These Are The Top 5 Table Tennis Robots You Can Buy Today

Table tennis robots are the second-best training partners, after real humans.

They are miles better than return boards and other ways to practice table tennis alone, and they’re even better than practicing with humans in many aspects.

Robots will always be available for practice, and they will shoot any exercise you want. If there’s anything specific you want to practice, your robot will be there to help.

At Racket Insight, we love table tennis robots, and we’ve tried a bunch of them. That’s why, in this article, we’re going to recap the best robots and tell you why you should (or shouldn’t!) get each one of them. Let’s begin!

Why Choose a Table Tennis Robot?

Like we mentioned before, table tennis robots are one of the best tools available to practice table tennis alone.  

You can set the robot to feed you every type of spin, speed, and placement to practice every table tennis shot there is.

Robots are extremely powerful tools because you can use them at any moment – you just have to turn them on and they’re always ready to go.

They’re, in our opinion, the perfect training partner, as they’re always available and they’ll feed you any kind of ball you wish.

You can also program robots to feed you any training plan you want. We also wrote a guide to practicing with a table tennis robot if you’re interested in the topic.

In this article, we’ll go over the best robots available. If you decide to purchase one of the robots we’ll outline, we highly recommend reading the aforementioned guide to make the best use of your mechanical friend.

Best Robots: Comparison Table

Image	Product	Features	Price
Top Pick	Butterfly Amicus Prime	Full feature set with top-tier execution Premium build quality with long warranty Advanced app with professional-level drills	Check Amazon PriceCheck Local Seller Price
Best Value	PongBot Nova S Pro	Excellent value with most core features Custom drills and adjustable ball frequency Solid build at affordable price	Check Amazon PriceCheck Local Seller Price
Top Features	Newgy Robo-Pong 3050XL	Dual throw wheels with independent spin control Consistent ball quality and solid construction Strong accessory bundle included	Check Amazon PriceCheck Local Seller Price
Best Customization	Power Pong Omega	Highly customizable multi-ball drill programming High ball frequency with large memory Polished app and premium build	Check Amazon PriceCheck Local Seller Price
Budget Pick	iPong Trainer Motion	Simple oscillation for varied ball placement Topspin and backspin capability Budget-friendly with included balls	Check Amazon Price

In-Depth Robot Reviews

Robots are amazing tools, with tons of different features and functionalities.

If you’re looking to purchase a table tennis robot, then there are certain, defined items to look out for. These are:

1. Ball capacity.
2. Build quality.
3. Speed and spin rate.
4. A freely oscillating head that doesn’t need you to turn it for different spins.
5. Number of pre-set exercises.
6. Ability to program custom exercises.
7. Ability to customize the time in between each ball fed.
8. A ball recycling system.
9. Included remote/tablet or tablet.
10. A good mobile app to program the robot.
11. Included accessories such as balls, a net, or a travel bag.
12. As much warranty time as possible.
13. Made by a reputable brand.

These are all the points I’d look out for if I were looking to purchase a robot, no more, no less. 

Some I consider essentials, others, not so much, but that’ll depend on the preferences and needs of each player.

For example, I couldn’t care less about a travel bag as I’d leave it at my table at home all the time, but someone who had to carry it over to different places would consider it an absolute must.

Best Table Tennis Robots

Considering what we mentioned in the previous section, we recommend you make a list of the features you consider must-haves and then choose the robot that best suits your needs from the available ones.

There aren’t that many offerings in the robot market, so we’ll feature 5 of the most popular/best robots for you to take a look at.

If we’re talking about the best robot in the market today, in my opinion, that’s the Butterfly Amicus Prime.

The Amicus Prime has basically everything you could ask for from a robot. 

It’s made from the most reputable manufacturer, it offers the most warranty, it comes with great accessories, it’s features are excellent and it’s app is superb.

Pros

• Has all the possible features and executes them at the highest level.
• Build quality, brand, and warranty are top-notch.
• Chosen by professional players.

Cons

• Price

At the moment of writing this article, the PongBot Nova S Pro is priced at under $400, and it is, in my opinion, the one to get for most players.

It’s definitely not the one I’d choose if budget wasn’t an issue, but the PongBot is good enough for table tennis training at a reasonable price point.

In fact, we reviewed the PongBot Nova S Pro, and we quite liked it. 

The PongBot Nova S Pro has its shortcomings, yes, but we concluded that there’s more to like about it than not.

Pros

• Has 80% of the features at a very enticing price point.
• Great build quality.
• Ability to customize drills and to set the frequency of balls fed.

Cons

• Have to manually adjust the header for different spins/depths.
• No ball recycling system.
• No net nor travel bag.

A superb robot that sits just below the priciest ones is the Newgy Robo-Pong 3050XL. 

The defining feature of this robot is its 2 throw wheels with independently programmed motors. 

This allows the Robo-Pong to vary the speed or spin of the ball independently; that is, the robot can add or decrease spin without affecting the speed of the ball, and vice versa.

