From High-Tech To Budget-Conscious: Best Treadmills (2023)

By Lauren Strong

Treadmills are one of the most popular pieces of cardio equipment that you can buy for your home and there are numerous brands and tech options to choose from.

From interactive programming that pairs you with live classes and leaderboards, to standard treadmills with a few key features that track time, distance, and monitor heart rate: It’s all about choosing what works best for you and what you’ll use consistently.

Whether you plan to walk, jog, or run, investing in a treadmill can help you burn calories, stay active on your rest days, and even keep pain at bay. Whatever your fitness goals, it’s time to lace up those running shoes and rack up some miles—ahead, our top picks for the best treadmills at various price points.

The NordicTrack Commercial 1750 is a monstrous home treadmill, weighing in at 340 pounds. This is the kind of equipment you’ll want help with unboxing and assembling. Once the treadmill is together, this heavy-duty design offers some serious benefits for the avid runner. On this NordicTrack treadmill, you will experience minimal feedback underfoot with a solid running surface that doesn’t shake under high speeds and offers smooth transitions from incline to decline. The running deck offers ample space for runners of all shapes and sizes at 22 inches wide and 60 inches long.

One of the selling features on this high-end tread is the 14-inch HD touchscreen and free 30-day trial of iFIT interactive programming with on-demand workouts. The downside to iFIT is it requires a monthly subscription—for an individual subscription, it’s $15 per month and for a family plan, it’s $39 per month. Although the iFIT subscription is optional, we think it’s worth the price for the personal trainer-led live workouts and on-demand training programs.

The AssaultRunner Elite is an athlete-powered treadmill for the serious runner. The Elite features a curved, non-motorized slat belt that is made up of 62 individual rubberized slats versus a single, continuous motorized treadmill belt. This slat belt sits on 100 ball bearings and 12 roller guides that line the running deck’s surface to provide a smooth experience. A lifetime warranty on the belt gives you peace of mind when purchasing a $4,000 treadmill. Additionally, there is a 10-year warranty on the frame, 3-year warranty for non-wear parts, and 1-year warranty for parts and labor.

With the high price tag, you will find a solid build and durable materials (like the internal powder-coated steel frame) but you will not find high-tech features. The Elite operates with a LCD screen powered by four AA batteries. The console is simple but packs just enough punch by featuring rest and work lights for interval training, in addition to target and heart rate programs. The console also allows you to connect via Bluetooth or ANT+ to your own personal apps for your heart rate, mileage, and other metrics.

The Echelon Fitness Stride is a small but mighty treadmill if you’re a walker or casual runner. This treadmill is ideal if you’re looking to get started with interactive programming for a price that won’t cost you several thousand dollars. You will need your own device if you plan on using the Echelon Premier interactive programming for live and on-demand classes. There are different pricing options for the app, but they won't cost more than $40 per month.

The Stride features patented auto-folding technology that makes folding up this treadmill as easy as a swift tap of your foot. When the auto-fold completes, it sits 10 inches high with wheels so you can roll it right out of sight. This self-folding treadmill and small footprint comes with a few drawbacks—a short running deck and 1.75 continuous-duty horsepower (CHP) motor, which is below average compared to the industry-standard 2.5 CHP motor. It should also be noted that the Stride comes with a limited parts and labor one-year warranty.

When you think of smart treadmills, you probably think of the Peloton Tread. You wouldn’t be alone in that, since Peloton has become the epitome of smart cardio equipment. However, you’ll be glad to learn that you don’t have to purchase an uber-expensive treadmill to get lots of smart features. Enter: the Proform Pro 9000, which boasts a 22-inch HD monitor, iFIT compatibility, and a top speed of 12 MPH.

One thing we really like about the Pro 9000 is its decline and incline settings: This quality treadmill has a decline grade of 3% and a max incline grade of 12%, so you can train as if you’re running outside. At about $1,800, the Pro 9000 is still pricey, but its rich suite of features makes it worth it.

The Sole Fitness F63, although basic, has a few features that might surprise you for the $1,000 price tag. The Sole F63 is 254 pounds, which is fairly lightweight as far as treadmills go, yet has an impressive weight capacity of 325 pounds. Although it’s fairly low-tech compared to new treadmills on the market, it does feature Bluetooth connectivity for the built-in speaker, integrated tablet holder, and charging ports.

This treadmill comes with 10 preset programs that you can select from the basic LCD screen: manual, hill, cardio, strength, and heart rate options, which are trackable with the included chest strap heart rate monitor so you can get an accurate reading.

The 3.0 CHP motor allows you to run fast and reach a max speed of 12 mph. Some users find the treadmill can get shaky during vigorous running bouts. However, for the overall price tag, the Sole F63 is a great value piece of fitness equipment.

The LifePro Pacer is a budget-friendly and space-saving option for your home gym with a reasonable $750 price tag, and measures less than 5 feet long and 3 feet wide with a lifetime warranty. If you’re not looking for a fancy, high-tech treadmill, this straightforward machine can satisfy with 36 preset programs to choose from, a simple LCD screen, and built-in speakers with Bluetooth connectivity.

However, if you are tall or have a long stride, be warned that this running deck is short for industry standards at 49 inches long. The 1.75 CHP motor is less powerful than other treadmills on the market and the 220 pound weight limit is low, plus there’s a recommended height capacity of 5 feet, 11 inches. However, for the under-$800 price range, this is a good buy. Although the Pacer doesn’t fold flat, the hydraulic folding mechanism makes it easy to fold the deck vertically and store it in an upright position.

