Quick Answer: For a hard-shell or plug-and-play spa with a standard rectangular cover, the Cover Valet CV250 is the best overall lifter — a side-mount, dual gas-shock arm that fits covers up to 91” wide. If your cover is bigger or a thick 2lb-density foam, step up to the Cover Valet CV400 (rated to 104”). If you own a round or octagonal inflatable tub, skip both — the Leisure Concepts CoverMate Freestyle is purpose-built for that shape, which most side-mount lifters are not.
Most “best cover lifter” roundups assume a rectangular hard-shell spa bolted to a deck. That’s only half the market this site covers. Inflatable and plug-and-play tubs are usually round or octagonal, and a side-mount arm designed for a straight cabinet wall either won’t bolt on or won’t swing the cover cleanly. This guide sorts picks by tub shape and cover weight first, price second, so you’re not the person who orders a Cover Valet arm and discovers it doesn’t fit a SaluSpa.
This is the lifter-specific companion to our hot tub accessories guide and our hot tub cover guide — read the cover guide first if you haven’t bought a cover yet, since the lifter you need depends on which cover you end up with.
Shop hot tub cover lifters on Amazon →
Ordering a part you want before the weekend soak? Try Prime free for 30 days for free two-day shipping on lifters like these.
Hot tub cover lifters by the numbers
- Cover Valet splits its two main lifters by cover size, not by price alone: the CV250 is rated for covers up to 91” wide, while the CV400 is rated up to 104” wide or any cover using 5”x3”/6”x4” 2lb-density foam, per Cover Valet’s own product specs — buying by width first avoids the most common return reason.
- Budget hydraulic lifters run $118.75-$132.99 at Home Depot, versus $330-$400 for the Leisure Concepts CoverMate Freestyle across multiple retailers — the price gap is mostly the round/octagonal-specific mounting hardware, not the hydraulics.
- Neither major inflatable-tub brand, Intex or Bestway, sells its own cover lifter. Both engineer their stock covers light enough to lift by hand; a lifter only becomes relevant once you’ve upgraded to a heavier insulated replacement cover.
- Side-mount lifters need a cabinet wall to bolt to — a requirement no inflatable tub can meet, which is the entire reason a shape-specific design like the Freestyle exists instead of a universal side-mount arm being sold for every tub.
Cover lifters compared
| Lifter | Best for | Mount style | Max cover size | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover Valet CV250 | Standard hard-shell/plug-and-play spas | Side-mount, dual gas shock | Up to 91" wide | ~$180-$250 |
| Cover Valet CV400 | Large or heavy covers | Side-mount, reinforced gas shock | Up to 104" / thick 2lb foam | ~$220-$350 |
| Leisure Concepts CoverMate Freestyle | Round & octagonal inflatable tubs | Base-mount, shape-adaptive | Round/octagonal spas | ~$330-$400 |
| Kinchoix Hydraulic Spa Cover Lift | Budget hard-shell spas | Side-mount, adjustable U-arms | Most standard rectangular spas | Budget tier |
| Universal aluminum two-arm lift | Buying a new cover at the same time | Side-mount, manual/gas | Retailer-dependent | ~$130 (bundled) |
Prices checked July 2026 and vary noticeably by retailer and sale timing; confirm the current price on the listing before buying.
1. Cover Valet CV250 — Best Overall
Cover Valet CV250 Spa Cover Lifter
- Side-mount hydraulic lifter with dual gas-shock assist, per Cover Valet's product specs.
- Rated for covers up to 91" wide — check your cover's dimensions before ordering.
- Locking safety feature holds the cover open until you're ready to close it.
- Bolts to the spa cabinet skirt; requires a solid cabinet wall to mount to.
This is the standard the rest of the category gets measured against, and it’s also the one most likely to already fit if you own a plug-and-play spa like an AquaRest or Lifesmart with a molded cabinet. The dual gas shocks do the actual lifting — you’re guiding a already-light cover, not muscling a wet slab overhead — and the lock keeps it from swinging shut while you’re stepping in. The one thing that trips people up is size: this is the 91”-and-under model, and a cover that runs even a few inches wider belongs on the CV400 instead.
2. Cover Valet CV400 — Best for Large or Heavy Covers
Cover Valet CV400 Spa Cover Lifter
- Same dual gas-shock side-mount design as the CV250, with a stronger shock rating.
- Rated for covers up to 104" wide, or any cover built from 5"x3"/6"x4" 2lb-density foam.
- Better fit for larger 6-7 person spas and heavier insulated replacement covers.
