Retrofit or built-in swim jet: what each way really costs
Prices and specs read Nov 4, 2026. Sources listed at the bottom.
If your pool is already built, you're choosing between a clamp-on jet and a drilled-in retrofit. A built-in system only makes sense if you're building a new pool or tearing up an old one, and it costs several times more.
The three ways, and what they cost
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Type | How it goes in | All-in cost, per iGarden's blog | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clamp-on (portable) | Hangs on the edge. Battery powered. No tools. | $2,000 to $6,000 | Needs a solid edge and a charging routine. Less top-end flow than a plumbed system. |
| Retrofit (drilled-in) | Bolts to the edge or wall. Plugs into house power. No plumbing changes. | $4,000 to $12,000 | Drilling, plus electrical work near water. Edge must be at least 18.7 in wide. |
| Built-in | Plumbed into the pool shell during construction. Pump in the equipment area. | $10,000 to $30,000 or more | Only practical during a build or major remodel. Can't be moved later. |
Those cost ranges are from iGarden's own blog, which gives no sources for them. They're what a seller says, not a survey of installers.
A second price, from a competitor
BADU, a swim jet maker owned by Speck Pumps, says adding its Inspiration jet to an existing pool runs $3,500 to $4,000 depending on installation. It puts new-pool systems at $2,500 and up, and complete swim spas at $15,000 to over $20,000. That's also marketing, and it covers different products, but it lands in the same range as iGarden's retrofit figure.
The arithmetic on a drilled-in retrofit
iGarden's P Series runs about $2,000 to $4,000 for the jet on its store (Nov 4, 2026). Its install guide quotes $500 to $2,000 for mounting and electrical work. Added together, that's roughly $2,500 to $6,000 before any deck repair or extra wiring. That comes in under iGarden's own $4,000 to $12,000 retrofit range. The gap may be wire runs and deck work, but no source says so.
Running cost
iGarden estimates $30 to $60 a month to run a high-output fixed system an hour a day, and says portable units swap that for charging. No independent figure turned up.
Which one, for which situation
- Above-ground pool: clamp-on. See the above-ground page.
- In-ground pool, and you don't want holes in the deck: clamp-on, as long as the edge is solid and under 4 inches of overhang.
- In-ground pool, you plan to stay and want maximum flow: the P Series is iGarden's pick. See the in-ground page.
- Building or resurfacing the pool anyway: that's when built-in is worth a quote.
One more point from iGarden's in-ground guide: the return jets that circulate your pool water can't produce a swimmable current. Don't count them as a free version of this.
A fair warning about this page
The only maker linked on this site is iGarden, through plain links that pay nothing. That doesn't change what the table says, but it does mean you're not seeing iGarden compared against a pile of rivals. Get one outside quote from a local pool installer before you spend four figures.
Sources
All read Nov 4, 2026. iGarden in-ground guide (cost ranges, install types, return jets), buying guide (running cost), install guide (labor), P Series store page (prices). BADU: swim jets vs swim spas. The sum of equipment and labor is this site's arithmetic from those numbers.