Top 15 Best Above Ground Pool Covers in 2024

Pool covers are considered to be one of the most important tools for anyone who owns an above ground pool.

Even though you have a pool cleaner, if you don’t protect your pool with pool covers, especially in the off season, this will make your water cloudy, contaminant. The result is that you have to use additional tools like a pool pump for your water filtration and pool maintenance process.

However, finding the covers that fit your above ground pool and meet your needs isn’t always as easy as it should be. There are lots of things you need to study like the size and material of the pool, whether the cover is made for protecting your pool in summer or winter.

After a thorough investigation together with my own experience, I came up with a list of 15 best above ground pool covers. These models all come from reputable manufacturers; therefore, you don’t need to worry about its quality. Buying guide also included.

Let’s get started!

Why Do You Need an Above-Ground Pool Cover?

It is obvious that cleaning, shocking, and maintaining the pool will make your water crystal clear. Sometimes, you’ll need pool heaters to make the pool water warmer for your better swimming experience. That’s why you need a pool cover for your pool, especially for above ground pools.

Getting an above ground pool will make you save lots of money for heating pools. Usually, most pool covers have the ability to transmit the sun’s rays into heat, which makes your pool water warmer without wasting energy costs.

Moreover, above ground pool covers will protect your pool from debris, leaves, dirt. Some covers even have unique designs that can reduce algae growth. This will save your time, maintenance cost, and longevity of your pool filter.

See Also: 15 Best Above Ground Pool Filters

List of the Best Above Ground Pool Covers to Buy

After doing lots of research, I have found the list of 15 suggested best above ground pool covers as below.

• Best Overall: Intex 15ft Round Easy Set Above Ground Pool Cover
  “High-quality, durable material; keep the pool free of debris, leaves, insects; last long.”
• Best Budget: Sun2Solar Rectangle Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Best affordable for all; reduce water evaporation; protect the pool from debris, dirt.”
• Best for Winter: In The Swim 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Resist the worst winter weather, strong wind, snow; lightweight and high-quality material.”
• Best Solar Pool Cover: Sun2Solar 33ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Saving energy costs thanks to absorbing heat from sunlight; minimize water evaporation.”
• Best Heavy Duty: Blue Wave Bronze 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover
  “4-foot overlap for easy installation; retard the growth of algae, stop unwanted debris from entering the pool.”
• Best Rated: Blue Wave Silver 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Crystal clear water thanks to heat sealed seams; reduce algae growth; high-quality material.”
• Best Quality: Blue Wave Gold Oval Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Very professional-quality material; durable; protect pool water from cloudiness.”
• Best for Rectangular Pools: Intex 18x9ft Rectangular Above Ground Pool Solar Cover
  “Perfect for rectangular above ground pools; heat retention; block out debris and leaves.”
• Best for Round Pools: In The Swim 28ft Round Leaf Net Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Made perfectly fit for round pools; leaves catcher; minimize the water cloudiness and contamination.”
• Best for High Wind Areas: Pool Mate 24ft Round Sandstone Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Ability to resist strong wind; easy to install, durable, prevent algae from growing.”
• Best for Summer: In The Swim Rectangle Above Ground Pool Solar Cover
  “Extend summer season, minimize water evaporation, save energy costs thanks to reducing heat lost.”
• Best Safety Cover: Pool Mate 28ft Round Mesh Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Durability; easy installation; prevent debris from entering the pool; make sure the crystal clear water.”
• Best for Metal Frame Pools: Intex Deluxe 18ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Perfect for metal frame pools; equip resistant material; reduce water evaporation.”
• Best Value for the Money: Robelle Super Winter Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Block unwanted elements from entering the pool; top-grade material; reduce algae growth; keep the water clear.”
• Best for Oval Pools: Blue Wave Silver Oval Above Ground Pool Cover
  “Prevent algae from growing; easy installation; durability; block out debris, leaves, ect.”

Comparison of Top 15 Best Above Ground Pool Covers 2021

To help you save your time and make your decision easier as well, I have summarized the best above ground pool covers and put it into the comparison table as below.

