Lululemon The Mat 5mm vs YogaAccessories Extra Thick Deluxe: Which One Should You Buy?

GearLab ran 19 mats through one protocol in 2026 and these two were both in it. The Mat came fourth at 81 out of 100. The YogaAccessories Extra Thick Deluxe came 14th at 56. That is a useful thing to have when one mat costs $118 and the other costs about $21.99.

It is also worth saying what the cheap mat is. YogaAccessories calls it its best-selling wholesale product, sells it in 36 colorways and will print a studio logo on it. If you have practiced at a gym, you have used something very like it.

The Mat took a perfect 10 for comfort and support, 7 for materials, 7 for care and cleaning, and grip of 6.5 dry and 4.5 wet. The YogaAccessories took 6.5 for comfort and support, 5 for materials, 6.5 for care and cleaning, and 5.5 dry and 4 wet.

Comfort and support is the heaviest-weighted category in GearLab’s scoring at 35%, and that is where the largest single gap sits. It is not about softness. It is about whether the surface holds still while you stand on it.

Lululemon bonds polyurethane to a natural rubber base, and the polyurethane pulls moisture into the surface rather than letting a film build between palm and mat. That is a mechanism, not a coating, and it is why grip holds up as a class warms.

YogaAccessories describes its surface as super sticky, which is true in a cool room with dry hands and stops being true the moment you sweat. GearLab’s 4 out of 10 wet is the measured version. Neither mat is a hot yoga solution, but only one of them is trying.

At 6.2 mm the YogaAccessories has more material under you than The Mat’s 5 mm, and it is much softer with it. Kneeling on tile is genuinely more comfortable, and for restorative work or a floor-based practice that is a real advantage rather than a consolation.

Standing is the reverse. Soft foam compresses unevenly under one foot, which is what separates GearLab’s 6.5 from The Mat’s 10. The usual compromise is a firm mat plus a folded blanket where your knees land.

The YogaAccessories is 72″ long against The Mat’s 71″, so the cheap mat is fractionally longer, and YogaAccessories makes a point of it: six inches more than the average mat. The Mat takes back the width at 26″ against 24″.

Two inches of width shows up in wide-legged stances and anywhere your hands land outside your shoulders. If you need a lot more of both, Lululemon’s Big Mat is 84″ × 28″ at a price to match.

The Mat is reversible. The polyurethane side is the grippy face for sweaty practice, and the natural rubber underside is a drier surface that cleans more easily and works better for weights or bodyweight training. GearLab gave it the award for mixed fitness routines largely on that basis.

The YogaAccessories has one usable face and a plain textured back. For its intended job, a studio stacking twenty of them in a cupboard, that is exactly right.

The Mat’s polyurethane top is the part that goes. Owners commonly see flaking or peeling after a couple of years of heavy use, and aggressive cleaning accelerates it, so a damp cloth and a mild spray is the routine. Lululemon’s quality promise carries no stated term.

Soft PVC foam flattens where hands and feet land and loses its texture, which is what GearLab’s 5 out of 10 for materials is describing. YogaAccessories takes returns for 30 days; its Amazon listing mentions a limited lifetime warranty the company does not publish on its own site.

The YogaAccessories is built for buyers who need quantity. Studio loaner mats get used by strangers, cleaned constantly and replaced on a schedule, so cheap and replaceable is the correct call. As a first mat, a guest mat or a spare for the office, it also works fine, and about 4.5 stars across roughly 2,700 Amazon ratings backs that up.

The Mat is for a practice that already exists and has a specific complaint about grip. If you have never slid in down dog, you may not notice what the extra $96 bought.

Lululemon sells The Mat through its own stores and website only, at a US list price of $118. Several review sites still quote an out-of-date $98, so check lululemon.com instead. The YogaAccessories sells on its own site and on Amazon, where you can check the current price.

Five YogaAccessories mats cost about one Mat. That arithmetic only helps if the mats are interchangeable, and on grip they plainly are not.

Buy the YogaAccessories Extra Thick Deluxe if you need mats rather than a mat, want extra padding for very little, or are still working out whether yoga sticks. GearLab’s 56 out of 100 is a fair grade for $22.

Buy Lululemon The Mat if grip is your problem and you practice enough to care. For a cheaper mat with a similar approach to sweat, our The Mat vs Manduka PRO comparison covers the other premium option at this price.