Anal Beads vs Butt Plug – Which One to Choose?

Last Updated on September 17, 2024

Both men and women alike enjoy anal toys for the enhanced pleasure they'll feel during sex and/or masturbation. Everybody knows what a butt plug looks like, sure you've heard of prostate toys or glass anal dildos, but for some reason anal beads take a back shelf to back door sexual pleasure. Anal Beads vs Butt Plug – Which one to choose?

You probably know what anal beads are, but there is more to the story than just a simple set of butt balls connected together on a string that you stuff into your ass. There is a more purpose of anal beads, plus several different types of beaded anal stimulators and good anal beads for men & women that are used for different reasons.

In this essential beginner's guide, we'll learn if a butt plug feels better than anal beads and which one you should choose. No sex toy guide is complete without a few tips and advice on how they work and how to use them. You'll also learn what they feel like so you know what to expect for your first time.

Before I get all crazy on anal sex beads, if you're here looking for instructions or a tutorial, please check out my instructional guide on how to insert anal beads which includes video demos on how to use them and ideas to make your orgasm feel more powerful.

What are Anal Beads For?

Anal beads are for improving sexual pleasure by intensifying orgasms. If you think about the reaction inside your body during a climax, the pleasurable effect comes from the clenching and spasming of muscles.

Not only the muscles inside the vagina or penis pulse, but the muscles inside the entire groin including the rectum pulse too. The anus feels tingly with heightened sensitivity.

Butt plugs can be circular, rectangular or curved, but the end is always capped off perpendicular to the insertable portion of the device. It is designed to stay in place and be worn during masturbation, foreplay and/or sexual intercourse to increase pleasure for both men and women. Butt plugs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

What Does a Butt Plug Feel Like?

So, what exactly does a butt plug feel like? Find all the answers here! To summarize when comparing anal beads to a butt plug, the plug is what is says it does: it “plugs” the anus and is designed to be left stationary in place applying constant pressure inside the anus.

What Do Anal Beads Feel Like?

When you have a sex toy with irregular shapes being pulled out from the anus, (I'm looking at you, bumpy anal beads) the contrast in size between large sphere and small connector strand “pops” in tune with the rhythm of the climatic pulsation. This popping sensation vastly improves both the duration and overall strength of the orgasm.

The effect is the same in both men and women. Guys even have a bit of additional benefit because the butt balls can massage the prostate gland both on their way in, and on their way out at the time of removal.

Imagine the stimulation as they are pulled out of the tight anal sphincter opening. Also envision how they are stuffed into the rectal cavity, the irregular bumpy spheres filling the space inside. It is very different then a butt plug, its purpose becomes evident.

Anal Beads vs. Butt Plug

Which anal toy best? Who wins the elemental battle of anal beads vs. butt plug? Here are a few considerations when shopping online for these types of anal toys:

Butt Plug

The butt plug is short and stout. What do anal plugs do? They provide a constant rectal stretch while applying pressure directly inside the sphincter.

This is the location of highly concentrated nerve endings so the end result is a substantial boost to sexual pleasure. A butt plug also makes the vagina tighter for more enjoyable penetrative sex.

Key Features:

• Short and stout
• Makes the vagina tighter
• Can be used for prostate stimulation
• Meant to be left in place, not to be moved during sex

Anal Beads

As we've learned already, the purpose of anal beads is to be pulled out or removed quickly when orgasm starts. The long and narrow shape slides out of the butthole quickly.

The movement is the key to enchaining pleasure unlike the butt plug that is simply left in place for the duration of sex or masturbation.

Key Features:

• Long and narrow
• Meant to be pulled out at the beginning of orgasm
• Thin girth limits pressure inside the rectum
• Interactive use is good for anal foreplay

Vibrating Butt Plug vs. Vibrating Anal Beads

1. Small or Large Vibrating Butt Plugs – These feel incredibly intense due to the constant stimulating vibration. The motor is often located shallow near the sphincter so you'll feel the tingle throughout all erogenous zones in your groin. Same sensations apply for both men and women.
2. Small or Large Vibrating Anal Beads – Feel completely different since the vibration is either at the very tip or the very base. Since beads are long and go deep, the vibration feels more spread out throughout the rectum.
3. Beaded Anal Vibrators – Are a combination of butt plug and anal beads, also crossed with a dildo since you'll have a handle or flat base for maneuvering. The beaded anal vibrator is similar to as regular women's vibrator so the stimulation inside the body feels extremely intense.

3 Types of Anal Beads

Anal beads can be classified into the following types. Each feels different from the rest, so if you're a first timer, it's worth scanning through this information so you know you're buying the best anal beads that you'll like most. They are not all created equal!

1. Long / Graduated Anal Beads

This is the quintessential butt sex toy invented so long ago that your grandparents probably had them stashed away somewhere in their boudoir. Long anal beads go deep, but without too much anal stretching at the entry.

