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Giselle Castro-Sloboda Fitness and Nutrition Writer
I’m a Fitness & Nutrition writer for CNET who enjoys reviewing the latest fitness gadgets, testing out activewear and sneakers, as well as debunking wellness myths. On my spare time I enjoy cooking new recipes, going for a scenic run, hitting the weight room, or binge-watching many TV shows at once. I am a former personal trainer and still enjoy learning and brushing up on my training knowledge from time to time. I’ve had my wellness and lifestyle content published in various online publications such as: Women’s Health, Shape, Healthline, Popsugar and more.
Expertise Fitness and Wellness
Determine whether you prefer an over the door, free standing or wall-installed pull-up bar for personal use.
Pull-up bars can come straight or with handles in different angles intended to target different upper body muscles.
Pull-up bars have different height and weight capacities. Make sure the one you pick can handle your weight and height.
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6 of the Best Pull-Up Bars for Your Home Gym in 2025
Best pull-up bars for your home gym in 2025
How we chose the best pull-up bars
A pull-up bar is the ultimate home gym essential: It’s compact, versatile and capable of delivering a serious strength workout without taking up precious space. This simple piece of equipment packs a punch, engaging your back, shoulders, arms and core while boosting grip strength and enhancing overall functional fitness. Essentially, a pull-up bar makes it easy to challenge yourself and see progress — all without leaving your home.
This simple bar exercise equipment is perfect for maximizing workouts in tight spaces. With options for every skill level, investing in one of the best pull-up bars can help elevate your home workouts and bring lasting value to your fitness journey.
Pull-up bars come in various styles, including wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted, freestanding and the most common — doorway bars. Each style has different benefits. A doorway pull-up bar is cheaper and ideal if you have a smaller living space, plus its mounting hardware doesn’t require much effort. Mounted pull-up bars are drilled into the wall or ceiling and are more permanent. If you have more space and want a versatile option that can be used for other exercises like knee or leg raises, push-ups or tricep dips, you can go for freestanding pull-up bars, also known as power towers.
Regardless of your budget and space, you can find a great pull-up bar for your home gym. I’ve put together this list of some of the best pull-up bars available for home use, based on hundreds of customer reviews, brand reputability and durability.
Best pull-up bars for your home gym in 2025
We chose the best pull-up bars based on customer reviews and looking at reputable brands well known for their fitness equipment. We also looked at different designs and installation options.
Installation: Some pull-up bars come included with bigger pieces of equipment, like a squat rack or a power rack, which is ideal if you already have the space. But there are plenty that can be placed over a door or installed into the wall, if you prefer.
Design: The design of a pull-up bar can vary, but it’ll look more or less the same. There are straight-bar pull-up bars and others that include handles with different grip positions, which target different parts of your muscles.
Weight: Since you’ll be pulling up your own body weight, it’s important to know that the pull-up bar can withstand your weight and even handle your height.
What type of pull-up bar is best?
This depends on your space, goals and what muscles you’re looking to strengthen. There are pull-up bars with multiple angle options and spacing varieties, which are intended to target and strengthen different back muscles. Additionally, you’ll notice that pull-up bars installed to the wall tend to be sturdier than those hung over the doorway, but not everyone has that space.
Is it OK to hang from a pull-up bar?
Hanging from a pull-up bar, otherwise known as “dead hangs,” are a great exercise to decompress the spine, and they help improve your grip strength. Other ways they’re helpful involve improving shoulder mobility and teaching you to properly engage your core from this position.
