Smart home gym equipment — connected bikes, treadmills, and more.
Last updated: September 2026
Bike, Tread, Row
Main categories
Monthly sub
Content cost
Space planning
Measure first
Connected home fitness equipment has matured significantly. Whether you want live classes, AI coaching, or simply a reliable cardio machine with a great app, there's now an excellent option at every price point.
Affiliate disclosure — we may earn a commission if you purchase through our links.
Featured review
Connected Smart Bike
Peloton Bike+
The benchmark for connected home fitness. The rotating 24-inch screen, live leaderboard, and depth of the Peloton class library are unmatched. If you are committed to home cardio training, nothing else comes close.
Best overall connected bike. Unmatched class library and community.
The Bike+ is Peloton’s answer to “what if the workout could follow you off the bike too” — a 360-degree rotating screen and auto-adjusting resistance built for anyone who wants their entire workout, not just cardio, run through one machine. Here’s whether that upgrade over the standard Bike is worth roughly $2,500. Quick Specs Price...
iFIT integration with global scenic runs. Commercial functionality at home.
The Commercial 2450 sits at the top of NordicTrack’s Commercial Series — the fastest, most powerful treadmill they make, built for runners who’ll actually use a 14 mph top speed and a 4.25 CHP motor. Here’s whether that headroom is worth the price over the smaller Commercial models. Quick Specs Price ~$2,999 Motor 4.25 CHP,...
Best connected strength machine. AI resistance and form coaching.
Tonal 2 replaces an entire home gym’s worth of plates and dumbbells with a wall-mounted unit and electromagnetic resistance that adjusts by the pound, mid-rep. It’s one of the most genuinely different pieces of equipment in this category — here’s what that difference actually costs, in both dollars and floor space. Quick Specs Price (Tonal...
The industry standard rowing machine. Used by Olympic athletes.
The Concept2 RowErg is the machine Olympic and CrossFit athletes train on — no screens, no subscription, just a flywheel and a chain that turn effort into precisely measurable output. Here’s why it’s still the standard almost every other rower is measured against. Best Cardio Resistance Air, damper 1–10 Monitor PM5, Bluetooth User capacity 500...
This is the highest-commitment category on the site — four figures of equipment, often paired with a monthly membership that carries much of the actual value. Match the machine to your training goal before the brand or the screen size.
Match the Equipment to How You Actually Want to Train
Peloton Bike+ suits cycling-first training with a rotating screen for off-bike classes too. NordicTrack Commercial 2450 suits runners who want real incline/decline terrain simulation and enough top speed for serious interval work. Tonal suits strength-focused training in a small footprint, replacing a full rack-and-plates setup with adaptive digital resistance. Concept2 RowErg suits anyone who wants a genuinely proven cardio machine without any subscription at all.
Subscription Costs Compared
Peloton's All-Access membership runs about $44/month and is close to essential — there's minimal built-in programming without it. NordicTrack's iFit runs $15–39/month and is required for the touchscreen's automatic incline/speed adjustments to work at all. Tonal's $49/month membership is the most binding of the three — without it, you're left with basic manual resistance on a machine that costs several thousand dollars. Concept2's RowErg is the outlier here: zero subscription, ever, and the on-board monitor works fully out of the box.
Space and Installation
Tonal requires professional wall-mounted installation and roughly 7x7 feet of clearance once mounted. The NordicTrack Commercial 2450 folds but is genuinely heavy (over 330 lb) and roughly 6.5 feet long when in use. The Peloton Bike+ and Concept2 RowErg are the most forgiving for tight spaces — the RowErg in particular breaks down for storage in a way none of the others do.
Frequently asked
FAQ
Do I need a monthly subscription for this equipment to be worth buying?
For Peloton and Tonal, effectively yes — the subscription carries most of the value. NordicTrack works in a limited manual mode without iFit. The Concept2 RowErg is the one machine here that's fully capable with no subscription at all.
What's the best connected equipment for a small space?
The Concept2 RowErg — it breaks down for storage in a way no other machine in this category does, and doesn't require the wall clearance Tonal needs or the floor footprint a treadmill takes up.
Do I need professional installation for any of this equipment?
Only Tonal, which requires a scheduled wall-mount installation for safety reasons. The Peloton Bike+, NordicTrack 2450, and Concept2 RowErg can all be set up without a professional visit.
Full library
All Connected Home Equipment Reviews
Every product we've tested in this category, not just the top picks above
