The 6 Best Ellipticals to Finally Hit Your Stride

At just under $2,000, this elliptical is one of the bigger investments for a home gym (although it is on par with some of the best running treadmills). If you don’t see yourself using this elliptical as your main source of cardio several times a week, a budget pick like the Merach E19 might be more your speed.

The ProForm Carbon E7 Elliptical is another all-encompassing cardio machine with iFit fitness app compatibility, a generous incline and resistance offering, and a small-but-mighty touchscreen.

Our Tester’s Take

The Carbon E7 measures over six feet long and weighs a little over 200 pounds. We wouldn’t say it’s the most compact, but it’s still portable on wheels and packed with customizable features. As a noteworthy bonus, ProForm offers three years of iFit fitness app access (normally $39 a month) with your purchase, so you can still follow along with the interactive programming and trainer-led workouts. Syncing with iFit allows the virtual trainers to automatically adjust the incline and resistance throughout the session for a more dynamic training. The seven-inch screen isn’t that big, but you still have the option to view your trainings with vivid color.

If you prefer to switch up your session manually, flip through 24 resistance levels and up to 20 degrees of incline (in five-degree increments). The 19-inch stride length is also adjustable to create as short or lengthy of a stride as you’d like, which allows for tall and short users to glide with ease. To incorporate a bit of upper body, hold on to the moving handrails, or grip the stationary handrails for a more isolated lower body movement.

Checking every box for price, user-friendliness, and functionality, the Horizon EX-59 is great for beginners. It has everything you need when you’re new to elliptical training: an LCD screen, multiple resistance levels, and Bluetooth capability to play music.

Our Tester’s Take

The Horizon EX-59 is our pick for those who are newer to the elliptical universe. It’s simpler in design (you don’t need an app for this one) and mimics a natural stride with an 18-inch track. Two sets of handlebars—a moving one to involve your upper body and a stationary one to isolate your lower body—also allow you customize your workout.

You won’t get trainer-led sessions from the EX-59, but you can set your phone on the device holder and connect to the Bluetooth speakers to stream workouts from your phone instead. If you don’t want to think too much about picking the right workout for the day, choose from five preset programs. The only downside we see: This is a bulky machine that doesn’t fold, but the front wheels do make it transportable from room to room. The upside is that the price isn’t as steep as others on our list, and we think the functionality is perfect for a beginner.

The Sole E25 is a heavy-duty elliptical that’s ultra user-friendly because Sole called on the help of physical therapists for its design. The footrests are ergonomically designed with an inward slope that’s easy on your knees and ankles.

Our Tester’s Take

If you’re going to be spending a few hours a week on your elliptical, it’s gotta be comfortable. Thanks to the input of physical therapists, the foot rests on the Sole E25 have a two-degree inward slope that takes the load off your ankles and knees. Two sets of handlebars track your heart rate and offer different muscle involvement, whether you’re involving your upper body with the movable handles or isolating your lower body with the stationary ones. The cherry on top—a built-in fan delivers a much-needed breeze after a heart-pumping interval.

The Sole E25 gets back to basics with a simple console that includes two Bluetooth speakers and a USB charging port. You can select from 20 levels of incline and resistance, or choose from five built-in programs. Our testers called out the whisper-quiet motor—ideal for early morning workouts—and the durability of this large-and-in-charge machine. Overall, we’re impressed by the comfort and customization options on this elliptical—especially considering it’s one of the cheaper ones we tested—but if you love a touchscreen and thrive on instructor-led workouts, the Sole E25 is probably a little too no-frills for you.

Bowflex’s Max Trainer M9 is a high-intensity elliptical stepper that fits in your apartment or home gym with room to spare. You can connect to instructor-cued interval training or binge a show on Netflix via the built-in screen.

Our Tester’s Take

Back in the ‘90s, you couldn’t flip a channel without seeing a Bowflex infomercial, and the brand’s cred has stuck around. The Max Trainer M9 is technically a cross between an elliptical and stair stepper (kind of like the NordicTrack Airglide 14i), but it’s about half the size of a traditional elliptical.