Reviews of the Best Above Ground Pool Covers

Let’s take a closer look at the top 15 best above ground pool covers!

Intex 15ft Round Easy Set Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Overall – Editor’s Choice)

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This Intex 15ft round easy set above ground pool cover is all-purpose protection for your swimming pool. It features holes that help to keep rain and sprinkle water from mounting up on the top of the cover. There is no water accumulation anymore.

Made from a resilient material, this pool cover will last for many years, which helps you to reduce your maintenance cost. It also keeps your swimming pool free of debris, falling leaves. This results in clear water that can last up to the next swimming season.

You don’t need to worry if it fits your pool because you can easily make a snug fit with all the edges of your pool. It also keeps your pool water stays warm thanks to absorbing and transmit sunlight into heat for your pool.

In The Swim 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best for Winter)

See the Price on Amazon

This In The Swim 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover is made from very high-quality material, including ultra-violet inhibited and triple-laminated polyethylene. This material makes sure your cover will last for a long time, which helps to save a lot of money.

Although featuring lightweight material, it is so strong and durable that it can resist hazard conditions, especially in severe weather like winter. This pool cover can protect your pool from wind, rain, debris, leaves, and even snow from entering your pool.

It also has cable and turnbuckle accompanied with the cover. The cable to tie it with the pool cover is very strong. You don’t need to go outside during winter to make sure if it stays covered tightly or not.

See Also: 15 Best Winter Pool Covers

Sun2Solar 33ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Solar Pool Cover)

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With Sun2Solar pool cover, you can reduce your electric bill by reducing heating costs. The use of the solar cover can help you minimize the water evaporation because it retains heat from the sun’s rays and keeps it inside the pool.

Another outstanding feature of this pool cover is that it has an attractive blue design with thousands of tiny bubbles. These tiny bubbles make the process of absorbing heat more optimally and warm your pool water faster and longer.

It is also designed with durable resin material. This material not only blocks out leaves, debris, and dirt in the off season but also prevents your pool water from evaporating.

Blue Wave Bronze 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Heavy Duty)

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Blue Wave Bronze 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover is designed with a big 4-foot overlap, which makes sure your cover will not be torn or stretched like 3-foot ones. Moreover, it allows you to cover your pool with a proper fit.

This pool cover also held up well even under the inclement weather or heavy-duty conditions. It can withstand the worst weather, protect your pool from sun, wind, and even snow thanks to its rugged polyethylene crim.

The black underside of the cover is considered to be effective in stopping algae from growing and make your pool water crystal clear until the next swimming season.

Blue Wave Silver 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Rated)

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Another pool cover from Blue Wave comes with high quality. You don’t need to worry if your pool is cloudy or contaminant because this pool cover is designed with heat-sealed seams. This feature helps to maintain the clear water underneath until the next swimming season.

Blue Wave Silver 24ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover is equipped with a 4-foot overlap that can perfectly fit the top rails. It is also made of thickness material accompanied with a heavy-duty cable. This can help with covering your pool better.

Another ideal feature of this cover is that it has a black underside design. This color is considered to slow down the growth of algae in your pool, which ensures clear water by the next season.

Blue Wave Gold Oval Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Quality)

See the Price on Amazon

Comes with high-quality resistant material, this pool cover is deserved the top-grade one among others. Rugged UV stabilized woven polyethylene helps with resisting outside hazard elements like UV’s rays, snow, high wind, etc.

It is also designed with vinyl coated cable and tightener, which better covers most of the edge of your pool and holds secure without stretching or tearing your cover and

It not only keeps debris, leaves out of the pool but also protects pool water from cloudiness thanks to the black underside which can retard the algae growth.

Intex 18x9ft Rectangular Above Ground Pool Solar Cover

(Best for Rectangular Pools)

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Finding a cover to fit your 18x9ft rectangular pool? This Intex 18x9ft Rectangular Above Ground Pool Solar Cover is absolutely the perfect choice. It is made to fit inside the 18x9ft pool perfectly.

