Vibration monitoring is required for reliable thermosonic testing to decide whether sufficient vibration is achieved in each test for the detection of cracks. From a practical point of view, a cheaper and convenient monitoring method is better for the application to real tests. Therefore, the performance of different sensors for vibration monitoring was investigated and compared in this study to find a convenient and acceptable measurement method for thermosonics. Velocity measured by a laser vibrometer and strain provide an equivalent HI when measured at the same position. The microphone can provide a cheaper vibration monitoring device than the laser and the heating index calculated by a microphone signal shows similar characteristics to that calculated from velocity measured by the laser vibrometer. The microphone frequency response shows that it underestimates high frequency components but it is applicable to practical tests because it gives a conservative value of HI.