Joby is the creator-gear brand best known for inventing the GorillaPod — the bendy-legged tripod that wraps around railings, poles and branches. In 2026 it has grown into a full lineup of flexible tripods, phone mounts, small gimbals, creator lighting and microphones aimed squarely at vloggers, streamers and mobile shooters. The short verdict: Joby makes clever, portable, genuinely useful supports and mounts that solve real creator problems, with the GorillaPod line still the class leader — but its ball heads and locking mechanisms can loosen over time under heavier cameras, its newer gimbals and audio gear are competent rather than category-leading, and premium GorillaPods cost noticeably more than the generic bendy tripods that flooded the market.
If you shoot on a phone or a compact camera and want mounts and mini-tripods that go where normal tripods can’t, Joby is an easy recommendation. If you need heavy-duty support for a full mirrorless-and-lens rig or the smoothest possible gimbal, look at Manfrotto, DJI or Zhiyun first.
Company overview
Joby was founded in 2005 in San Francisco, California, launching with the original GorillaPod — a tripod with flexible, grippable ball-and-socket legs that could be wrapped around almost anything. The product was a genuine design breakthrough and made Joby a household name among photographers and, later, smartphone creators.
The most important thing to understand about Joby’s ownership is that it now sits inside the same imaging group as Manfrotto and Gitzo: the British-listed Videndum group (formerly the Vitec Group). That means Joby is effectively the group’s creator- and mobile-focused brand, sitting below Manfrotto’s more traditional photo and video support gear. The shared ownership shows up in overlapping mounts, clamps and accessories across the brands.
Its reputation is built on portability and cleverness. Joby’s flexible tripods and phone rigs are the ones creators pack when a full tripod is too big, and the GorillaPod remains one of the most copied camera accessories ever made. When you want small, travel-friendly support that does something rigid tripods can’t, Joby is the original and still the benchmark.
What Joby makes
Joby’s 2026 catalog centers on portable, creator-friendly support and capture:
- GorillaPod flexible tripods — the flagship bendy-legged tripods, sized from phone-light to mirrorless-capable.
- Phone tripods and mounts — grips, clamps, magnetic MagSafe-style mounts and desktop stands for smartphones.
- Vlogging and streaming kits — all-in-one creator bundles pairing a GorillaPod with a phone mount, light and sometimes a mic.
- Gimbals and stabilizers — compact motorized stabilizers for phones aimed at mobile video.
- Creator lighting — the Beamo LED lights and ring-light-style panels for on-camera and desktop use.
- Microphones — the Wavo range of on-camera, lavalier and wireless mics for creators.
The consistent thread is mobile content creation: Joby’s heartland is helping phone and compact-camera shooters mount, stabilize, light and record on the move.
Standout Joby products in 2026
Joby GorillaPod 3K / 5K Kit — around $69 / £64 (3K) to $159 / £149 (5K). The definitive flexible tripod, rated to hold mirrorless bodies (3K) or heavier rigs with a lens (5K). Its wrappable legs let you mount a camera to a fence, tree or pole where no normal tripod fits — a staple for run-and-gun creators shooting on kit from our Best Vlogging Cameras 2026: Creators' Picks guide.
Joby GripTight / MagMount phone mounts — from around $24 / £22. Reliable phone clamps and magnetic mounts that pair with the GorillaPod or stand alone, a mobile-creator essential for POV and desk shots.
Joby Wavo Air / Wavo Pro wireless mics — from around $149 / £139. Compact wireless and shotgun microphones aimed at run-and-gun creators. They compete in the same space as the mics in our Best USB Microphones in 2026 for Streaming and Podcasting guide, though Joby is a smaller player in audio.
Joby Beamo Mini / Beamo LED lights — from around $39 / £36. Pocketable, magnetic LED lights for on-camera and desktop fill, popular with mobile shooters who want quick, portable lighting.
Joby Swing / phone gimbals — from around $99 / £89. Compact motorized stabilizers for smartphone video, giving smoother handheld footage; they sit alongside the alternatives in our Best Camera Gimbals 2026: Top Picks Compared & Ranked guide, where dedicated gimbal specialists still lead on features.
Joby Vlogging Kits — from around $89 / £79. All-in-one bundles combining a flexible tripod, phone mount and often a light or mic, aimed at creators who want to start shooting immediately without assembling parts separately.
Strengths
Genuinely original, useful design. The GorillaPod solves a real problem no rigid tripod can, and Joby’s mounts and clamps are thoughtfully engineered for phones and compact cameras. This is creativity you can feel.
