A practical guide to choosing between treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals, and rowing machines — based on what expert reviewers consistently recommend.
By: Michael Kuzma, Editor-in-Chief
Last Updated: May 2026
Buying a cardio machine is an act of optimism. You’re betting real money that future you will actually use this thing at 6:00 a.m. instead of hitting snooze. The least you can do is make sure you’re betting on the right machine.
The home fitness market has four main cardio contenders: treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals, and rowing machines. They all burn calories. They all improve cardiovascular health. And they all make excellent clothes drying racks if you choose wrong. The difference is in how they feel, what they’re easy (and hard) on, how much space they eat, and whether you’ll still be using one six months from now.
After reading through what sources like Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, Outdoor Gear Lab, and others have to say, the pattern is clear: the best cardio machine is the one you’ll actually use. That sounds like a cop-out, but it’s genuinely the most consistent expert recommendation. So the real question isn’t which machine is best. It’s which machine fits your body, your space, and your likelihood of following through.
Start Here: What Actually Matters to You?
Before you start comparing flywheel weights and subscription fees, answer these four questions. They’ll narrow the field fast.
- Do you have any joint issues? This is the single biggest differentiator. If your knees, hips, or ankles are unhappy, a treadmill’s repetitive impact might make things worse. Ellipticals, bikes, and rowers are all low-impact. If your joints are fine and you enjoy walking or running, a treadmill is the most natural motion for most people.
- How much space do you have? This matters more than most people realize. A non-folding treadmill is basically a piece of furniture. A rowing machine needs clearance behind it for the full stroke. An exercise bike has the smallest footprint of the group. Measure your space before you fall in love with a machine that won’t fit.
- Do you want entertainment or simplicity? Some machines are built around subscription content (Peloton classes, iFIT trails, Hydrow river sessions). Others just have a basic display and let you do your thing. Neither approach is wrong, but the ongoing subscription cost is real, and some machines are borderline useless without one.
- What do you actually enjoy doing? If you hate running, a treadmill won’t fix that. If sitting on a bike seat sounds miserable, an exercise bike isn’t your machine. If the idea of rowing sounds tedious, you won’t row. Pick the motion that feels the least like punishment, because consistency beats intensity every time.
Treadmills
Best for: Walkers, joggers, runners, and anyone whose idea of a good workout involves putting one foot in front of the other.
Treadmills are the most popular home cardio machine for a reason. Walking and running are movements your body already knows, so there’s basically no learning curve. You get on, you pick a speed, and you go. The best ones add incline and decline to simulate hills, cushioned decks to soften the impact, and streaming workouts if you want someone yelling encouragement at you.
They’re also the most versatile in terms of intensity. You can walk at 2 mph while watching TV or sprint intervals at 12 mph. That range means a treadmill can grow with you as your fitness changes, which is not something every machine can say.
The trade-offs are real, though. Treadmills are big. Even the ones that fold still take up a meaningful chunk of a room. They’re heavy, which means wherever you put it is probably where it’s staying. And running is a high-impact activity, so if your knees are already sending you strongly worded letters, a treadmill might not be your best option.
The subscription question is also worth thinking about. Some of the best-reviewed treadmills (looking at you, NordicTrack) are heavily built around their subscription platforms. The hardware is excellent, but the experience feels incomplete without the monthly fee. Others, like the Horizon models, deliberately stay subscription-neutral and let you use whatever app you want. Know which camp you prefer before you buy.
Who should skip them: Anyone with significant joint issues, anyone without dedicated space, or anyone who knows they don’t enjoy walking or running. A treadmill won’t turn you into a runner. It’ll turn into a very expensive shelf.
For specific models and expert consensus picks, see our full Best Treadmills review.
Exercise Bikes
Best for: People who want a solid low-impact workout in the smallest possible footprint.
Exercise bikes are the quiet overachievers of home cardio. They take up less space than anything else on this list, they’re nearly silent, and they deliver a legitimately good cardiovascular workout without beating up your joints. For apartments, shared walls, and small workout spaces, they’re hard to beat on practicality alone.
There are two main styles. Upright bikes feel more like riding a road bike, with you leaning slightly forward. Recumbent bikes have a chair-like seat with back support and pedals out in front. Recumbent bikes are easier on the lower back and great for older users or anyone recovering from an injury, but they’re larger and you can’t stand up to pedal through tough intervals.
The biggest complaint about exercise bikes is that they can feel boring. You’re sitting in one spot, pedaling, staring at a wall. This is where the app ecosystem matters. The best-reviewed bikes are compatible with Peloton, Zwift, and other platforms that add structure and entertainment to the workout. Some people love that. Others just want to pedal while watching Netflix, and that’s equally valid.
One thing worth knowing: you don’t need a Peloton bike to take Peloton classes. Several well-reviewed bikes at lower price points connect to the Peloton app just fine. You lose the integrated leaderboard but keep the workouts, which is where the actual value is.
Who should skip them: Anyone who finds cycling boring and knows that no amount of app content will change that. Also anyone who wants a full-body workout from a single machine (bikes are almost entirely lower body).
For specific models and expert consensus picks, see our full Best Exercise Bikes review.
