I’m a full-time writer and sex educator who has tested more than 300 different sex toys in the past 20 years, including a decade of reviewing toys for Wirecutter. I began blogging about sex toys in 2011 and worked as a toy tester and copywriter for the retailer Stockroom.com for several years. I received my Master’s of Public Health degree from Indiana University in 2014, where I assisted research scientist Debby Herbenick with academic and consumer research related to sex toy use. While at Indiana University, I also worked as a blogger and sex educator at The Kinsey Institute.

For this handbook:

• I spent more than 75 hours on research and testing more than two dozen anal toys. Over 11 years of testing for this handbook, I have recruited a panel of testers, prioritizing diversity in anatomy, gender, and sexual orientation.
• I spoke with a proctologist, a gastroenterologist, sex toy bloggers, a physician who worked in emergency rooms for years, a wound-care nurse, and other anal sex experts.
• I read medical literature on safe and pleasurable anal sex (and several case studies of anal play gone wrong).
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

You can find hundreds, if not thousands, of butt plugs and other anal toys, and the criteria for what makes a sex toy “good” can be highly subjective. Our picks stood out after we considered scores of models and tested more than two dozen of them.

Anal toys come in many different styles, including dildos, beads, plugs, and prostate stimulators. We decided to focus primarily on butt plugs, the most popular style of anal toy.

We determined our testing criteria using the advice of experts and a diverse pool of sex toy users. We considered only toys with the following attributes:

• made with nonporous, body-safe materials
• designed with a flared base, so they cannot become lost in the anal cavity (our testers preferred a longer T-shape or anchor-style base both for safety and because it sits nicely between the butt cheeks)
• easy to use, wear, insert, and remove, and made to stay in place while in use
• easy to clean and resistant to stains or scents

Vibrating functions and availability in multiple sizes were nice to have but not strictly necessary.

Across 11 years of testing, our panel of anal toy evaluators has included four women, four men, and two nonbinary people. The group has encompassed a range of beginner, intermediate, and advanced users.

We ask testers to use each toy at least once, preferably twice or more, and to incorporate toys into partner play when possible. We then ask testers to give each toy a score from 1 (hate it) to 10 (love it), rank their top toys in order of preference, and give subjective feedback.

Separately, I also test all of the silicone toys for interactions with silicone lubricant by applying a test patch to each silicone toy for one minute, rubbing to simulate friction, and leaving the toys to sit for one hour.

Top pick

The top butt plug

Njoy Pure Plug

This easy-to clean toy comes in three sizes, so it’s accessible to beginners and advanced users alike. Testers loved the sensations of fullness and prostate stimulation the plug provided and found that it stayed firmly in place once inserted.

$95 from Amazon

$106 from SheVibe

$110 from Lovehoney

The elegant Njoy Pure Plug is a superlative butt plug. And if it works for you, it can serve you well for a lifetime.

It’s a gorgeous butt plug. This heavy stainless steel toy (weighing roughly 5, 7, and 11 ounces in the small, medium, and large sizes, respectively) created pleasurable sensations for both beginning and advanced toy testers alike. Our panelists loved the toy’s aesthetically pleasing design and found that it stimulated the prostate and stayed firmly in place for the duration of use. The Pure Plug is also the easiest to clean of our picks and is compatible with all types of lubricant.

The weighty metal feels great. Stainless steel may seem like a peculiar choice for an anal toy, but as with the Njoy Pure Wand dildo, another toy we recommend, testers enjoyed the feelings of weight and fullness this toy provided: “The steel is very, very heavy and sunk nicely into me due to the weight,” one tester reported. “It feels a lot ‘larger’ than it actually is once you put it in, due to the fact it does not ‘give’ against your tension.”

“The combination of heavy, smooth, and cool soothed my insides,” another tester said.

It’s built to last a lifetime. The Njoy Pure Plug is virtually indestructible, guaranteeing that this toy will last. It is also virtually frictionless when used with lubricant, as it doesn’t drag or pull on your skin the way some silicone toys can. And in contrast to silicone toys, it can be used with silicone lubricant. Also unlike some of the silicone toys we tested, the Pure Plug does not retain any unpleasant smells whatsoever after cleaning. Prior to play, you can chill this toy in the fridge or heat it under warm running water.

It’s comfortable enough for longer wear. The Pure Plug’s stem and base are narrow enough that it comfortably fits flat between the butt cheeks, and the narrowness of the toy’s stem ensures that the toy won’t accidentally slip out. Of all the butt plugs we’ve tested, this one stays in place most securely, with no risk of popping out during sexual play or prolonged wear.