use.