The number of tennis strings on the market is staggering. With new strings popping up every year, the consumer is left to choose between a dizzying array of materials, features, gauges and technologies.

The good news is that if you are searching for a string in 2023 you don’t have to sweat the small stuff. We’ve got you covered. Here are the strings you should be looking at in every important category.

Best string by material

Best string by playing feature (benefit)

Best strings by type

The majority of strings fit into four types: natural gut, multifilament, polyester and synthetic gut. Each type has a unique set of benefits that enables you to calibrate the performance of your racquet to your needs. Here is our pick for the best string from the four primary groups.

Best synthetic gut:
Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex

As one of the most enduring best sellers of all time, this iconic starter string combines an easy learning curve with a price that is too good to refuse. Although Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex doesn’t pack the magical feel of natural gut or the otherworldly spin of a stiff polyester, it delivers a seductive level of all-around performance, making it as good for the seasoned value hunter as it is for the beginner who wants to learn the game. The fact that it comes with more colour options than virtually any other string is a nice bonus.

Best multifilament: Head Velocity

Velocity MLT is designed with arm-friendly comfort, and it packs enough power to keep your opponent in check. Impressively priced at under $20, this string provided our playtesters a level of overall performance as one of the most premium multifilaments on the market.

Best natural gut: Babolat Touch VS

It's hard to exaggerate the impact Babolat Touch VS has had on the game of tennis. It was launched in 1925, and if you consider the list of iconic tennis players who have used it or the number of historic matches it has graced, Babolat Touch VS is literally the stuff of legend. Made from the fibrous and stretchy serous membrane of cow intestines, the magic of VS Gut lies in its elasticity, which delivers a feel at impact that is without equal. It also remains peerless in the areas of comfort, arm-protection and power.

LEARN MORE: THE HISTORY OF NATURAL GUT

Best polyester: Luxilon ALU Power

When Gustavo Kuerten won the 1997 French Open with this newfangled purple string from Luxilon, few could have guessed that it would transform the game with spin-drenched angles and shot trajectories that appeared to violate the laws of physics. Although polyester monofilaments had been around since the 1970s, the iconic company from Antwerp, Belgium, perfected the breed with ALU Power, making it a staple on the pro tour where this string’s surgical control unlocked the explosive mechanics of the modern game.

Insider tip: Polyester (poly) strings are called co-polyesters (co-polys) to denote the use of chemical additives, typically to increase comfort and power.

Best hybrid: Volkl Psycho Hybrid

Volkl Psycho offers an undeniably large list of desirable features. The Volkl Psycho draws its benefits from two strings, one of which is Volkl Cyclone, a shaped co-poly, and the other, Power Fiber II, a plush and lively multifilament. Both of our playtesters put Cylone in the mains to emphasise control and Power Fiber II in the crosses to boost comfort and feel.

Best power string: Tecnifibre NRG2

While it's impossible for us to say which is the best multifilament string on the market, Tecnifibre NRG2 is definitely on the short list for many players. One of the main reasons for this is the ultra comfortable response, which comes in no small part from the 1,120 individual fibers that are bonded with flexy polyurethane resin. This fact was not lost on our playtesters, all of whom raved about the soft, buttery feel.

Best control string: Hyper-G

Developed for an ATP top 50 player, this medium firm string will allow big hitters to take massive cuts at the ball without having to worry about overhitting. Another impressive feature was the tension maintenance, which is typically the biggest downside of co-polys. Hyper-G held its playability longer than the majority of the strings in its class. Topspin players who like hitting balls that dive sharply and explode off the court should love this string.

Beginner tip: If you’re hitting too many balls long and you’re not ready for a stiff polyester control string, you can get extra control through higher string tensions and thicker gauges.

LEARN MORE: WHICH STRING TENSION SHOULD I USE?

Best spin string: Babolat RMP Blast

Babolat's RPM Blast is no ordinary piece of polyester. Used by the legendary Rafael Nadal, this magical monofilament has hit some of the most consequential shots in the history of tennis. With its best of class combination of spin and control, RPM Blast gives big hitters surgical targeting on full swings. The slick surface of this co-poly enables the strings to snap back with vicious force, resulting in extra RPMs (think heavy ball).

Beginner tip: If you’re looking to add the benefits of spin to your game and you don’t want to switch to a stiff polyester monofilament, you can get extra spin through higher string tensions and thinner gauges.

Best comfort string: Wilson NXT

One of the most popular strings of all time, Wilson NXT has a well-deserved reputation as the king of comfort. Built with more than 1,000 ultra flexible fibers that are bonded with stretchy polyurethane, NXT has been meticulously engineered to dampen the brutal force of ball impact. What separates it from many of its softer competitors is that it takes much longer to become mushy and lose its magic feel. The fact that it will also supercharge your shots with power is a nice bonus. Granted, it doesn’t have the absolute comfort of the top natural guts, but it comes pretty close for half the price.

Best durability string: Luxilon 4G Rough

Although the majority of polyester strings have excellent durability, Luxilon 4G Rough is arguably the game’s most storied and time-tested durability string. Luxilon spent two years tweaking the molecular structure of 4G to improve tension maintenance and extend the duration of playability. This rough version provides a little extra grip on the ball for added spin potential. We found this one to have above average comfort for such a firm control string. While 4G Rough may not work for players who prefer natural gut or nylon multifilaments, it is ideal for big hitters in search of control, spin and durability.