While some of us have heard the cliche that you shouldn’t try to build a better mousetrap, we’ve studied the mousetrap options to bring you the best mouse trap on the market today. Luckily for anyone dealing with a rodent problem or just too many mice, in general, it seems like some folks have indeed gone and built a better mousetrap.
Our top pick, the Authenzo Mouse Trap, is made of hygienic washable polystyrene and features a way of protecting your fingers, too. Sometimes you may not have mice in your home but rather on your lawn, garden area, and these traps work just as well outside as they do inside.
Top 7 Best Mousetraps Compared
#1 Acmind Mouse Trap
Award: Honorable Mention
WHY WE LIKE IT: This better mouse trap has a wide stainless steel claw, a strong spring and a detachable bait cup that makes it easier to set. It’s great for people who want a simple, poison-free rodent control solution in basements and other indoor areas.
- Strong, durable stainless steel claw
- .03 pounds (13.6 grams about) even more sensitive than our top pick
- Strong enough to kill mice quickly
- Bait cup requires 1 extra step to prepare
- Not for use in areas where cats and dogs or children may play
- Plastic base makes it less than ideal for outdoor use
This mousetrap has an even more sensitive trigger than our top pick, requiring only .03 pounds or 13.6 grams of force to spring it. It also benefits from an updated “claw” shaped catch. It features a strong stainless steel spring and a plastic base. It also has a detachable bait cup that you can fill separately with something like peanut butter or jam and then place in the trap.
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Due to the design of the bait and spring mechanism it is a little more sensitive to placement than the Authenzo, our top pick, and a little less forceful, but it kills mice just as quickly thanks to the sharper edges of its claw design. Comes with 6 traps in a pack. With the mice taken care of, you can go ride the best riding lawn mower and get work done.
#2 Catcha 2 Piece Smart Humane Trap
Award: Best Humane
WHY WE LIKE IT: This traps spring loaded design is effective and humane, trapping mice and rats without injury. This reliable and no-kill solution is ideal for anyone looking to remove small rodents from indoor areas without killing them.
- Lets you trap mice and rats humanely without touching them
- Smooth, non-porous plastic construction makes it easy to clean and reuse
- Humane-society approved, poison and injury free rodent removal
- Only two in a pack as opposed to six as is typical with spring-loaded mouse traps
- Requires a little more effort than kill traps (but avoids the mess)
- You have to do something with the rodents once you’ve caught them
This Catcha mouse trap is a highly effective, spring loaded humane trap that lets you catch mice and rats without injuring them. A humane-society approved, poison-free method of rodent control, these traps are also much safer if you have pets or small children, as they reduce the risk of injury from traditional mouse traps.
Made of washable plastic, they’re sanitary to use since you don’t have to touch the mice when capturing or releasing them. At 2.7 inches wide by 4.9 inches long and 3.5 inches tall, they’re on the small side for catching New York subway style rats, but are the ideal size for mice and dwarf wood rats. Another great home item that is more fun to think about is the best portable grill.
#3 CaptSure No-Kill Traps
Award: Best Humane for Rats
WHY WE LIKE IT: A no-kill trap that’s proven effective and is large enough for rats. It’s great for anyone looking for a humane and pet-safe way to trap rodents indoors or in garden and garage areas.
- Compatible for indoor/ outdoor use
- At 7 x 20 inches, it’s large enough for rats, too
- Trapdoor mechanism designed to prevent accidents
- Its size, larger than any other trap on our list, may make it inconvenient indoors
- Its size, larger than any other trap on our list, may make it inconvenient indoors
- More expensive than our #3 pick, the Catcha
While some capturing no-kill traps, like our #3 pick, the Catcha, are limited by their overall dimensions so that they can’t effectively trap larger rats and other rodents, the CaptSure is up for the task. At 20” in length and a full 7” wide, it has enough room to catch even well-fed big city rats. Like the smaller Catcha (our #3 pick) this CaptSure mouse trap is made of a hygienic, easy to clean plastic and its enclosed design means you don’t have to have any physical contact with the captured rodents. Once you’re ready to release them you can safely open the door while keeping your hands far from the opening. That is as handy as the 6 best personal finance software for Mac list that we have.
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The CaptSure is a little more expensive than our # 3 pick and its size might be a limitation for some indoor spaces. But if you’re not sure what kind of rodents are the problem, the larger CaptSure is a safer bet than smaller traps.
#4 Tomcat Glue Traps
Award: Best Glue
WHY WE LIKE IT: An effective, space-efficient and inexpensive way to catch mice that has the added benefit of catching insects, too. It’s great for people with limited space to set up other traps and might want to have an added line of defense against rodent pests in areas like an RV or a garage.
- Poison free and safer around kids than snap-type traps
- Also catches insects and scorpions
- Easy to set up in crevices
- Must be checked often, as it painfully traps but doesn’t kill rodents
- Unlike snap-traps such as the Authenzo (our Top Pick) glue traps aren’t reusable
- May not be large enough for rats
These glue traps are effective at catching not only mice but roaches and other small household vermin. Significantly less expensive than the trapdoor-style humane traps and the 6-packs of snap closure traps, like our honorable mention, Acmind mouse trap, the glue traps work just as well for trapping mice. They offer the added benefit of trapping bugs like roaches and silverfish, too.
Some potential drawbacks of the glue traps include the need to dispatch the mice once they’re caught. However, depending on your preferences, there are some easier ways than others. Adding a peanut or linseed oil-based solvent can loosen the glue sufficiently for mice to get away, though whether this is safe for the little critters is debatable. Otherwise, you may have to drown, bludgeon or freeze any mice that get caught.