This cover is made with air bubbles, which helps absorb the sun’s heat and transfer it into your pool water. This will help you save lots of heating costs. Moreover, this Intex 18x9ft Rectangular cover can prevent up to 95% of your pool water from evaporating.

Like other pool covers, this one also blocks debris, leaves, dirt out of your pool. However, it may not help with minimizing the number of algae in your pool.

In The Swim 28ft Round Leaf Net Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best for Round Pools)

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In The Swim 28ft Round Leaf Net Above Ground Pool Cover is a perfect solution for those who own a round pool. It is made perfectly fit the round-shape pools. It also has the ability to keep the leaves from entering your pool like other covers do.

This cover is made from knitted polyethylene, which is a very durable material and lasts for many years. It also helps protect your pool from sunlight, wind, etc. Moreover, the color of the cover is black, which can make the pool water crystal clear thanks to retarding the growth of algae.

Pool Mate 24ft Round Sandstone Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best for High Wind Areas)

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If you live in a high wind area, this pool cover is uniquely made for you. Made from a professional-quality material, Pool Mate 24ft Round Sandstone pool cover can keep your pool out of dirt and debris. Especially, it can hold up fine even during the strong windy weather.

This pool cover also has the ability to prevent UV’s rays from penetrating into your pool. From that, it can prevent algae from growing, which makes your pool water clear and clean by the next spring.

In The Swim Rectangle Above Ground Pool Solar Cover

(Best for Summer)

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In The Swim Rectangle Above Ground Pool Solar Cover is made to help you protect your pool water from losing heat because it has the ability to raise the water temperature. You can completely enjoy the summer longer.

Made from lightweight but durable material, this cover is easy to put on and put off. You just need to roll the cover until it fits your pool’s size, then use scissors to cut the redundant part.

This pool cover also comes with thousands of bubbles. This contributes to the process of reducing water evaporation, which will save you lots of money. It also keeps your pool free of debris or leaves like other pool covers do.

Pool Mate 28ft Round Mesh Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Safety Cover)

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Unlike solid covers, with this Pool Mate 28ft Round Mesh pool cover, you don’t need to put more effort into maintaining your pool in winter thanks to the mesh design. This mesh design can help with safety because it can prevent anybody from falling into the water in the pool.

It blocks out dirt, debris, and leaves from entering your pool. This helps to keep the pool water crystal clear until the next swimming season. So you don’t need to waste your time on eliminating elements from your pool.

This pool cover is equipped with a 4-foot overlap, which helps you install it so much easier. Thanks to its reinforced binding design, it can be durable even under the worst weather.

Intex Deluxe 18ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best for Metal Frame Pools)

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Intex Deluxe 18ft Round Above Ground Pool Cover is uniquely designed for metal frame pools. Made from UV resistant polyethylene material, it can protect your pool from sunlight and debris.

With this pool cover, there is no water accumulation anymore because it features drain holes. When you put off the cover, all debris, leaves will come off with the cover.

The cover is also designed with rope ties, which makes sure your pool is easily secured. This results in the crystal clear water underneath the pool.

Robelle Super Winter Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Value for the Money)

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Robelle Super Winter Pool Cover is made from the strongest polyethylene material, which will protect your cover from damage due to the sun’s rays. This is so durable material that you can use it for a long time and save lots of money for buying the new one.

Moreover, with the black underside of the cover, the growth of algae can be reduced, which helps your pool water look clearer till the next spring.

You can install this cover so easily thanks to the 4-foot overlap design accompanied with the two grommets on the center of every 4 feet. This feature also allows the cover to hold up and secure better than the 3-foot one.

Blue Wave Silver Oval Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best for Oval Pools)

See the Price on Amazon

The material of Blue Wave never lets you down. Made from high-quality and durable material, this cover can protect your pool from worst winter weather, sun damage. It also has the ability to keep your pool free of dirt, leaves and debris.

The cover’s size is precut in an oval shape, so it perfectly fits the size of the oval swimming pool. The underside of the cover comes with black color, which contributes to minimizing the growth of algae. From that, your pool water will be clear until the next swimming season without much effort of maintenance.

