6 Best Tennis Ball Machines in 2024 for all Skill Levels

The best tennis ball machines are a great way for beginning, intermediate, and even advanced tennis players to work on their game. All without having to find a partner that’s as dedicated to the sport as you are. Moreover, most tennis ball machines are portable, so whether you play on the court in your backyard, the gym, or just at the park, it’s easy and convenient to bring your automated tennis partner with you.

If you’re seeking the best tennis ball machine for your next practice, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we present the six best tennis ball machines for different skill levels, and each one offering features like variable oscillation, pre-programmable drills, and different ball spin and speed: whatever you might need to practice tennis whenever, however, and wherever you want. 

Tennis is a great sport played by millions. Improve your skills with one of the best tennis ball machines from our ranking.

Our Top Picks

Here’s a quick look at each tennis ball machine we reviewed.

A Closer Look: Best Tennis Ball Machine

What is the best tennis ball machine? That answer and a whole lot more is coming up in our next section.

With fully programmable drills and 120 ball capacity, the Spinshot-Player is the best tennis ball machine to buy. Players save sequences of up to six shots, with customizable height, direction, spin, and speed — anything you need to work on your game. The machine also comes with 12 pre-programmed drills, adjustable to a player’s skill level, and a free phone app with an optional remote.

This is a very good tennis ball machine, based on feedback. It almost never jams, we learned, and it has a high tolerance for debris, like pine needles of tennis ball “fluff.” Solidly built, it will last a long time, according to reports, effectively simulating real-game situations, or useful when simply working on a backhand or forehand. Some like to alternate volleys to practice footwork, and it’s also pretty easy to lift.

Not many of us have a tennis court outside our house, so naturally, portability is an important concern for anyone looking to buy a tennis ball machine. For this reason, we recommend the Wilson Portland Tennis Machine. With a handle on the front and a set of wheels on the back, the machine rolls a bit like a piece of luggage, with a wireless remote and a rechargeable battery offering up to four hours of playing time.

Portability is not the only thing this machine has going for it, however. Reaching ball speeds of up to 75 mph in frequencies of between 1 and 10 seconds, the Wilson portable also offers robust features like a built-in oscillator, and a ball hopper that folds down when not in use. 

Players that prefer Wilson take it out every day, commenting that it’s easy to use for beginners, but sophisticated enough to keep advanced players interested.

Intermediate to advanced tennis players looking for a tennis ball machine to match and help improve their skills should consider the Spinshot Plus tennis ball machine. What makes it a good choice for advanced players is the freedom to turn up ball speed and spin, and one experienced player saw good results after using the machine for practice. The machine is also versatile enough to satisfy children who are just learning how to play.

Intermediate tennis players, on the other hand, call the machine’s pre-set ball speed, spin, and other factory defaults more than adequate for their needs. And overall, the machine is sturdy and easily transportable, with seamless app integration as well. Players also appreciate the large ball capacity and five quick oscillations, adding that going through 120 balls while moving from forehand to backhand is quite a workout.

You want a tennis ball machine that will help you practice tennis, not waste your time just figuring out how to get the thing to work. That’s especially true if you’re a beginner. With easy to use controls, we call the Lobster Sports Elite Two tennis ball machine the best players new to the sport.

But just because the learning curve is low, the Elite Two offers customizable features as your game improves. With Lobster, there’s 150-ball capacity and speeds reaching up to 80 mph, and adjustable frequency from between 2–12 seconds. Using the Lobster is like having a practice partner, we learned, so you can work on your service returns, volleys, swinging volleys, and overheads.

Tennis ball machines are expensive, no question. But it is possible to get a tennis ball for under $1000. With this in mind, we recommend the reasonably-priced Tennis Cube from Sports Tutor, with a 70 ball capacity and ball speeds reaching up to 50 mph. Players also enjoy ball frequencies from between 2–7 seconds, and a random oscillator with knob controls.

Fans of the Cube call it simple, effective, and fun for three generations of players, all with different skill levels. The directions are straight forward, and for the price, it’s a good choice for beginning players to use while building music memory. Otherwise, the machine offers a kick-butt workout, with fun oscillation settings, launching balls low, high, long, short, and everything in between.

Ok, his last one is just for fun. But who loves launching tennis balls into the air more than a tennis player? Yeah, that’s right: a dog. So in conclusion, we recommend AFP Automatic Dog Ball launcher for your four-legged friend, keeping them occupied in the family room, or maybe instead, helping them stay in shape for Wimbledon.

The AFP automatic dog ball launcher has a 3-ball capacity with an adjustable 10–30 foot range. Balls are launched once every 10 seconds or so, or whenever the sensor detects it. Some dogs can even be trained to fetch and load the thing themselves, but the launcher is intended for indoor use only, we found out.

Our Process

For this guide on the best tennis ball machines, our team spent 6 hours researching the most popular options from all the most popular brands. We then read through user reviews (both positive and negative) to discover what shoppers thought about each machine. After comparing this data, we narrowed our list down to the top 6 tennis ball machines on the market. You can count on this research to guide you to a mindful purchasing decision.

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Further Reading