Portability first. Joby gear is small, light and packable, which is exactly what mobile creators, travelers and vloggers need. It goes in a jacket pocket or the corner of a bag.
Strong mobile ecosystem. Between flexible tripods, phone mounts, lights and mics, Joby offers a coherent creator kit, and the all-in-one bundles make it easy for beginners to get everything at once.
Wide availability and brand trust. As the GorillaPod’s originator, Joby is stocked everywhere and enjoys strong name recognition, so accessories and replacements are easy to find.
Weaknesses & criticisms
Heads and joints can loosen over time. Under heavier cameras, some GorillaPod ball heads and flexible-leg joints gradually lose grip and need re-tightening or wear out, a common long-term complaint.
Undifferentiated newer categories. Joby’s gimbals, lights and mics are capable but rarely class-leading; dedicated specialists like DJI, Zhiyun, RODE and Aputure generally out-feature them in their home turf.
Premium pricing versus copycats. The market is flooded with cheap bendy-tripod clones, and while Joby’s build is better, buyers often question paying a premium over near-identical-looking generics.
Load ratings need respect. Overloading a smaller GorillaPod with too much camera and lens is a frequent cause of sag or failure; the flexible design has real limits that catch out buyers who size down to save money.
Reliability & support
Reliability for Joby’s core flexible tripods is generally good when they’re used within their rated loads. The GorillaPod’s rubberized joints and metal-cored legs hold up well to travel and repeated bending, and the higher-tier 3K and 5K models are noticeably tougher than the lightweight phone versions. The most common long-term issue is ball heads and leg joints losing grip over months of heavy use, which is usually a wear-and-tightening matter rather than an outright break.
Warranty coverage is typically a standard limited warranty, and because Joby sits inside the large Videndum group alongside Manfrotto, it benefits from established distribution and service channels, so replacements and spare mounts are easy to obtain. Customer support experiences are generally positive for a creator-accessory brand, though some buyers report the usual friction of centralized group service. The main reliability advice is simple: buy the GorillaPod rated for your camera’s weight rather than the cheapest one, because sizing down is the single biggest cause of disappointment.
Who should buy Joby
Buy Joby if you’re a phone or compact-camera creator who wants portable, clever supports that go where tripods can’t. It’s the natural pick for vloggers, travelers and streamers who need a flexible tripod (GorillaPod 3K/5K), phone mounts, and quick all-in-one kits. If portability and creative mounting are your priorities, Joby is the original and still the benchmark.
Look elsewhere if you need rock-solid support for a heavy mirrorless-and-lens setup, the smoothest motorized stabilization, or class-leading creator audio. In those cases, cross-shop Manfrotto (same group, sturdier photo/video support), DJI or Zhiyun for gimbals, and RODE for mics. Our Best Camera Gimbals 2026: Top Picks Compared & Ranked guide compares Joby’s stabilizers directly against the dedicated specialists.
FAQ
Is Joby a good brand?
Yes. Joby is the respected originator of the GorillaPod flexible tripod and makes genuinely useful, portable supports, mounts, lights and mics for mobile creators. Its main drawbacks are ball heads that can loosen over time and newer product lines that aren’t class-leading.
Is Joby reliable?
Generally yes, when used within rated loads. The GorillaPod’s joints and legs hold up well to travel and repeated bending, especially the higher-tier 3K and 5K models. The most common issue is heads and joints loosening over heavy use, which is usually wear rather than failure.
Where is Joby from and who owns it?
Joby was founded in 2005 in San Francisco, California, launching the original GorillaPod. It’s now owned by the British-listed Videndum group (formerly the Vitec Group), the same parent that owns Manfrotto and Gitzo, and serves as the group’s creator- and mobile-focused brand.
What is the difference between Joby and Manfrotto?
Both sit in the same group but target different users. Joby focuses on portable, creator- and phone-oriented gear like flexible tripods and mounts, while Manfrotto covers heavier, more traditional photo and video support such as full tripods, fluid heads and studio grip.
Which GorillaPod should I buy?
Match it to your camera’s weight. The 1K/GripTight sizes suit phones and light action cams, the 3K holds most mirrorless bodies, and the 5K is for heavier mirrorless-plus-lens rigs. Sizing down to save money is the top cause of sag and disappointment.
Are Joby gimbals and mics any good?
They’re competent but not category leaders. Joby’s phone gimbals and Wavo mics work well for casual creators, but dedicated specialists like DJI, Zhiyun and RODE generally offer more features and better performance in those specific areas.
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