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Best Bounce Houses

Updated March 2024
Bottom line
Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
Bounceland Royal Palace Inflatable Bounce House
Bounceland
Royal Palace Inflatable Bounce House
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Sun Protection
Bottom Line

An inflatable castle that allows kids to climb, jump, slide, and play basketball.

Pros

Bouncer with mesh sides and a hook and loop opening. Features a climbing wall, slide, and detachable shade. Has a 500-pound weight limit. Comes with a storage bag and blower. Measures 13 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 9 feet high.

Cons

May be lacking in durability.

Best Bang for the Buck
Action Air Jumping Castle with Slide
Action Air
Jumping Castle with Slide
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Classic Design
Bottom Line

A playhouse with bright primary colors and a net on the side for storage.

Pros

Designed as a castle with an open top and wide slide. Has 3 mesh sides with a hook and loop opening. Has a Velcro dartboard and a 250-pound weight limit. Comes with a continuous blower, storage bag, stakes, and repair patches.

Cons

Seams may not be durable.

JumpOrange DuraLite Pirate Ship Inflatable Slide
JumpOrange
DuraLite Pirate Ship Inflatable Slide
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High Weight Limit
Bottom Line

A large themed bouncer that can be used with water and offers various activities.

Pros

Designed as a pirate ship and made of vinyl. Comes with a blower, water nozzle, netting, and stakes. Has an 800-pound weight limit. Drains easily and is mold resistant. Measures 20 feet long, 12 feet high, and 6 feet wide.

Cons

On the high end of the price range.

Intex Jump-O-Lene
Intex
Jump-O-Lene
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Bargain Pick
Bottom Line

A compact bouncer that can be used inside by 2 children at once.

Pros

Red, yellow, and blue bouncer made of vinyl. Designed as a castle. Features 4 inflatable sides with an opening. Has a 120-pound weight limit. Recommended for ages 3 to 6. Comes with a repair patch. Weights 13.2 pounds.

Cons

May not be suitable for older children.

Little Tikes Jump ‘n Slide Bouncer
Little Tikes
Jump ‘n Slide Bouncer
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Simple Yet Solid
Bottom Line

A bounce house for young kids that is easy to set up and has a wide slide.

Pros

Vinyl bouncer with an open top, 3 mesh sides, and a slide. Has a 250-pound weight limit. Comes with an air pump, stakes, and a storage bag. Stays inflated with the included continuous pump and deflates quickly.

Cons

Customer service may not be supportive.

Why trust BestReviews?
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

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Consumers
Consulted
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Buying guide for best bounce houses

Whether you're planning a children's party or just want something fun to occupy your little ones, you can't go wrong with a bounce house. A quality bounce house might be a bit of an investment, but if you pick the right one, your children will play on it for years to come, and you just might win the Parent of the Year award.

But how can you tell a good bounce house from a shoddy one, and how do you pick the right one for your family?

At BestReviews, we strive to help you find the perfect products for your needs. You can read about our top five bounce house recommendations in the product list above, and you can learn more about bounce houses in the shopping guide below.

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This buying guide focuses on residential bounce houses designed for home use. The products you see here aren’t quite as large or durable as commercial bounce houses, but they don't include their giant price tags either.

Residential vs. commercial bounce houses

Some bounce houses are designed for home use, whether inside your house or in the yard. Others are designed for commercial use. The latter are the huge kind of bounce house you might see at a fairground or other event.

Residential bounce houses

Residential bounce houses are designed for just a handful of kids to use at one time. And although they're quite durable for this purpose, they're not designed to withstand the rigorous life of a commercial bounce house.

Commercial bounce houses

Commercial bounce houses are typically purchased by people who want to rent them out or take them to events as a business venture. They tend to be much larger than residential bounce houses, and the material is more durable in order to withstand daily use from hundreds of bouncers, big and small.

Most private citizens shopping for a bounce house will choose a residential one.

There's no rule against buying a commercial bounce house for home use, but they're large (even when deflated) and consume lots of storage space. Plus, they tend to cost far more than the residential bounce houses seen on this page.

To buy or to rent

Since you could probably rent a bounce house for several hundred dollars, why would you want to buy one?

Here’s a look at several reasons why you might want to own your own bounce house:

  • You and your family can use the bounce house any time you wish.

  • Bouncing provides great exercise for kids, and it can keep them entertained for countless hours.

  • They're great fun at parties or when your children have friends over.

  • Smaller bounce houses can be used inside as well as outside. So, no matter what the weather, your children have something fun to do.

Bounce house features

You’ll face a variety of feature choices when shopping for a bounce house, including the following:

Materials

Many residential bounce houses are made from woven Oxford cloth. Not only is it durable, it's lightweight, too — an ideal material for bounce houses designed for in-home use. High-density vinyl and nylon are also fairly common materials.

Commercial bounce houses tend to be crafted from PVC tarpaulin. While it's not completely unheard of for residential bounce houses to be made of this material, it's relatively rare, as PVC tarpaulin is particularly heavy and unwieldy.