#5 Trapper Max Glue Trap
Award: Best Glue Trap for Pets
WHY WE LIKE IT: An inexpensive, non-toxic glue trap that can be folded up to make it safer around pets. It’s great for pet owners and people who want to catch household vermin with minimal risk to dogs and kids.
- Non-toxic glue formula
- Can be used either laid out flat or folded up
- Boards are peanut butter scented
- Leaves the freeing or killing of any caught rodents up to you
- Less glue area than the Tomcat (our #5 pick)
- Generally safe for kids and dogs but cats’ paws may get stuck
The Trapper Max glue trap has the benefit, over other glue traps such as our # 5 pick, the Tomcat, that it can either be set flat so that it can fit in smaller crevasses or more fully block points of access or alternatively it can be set folded up, making it safer and helping to keep pets or humans from accidentally stepping on it.
The Trapper Max promises non-toxic glue. The traps come pre-scented as well, so that they may work even if you don’t want to add bait. As with other glue traps, they also capture insects and other small creatures like silverfish, spiders, mites and scorpions.
#6 Victor M154 Mouse Trap
We’re sorry, this product is temporarily out of stock
Award: Classic, Trusted Design
WHY WE LIKE IT: The original, this classic wood and steel spring design is still one of the most reliable ways to get rid of rodents. It’s great for people who want to keep rodents out of living or work spaces and don’t want any poison or glue around.
- Inexpensive, at less than ten dollars for a 12-pack
- Kills rodents quickly and more humanely than leaving them stuck to glue
- Original, proven design with no chemicals needed
- Less washable or reusable than more modern spring-traps such as our top pick, the Authenzo
- Kills mice very quickly but less humane for large rats
- Some risk of accidental finger pinching when setting it
This product is more or less the reason why it became a long-running joke in the first place that no one could design a “better mousetrap.” The basic standard in mouse traps, this wood and stainless s steel spring design kills mice quickly and automatically, so it’s less work for you than with glue traps like our # 5 pick, the Tomcat.
The Victor M154 mouse-trap is also safer for pets than leaving poison around, and it provides a more humane kill for mice than is likely to result from a glue trap. It’s also the most cost-effective mouse trap on our list. Unlike our top pick, the Authenzo mouse trap, this version isn’t designed to be reusable.
If you’re interested in purchasing an electronic mouse trap, you could also take a look at the Victor Electronic Mouse Trap for instant and humane pest control. This electronic mouse trap uses a high voltage electric shock ensuring the mice are killed quickly without the need for poison or toxic chemicals.
#7 Authenzo Mouse Trap SX-5006
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Award: Top Pick
WHY WE LIKE IT: Easy to clean, reusable and finger-safe, plus a 15-gram trigger, the most sensitive on our list. It’s great for those looking to deal with a residential or household mouse problem without using poison.
- 15-gram trigger catches mice as well as rats
- Finger-safe bait setting mechanism
- Promises 50% more force than other traps
- Plastic may be less suitable for outdoor use
- More expensive than disposable traps
- Kills rather than capturing
Authenzo has built a better mouse trap without “reinventing the wheel.” Rather, their spring loaded design is a refinement of the age-old traditional mouse trap, famous from Looney Toons even if some of us have never seen one in real life. Unlike those cartoon mouse-traps, the Authenzo 5006 is made of easily sanitized ABS plastic and stainless steel. It comes in a pack of six.
It includes a bait-setting lever so you don’t have to put your fingers in harm’s way. It snaps shut when triggered with only 15 grams, meaning it works for small mice as well as rats. It also has a claimed 50% stronger spring than other mouse traps. While any spring loaded trap poses some risk for dog and cat paws, it’s much safer than poison traps. Now you can concentrate on the best charcoal grill and that steak.
How We Decided
We looked at the considerations for rodent control devices based on safety for humans and pets, ease of use and proven effectiveness at removing mice or rats. We included models that offered either six or more traps in a pack or at least two reusable traps. We also limited our search to traps that are non-toxic and contain no poison.
We included stand out models in spring-loaded traps like the Authenzo mouse trap, our Top Pick, as well as humane catch-and-release traps, such as the effective trap door models from Catcha (our #3 pick) and the large, indoor/ outdoor trap from CaptSure. We also included glue-based traps, since there are some areas, such as very tight molding crevasses and near the vents of RVs and converted garages, where they may work best.
Whatever trap you decide to buy, it’s always a good idea to look for deals and bundles online. Some sites, such as Amazon.com, will offer free shipping on a variety of different products.
Buying Guide
The Most Important Features
- Type of mouse-trapping mechanism
The best mouse traps feature either a spring-loaded snap mechanism, a spring-loaded trap door enclosure or a very sticky glue. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Snap traps are the least expensive per trap and they can kill mice quickly. Glue traps also trap bugs and other pests, and trap door-style capturing traps are more humane and don’t kill or injure the rodents. - Bait Holder
In order to be effective, a mousetrap has to have some secure way of holding a piece of food so that the mouse actually springs the trap when trying to get to the food. Some traps additionally use scented materials, as with our #6 pick, the Trapper Max glue trap. In theory, this means you don’t need bait, but some people add cheese or bread anyway. - Best Mousetraps
A trap’s size is important because it must be small enough to fit in crevasses where mice and rats prefer to move, yet large enough to effectively trap rodents. Our # 4 pick, the CaptSure, is the largest trap on our list and it works well for rats and may even catch squirrels and gophers. Our #2 pick, the Acmind mouse trap, is small enough to fit in out of the way crevasses.