The Sunny Health & Fitness (SF-T4400) treadmill will work well for anyone seeking a space-saving, lightweight, and portable cardio machine for walking or light jogging. The 2.2 CHP motor lacks the power for vigorous running; however, if you’re shopping for a treadmill simply to get your steps in and don’t want to spend a ton of money, this is a good option, as it’s priced under $500. A drawback from the low up-front price is a rather short three-year warranty on the frame and 180-day warranty on the parts.

The small running deck and low weight limit of 220 pounds won’t make this an ideal treadmill for all users. However, for walking (or light jogging), this treadmill gets the job done. It has three manual levels of incline, the maximum reaching a 5% grade, which is not comparable to industry standards of 10% but is sufficient for the casual walker. The easy folding mechanism with a soft-drop system controls the rate it unfolds and makes it remarkably quiet to boot.

The Horizon Fitness 7.4 AT Studio Tread is a cardio machine that offers a long, commercial-sized running deck and a weight limit of 350 pounds to accommodate most runners. It not only offers a sizable place to run, but cushioning to reduce the impact of running by 30% compared to road running. Horizon’s proprietary cushioning technology features three different zones on the deck: the impact zone in the front gives you the most flex, followed by a neutral transition zone in the middle, and the push-off zone which is the firmest part of the deck.

The 7.4 AT model has unique QuickDial controls—two rolling dials located on a pair of upright stationary handles below the monitor to quickly turn up the speed or incline with a flick of your thumb. Although this treadmill doesn’t have live or on-demand workouts built in, the QuickDial feature makes it super easy to adjust incline levels and speed as you follow along and use your favorite app (on your own device) to stream an interval or hill climb workout.

The UREVO 2-in-1 Treadmill is compact and versatile, sporting a small frame that folds down for easy storage (under the bed, in a closet, etc.) or under your desk to walk while you work. The UREVO comes with a remote control that allows you to increase or decrease the speed of the belt while the frame is folded down for under-desk use. In this mode, the UREVO can go up to 3.8 MPH, when the frame is in the upright position it reaches 7.6 MPH.

It has a small running deck of 42.9 inches, but the 2.2 CHP motor can handle a running pace as long as you’re mindful of your stride. If you’re a tall person, running on the UREVO won’t be ideal. Although the UREVO is branded as 2-in-1, you’ll likely get the most use out of this treadmill if you purchase it with the intent of using it under your desk during the work day.

Benefits of Treadmills

Bringing a treadmill into your home provides a variety of health benefits for you and everyone you live with. Here are just a few:

• • Cardiovascular health: Using your treadmill on a regular basis can help you work your heart just as much as it works your legs. Cardiovascular exercise encourages your heart to be more efficient at pumping blood to the whole body. The American Heart Association suggests that aerobic activity can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
• • Cardio endurance: Treadmill workouts can range from steady-state cardio to high-intensity interval training (HIIT); both styles of training benefit your endurance when you train with regularity.
• • Shock absorption: Treadmills offer more shock absorption than running on gravel, pavement, and even your local track. This means your ankles, knees, and hips may not take so much impact compared to outdoor running.
• • Incline control: You’re in control of the grade of your workout, from hill climbs to more gradual slopes, or no incline at all. This helps you progress on your own terms and allows you to keep making treadmill workouts more difficult over time.
• • Pace control: It can be tough to maintain a steady pace when running outside. On a treadmill, that’s not a concern, since you can pick a pace with the push of a button.
• • Conveniences: Water bottle holders, fans, speakers, and other nice-to-haves can make your running workouts more enjoyable.
• • Time and weather independent: Indoors, your treadmill stays dry, temperate, and always ready regardless of what’s happening outside or the time of day–even when it gets dark at 4 p.m. in the middle of winter.

How We Chose the Best Treadmills

Our roster of product testers includes Certified Personal Trainers, Functional Training Specialists, CrossFit-L1 trainers, Health Coaches, and Corrective Exercise Specialists. Not to mention, our team is composed of everyday fitness enthusiasts, cardio extraordinaires, and competitive athletes. We spent months upon months researching treadmills, ordering them, and testing them hands-on.

What to Look for in a Treadmill

With so many treadmills on the market, it can be difficult to understand which features to keep an eye out for while comparison shopping. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Space Requirements

Before you buy, you’re going to need to compare the measurements of your desired treadmill to the space you have planned for it—bonus points if you use masking tape to visualize the footprint in your space. If space is a concern, there are numerous folding and even compact options that will work for small areas, but you can’t expect commercial-grade running performance from a space-saving cardio machine.

Running Deck

The length of a treadmill running deck gives you information to discern if it can fit your needs. Oftentimes, a short running deck works well for those who plan to mostly walk on the treadmill because when you walk, you leave one foot on the deck at all times, creating shorter strides than running. If you’re a tall person and plan to run on your treadmill, look for a running deck between 55 to 60 inches long.

Weight Capacity

How much weight a treadmill can tolerate is important for both your safety and for the other people who share your home, who might (frequently or infrequently) also use said treadmill. If you plan to add weight to your walks or runs by rucking or a farmer’s carry, you’ll need to make sure your treadmill can tolerate the added weight.

Workout Programming and App Compatibility

Keep in mind what kind of program capabilities your machine offers if you plan to do some serious miles on the treadmill. Things will get mundane really fast if every treadmill session pans out the same as the last. Preset programs are helpful to change the pace, incline, and overall difficulty of your workouts. Going a step further, when your treadmill has online program capabilities, you’ll have access to an even greater number of programs, some even being on-demand, putting you in front of your own coach.

Warranty

When you’ve found a treadmill that works for your needs, budget, and the space in your home, it’s worth looking at the warranty as well. Treadmills are machines with multiple moving parts and a warranty can give you some peace of mind that your investment won’t turn into a lemon.