- Same locking safety mechanism and cabinet-mount requirement as the CV250.
If you’ve got a larger spa like a Bestway SaluSpa Hawaii or St. Moritz — wider tubs with heavier, thicker covers, especially after an EnergySense or aftermarket insulated upgrade — the CV400’s stronger shocks are built for exactly that extra weight and width. It costs more than the CV250, and most of that gap is the reinforced hardware needed to safely hold a heavier lid open without the shocks sagging over time. Don’t downsize to the CV250 to save money on a cover this size; an undersized gas shock is a slow-motion failure, not an immediate one.
3. Leisure Concepts CoverMate Freestyle — Best for Round & Octagonal Tubs
Leisure Concepts CoverMate Freestyle Spa Cover Lift
- Purpose-built for round and octagonal spas — the shape most inflatable tubs use.
- Base-mount design that installs without a straight cabinet wall to bolt to.
- Typically the highest-priced pick here, running roughly $330-$400 across retailers.
- Solves a fit problem the Cover Valet side-mount lifters can't, rather than competing on price.
This is the pick most guides skip, because most guides are written for rectangular hard-shell spas. If you own a round SaluSpa or Intex with an upgraded heavy replacement cover, or an octagonal plug-and-play model, a side-mount arm built for a straight cabinet edge simply doesn’t have anything to grab onto. The Freestyle’s mounting base is designed around that curve instead of fighting it, which is also why it costs more — you’re paying for a shape-specific solution, not a generic arm with a bigger sticker price.
4. Kinchoix Hydraulic Spa Cover Lift — Best Budget
Kinchoix Hydraulic Hot Tub Cover Lift
- Adjustable U-arms and reinforced brackets meant to fit a range of standard rectangular spas.
- Side-mount hydraulic design, the cheapest style in this roundup.
- No locking safety feature on this tier — treat it as a lift-and-hold, not a lift-and-leave.
- A reasonable first lifter for a smaller hard-shell or plug-and-play spa on a budget.
This is the pick if a Cover Valet lifter is more than your cover justifies — a smaller plug-and-play spa with a lighter stock cover doesn’t need dual precision gas shocks rated for a 104” lid. The adjustable arms are the tradeoff for the lower price: expect more setup fiddling to get the geometry right than with a lifter sized specifically to one cover width. It’s still a side-mount design built for a rectangular cabinet wall, so it’s not the answer for a round inflatable tub — that’s the Freestyle’s job.
5. Universal Aluminum Two-Arm Cover Lift — Best If You’re Buying a New Cover Too
Universal Aluminum Two-Arm Spa Cover Lift
- Lightweight aluminum construction, often bundled at a discount when purchased with a new spa cover.
- Runs around $130 when bundled, per spa-supply retailer pricing.
- Two-arm side-mount design similar in concept to the Cover Valet lifters, at a lower price point.
- Works best ordered alongside a replacement cover so both are sized to match at once.
If your cover is old enough that you’re replacing it anyway, this is worth checking before you buy a lifter separately — some spa-supply retailers discount an aluminum lift when it’s bundled with a new cover order, since they’re already shipping you a box that size. On its own it’s a mid-tier option: lighter and cheaper than the Cover Valet lineup, without the round-tub-specific design of the Freestyle.
Match the lifter to the shape, not just the spa
The reason a “best cover lifter” list needs a shape section at all is that the category quietly assumes one spa geometry — rectangular, hard-shell, mounted to a cabinet or a deck — and a large share of the tubs covered on this site don’t look like that. An inflatable SaluSpa or PureSpa is round or octagonal with a soft or semi-rigid wall, and a side-mount arm engineered to bolt to a flat cabinet face has nothing to grab. That’s not a minor fit issue you can adjust your way around with a longer arm; it’s a different mounting geometry entirely, which is exactly why a shape-specific design like the Leisure Concepts Freestyle exists as its own category rather than as a footnote on a rectangular-spa lifter’s listing.
The bottom line
If you own a rectangular hard-shell or plug-and-play spa, start with the Cover Valet CV250 and size up to the CV400 only if your cover runs past 91” wide or uses thick 2lb-density foam. If you own a round or octagonal inflatable tub, skip the side-mount lifters entirely and go straight to the Leisure Concepts CoverMate Freestyle — it’s the pick built for your tub’s actual shape, not a universal arm hoping it fits. And if your stock inflatable cover is still light enough to lift by hand, you may not need a lifter at all until you upgrade to a heavier insulated cover that actually justifies one.