The Best Exercise Ball for 2025

Because an exercise ball is a deceptively simple piece of equipment (it is, after all, an orb you fill with air), picking one is a deceptively simple choice. And compared with other health and fitness gear, exercise balls are relatively inexpensive: Most fall within the $15 to $50 range, although we found some as inexpensive as $7 and others as pricey as $115.

Our initial research turned up more than a hundred options, including dozens of differently branded models that seemed traceable to a handful of manufacturers.

Most stability balls are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC); very few are made of natural rubber. Nearly all are marketed as “anti-burst” or “burst-resistant,” meaning they should deflate, rather than explode, when punctured. Reading customer reviews however, we found dozens of claims of “anti-burst,” “burst-resistant,” and “slow-deflate” balls exploding. (We’ll never know what role misuse might play in these reports.)

We focused on material thickness (a key indicator of burst resistance), material weight, and manufacturer-provided static and dynamic load capacities. We also subjectively assessed the balls’ surface textures and overall appearances (available colors and designs), qualities worth considering because most people don’t have a dedicated storage space for an inflated ball and will therefore keep it on display in a home, gym, or office. We selected balls available in three or more of the most commonly sought sizes (diameters of 45, 55, or 65 centimeters).

Some stability balls come with instructional DVDs or additional gear, such as ring stands and resistance bands. Customer reviewers indicate that included hand- or foot-operated pumps can be cheaply constructed and frustrating to use. For the most part, we overlooked any accessories and focused on the balls themselves. (In selecting a budget option that includes a pump, we tested that tool too, finding it cheaply constructed and frustrating to use.)

Several companies sell balls sized for children or suitable for bouncing on. For this guide, we considered only those sized for adults, none of which are meant for play (or for calming fussy babies). We also did not review half-sphere balance trainers, like the popular Bosu Home Balance Trainer.

Before inflating the balls, I weighed each one three times for accuracy and measured its folded wall thickness at three points (near each of the poles and at the midline), then calculated the averages of those values. All of our picks each weigh nearly a full pound more than the two lightest models we tested, and their walls are more than 0.1 millimeter thicker than those of the lightweight balls.

It’s impossible to tell how sturdy of a seat an exercise ball will provide without inflating the ball and sitting on it. “Have you ever seen a cheap ball? You sit in it, not on it,” Grace DeSimone, a New York City–based personal trainer and group exercise instructor, said in a phone interview. “It’s almost like sitting in a beanbag chair: It kind of wraps itself around you. You want something where the material is much thicker … If you can take your hand and grab it, like a balloon that’s [partially] deflated, that’s the sign of a ball that isn’t made well,” she said. Proper inflation and material thickness can “impact the type of exercise experience that you’re going to have,” DeSimone added. “You won’t get the greatest benefits when you’re sinking into the thing.”

I inflated each ball according to any included instructions. Three of the models we tested (and many others available) come with a hand or foot pump. Using these quickly confirmed claims from countless owner reviews: There are better tools for the job. In subsequent testing, I ended up inflating the balls with a bike pump, using the inflation adapters provided, if any, or an accessory nozzle that came with my bike pump.

Because most stability balls are made of plastic and packaged in more plastic, some may smell strongly of PVC out of the box and for up to a few days. PVC items vary in texture, too. Experts we spoke with recommended looking for exercise balls that are slick enough to easily move around on but sticky enough to reduce slippage. If a ball is too slick, it can slide around on the floor. If it’s too sticky, it can grip loose hair or clothing, and accumulate lint.