Guide · Anal toys
A vibrating butt plug is a plug with a motor that vibrates while it's in place. It's controlled with a button on the base, a remote or an app – and that choice matters more than the number of modes. Whatever the model, the same safety rules apply: a wide base, plenty of water-based lube and stopping if it hurts.
A butt plug is a short toy with a narrow neck and a wide base, designed to stay in the anus for a while rather than be moved in and out. A vibrating butt plug also has a motor – in the plug itself, in the base or in a removable module – that provides vibration while it's in place.
The vibration gives more sensation than a plug without a motor, but it also gives you more to choose between: how the plug is controlled, how it's powered, whether it can take water and how it's cleaned. This guide goes through those choices. If you're completely new to butt plugs in general, start with butt plugs for beginners, which covers size, shape and how to insert a plug step by step.
Control is the most important choice for a vibrating butt plug, because of where the plug sits. A button on the base is simple but hard to reach during use, and it can be pressed by accident: the review of Black Velvets Vibrating Plug Small notes that the button sits in the base and can be activated by pressure from behind, something the manufacturer's own customer reviews mention.
A remote solves that. Hidden Desire Bullseye comes with a wireless remote with ten modes and needs no app, no account and no pairing. Rebel Cock Ring with RC Prostate Plug has a remote with an eight-metre range according to the manufacturer.
An app gives the most options. Lovense Hush 2 is controlled via the Lovense Remote app, both up close via Bluetooth and long-distance via the internet, and has seven preset patterns plus the option to create your own. It has no remote, so without a phone you only have the button. The differences between remotes and apps in general are covered in remote-controlled sex toys.
There are also simpler wired versions. You2Toys Anal Pusher is controlled with a wired control unit – not wirelessly, despite what two shops say.
The motor takes up space, so vibrating plugs are rarely the very smallest. That makes choosing the size extra important. Look at the largest diameter and the insertable length, and compare with what you know works.
The range in our reviews is wide. Cuties Vibrating Mini Butt Plug has an insertable length of 6.5 centimetres and at most 3.1 centimetres in diameter. Black Velvets Small has an insertion depth of 9 centimetres and 1.9–2.7 centimetres in diameter. Hush 2 comes in four sizes from 25 to 57 millimetres; the size in our review is 44 millimetres in diameter with 113 millimetres of insertable depth. Bullseye has 10 centimetres insertable and 4 centimetres in diameter.
So if you want an app-controlled plug as your first plug, it's the smallest size you should be looking at, not the one in the product photo. How to choose the size of a butt plug in general is covered in butt plugs for beginners.
Run time varies a lot. Lovense gives up to 275 minutes for Hush 2 – but on the same product page also gives up to 8 hours, so the figures don't add up. Hidden Desire gives 60 minutes of use for Bullseye. For Cuties, the packaging gives a maximum of about 45 minutes of use against about 90 minutes of charging. For Rebel, the manufacturer publishes no run time at all.
The charging connector is worth a look. Bullseye charges with standard USB-C. Hush 2 has a magnetic charging port, Cuties two contact pins and Rebel a magnetic two-pin connector – all three with product-specific cables where a standard USB-C cable won't work. If you lose the cable, you need a new one from the same manufacturer.
Disposable batteries have their advantages. Black Velvets Small runs on one AAA battery that can be swapped in seconds, and Anal Pusher on four AA batteries. There's no built-in battery that ages, but the batteries aren't included, and ORION recommends removing the batteries from Anal Pusher after each use to avoid damaging the product.
A butt plug must be cleaned thoroughly after every use, and that's where the IP rating makes the biggest difference. Hush 2 and Bullseye are IPX7 according to the manufacturers, which under the IEC 60529 standard means they can withstand immersion in one metre of water for 30 minutes. They can be washed under the tap with soap and water.