Elliptical Machines
Best for: People who want a full-body, low-impact workout that splits the difference between a treadmill and a bike.
Ellipticals occupy a weird space in the cardio world. They’re not quite walking, not quite cycling, not quite skiing. They’re their own thing. And that turns out to be an advantage, because the elliptical motion eliminates the impact of running while engaging both your arms and legs in a way that a bike can’t.
For people with joint concerns who still want a weight-bearing workout (as opposed to sitting on a bike), ellipticals are the answer experts recommend most consistently. Your feet never leave the pedals, so the impact is essentially zero, but you’re still standing and moving your full body.
The downsides: ellipticals are big. Often bigger than treadmills, and they don’t fold. The motion can feel unnatural at first, and cheaper ellipticals tend to feel wobbly or jerky in a way that makes you trust them less. Stride length matters a lot too. If you’re tall and the stride is too short, it’ll feel like you’re shuffling rather than striding, and you won’t stick with it.
They’re also the machine most likely to be collecting dust in someone’s basement. That’s not the machine’s fault, necessarily, but it’s worth being honest with yourself about whether the motion appeals to you. If you’ve used one at a gym and liked it, great. If you’ve never tried one, consider testing it out before committing several hundred pounds of non-returnable equipment to your living space.
Who should skip them: Anyone who hasn’t tried an elliptical and isn’t sure they’ll like the motion. Also anyone without a dedicated space, because these things are not small and they’re not going anywhere once assembled.
For specific models and expert consensus picks, see our full Best Elliptical Machines review.
Rowing Machines
Best for: People who want the most complete full-body workout from a single machine and don’t mind learning proper form.
Rowing machines are the dark horse of home cardio. They work more muscle groups than any other machine on this list (legs, back, core, arms, shoulders), they’re low-impact, and the best ones fold up or stand on end for storage. For pure efficiency of workout per minute, rowing is tough to beat.
There are three resistance types, and they feel very different. Air rowers (like the Concept2, which is basically the industry standard) get harder the harder you pull, which feels natural but generates noise. Water rowers use a tank that simulates the feel of actual rowing, plus they sound like a little river in your living room, which is either charming or distracting depending on your personality. Magnetic rowers are nearly silent and tend to be the most affordable, but the resistance can feel less dynamic.
The trade-off with rowing is the learning curve. Unlike walking on a treadmill or pedaling a bike, rowing has a specific technique (legs, back, arms on the drive; arms, back, legs on the recovery), and bad form both reduces the workout quality and risks lower back strain. It’s not hard to learn, but it’s not zero-effort either. A few YouTube videos and a week of practice is usually enough.
Rowing also requires clearance. The rail is about seven feet long, and you need space behind the machine for the full stroke. That said, most rowers fold or stand upright when not in use, which makes their actual storage footprint smaller than a treadmill or elliptical.
Who should skip them: Anyone with existing lower back problems (the hinge motion can aggravate them), anyone who isn’t willing to spend 15 minutes learning proper form, or anyone who knows they need visual entertainment during workouts (rowing demands enough attention that watching a show is harder than on a bike or treadmill).
For specific models and expert consensus picks, see our full Best Rowing Machines review.
Can You Mix and Match?
Yes, and experts frequently recommend it. Using two different machines on alternating days reduces repetitive strain, works different muscle groups, and keeps things from getting stale. If your budget and space allow it, here are the pairings that make the most sense:
Treadmill + rowing machine. Running covers pure cardio endurance. Rowing covers full-body strength and cardio in one. Together, they’re a pretty complete home gym with no weights required.
Exercise bike + rowing machine. Low-impact everything. The bike handles easy recovery days and entertainment-friendly sessions. The rower handles intensity and full-body work. A great pairing for anyone who wants to be kind to their joints.
Treadmill + exercise bike. The treadmill for serious workouts, the bike for easy days or when you just want to pedal and watch something. This is the most common combo in home gyms, and it works because the barrier to getting on a bike is almost zero.
If you’re only buying one machine, though, don’t let the pairing conversation talk you into waiting. One machine you use consistently beats two machines you’re still “planning to set up.”
What Matters Less Than You Think
A few things that marketing departments love but expert reviewers consistently downplay:
Maximum weight capacity as a quality indicator. A 300-pound weight capacity doesn’t mean the machine is better-built than one rated to 275. These numbers are about liability and testing protocols, not structural superiority. Unless you’re near the limit, don’t use this as a comparison point.
Number of resistance levels. 100 resistance levels sounds more impressive than 20, but in practice, most people find a range of 3-4 levels they actually use. Granularity is nice, but it’s not a reason to pick one machine over another.
Built-in workout programs. These are the microwave presets of the fitness world. They exist, they technically work, and almost nobody uses them after the first week. If app integration matters to you, focus on which platforms the machine supports, not how many built-in programs it has.
Subscription content quality. This changes constantly. A platform that’s great today might stagnate next year. Don’t buy a machine primarily because of its content library. Buy it because the hardware is good, the motion feels right, and you’ll use it. The content is a bonus, not the foundation.
For expert consensus picks in each category, including specific model recommendations, trade-offs, and how the major review sources compare, see our detailed reviews: