Spring vs Springless Trampolines: Cost, Bounce, Weight Limits and Warranty

A backyard trampoline gets jumped on most days for years, by kids who get heavier and land where they didn't mean to. Whether it has coil springs or something else decides what they land on when they miss the mat, how high they go, how much you pay up front and how long the parts are covered.

What springless means

"Springless" covers three different designs, and they don't behave the same.

Springfree uses fibreglass rods. The rods are fixed to a frame that sits below the mat and angle up to its edge, so they flex rather than stretch. There is nothing to land on at mat height.

Vuly's Thunder 2 and Thunder 2 Pro use steel leaf springs mounted under the mat. The frame is below the jumping surface, as on a Springfree, but the spring itself is still steel.

Lifespan Kids' HyperJump 3, Kahuna's Twister and Kmart's springless model use elastic straps or bands in place of coils. The straps sit where the coil springs would, around the edge of the mat at jumping height, under the pad. You lose the pinch points, but the frame is in the same place as on a coil trampoline.

Where the springs sit on a coil trampoline

On most coil trampolines the springs ring the mat at jumping height and the frame is level with them, with a padded skirt over both. A jumper who misses the mat lands on the pad over the springs and frame.

Some coil models move the net inside the springs so it attaches at the mat edge, which puts the springs and frame outside the jumping area. Vuly's Ultra 2 is built this way.

What it costs

Coil trampolines in the 10 to 14 ft sizes start under $300 at Kmart, sit around $500 to $900 for Jump Star, Kahuna, the Vuly Flare and Ultra 2, and run $1,200 to $2,400 for Jumpflex HERO, Vuly Ultra 2 Pro, GeeTramp Force, ACON and BERG.

Strap-type springless models cost about the same as a mid-range coil trampoline, roughly $600 to $1,100 for the Kahuna Twister and Lifespan HyperJump 3. Rod and leaf-spring models cost more. The Vuly Thunder 2 starts around $1,400 and the Thunder 2 Pro around $2,100. A 3 m Springfree is a little over $2,000, and the range rises past $4,000 for the Jumbo Oval.

Model	Spring system	From	Max jumper	Warranty (frame / mat / net)
Vuly Flare	Coil springs	$499	100 kg	3 / 3 / 1 years
Vuly Ultra 2	Coil springs, net inside the springs	$899	120 to 130 kg	5 / 5 / 1 years
Jumpflex HERO 12 ft	Coil springs	$1,399	160 kg	10 / 5 / 1 years
Lifespan HyperJump 3 10 ft	Elastic straps	$849	100 kg	10 / 1 / 1 years
Vuly Thunder 2	Leaf springs	$1,399	140 to 150 kg	10 / 5 / 1 years
Springfree Medium Round 3 m	Fibreglass rods	$2,099	100 kg	10 / 10 / 10 years

Prices read from retailer and brand listings in September 2026. Vuly prices are the from-price for the model family; weight ratings vary by size.

Weight ratings

Springless doesn't mean a lower weight limit, except at Springfree. Every full-size Springfree is rated for a 100 kg jumper, and the Mini and Compact models for 80 kg. The leaf-spring Vuly Thunder 2 is rated 140 to 150 kg depending on size, and the Lifespan HyperJump 3 100 to 125 kg.

On the coil side, the cheapest models are rated around 100 kg, the Vuly Ultra 2 Pro and GeeTramp Force 150 kg, the Jumpflex HERO 160 kg and the piano-wire Jumpflex MEGA 225 kg. If adults will be jumping, the rating matters more than the spring type.

Warranty

Springfree covers the frame, mat, net and rods for 10 years each. No other model in the table covers the mat or net for more than 5 years. The Vuly Thunder 2 is 10 years on the frame, 5 on the mat and 1 on the net, the same as the coil-sprung Jumpflex HERO. The warranty depends on the brand, not on whether the trampoline has springs.

Strap designs are the weak point. Lifespan covers the HyperJump 3 frame for 10 years but the mat for only 1.

All the Springfree and Vuly models in the table list compliance with AS 4989, the Australian trampoline standard.

Bounce and assembly

Coil springs stretch and snap back, which gives the high, fast bounce kids expect. Rectangles, including the GeeTramp Force and ACON models, are all coil sprung. Springfree's rods flex instead, and owner reviews consistently describe the bounce as softer and lower than a coil trampoline of the same size.

Fitting Springfree rods takes more force than hooking coil springs, so it's a two-person job, and Springfree sells installation. A strap-type model assembles much like a coil trampoline.

Who a spring trampoline suits

Coil models suit a tight budget, since 12 ft coil trampolines with a net start at a few hundred dollars and the cheapest full-size Springfree is around $2,000. They also suit teenagers and adults over 100 kg, because the Jumpflex HERO and MEGA and the Vuly Ultra 2 Pro are rated well above Springfree's limit (so is the Thunder 2, at 140 to 150 kg). A rectangle for gymnastics only comes with coils.

The drawback is the layout. On most coil models the springs and frame are at mat height and the pad is the only thing covering them. The Vuly Ultra 2 avoids this by putting the net inside the springs.

Who a springless trampoline suits

Springless suits families with young children, where a missed landing on steel is the main worry. Springfree and the Vuly Thunder 2 put the frame below the mat, so there is no edge to land on, and a Springfree comes with 10 years of cover on every part. See the current Springfree range.

A Springfree is rated for 100 kg, a 3 m model costs about half as much again as a Thunder 2, and the rods make it the harder build. The Thunder 2 still has steel springs, just under the mat, and its net is covered for only 1 year. The strap-type models are cheaper but keep the frame at mat height, so they remove the pinch points but not the edge.

The best springless trampolines in Australia compares the Springfree and Vuly Thunder models in detail, and Vuly vs Springfree sets the two brands against each other. The quiz narrows the field to a few models for your yard and budget.