Besides durable material, Blue Wave Silver Oval Pool Cover also comes with 4-foot overlap. This feature helps you install the cover easier without stretching or ripping it like other 3-foot ones.

Sun2Solar Rectangle Above Ground Pool Cover

(Best Budget)

See the Price on Amazon

If you’re finding a pool cover that can protect your swimming pool from UV’s rays, debris, etc while still in your budget, then this Sun2Solar Rectangle Above Ground Pool Cover is your perfect choice.

Made from a durable resin material, this pool cover can block debris, dirt, leaves from entering your pool. This makes your water crystal clear until the next swimming season. It also helps to reduce water accumulation up to 95%.

Especially you can get free heat from the sun thanks to the unique tiny bubble design. With this design, the heat from UV’s rays can be transmitted into heat, which makes your water warmer without too much energy. This will help you save lots of heating costs.

Choosing the Best Above Ground Pool Cover

Let’s go over some key criteria you should consider before making a decision which above ground pool cover you should buy.

Is It the Right Size/Shape?

One of the most important things to consider when it comes to choosing the perfect above ground pool cover for your pool is whether it fits your pool. Of course, you don’t want to buy an oval cover for your rectangular pool and vice versa.

Make sure you choose the cover that is large enough to cover all over the edge of your pool. This will help you secure the pool more effectively. You can check the exact measurements for the cover at online stores.

Is It Sturdy Enough to Stay On?

This factor plays an important role in protecting your pool, particularly during the winter. Especially, if you’re going to buy a mesh or solid pool cover.

You will need a strong enough cover to resist the worst winter, snow, storms, etc. If the pool cover is not sturdy enough, it will be ripped, then all the leaves, dirt, debris will enter into your pool.

Does It Include the Necessary Extras?

Before buying an above ground pool cover, you need to check whether it is accompanied with necessary extras like cables or winch. These fittings will help make your cover installation easier. Moreover, it will help you save money because you don’t need to buy anything else.

In case you are going to buy a pool cover for the winter, you should pay more attention to the eyelets. Because the winter weather is really severe, make sure the eyelets are strong enough to protect your cover from ripping.

How Long Will It Last?

Buying a pool cover that lasts long will help you save lots of money. Normally, thick covers are usually made with more high-quality material than the thin one. However, it will be heavier for you to install and remove it.

It’s expected that the cheap cover will last around one season, and the expensive one will last for several seasons or more. You can choose the cheap or expensive one, depending on your purposes and your budget.

How to Install Above Ground Pool Cover?

Installing covers for above ground pools is not as difficult as you think. You just need to pay attention to some easy steps as below.

Firstly, make sure you lower the water level below the pool skimmer. This step will help you remove the cover easier.

Next, spread out the cover and put it all over the edge of your pool. This will be easier with two or three people or even more, depending on your pool’s size. And finally, using the cable to secure your cover.

How to Remove Above Ground Pool Cover?

For above ground pools, after you remove all water, debris, leaves on the top of the cover by your pool cover pump, all you need to do is remove the cable. You also may need at least one person to help with this.

Two or more people are recommended for your ease of removing the cover. In case you don’t have anyone to help with this, you can use a pool cover reel to easily take the cover off by yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about above ground pool covers.

Swim Network Overview

Getting your above ground pool a great cover is always a good idea to protect it from debris, dirt, etc. The best one will vary, depending on one’s priority.

For the best overall pool cover, I’d recommend Intex 15ft Round Easy Set. It is all-purpose protection from debris, leaves, etc., and can reduce water evaporation.

For those who are on a tight budget but still need a pool cover, Sun2Solar Rectangle Above Ground Pool Cover is an ideal choice. It can meet the basic need which is keeping debris, leaves, dirt from entering the pool.

If you live in the very high wind area, you must choose Pool Mate 24ft Round Sandstone Above Ground Pool Cover. It has the ability to not only hold up well under the windy weather but also block unwanted elements out of your pool.

I’d be happy to hear your thoughts about this article. Don’t forget to share this article for your friends or anyone who is finding their suitable above ground pool covers.