Others have no protection. In the customer information for Cuties, ORION states that the unit must not be submerged in water, even though two shops list IPX5 and IPX7 respectively. Black Velvets Small must not be dipped in water either, and the battery compartment must be kept dry. According to the manufacturer, Anal Pusher must not be submerged. Plugs like these are cleaned with warm water and mild soap on a cloth, without holding them under running water.
Rebel is a cautionary example. The packaging says IPX7, but the manufacturer's own user manual says the device must not be dipped in water. When the information is contradictory: follow the more cautious one. A removable motor, as on Black Velvets Small, is an advantage because the silicone body can then be washed separately. More on the ratings in waterproof sex toys, and on cleaning in how to clean sex toys.
Never boil a plug with a motor or battery, and don't put it in the dishwasher – not even if it's IPX7. The IP rating is about water, not heat.
Most vibrating butt plugs in our reviews have silicone against the body, often with ABS plastic in the motor housing. Lovense lists 100 per cent silicone for the whole body of Hush 2. Cuties is listed as silicone, PU and ABS with no breakdown of which material is where. Silicone is non-porous and can be cleaned completely, which is extra important for an anal toy.
Anal Pusher is made of TPE. ORION states that it's phthalate-free, but the manufacturer's own materials guide also states that plasticisers in TPE can migrate out over time and make the surface oily. TPE is porous and can't be sterilised. More on the differences in safe materials in sex toys.
Some plugs do more than vibrate. Anal Pusher has three thrusting speeds controlled independently of seven vibration modes, and a strong suction base for hands-free use. It's 16 centimetres long and 3–4.5 centimetres in diameter.
Others are shaped for the prostate. Bullseye has a perineum arm in addition to the plug itself, and Rebel combines a prostate plug with a cock and ball ring and a perineum stimulator, with two motors that are set separately. We explain how prostate massage works in prostate massage for beginners, and more models can be found in best prostate vibrator.
For combinations with a cock ring, the ring's rules apply too: it should never hurt, shouldn't be worn for more than about thirty minutes at a time and should be taken off immediately in case of numbness or discolouration. See how to use a cock ring.
The base is the most important thing. A butt plug must have a base that's clearly wider than the plug so it can't slip all the way in. The plugs in this guide solve that in different ways: Hush 2 has a flared base, Cuties and Black Velvets an anchor-shaped stopper, and Anal Pusher a suction base that also works as a stopper. Never use anything without a wide base anally.
Use plenty of water-based lube, and top it up. The rectum doesn't produce its own lubrication. Hidden Desire's manual for vibrating anal toys explicitly warns that too little lube can cause pain, injury or tearing on insertion. Silicone-based lube shouldn't be used on silicone toys. More on choosing one in lube for anal sex.
Go slowly and relax. Ideally, only start the vibration on the lowest setting once the plug is in place, and increase it gradually. Stop if it hurts – pain is a signal to stop, not to carry on.
Never go straight from anus to vagina. A plug that has been used anally must be washed before it's used anywhere else, as bacteria from the bowel can otherwise cause infection. If you share the toy, wash it between each person or use a condom. If you have bleeding, persistent pain or other problems afterwards, seek medical help.
Choosing the size from the product photo. App-controlled plugs often come in several sizes – check which one you're buying.
Trusting the shop's IP rating. For Cuties, shops list IPX5 and IPX7 while the manufacturer says it must not be submerged. The manufacturer's information is what counts.
Using silicone lube on a silicone plug. It can make the surface porous.
Forgetting the cable. Many plugs have product-specific charging cables that can't be replaced with a standard USB-C.
Plugging in the charging cable straight after cleaning. Let the contacts dry completely first.
If you're a beginner: a small plug with a button, such as Cuties or Black Velvets Small, will go a long way. If you want a partner to control it: a remote if you're in the same room, an app if you want to be able to control it from a distance. If you want to be able to wash it under the tap: choose a model where the manufacturer itself states IPX7.
More models compared side by side can be found in best butt plug and under anal toys. If you want to use it together from a distance, there's also sex toys for long-distance relationships. How we read the manufacturers' information is described under how we review.
