Best Squat Rack Under $500 (5 Great Options)

If you’re familiar with this site and my garage gym then you know that in the Spring of 2020 I built a DIY Squat Rack for my garage. At the time, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money and I didn’t know how long I’d be working out in my garage.

As it turns out, I LOVE lifting in my garage and decided to upgrade my squat rack from my DIY Rack to something, well, more “steel”.

I set myself a budget of $500 because I thought (at least I was hoping) I could find a rack that “checks all the boxes” for less than $500.

In this article, I’m going to give you the best squat racks I found for under $500 and I’ll explain the different types of racks, squat rack pricing and what I’m looking for in the specs of a squat rack.

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Why Trust My Reviews? I’ve spent 20 years as a collegiate sports performance coach and have been lifting personally even longer. I’ve bought and used equipment for both 14,000 square foot weight rooms and for my own garage gym. Finally, I only review products I’ve personally tested.

Ideal Qualities for a Squat Rack

There are a couple of squat rack qualities or specs that in my mind are ideal for a squat rack. These are:

• 3 x 3 Steel Beams
• 11 Gauge Steel
• Pull-Up Bar Attachment

3 x 3 Steel Beams

3 x 3 refers to the depth and width of the beams (in inches), specifically the vertical beams, of a rack. The most common sizes you’ll find with squat racks are 3 x 3, 2 x 3 and 2 x 2.

The reason I ideally want a 3 x 3 rack is that the wider beam can lead to a stronger and more stable rack. Also, the large majority of rack attachments are built to fit 3 x 3 racks.

However, I also am aware that for the under $500 price range, I may find myself having to compromise here. For most of us that aren’t competitive powerlifters moving monster amounts of weight a 2 x 3 rack is still going to be plenty strong enough to handle the weight we’re going to be using.

The biggest drawback for a 2 x 3 rack is that I’ll have to make sure to get attachments (think dip racks) that are designed specifically for 2 x 3 racks.

Any rack that’s a 2 x 2 is a deal breaker for me. In my opinion, that’s too small and I wouldn’t fully trust it.

11 Gauge Steel

The gauge of the steel refers to the thickness and strength of the steel. When it comes to steel gauge, the lower the number the thicker and stronger the steel.

11 Gauge Steel is what I consider the Gold Standard when it comes to squat racks. Almost any collegiate weight room that you walk into will have squat racks with 11 gauge steel.

Again, like with the 3 x 3 size tubing, price could end up being a limiting factor here for me to get exactly what I want. I’d be willing to come up to 12 gauge steel if I absolutely had to, but no higher.

Pull Up Attachment

This one is purely just personal preference. I currently have a Wall Mounted Pull Up Bar that has suited me great, but if I’m going to get a steel squat rack then I want one with a pull-up bar built-in. Otherwise, I’d have a hard time justifying not just sticking with my current squat stand and pull-up bar setup.

If you don’t have any interest in a pull-up bar, or you already have a pull-up bar set up in your gym then take that into consideration. There is no reason you have to have a pull-up bar built into your rack, it’s just something that I know I want.

Best Squat Racks By Category

I’ve broken this Squat Rack Guide down by category – Squat Stands, Wall-Mounted Stands and Power Racks.

I’ll give you my favorite for each style of rack as well as a few runner-ups.

First, Squat Stands.

Best Squat Stands Under $500

Squat Stands have their pros and cons, but one of those pros is definitely price. Squat Stands, in general, simply require less steel to make.

Because of this, you can get the quality you want and still stay under budget.

*Titan ships everything Free. Everything. Always. Don’t know how they do it, but they do. Make sure to take that into consideration when comparing prices.

X-3 Squat Stand: Pros and Cons

Squat stands are for the weightlifting minimalist. The person who says all I need is something to prop up my barbell off the floor.

No, you’re not going to get a pull-up bar and it will be less stable than a full power rack (which makes it less than ideal for a beginner in my opinion).

But, for well under $500 you get a 3 x 3 11-gauge steel squat stand that will be built to last.

Other Squat Stand Options under $500.

You do have other options available to you for under $500.

The Rogue S-4 Squat Stand 2.0 is a solid option for a squat stand. I like the X-3 from Titan better because it’s 3 x 3 steel (the S-4 is 2 x 3) and it’s still cheaper. But, if you’re a fan of Rogue it’s worth considering.

Best Wall-Mounted Squat Racks Under $500

If you don’t mind drilling a few holes in your wall, Wall Mounted Racks provide possibly the most bang for the buck.

Because the wall itself is doing half the work to stabilize and keep the rack upright, they need less steel overall. Less steel equals less cost.

*Product Weight depends upon height and depth options.

**Titan ships everything for free.

X-3 Wall-Mounted Rack Pros and Cons

The X-3 Wall-Mounted Rack from Titan has A LOT of pros.

You don’t have to compromise on 3″x3″ beams or 11-Gauge Steel. This rack has both. You can also choose from two different height and depth options.

The rack folds up to only a few inches from the wall. If you’re in a tight space or you’re still wanting to park your car in your garage this can be clutch.

The only real downside is having to mount it to your wall. Not only does this put holes in your wall, but it gives a little less flexibility down the road if you want to rearrange your equipment.