Bounce floor size

The term "bounce floor" refers to the area of the bounce house in which it's possible to bounce.

The larger the bounce floor, the more room your kids will have to jump.

But don’t assume that a bigger bounce house will have a larger bounce floor. A bounce house with large external dimensions might still have a smaller bounce floor if the walls are thick or the layout makes it so.

Capacity

A bounce house’s capacity relates directly to its floor space. And while some manufacturers don’t provide precise floor space dimensions, they do tell you how many children can bounce in the house at once and/or how much passenger weight it can withstand. (Note: a unit’s floor space dimensions may be different from its overall dimensions.)

The capacity you select depends on your individual needs. Think about how many children, and of what age and approximate weight, will regularly use your bounce house.

You might be satisfied with a compact house that holds a maximum of two children or 120 lbs at once. Or, you might prefer a house that can hold a maximum of five children with a combined weight of up to 500 lbs.

Dimensions

Here we're talking about the external dimensions of the bounce house. Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, but it's important to know the dimensions if you're planning to fit your bounce house into a particular space.

For example, if you know you want to be able to inflate your house in your living room, you'll need to compare the unit’s external dimensions to the size of your home’s free space.

Inflation method

The best residential bounce houses are inflated with a continuous flow of air from an air blower, just like you'd find with commercial models.

Small pinprick holes around the seams let the air escape so that the house doesn't burst, yet it remains constantly full of air.

However, some budget bounce houses are inflated with a regular air pump. The inflation of these units work in a similar manner to that of an air mattress.

Other additions

If you don't think your kids would be content with plain old bouncing, consider a bounce house with “extras” for added fun. Some houses include inflatable slides, basketball hoops, tunnels, and other challenging obstacles.

Appearance

Some bounce houses center around a theme; others exude a more neutral appearance. You may prefer a bounce house that looks like a castle with turrets and flags, or you may be drawn to a simple house with primarily colors and no discernable theme.

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Did you know?
Some bounce houses are suitable for children up to 12 years of age. If you buy one when your child is young, he or she could get many great years of use out of it.
STAFF
BestReviews

Bounce house safety tips

While bounce houses can provide hours of fun, you should follow these safety tips to keep everyone free from harm:

  • Always supervise children when they're using the bounce house.

  • Don't exceed the maximum weight or capacity recommendations from the manufacturer.

  • Don't let anyone wear shoes or take sharp/hard objects into the bounce house, as a puncture could cause it to deflate, posing a potential suffocation risk.

  • Don't inflate or deflate a bounce house with anyone in it.

  • Always make sure the house is staked or weighted down when used outside.
"Think “futuristically” when deciding what bounce floor size you want to buy. Sure, a bounce house with a compact floor might be fine for your three-year-old. But that three-year-old will require a lot more space in just a few short years."
STAFF
BestReviews

Price

You could spend under $50 for a basic “air pump” bounce house for toddlers. Likewise, you could spend several thousand dollars for a large, commercial house.

However, if you want a residential air blower model of a reasonable size, you're looking at anything between $200 and $500. On the higher end of that spectrum, you'll find larger bounce houses suitable for kids up to age 12 or so.

On the lower end, you'll find smaller bounce houses best suited for children under eight years old.

Tips

  • Are you hoping to entertain multiple children at once with your bounce house? If so, the bigger the bounce floor, the better. For example, a house with a 12’ x 12’ floor space could be ideal.

  • Bounce houses that are powered by a continuous-flow blower need to release some air so the unit won’t burst. Often, the manufacturer includes tiny “pin prick” holes at the seams for a small amount of air to escape.

  • Allot an extra four feet of space behind your bounce house site. You’ll need this space for the blower and the air tube that links it to the house.
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Bounce houses definitely aren’t “one size fits all.” Before investing in a bounce house, ensure that the product’s floor size, dimensions, capacity, additional features, and appearance all cater to your needs.

FAQ

Q. How should I store my bounce house?

A. To avoid mold, it's important that your bounce house is completely dry when you put it away. Once deflated, the bounce house can be folded or rolled up and packed away. Most bounce houses come with a storage bag, but if you plan to store it in a shed or garage, we recommend investing in a hard plastic storage box to protect it from damage.

Q. Air is escaping from the seams of my bounce house. Is this normal?

A. Some people grow concerned when they notice air escaping from the seams of their bounce house. Assuming that you have a house powered by an air blower, this is completely normal. The air blower continuously pumps the bounce house with air to keep it at an optimum level. Tiny holes at the seams allow a bit of that air to escape so it doesn’t become over-inflated and burst.

Q. Where can I set up a bounce house?

A. Bounce houses can be inflated either indoors or outdoors. However, if you're setting it up outdoors, it will need to be properly secured.

Most bounce houses come with stakes. If you set yours up on the lawn, use the stakes to secure the bounce house to prevent it from blowing around (or even away) in strong wind.

You could also set up a bounce house on hard ground, but you'd need to use sandbags as weights, and that process gets more complicated. If possible, we recommend setting up your bounce house on grass.