The 15 Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your Summer (2026)

Pools are hard. This is not news to anyone who owns one, but the uninitiated may not know about the inordinate amount of daily labor and chores that lie behind a pool’s clear, sparkling, perfectly chlorinated (or salted) water.

Luckily, pool tech has come a long way in the past decade—gone are the hours spent scooping leaves and dead bugs out of the water with a long-handled net, laboring over pH strips, and trying to relax on floaties too small for your adult-sized behind. We've now got robots that clean your pool, apps that monitor water quality from your phone, and even a slushie machine for proper pool-party margs.

With gas and plane ticket prices soaring to astronomical levels, there's never been a better time for a staycation at your own pool. (If you don't have a pool of your own, you can always rent one nearby on Swimply .) My colleague Christopher Null has a 12- by 36-foot, L-shaped, in-ground pool lined with PebbleTec, and I have a 20- by 12-foot above-ground pool lined with vinyl. Between the two of us, we have pretty much tried it all, so whether you've got a custom-built in-ground complex or an Intex pop-up from Walmart , these time- and life-tested swimming pool accessories are sure to level up your backyard pool game.

For more yard-tech tips, check out our guides to the Best Pool Cleaning Robots , Best Smart Sprinklers and Irrigation Systems , Best Robot Lawn Mowers , and Best Smart Bird Feeders .

Updated July 2026: I’ve added a sun hat, a wave machine, a pool thermometer, a whimsical speaker, and a water bottle. I also ensured up-to-date links and prices. Love WIRED? Add us as a preferred source on Google to see more of us.

What, you’re still swimming in a still-water pool? Get with the ’20s and add an artificial wave machine that uses jets of water to create a strong current that you can swim against.