Exercise balls offer a very practical way to get in a safe, healthy, and enjoyable workout at home without having to splurge on pricey equipment or adjust your schedule to take part in online classes. These low-cost accessories can be put to multiple uses, but are most commonly used for balance training and stability training, both of which are an outstanding way to strengthen your core and tone leg and arm muscles without placing excessive strain on the joints. To help you choose the best exercise ball for your home workouts, in this article we’ll introduce you to our top five picks on the market in 2020.
We reviewed dozens of exercise balls to identify the best of the best. We examined a range of factors, including material, size, weight capacity, resistance to bursts, convenience, cost, and average customer reviews. All of these top-rated exercise balls can be purchased online at Amazon.com.
Having considered a large number of exercise balls, we chose the Live Infinitely Exercise Ball as our top pick. This ball does everything we need an exercise ball to do—and to a very high standard at that. It’s made with burly, extra-thick, anti-burst and nontoxic PVC materials, has a tested maximum support weight of a whopping 2,200 pounds, uses articulated nonslip ridges to improve stability, and comes with both a one-year warranty and a very handy home workout instruction ebook.
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The 5 Top-Rated Exercise Balls
| Editor’s Picks | Brand | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Best Exercise Ball Overall | Live Infinitely Exercise Ball | 4.6 |
| Best Mini Exercise Ball | Live Infinitely 9-Inch Barre Pilates Ball | 4.3 |
| Best Budget Exercise Ball | BalanceFrom Anti-Burst Exercise Ball | 4.7 |
| Best Office Exercise Ball | Vivora Luno Self-Standing Exercise Ball | 4.4 |
| Best Eco-Friendly Exercise Ball | DYNAPRO Eco-Friendly Exercise Ball | 4.5 |
*Ratings are from Amazon at the time of publication and can change
Best Exercise Ball Overall: Live Infinitely Exercise Ball
The Live Infinitely Exercise Ball ticks all the boxes that most would-be buyers of an exercise ball will be looking to tick. This 96-centimeter (38-inch) ball is made with heavy-duty, professional-grade PVC that is nontoxic, free of the harmful materials (BPAs, latex, heavy metals, and phthalates) found in many other exercise balls, and able to resist up to an incredible 2,200 pounds of pressure.
What we love most about this ball is that its materials are designed to withstand up to a 2-centimeter cut without deflating, thereby making it one of the safest models of exercise balls out there and offering you more peace of mind while doing your workouts. It also uses contoured ridges on the exterior to help you maintain balance and avoid slipping—something you’re sure to greatly appreciate when doing exercises like the Russian Twist, ab rolls, or seated crunches, all of which would have the potential for painful slips onto your posterior without this feature!
Finally, this ball also comes with a one-year warranty, a hand pump, and a handy workout Ebook illustrating all the exercises you can do with your ball, and is available in three smaller sizes and a total of ten different colors.
Live Infinitely Exercise Ball Key Features:
- 2,200-pounds pressure resistance
- PVC material is nontoxic and free of BPAs, latex, heavy metals, and phthalates
- Anti-burst
- Non-slip ridges
- Hand pump, air plugs, and valve remover tool included
- 1-year warranty
Best Mini Exercise Ball: Live Infinitely 9-Inch Barre Pilates Ball
The Live Infinitely 9-Inch Barre Pilates Ball is a great option for those who are short on space in their home or office or looking for an exercise ball to use as an aid in stability, pilates and yoga workouts or balance training, all of which share the same aim of strengthening the core, improving balance, and enhancing flexibility.
Weighing in at a tiny 9 ounces and deflating to a bundle almost small enough to squeeze into a pant pocket, this ball is ideal for buyers who plan on deflating the ball and stashing it away in a drawer or cupboard between uses or transporting it between their home and place of work.
Like its larger, 38-inch sibling featured above, this ball is also made with confidence-inspiring, heavy-duty PVC material that is nontoxic and free of BPAs, latex, heavy metals, and phthalates. It also inflates in a matter of seconds and comes with very useful starter kit that includes a pump and valve, a handy carrying bag, and a digital exercise guide in eBook format.
Live Infinitely 9-Inch Barre Pilates Ball Key Features:
- Heavy duty PVC material
- Compact, 9-inch diameter
- Resists up to 700 lbs. of pressure
- Comes with workout eBook and digital exercise guide
- Mesh carrying bag and pump included
- 1-year warranty
Best Budget Exercise Ball: BalanceFrom Anti-Burst Exercise Ball
The BalanceFrom Anti-Burst Exercise Ball is a great choice of exercise ball for buyers working on a tighter budget or simply wishing to give balance or stability training a try before splurging on pricier equipment.
