Per an Ultherapy consultation, I was told HIFU is better - more effective and not painful like Ultherapy. Is that true?

ultherapy is HIFU and yes HIFU is painful but isnt painful with nerve blocks.
for facial rejuvenation I would suggest a combination approach of :
1) skin care with products and PRP/microneedling
2) PDT light therapy few times a month with growth factors
3) laser treatments like clear and brilliant regularly and a few times a year Fraxel, Viva, Co2/Erbium
4) Sculptra injections a few times a year for collagen production with fillers like juvederm/restylane/belotero/radiesse/bellafill
5) thermage/ultherapy for yearly skin tightening with or without PDO or cone based instalift threads for lifting
6) botox every 2-3 months to stop movement lines and prevent lines at rest
7) deep microneedling RF like Fractora/morpheus8 for tightening of the skin
Best, Dr. Emer.

Hello and thank you for your question. HIFU stands for high-intensity focused ultrasound, which is the technology in the Ultherapy device. In fact, Ultherapy is the only FDA-approved HIFU device in the U.S. to date. The treatment works by delivering ultrasound energy into the dermal layers, where gentle heating from the ultrasound constricts tissue and stimulates collagen production. 
I would not recommend undergoing any other type of HIFU treatment, due to concerns about safety and efficacy. If you decide to move forward with an Ultherapy treatment, make sure you work with a board-certified dermatologist who has extensive experience working with the device. This will ensure your treatment is both safe and as successful as possible. 

HIFU means High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, and Ultherapy is one version of HIFU. The principle is that when ultrasound energy is focused, is passes harmlessly across the surface of the skin and creates a point of heat at the focal point, set a a specific depth. The discomfort depends on the energy setting, how deep, and in what location. If someone is talking about HIFU for skin lifting that is not Ultherapy, it is either not truly HIFU or something not cleared by the FDA (probably both). In the latter case, it would have to be something of an energy capacity too low to do much.