Pros

• 2 Throw Wheels with independently programmed motors.
• Excellent build quality.
• Great included accessories.

Cons

• 1-year warranty, more would’ve been better.
• Price.
• No tablet/remote included.

The Power Pong Omega is one of the best robots on the market. 

Boasting a 3-year warranty, this absolute powerhouse of a robot allows for basically everything a robot could do. 

It has a high frequency of up to 120 balls per minute, a nearly endless memory capacity, comes with high-quality accessories, and its app is superb.

Pros

• Ability to create custom drills of up to 8 balls each, with the ability to vary placement and spin for each ball.
• Excellent build quality.
• Superb app.

Cons

• Price.

The cheapest of the bunch, the iPong Trainer Motion is the one with the least features and the simplest build quality, but, I believe it to be a great buy for casual players.

If you’re just starting out and you want to get more hours at the table, the iPong Trainer Motion can enable you to get a better feel for the sport, no doubt about it.

It has an oscillating feature, and it can shoot either topspin or backspin, so you can also work on your pushes and open-ups.

Pros

• Price.
• Can set a certain oscillation to get different placements.
• Comes with 80 balls.

Cons

• Drills are not fully customizable.
• No ball recycling system.
• Lacking crucial features such as an app, and its build quality is not the best.

Buying Guide: How to Choose a Table Tennis Robot

In this section, we’ll talk about the key factors when it comes to choosing a table tennis robot.

Price

Of course, the price is the main factor to consider. We believe that a robot is only as good as what it offers for the price you pay for it. 

So, do your research, set your budget, and purchase the best robot your budget allows.

Ball Frequency & Spin Variation

This is one of the most important factors, especially spin variation, in my opinion.

Some robots, such as the PongBot Nova S Pro, can’t shoot different spins in one exercise, so, for example, you can’t do exercises in which you open up and play shots against topspin, for example.

I wouldn’t consider this a dealbreaker, but it’s a very important feature to have.

Drill Programmability

This, I consider essential. If you can program your own drills, then you have a perfect partner in the form of your little robot. 

If you can’t, I believe that your experience will become quite repetitive soon enough.

Remote/app Control Features

A robot is only as good as its software allows – even if you have the best robot in terms of hardware, if its app is terrible, then you won’t be able to make good use of it.

So, try to look for robots whose app is still being enhanced to this day.

Build Quality and Warranty

Lastly, we believe buying robots built to last is also extremely important, and I also value as much warranty time as possible.

Some robots offer up to 3 years of warranty, and that gives me a huge sense of security when making my purchase.

FAQs

Up next, we’ll address the most common queries when it comes to table tennis robots.

Are Robots Worth It for Beginners?

Of course they are! Robots are worth it for players of every level, be they absolute beginners or top professional players.

Everything that allows you to train more time is 100% worth it, and robots enable just that.

If you’re a beginner, we recommend that you get good feedback on your technique from a qualified coach, and then you can work on those adjustments with your robot.

Robots can be a bit dangerous for beginners, as if you aren’t aware of your technical errors, you can reinforce them by repeating them over and over with your robot.

If you are made aware of your technical errors, then robots are the perfect tool for working on correcting them.

Can a Robot Replace a Training Partner?

Yes and no.

Why yes? Because they allow us to get very high-quality training in, we can do drills with them as we would with a human training partner.

Why not? Because of two main reasons:

1. You can’t play matches with your robot, and
2. Robots shoot the ball exactly how you tell them to, unlike humans.

Table tennis is so complex because, if we hit the ball slightly differently, the outcome of the shot varies in terms of speed and spin.

We table tennis players will hit the ball slightly off center, with different timings, with different spins, with different kinds of rubbers, etc.

Robots can’t really replicate the uniqueness of every shot a human will throw at you, so we recommend mixing in both types of training: training with real partners and training with your robot.

Ideally, the robot should serve as a very powerful complement.

How Much Should I Spend on A Table Tennis Robot?

Obviously, it depends. There are robots at every price point, with different features and build qualities.

I would recommend spending at least $350, which is the price of the Pongbot Nova S, a robot we tried and loved. 

Everything above that is paying a premium for nice-to-have features.

It also depends on your playing level – some entry-level robots, such as the iPong Trainer Motion, won’t have the necessary features to allow high-level practice, but beginners will be able to use them just fine.

Conclusion

To sum up, our top picks are:

• The Butterfly Amicus Prime on the premium end.
• The Newgy Robo Pong 3050XL if you want to spend just a little bit less.
• The PongBot Nova S Pro if you want a superb robot without breaking the bank, and
• The iPong Trainer Motion if you’re a beginner or casual player and you want your very first robot at the cheapest price point possible.

As we mentioned before, you should choose depending on your goals and your playing level. The same goes for the rest of your gear, especially for your racket. We have also written guides explaining what the best table tennis blades, rubbers, and balls are; if you want to take a look.