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Yoga Mats Comparison

Yoga Mat vs Exercise Mat: Which Do You Actually Need?

They are sold side by side and they are not the same object. One is built for grip, the other for padding, and buying the wrong one is a common first mistake.

By Janet H.Updated How we pick
Exercise mats and dumbbells laid out on a gym floor
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Side by side

The two, next to each other

The verdict

Buy a yoga mat if you will ever stand on it. Buy an exercise mat if you will only be on your back, your front or your knees. Grip and stability against padding — that is the whole trade.

What separates them

Yoga matExercise mat
Typical thickness3-6 mm10-20 mm
DensityFirmSoft
GripDesigned for itUsually smooth
Standing balanceGoodPoor
Kneeling and floor workAdequateVery comfortable
DurabilityYears, if you buy wellDents and creases within a year
Length68-85 inVaries widely

The short version: an exercise mat is a cushion and a yoga mat is a surface. Both are useful; they are useful for different things.

Which to buy for what

  • Yoga. A yoga mat. Standing poses on a soft exercise mat are genuinely harder and feel wrong.
  • Mat pilates. A yoga mat, or a firm pilates-specific one — see the pilates comparison. Thick foam works against the rolling work.
  • Bodyweight strength and core work. Either. An exercise mat is kinder on your spine during crunches; a yoga mat is better for anything in a plank.
  • Stretching and mobility. Exercise mat. Comfort matters more than grip and you are rarely upright.
  • Under a bike trainer or weights. Neither. Buy a proper equipment mat; both of these will be destroyed.

If you do both

Buy the yoga mat and add a knee pad. A dense 6 mm mat plus a small thick pad covers the kneeling comfort an exercise mat would give you, without making every standing pose feel like standing on a mattress. That combination costs less than two mats and stores in the same space as one.

The other direction — an exercise mat plus a towel for grip — does not work nearly as well, because the instability is structural rather than a surface problem.

If padding is specifically about sore knees, the fuller answer is in mats for sore knees.

The naming problem

Part of why this is confusing is that the same object is sold under four names, and retailers use them interchangeably to catch more searches. What a listing calls itself tells you almost nothing; the thickness and the material tell you everything.

Sold asUsually meansRead the
Yoga mat3-6 mm, textured, grippyMaterial and length
Exercise mat10-20 mm foam, smoothThickness, and whether it has a strap
Fitness matEither. Genuinely ambiguousThickness, every time
Pilates matFirm, 5-8 mm, textured both sidesDensity, not thickness
Gym mat or equipment matDense rubber for under machinesNothing. This is not for lying on

The last row matters because it is the one people order by mistake. Equipment matting is designed to sit under a treadmill and protect the floor; it is hard, heavy and often smells strongly of rubber for months. It is not an exercise surface and no amount of airing makes it one.

The practical rule: ignore the category name, find the thickness in millimeters or inches, find the material, and decide from those two. The thickness guide and materials guide are the two pages that turn those numbers into a decision.

In detail

Both, in full

Stock photo: close-up of someone rolling a mat on a light wooden floorStock photo

The yoga mat

Gaiam Premium 6mm Yoga Mat

Thinner, grippier and stable enough to balance on. Less padding under a knee or an elbow.

As the manufacturer lists it · Gaiam

Thickness:6 mmSize:68 in x 24 inMaterial:PVC, free of the six most-restricted phthalates (maker's claim)

What it gets right

  • Cushioned enough that floor work is comfortable on day one
  • Light and easy to roll
  • Cheap enough to be a low-risk first purchase

What it does not

  • Grip fades as you sweat
  • 68 in is short if you are tall
  • Will not last the years a Manduka or Jade will

Skip it if

you already know you sweat heavily, or you are over about 5 ft 10 in.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Gaiam Premium 6mm Yoga Mat

Stock photo: a rolled exercise mat being lifted from a wooden floorStock photo

The exercise mat

BalanceFrom GoYoga All-Purpose Mat

Thick, soft and cheap. Comfortable for floor work, unstable the moment you stand on one leg.

As the manufacturer lists it

Thickness:1/2 in (about 12.7 mm)Size:71 in x 24 inIncluded:Carry strap

What it gets right

  • Costs less than almost anything else here
  • Very soft for kneeling and floor work
  • Strap included

What it does not

  • Too squishy for balancing
  • Foam compresses and creases within months of regular use
  • Little grip when your hands sweat

Skip it if

you already know you are committed — buy once instead of twice.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to BalanceFrom GoYoga All-Purpose Mat

How we picked

Chosen on published criteria, and we say so

Most gear sites open by telling you how many hours they spent with the products. We have not used most of these, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Every pick here is chosen against criteria we publish — grip, cushioning, size options, what buyers report after a year of use, and whether the thing is still actually sold — and every manufacturer figure on the page is labeled as the maker's claim.

Nobody pays for a place on this page, no product was supplied free in exchange for coverage, and a specification the maker does not publish is never guessed at. See the full criteria and weighting.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Can I use an exercise mat for yoga?

For gentle floor-based sequences, yes. For anything with standing balance, it makes the practice noticeably harder and less stable.

Is a thicker mat better?

Only for comfort on the floor. Every millimeter of softness costs you stability upright — see the thickness guide.

What mat should I buy for a home gym?

A dense yoga mat for movement work plus a separate cheap thick mat for floor exercises, if you have room for both.

Can I put an exercise mat under my yoga mat?

You can, and it is a reasonable fix for a hard floor. Accept that the stack is soft: keep it for kneeling and floor work and take the yoga mat off for standing poses, or you will wobble through all of them.

Are exercise mats grippy?

Rarely. Most are smooth foam, which is fine when you are lying on your back and unhelpful the moment you put weight through your hands. A yoga mat is textured for exactly that reason.

Related

Keep reading

Update log

What changed

  • First published.

Receipts

Sources

  1. 1.Healthline — The Best Workout Mats
  2. 2.OutdoorGearLab — The Best Yoga Mats
  3. 3.Reviewed — The Best Yoga Mats
  4. 4.Gaiam — product information

We have not used every product on this page, and we do not pretend otherwise. Thicknesses, materials, sizes and warranty terms are the manufacturer's published figures, shown as their claims. Anything about materials, skin or injury is linked to a source. Prices are set by Amazon and change constantly, so we never print one. Read the full method.