Abstract This paper presents an ultra-low frequency vibration energy harvester using a zigzag piezoelectric spring oscillator, which consists of two piezoelectric zigzag springs and a rolling metal ball. The metal ball rolls and drives the piezoelectric springs to deform to harvest energy when a slight vibration occurs in the external environment. The natural frequency of zigzag spring oscillator piezoelectric energy harvester (ZSO-PEH) is related to the length of the spring and the weight of the ball, correlation analysis is carried out by theoretical derivation and ANSYS simulation. It is found experimentally that the proposed device offers efficient energy output in ultra-low frequency excitation. A maximum output power of 5.68 mW is achieved under the best matching resistance of 5.1 k Ω at the excitation frequency of 3 Hz. The performance of energy harvester can be optimized by adjusting the length of the spring and the mass of the ball. The results show that the proposed piezoelectric energy harvester has the potential to power low-power electronic devices and wireless sensor nodes.