Finding the time to fit in a run can be quite a chore, especially when the weather is rough and gyms are too busy for your liking. Fortunately, there are a number of incredible at-home workout machines that you can use to help keep your body in shape.
Smart treadmills are an excellent option for interactive fitness from the comfort of your living room, garage, or basement gym. Top-quality treadmills even boast features like smart apps, beautiful HD touchscreens, customizable user profiles, and grade-A designs and durability. If you’re in the market for a smart treadmill, we’ve put together this list of some of our favorite machines you can buy today.
At a glance
- The best smart treadmill: Bowflex Treadmill 22
- The best “budget” smart treadmill: ProForm Pro 2000
- The best full-body smart treadmill: Peloton Tread
- The best smart treadmill for comfort: NordicTrack Commercial 2950
The best smart treadmill: Bowflex Treadmill 22
A long-cherished name in the world of home workouts, Bowflex was sure to rear its head in this roundup. If you’re looking for one of the best smart treadmills that money can buy, with performance and features to match, look no further than the Bowflex Treadmill 22.
From a design standpoint, this machine is built for power and endurance — from its four-horsepower motor to its Comfort Tech cushioning for the toughest runs and heavy-footed joggers. In terms of real estate, the main running strip is 22 inches wide by 60 inches long, providing plenty of sprinting space for most. Overall dimensions of the treadmill are 85 inches front to back, 39.6 inches wide, 70 inches tall, and 336 pounds. It’s a beast, there’s no doubt about it (it can also handle user-weights up to 400 pounds) — so measure twice before you pick up one or have it delivered.
Capable of inclines from -5% to 20% and speeds up to 12 miles per hour, the 22-inch touchscreen console is equipped with all the tech runners need for a fully-customizable workout. Additionally, users get a year free of Bowflex’s JRNY program ($149 value), an interactive workout platform that brings trainer-led courses, fitness tracking, and custom workouts to the equation. Additionally, runners can binge their favorite Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Video shows (JRNY plan required).
Yes, it’s big and the asking price is high, but if you’re looking for durability and intuitive tech, the Bowflex Treadmill 22 is, in our opinion, the best smart treadmill you’ll find today.
The best “budget” smart treadmill: ProForm Pro 2000
For those of us who can’t spare the major dough for some of the higher-priced treadmills on this list, the ProForm Pro 2000 is an excellent option for savvy shoppers — courtesy of the NordicTrack team (ProForm is part of the company’s budget-lineup).
In this case, “budget” doesn’t translate to a lack of really anything. The Pro 2000 has a seven-inch HD touchscreen that connects users to interactive, trainer-led courses, with built-in trackers for speed, distance, estimated calorie burn, and other vital statistics. We also love that every new Pro 2000 purchase comes with a free 30 days of iFit’s Family membership — ProForm’s take on the customized workout experience, allowing up to five individual exercise profiles under one subscription.
The ProForm Pro 2000 can go toe-to-toe with the toughest treadmills on the market. With its 300-pound weight capacity, 12 mph speed cap, -3% to 15% incline, and 22-by-60 inch tread, the Pro 2000 may lack some of the more advanced tech of higher-priced models (no Netflix or Hulu here), but as far as the fundamentals go, the Pro 2000 doesn’t disappoint.
The best full-body smart treadmill: Peloton Tread
Sure, a powerful cardio session is always an essential part of a balanced fitness regime, but what about strength training? That’s where the Peloton Tread comes in. Billed as an all-in-one, full-body trainer, the Tread combines running, strength, yoga, and pedal-to-the-metal boot camp classes for one of the most intense exercise experiences you’ll find with any smart treadmill.
Like many Peloton machines, you can expect to pay a hefty premium: The Tread itself is $2,495 (includes delivery and assembly), and that’s before the $40/monthly All-Access Membership that you’re going to need to access Peloton’s interactive trainer courses. That said, Peloton offers some of the best instructor classes we’ve found, covering every style, duration, and difficulty level both on and off the actual treadmill.
From a design standpoint, the Tread means business in every way, including safety. The interactive 23.8-inch HD touchscreen connects users with their individual profiles, courses, and preferences, but fiddling with speed and incline controls can be a pain mid-run. Thankfully, Peloton decided to assign these controls to a series of easy-to-use side knobs that one can easily and safely access. There’s also a Safety Key that, if detached, will automatically bring the Tread to a halt.
The Peloton Tread is an excellent investment for runners and strength-trainers of all types, but what about the Tread+? In terms of major differences, the Tread+ boasts a 67-inch running belt with advanced padding (59 inches long on the Tread), a bigger touchscreen, and, frame-wise, is much bigger than the standard Tread. It’s also much more expensive — coming in at $4,295. We think that even the most hardcore workout hounds will be plenty-happy with everything offered by the Peloton Tread.
The best smart treadmill for comfort: NordicTrack Commercial 2950
Using a treadmill at home can feel a lot like hitting the actual pavement for a morning run. The wear and tear on your joints can become an all-too-real pain that can deter you from exercising in the first place. Most treadmill designs take this into consideration with things like cushioning and shock absorption, but some models are better than others. In our opinion, the NordicTrack Commercial 2950 is the absolute best when it comes to safeguarding our bones and muscles.
Featuring 2.5-inch nonflex rollers for zero-friction movement, even at top run-speeds, along with RunnersFlex cushioning with customizable surface styles (from actual pavement to ultra-padded footfalls), and hassle-free automatic speed and incline adjustments during live workouts, the Commercial 2950 has your safety, comfort, and endurance in mind at every stage of your workout.
This smart treadmill also provides fantastic immersive visuals. The 22-inch HD touchscreen is your portal to instructor-led workouts, simulated locale running (sprint across the shores of Maui), and all user preferences. New purchases also come with a free 30 days of the iFit Family Membership, allowing up to five users to create and manage their own individual workout profiles.
Rounded out by a 4.25 horsepower motor, a 22-inch deck, a 300-pound weight capacity, and enhanced Wi-Fi and Bluetooth performance compared to previous NordicTrack machines, the NordicTrack Commercial 2950 is certainly one of the more expensive offerings on this list (retailing for $2,800), but the machine delivers across the board in design, comfort, features, and reliability.
Are smart treadmills worth it?
Absolutely. Smart treadmills may be a hefty upfront investment, but the net benefits are incredible, whether you’re just getting started with exercising or have been running for years. Smart treadmills offer a safer and more comfortable way to hit the pavement, allowing you to stay indoors when the weather is too hot, cold, rainy, or snowy.
Not to mention, one of the biggest draws of most smart treadmills is the ability to engage in interactive, instructor-led workouts. In a way, it’s just like an at-the-gym training session, minus the proliferation of other gym-goers.
What is the best smart treadmill?
While the market for smart treadmills is always growing and changing, right now, we believe the best smart treadmill you can buy is the mighty Bowflex Treadmill 22. Combining smart features, intuitive workout regimes, and powerful performance and comfort tech, the Treadmill 22 is built to last.
What treadmill can I watch Netflix on?
You can stream movies and TV shows from a number of different smart treadmills. It just so happens that our top-pick of this roundup, the Bowflex Treadmill 22, has built-in support for Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Video (JRNY subscription required).
If the Treadmill 22 isn’t to your liking though, there are plenty of other treadmills that can access content from a number of our favorite streaming platforms.