Other Wall-Mounted Options under $500

Rogue makes a really nice Wall-Mounted Rack that also folds in, the RML-90 Slim Rack. It is a little more expensive (especially once you add the optional pull-up bar).

However, it is 3″x3″ 11-gauge steel and the brackets that mount against the wall give it an awesome look.

Best Full Squat Racks Under $500

Getting a Full Rack, aka Power Rack, under $500 can be a bit tougher than a Squat Stand or Wall-Mounted Rack. Because a full rack is just so much more steel, you’re going to have to make some compromises in steel beam size and thickness.

I’m only willing to compromise so much, though and I would suggest you do the same.

Buying a cheap 2″x2″ squat rack or a rack with 14-gauge steel from a big box store might save you a few bucks, but do you want to be worrying about how strong your rack is every time you rack the bar? I don’t.

*When I first did this write-up on Squat Racks under $500, the T-3 Rack was under $500. I should know, I bought one. Since then it’s crept up in price (what hasn’t?) to just over $500.

**Titan ships everything for free.

Titan T-3 Power Rack Pros and Cons

I’ve been using my Titan T-3 Rack for over 2 years now. I love it. It looks great and has been extremely durable so far. I think if I take care of it, this rack could last me forever.

It’s sturdy and solid. I’ve never once worried about the integrity of the rack. I’ve not chosen to bolt it down to the floor (which it has the holes for) because other than pull-ups, it stays rooted down pretty well. For Pull-Ups I just have to put a barbell on the rack with some weight on it and it holds in place well.

I’ve spent twenty years working in weight rooms with power racks that are 4x the price of this rack. But, for a home gym, this rack has met all my expectations.

Other Power Racks Under $500

There really isn’t any other power rack I would recommend in this price range.

The other racks out there that fall under $500 are generally either 2″x2″ beams, 14+ steel gauge or both. Now, I’m sure they sell a lot of them and I’m sure there are plenty of people out there using them, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable on one so I don’t feel comfortable recommending someone else to get one either.

The “low-end” power racks of most brands that meet the minimum specs I’m looking for start at around $750 – $800 – which is another reason I ended up with my T3 Rack.

Why All The Titan Love?

If you’re reading through this and noticed that I picked 3 different Titan racks as the best for each category I understand why that would bring skepticism.

The fact is different rack manufacturers excel at different things.

Quality budget-friendly Squat Racks for a home gym are directly in Titan’s wheelhouse. If you have $1000 to spend, this list would look much different. But, if you’re trying to squeeze every penny out of your garage gym budget, Titan – in my opinion – is your best bet.

Squat Rack Buying Guide

Here is a little extra info on the different types of racks to help you make an informed decision of what type of rack you want in your own home gym.

Types of Squat Racks

As we start to look through squat rack options, there are three different types of squat racks that you’re going to run into. These are:

• Squat Stands
• Wall Mounted Racks
• Full Racks aka Power Racks

Which style is best for you?

Squat Stands

Squat Stands are the most basic of squat “racks” (they’re technically not a rack, hence the squat stand name). They are essentially two upright beams and a small base.

Squat Stands are most popular in Olympic lifting gyms where exercise selection stays basic and consistent. Squat stands are used for, well, squats. If that’s all you’re looking for in a rack, then you’re good. It’s why I built my rack. I just needed a rack to get the bar off the floor so I could squat and it’s served me great for over a year.

You’ll also find the best prices on squat stands which makes sense because there is just overall less raw material.

However, if you want to do a wider variety of exercises, you’ll find squat stands fairly limiting.

Wall Mounted Racks

Wall Mounted Racks are a great solution, especially for garage gyms. There are a lot of things working in your favor with a wall-mounted rack. You get many of the benefits of a full rack from a functionality standpoint while still getting a lot of the benefits (space, lower price) of a squat stand.

First, you’re going to save quite a bit of space. In general, squat racks can take up a lot of real estate in a home gym, but a wall-mounted rack will not. If you have any desire to still park your car in your garage gym space, this is probably your best option.

Second, because there is less raw material, the price of these racks will be lower.

The drawback of a wall-mounted rack is the whole “wall-mounted” part. You’re drilling and securing your rack to the wall and depending on your wall (and your installation ability) to hold up its side of the rack. This is a bigger commitment than many people are willing to make.

My current rack is connected to my wall and it’s worked great from a stability standpoint, but it’s something I may be looking to get away from.

Full Racks (Power Racks)

Full Racks are what most of us probably think of when we think of a squat rack. Four Vertical Beams create a ‘cage’ that allows for an immense amount of training flexibility. Squats, Bench, Pullups – outside of Olympic lifts there aren’t many exercises you can’t do using a full rack.

As you might expect, being the biggest of the racks, the price is going to be higher for full racks when compared to squat stands and wall-mounted racks.

Final Thoughts

If you want to get a squat rack under $500, you have multiple options to choose from. It just depends on what you want out of your rack and what you’re comfort level is with mounting a rack on your wall.

In my opinion, Titan dominates this price point area when it comes to squat racks. They’re quality-made squat racks and priced lower than all their competitors. Plus, they ship everything for free which can make the price difference even more drastic.

I’ve been using a Titan Rack for over two years now and I can honestly say that it has turned out to be an outstanding purchase.

Whatever you decide to go with, I hope you get as much enjoyment out of your rack as I am with my mine.

Stay Strong!

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