Above-Ground Pools · Best Inflatable
The best inflatable backyard pools
Ten minutes from box to water. Treat it as a two-or-three-season item and it is excellent value; expect five years and it will disappoint you.
Heads up: we earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never decides the ranking — here is how we pick and here is the full disclosure. Prices are checked automatically; last verified January 1, 1970.
Quick picks
Segmented before it is ranked — the right answer depends on which of these you actually are. Tap any row for the full write-up.
Real pools you inflate
Filtered, big enough for adults to sit in, and up in about ten minutes.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Intex Easy Set Pool Set, 12ft x 30in Inflate the ring, add water, done. It is the fastest route from box to swimming that exists, and it is honest about being a seasonal item rather than a fixture. | Water in the yard this weekendOne honest season | 8.3out of 10 | |
| 2 | No image Bestway Fast Set Inflatable Pool, 12ft Bestway's answer to the Intex Easy Set, built the same way and priced against it. Buy whichever is cheaper on the day; there is no meaningful difference in the construction. | The direct alternative to the Easy SetOne honest season | 8.0out of 10 | |
| 3 | No image Intex Swim Center Family Inflatable Pool A three-ring inflatable rectangle. It fits where a circle does not, it costs very little, and it is unapologetically a one-or-two-summer product. | A rectangular footprint on a small patch of grassA few weekends | 7.0out of 10 |
For toddlers only
No filtration by design — you empty these rather than treat them.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Intex Sun Shade Inflatable Kiddie Pool A small inflatable pool with an integrated canopy. For toddlers the shade matters more than the water does, and most kiddie pools do not have any. | Under-fives, with shade built inA few weekends | 7.6out of 10 |
The short version
- Intex publishes about ten minutes to water for the Easy Set, and unlike most setup claims this one is broadly realistic — the ring rises with the water and there is no frame.
- An inflatable still needs level ground. Soft walls flex, they do not forgive a slope.
- The top ring is the single point of failure, and sunlight is what kills it.
- A filtered inflatable is a pool. An unfiltered one is a bath you empty, and the water cost of refilling adds up faster than people expect.
Two products wearing the same word
“Inflatable pool” covers two genuinely different things, and buying the wrong one is the main way this category disappoints.
Filtered soft-side pools — the Intex Easy Set and Bestway Fast Set families — are real pools. Intex publishes 1,485 gallons at 80% full for the 12′ × 30″ Easy Set, with a 530 GPH cartridge pump in the set. You treat the water, you run the filter, and it behaves like a frame pool with a shorter life.
Unfiltered kiddie and ring pools have no pump and are not meant to. You empty and refill them. That is a perfectly good product for toddlers, and it is not a small pool — it is a different category with a water bill instead of an electricity bill.
What refilling an unfiltered pool costs
- Volume
- 60 gallons (typical kiddie pool)
- Refill frequency
- every other day
- Summer length
- 90 days
- Water cost [EPA]
- $6.06 / 1,000 gal
60 gal × 45 refills = 2,700 gal ÷ 1,000 × $6.06
About $16 of water across one summer
What actually kills an inflatable
Not swimming. Three things, in order:
Sunlight. UV embrittles vinyl. A ring that spends four months in direct sun is on a clock regardless of what you paid.
Heat while empty. Storing a pool inflated in a hot shed expands the trapped air until a seam gives. Deflate it before storing.
Chlorine residue and folding wet. Chlorine left on vinyl accelerates the UV damage, and folding it wet invites mildew that weakens the material along the folds.
The mitigation is unglamorous and it works: rinse with fresh water, dry thoroughly, deflate, store out of direct sun. And keep a vinyl repair kit in the shed — a puncture is a ten-minute fix and a thrown-away pool is not.
Safety, briefly and seriously
Soft-side pools are low enough that a small child can get over the wall, which makes them harder rather than easier to secure than a frame pool with a removable ladder. The CPSC’s Pool Safely guidance is built on layers — barriers, supervision, and appropriate flotation. An inflatable pool removes the barrier layer almost entirely, so the supervision layer has to carry more. Empty it, or fence it, when it is not in use.
The picks, in full
Scores are our own reading of published specifications. They are not test results — we have not tested these products and we do not claim to.
Pick #1 · Water in the yard this weekend
Intex Easy Set Pool Set, 12ft x 30in
Intex
Inflate the ring, add water, done. It is the fastest route from box to swimming that exists, and it is honest about being a seasonal item rather than a fixture.
Key specs
- Water capacity
- 1,485 gallons (80% full)
- Water depth
- 23 inches
- Pump supplied
- 530 GPH Krystal Clear cartridge pump
- Material
- 3-ply, puncture resistant
- Manufacturer setup claim
- Ready for water in about 10 minutes
- Pump wattage
- Not published by Intex
How it scoresour reading of published specs, not a test result
- Build
- 5.5
- Setup
- 9.8
- Upkeep
- 8.5
- Running cost
- 9.2
- Value
- 8.8
Overall 8.3 / 10
What works
- Genuinely 10 minutes to set up — the top ring rises with the water and there is no frame to assemble
- 1,485 gallons at 80% is a real, filterable pool rather than a paddling pool
- Comes down as fast as it goes up, which makes mid-season relocation possible
- Cheapest way to find out whether your family actually wants a pool before committing to a frame one
What doesn't
- The inflated ring is the single point of failure and it is exposed to sun all season
- 23 inches of water is shallow — this is for cooling off, not swimming
- Soft walls flex, so it needs level ground as much as a frame pool does
Skip it if: Lasting. Treat this as a two-or-three-season item at best and you will not be disappointed; expect five years and you will be.