“Graduated” means the first bead is tiny making initial anus insertion super easy. The subsequent bead is a tad larger continuing the size gradual increase until the retrieval loop. As a result, these are best for beginners.

That's the best feature of this style of extra long connected strand. You can feel the highly erotic pleasure of poking deep into the reaches of your rectum but limit the amount of rectal stretch. This makes it an obvious choice for “the average guy or gal”.

2. String Anal Beads

A more hardcore version compared to the style noted above, anal beads on a string consist of plastic balls separated by knots on a nylon string. Modern reiterations consist of silicone balls on a silicone string, similar to the long strand as noted above, but the size of the balls are the consistent along the entire length of the string.

The bumping effect is much more pronounced, and these tend to be larger in diameter making them a popular choice for anal toy enthusiast and experts. If you are preparing for anal sex, these are a good choice because the blunt wide ball inserts similarly to your partner's penis. The instant round end pushes it's way in suddenly, so plenty of anal lube is a must for both your comfort and safety.

3. Vibrating Anal Beads

Now if you want to enhance your orgasm in a ferocious way, vibrating anal beads are THE go-to anal toy for your collection. There are a couple of variations including toys that have vibrators at the end for deep rectal internal vibration while others have a vibrator at the external end for tingling anal sphincter vibration.

Which feels best? I think they both merit a turn to experiment with and find which you prefer. The sensations are not the same at all, and anal toy reviewers and bloggers worldwide will share favorable opinions of both designs.

What Are Butt Plugs & Anal Beads Made Of?

Just as the sensations for the user vary according to the particular style anal toy purchased from an online sex shop, the material they're made of also has a significant impact on sexual enjoyment and pleasure.

Silicone

Silicone anal sex toys are highly desired for their hygienic properties. They are non-porous and hypoallergenic. They can be dense and firm, or floppy and soft giving silicone butt plugs a myriad of densities, shapes & textures to enjoy.

There is no standard in the adult toy world on the texture and touch of silicone dildos and vibrators. Silicone is most often found on the single piece strands of anal beads or those that have an appearance of a “bumpy dildo”.

TPR / TPE / Rubber

My personal favorite anal bead material is TPR and TPE, both thermoplastic compounds that feel like a cross between jelly and rubber. They are non-toxic and safe (all the ones we sell here are The Adult Toy Shop are body safe anyway).

The greatest feature is the slick and slippery glide you'll experience. This makes pulling of anal beads at the time of climax even more thrilling. You'll be able to both insert and remove then quickly, much faster than any other material so the burst of erotic pleasure is far more intense.

Glass

Hard, cold, unforgiving, glass butt plugs are for the true enthusiasts among us. Most glass toys are small, the dimensions minimal compared to pretty much anything else you could stick in your butt. The weighted sensation of glass anal beads adds significant erotic appeal when worn.

You'll be able to enjoy anal stretching with the added beaded effect since the connector strand is thicker and larger than string beads, for example. It's a supremely powerful pleasure enhancer. Some glass butt beads are curved for male prostate stimulation.

Plastic

Anal beads are made of plastic to deliver a solid ball bumping stimulation inside the anus. To contrast this, a thin nylon string separates the balls to provide intense stimulation to the anus entry as it pops open and closed while you pull them at climax.

Inserting large anal beads can be tricky for a true beginner, but luckily we have some small anal beads for sale better suited to newbies. The only disadvantage of this anal stimulator is that the nylon strand can be difficult to properly sanitize, so consider them disposable after a few uses.

Oh and if you're wondering, butt plugs are rarely made of plastic. If someone is gonna buy a solid butt plug, they will choose a glass butt plug to experience extra weight which is highly erotic, hence the popularity of weighted butt plugs.

Do Anal Beads & Butt Plugs Hurt?

They are not supposed to hurt. If butt plugs or anal beads hurt, you've either picked the wrong size for your experience level or are not using enough anal lube. Here are a few tips on how to make sure anal beads do not hurt:

1. Buy graduated anal beads.
   The first bead is really small, and they increase in size along the length strand. This is much easier to insert as they slowly increase in diameter.
2. Buy a beginner butt plug.
   It seems obvious, but still worth mentioning – butt plugs can be huge, so if you specifically looks for a the right size butt plug for first timers, then the narrow shaft won't hurt when in place.
3. Use thick anal lube.
   Thick gel water based anal lube is a good choice. It is easy to apply without getting your butt cheeks sloppy and wet. Water-based anal lube gel is safe with all sex toys and is viscous enough to coat your anal toys for comfortable insertion and better sexual pleasure.

What are anal beads for if not to increase pleasure? Taking steps to assure comfort is essential in getting he most enjoyment from playing with these exciting and highly stimulating anal toy for women and men.