What we like most about this ball is that it packs most of the features found in more advanced, top-end exercise balls but comes in at a fraction of the cost. It’s made with highly durable, anti-burst composite materials that have a slightly shinier appearance than other balls in our review but are otherwise tasteful and inoffensive to even the most discerning of eyes. Those materials are also commercial-grade, slip-resistant, easy to clean, nontoxic, and free of phthalates and heavy metals.
The BalanceFrom can be inflated up to 75 centimeters (29.5 inches) in diameter and can withstand up to 2,000 pounds of pressure, making it suitable to users of all weights and up to 6 foot 5 inches tall. It also comes with a very convenient foot pump that makes inflation an absolute cinch, a two-year manufacturer warranty, and is available in a variety of colors.
BalanceFrom Anti-Burst Exercise Ball Key Features:
- 2,000-pound pressure resistance
- 29.5-inch diameter
- Slip-resistant surface
- Composite materials are nontoxic and free of phthalates and heavy metals
- Foot pump included
- 2-year warranty
Best Office Exercise Ball: Vivora Luno Self-Standing Exercise Ball
Worried that your large, plastic, brightly colored exercise ball might look a little out of place in your polished home or professional office? If so, then the Vivora Luno Self-Standing Exercise Ball might just provide the perfect solution to your problems.
Not only does this ball boast a self-standing design to prevent it going walkabout when not in use but is made with a meticulously crafted fabric cover that wouldn’t look out of place in the Oval Office, never mind your average place of business or living room!
But this ball is about a lot more than looks alone…
The Luno is designed to be used as both a chair and an exercise ball, meaning you can cast any worries about it taking up space to the side along with your old, far less comfortable office chair. In chair mode, this ball activates your back and core support muscles to promote better posture and relieve the oft-cited back pain that can come from hour upon hour sat at a standard desk chair. And when you’re done with work for the day, the Luno’s 24-inch height and non-slip, tacti-grip base mean it can be safely rolled under your desk to save on storage or floor space. It’s also available in a wide variety of colors and a choice of suede, chenille, or olefin covers.
When used as an exercise ball, the Luno does everything most users will need an exercise ball to do. It has a weight limit of 400 pounds, uses an anti-burst and durable PVC core, and its fabric exterior make it far less slippy—and thus safer—than even exercise balls that use a ribbed or contoured PVC exterior.
Finally, this ball also boasts a very useful carry handle that facilitates transporting it around your home or to the office and a machine-washable cover that will help to keep it smelling fresh and looking good as new for years to come.
Vivora Luno Self-Standing Exercise Ball Key Features:
- 400-pound pressure resistance
- Available in a wide range of colors and fabrics
- Self-standing design
- Non-slip surface material
- Machine-washable cover
- Robust carry handle for easy transportation
- Doubles as an ergonomic office chair
Best Eco-Friendly Exercise Ball: DYNAPRO Eco-Friendly Exercise Ball
The DYNAPRO Eco-Friendly Exercise Ball is a great choice of ball for buyers keen to ensure their exercise kit has minimal impact upon the environment.
This ball is made with PVC material that is not only 100% recycled but also around three times thicker than that used in many of its competitors (2275 micrometers to around 760 micrometers), meaning that the DYNAPRO offers far superior resistance to punctures that may be caused by sharp objects on the floor, zippers on your clothing, or twigs, glass, or stones if you’re doing your workouts outside.
This ball also uses a matte surface with horizontal ribs that make it very grippy and less likely to slip even when you’re soaked with sweat, and can resist up to 2,200 pounds of pressure, meaning it’s cut out for even the most intense exercise sessions and can support the weight of heavier users even with the added force of impact in more dynamic exercises.
Finally, this ball comes with a few useful extras that score it an additional few points, namely an easy-to-use hand pump and unlimited access to DYNAPRO’s huge online workout resource, blog, and private community.
DYNAPRO Eco-Friendly Exercise Ball Key Features:
- Uses 100% recycled materials
- 2200 pound pressure resistance
- 25.6-inch diameter
- Nonslip, ribbed surface
- Hand pump included
- PVC is extra-thick and puncture-resistant
If you’re in search of some useful home workout equipment to stay fit even when you can’t make it to the gym, these top-rated exercise balls are a great choice. For more at-home fitness gear, check out our reviews of the Best Ankle Weights and the Best Yoga Mats.