What it costs to run: A fill at the EPA WaterSense average of $6.06 per 1,000 gallons is about $9. The 530 GPH pump moves 1,485 gallons in under three hours, so this is a pool where a genuinely short daily run does the job — which is where the running-cost saving actually comes from.
One honest season: The cheapest setup that genuinely works for a season of real swimming. Nothing spare, nothing missing.
Specs from: Intex — Easy Set 12' x 30' pool set, EPA WaterSense — cost per 1,000 gallons
Pick #2 · The direct alternative to the Easy Set
Bestway Fast Set Inflatable Pool, 12ft
Bestway
Bestway's answer to the Intex Easy Set, built the same way and priced against it. Buy whichever is cheaper on the day; there is no meaningful difference in the construction.
Key specs
- Nominal size
- 12ft diameter
- Construction
- Inflatable top ring, soft wall
- Water capacity
- Varies by SKU — Bestway publishes it per model
- Pump supplied
- Varies by SKU
- Pump wattage
- Not published
How it scoresour reading of published specs, not a test result
- Build
- 5.5
- Setup
- 9.5
- Upkeep
- 8.5
- Running cost
- 9.2
- Value
- 8.5
Overall 8.0 / 10
What works
- Same inflate-and-fill design as the Easy Set with the same ten-minute setup
- Frequently cheaper than the Intex equivalent, and the two are close enough that price should decide it
- Bestway publishes capacity per SKU, so you can dose correctly from day one
What doesn't
- Same exposed inflatable ring, same failure mode
- Cartridge availability is slightly thinner than Intex in most US stores
- SKU numbering makes it easy to buy the pool-only version by mistake
Skip it if: Being distinguishable from its Intex rival. If you were hoping for a reason to prefer one, the honest answer is price and stock.
What it costs to run: Identical running-cost profile to the Easy Set at the same size. The decision that actually moves your annual bill is the pool's gallons, not the badge on it.
One honest season: The cheapest setup that genuinely works for a season of real swimming. Nothing spare, nothing missing.
Specs from: Bestway USA
Pick #3 · A rectangular footprint on a small patch of grass
Intex Swim Center Family Inflatable Pool
Intex
A three-ring inflatable rectangle. It fits where a circle does not, it costs very little, and it is unapologetically a one-or-two-summer product.
Key specs
- Type
- Multi-ring inflatable, rectangular
- Capacity
- Published per SKU by Intex
- Filtration
- None supplied
- Drain
- Plug drain fitted on most SKUs
How it scoresour reading of published specs, not a test result
- Build
- 4.5
- Setup
- 9.5
- Upkeep
- 7.0
- Running cost
- 7.5
- Value
- 7.5
Overall 7.0 / 10
What works
- Rectangular shape uses a narrow yard far more efficiently than a circle
- Very cheap, and honest about what it is
- Light enough that one adult can empty and move it
What doesn't
- No filter, so the water needs changing rather than treating
- Multiple inflation chambers means multiple things that can fail
- Sidewalls are low enough that kids climb over rather than through
Skip it if: Being kept for more than a few weeks at a time. Without filtration, standing water goes off quickly in heat.
What it costs to run: Same shape of cost as the kiddie pool: water rather than power. If you find yourself refilling it more than twice a week, a small frame pool with a cartridge pump is cheaper by August.
A few weekends: Fine for a heatwave and a toddler. Treat it as consumable, not as a pool — it will not survive a winter in the yard.
Pick #4 · Under-fives, with shade built in
Intex Sun Shade Inflatable Kiddie Pool
Intex
A small inflatable pool with an integrated canopy. For toddlers the shade matters more than the water does, and most kiddie pools do not have any.
Key specs
- Type
- Inflatable kiddie pool with canopy
- Capacity
- Published per SKU by Intex
- Filtration
- None — drain and refill
- Age guidance
- Check the SKU; these are toddler-rated products
How it scoresour reading of published specs, not a test result
- Build
- 5.0
- Setup
- 9.8
- Upkeep
- 8.0
- Running cost
- 8.0
- Value
- 8.0
Overall 7.6 / 10
What works
- Built-in shade is genuinely the right feature for the age group this is for
- No filtration means no chemistry to learn — you empty it and refill it
- Small enough to tip out and dry every evening, which is the correct way to run one
What doesn't
- No filtration means the water is only clean because you keep replacing it
- Canopies are the first thing to tear
- Refilling every day or two is a real water cost people do not budget for
Skip it if: Anything beyond toddlers. There is no filtration, so this is a bath you empty, not a pool you maintain.
What it costs to run: The cost here is water, not electricity. Emptying and refilling 60 gallons every other day for a 90-day summer is roughly 2,700 gallons, or about $16 at the EPA WaterSense average of $6.06 per 1,000 gallons — more than most people assume for something this small.
A few weekends: Fine for a heatwave and a toddler. Treat it as consumable, not as a pool — it will not survive a winter in the yard.
Specs from: EPA WaterSense — cost per 1,000 gallons
Questions people actually ask
How long does an inflatable pool last?
How long does it take to set up an inflatable pool?
Do inflatable pools need chemicals?
Sources
Read next
- Above-ground pools for ordinary backyardsSoft-side, metal-frame and steel-wall pools compared by what they cost across a whole season, not at the till.
- The best above-ground pools for an ordinary backyardFrame pools ranked on published specs and season running cost, from a 1,700-gallon first pool to a 7,000-gallon family one.
- The best backyard pools on a budgetThe lowest-cost pools that are genuinely worth owning, plus the three false economies that make a cheap pool expensive.
- The best backyard pools for kidsPools chosen for young children - depth, shade and securability rank above capacity and construction here.
- What an above-ground pool actually costs to run for a yearElectricity, chemicals, water and consumables for a full season - every input sourced, every calculation shown, and every assumption named.