This is a product-focused companion to our guides on how to prepare for anal sex and anal sex positions — read those first if you're new to anal play generally. This one covers what to actually buy.
The safety feature that matters most: a flared base
Anything inserted anally needs a base wide enough that it can't be fully pulled inside — a flared base, a looped handle, or a solid stopper. This applies to every product in this category regardless of price or material, and it's non-negotiable: the rectum doesn't have the same natural stopping point the vagina does, so an item without a secure base can migrate further in and become difficult or impossible to retrieve without medical help. Check for this specifically before buying anything in this category, including dildos marketed for dual use.
The three main categories
- Butt plugs. Designed to be inserted and stay in place, rather than moved during use. Graduated sets like the Niello Metal Butt Plug Set or TateA Jewelled Metal Butt Plug Set — three plugs in ascending sizes — are a genuinely useful format for beginners, letting you start small and size up over separate sessions rather than guessing at one size. Metal and glass plugs (like the Rose Glass Luminous Butt Plug) are rigid and hold temperature; silicone options, including vibrating ones like the Ruby Trio Silicone Vibrating Anal Plug Kit, are softer and add a stimulation feature.
- Anal beads. A series of graduated beads on a connected base, inserted and removed for a different sensation than a plug. Vibrating versions like the Dipper Rechargeable Anal Beads Vibrator add motor stimulation on top of the removal sensation itself.
- Prostate massagers. Curved specifically to reach the prostate at an angle a generic plug shape doesn't target as reliably. The InnerGlo Rechargeable Remote Control Thrusting Prostate Massager is a motorized example; non-motorized curved designs exist too, at a lower price and with nothing to charge.
Sizing: start smaller than instinct suggests
It's genuinely common to overestimate the size you'll want on a first purchase. A graduated set solves this by letting you start at the smallest size and work up across sessions rather than committing to one size that might be uncomfortable on a first try. If a graduated set isn't available in a style you want, err toward the smaller end of what's listed.
Who each type is for
Beginners are best served by a small, simple plug or a graduated set — not a motorized or oversized option on a first purchase. Beads suit people who specifically enjoy the sensation of removal, which a plug doesn't replicate. Prostate massagers suit anyone with a prostate looking for angle-specific stimulation a generic shape won't reliably hit.