8 Best Treadmills for Home | Rigorously Tested Budget to Premium

Amanda we’re looking to get a new treadmill, what’s the best treadmill for home running?

This has become a common refrain among my friends and athletes over the last 15 years as they too begin to realize all the reasons I love having a treadmill at home. And how I’ve now worked hard to test out a ton of options to find what  the best treadmill for home is (because as a running coach, I think it’s a great training tool!)

The treadmill is one of the most versatile cardio machines available, despite being referred to as the ‘dreadmill’ by some.

Whether you have a running goal for this year, like completing your first half or full marathon, or you’re trying to increase your daily step count, a treadmill is an incredible machine that’ll help you hit those goals.

If you’re in the market for the best at home treadmill, it’s important to know what to look for and then the best options you have available to you within your budget and according to what your fitness goals are.

Lucky for you, I’ve tested 75 treadmills (as part of a job) and have run many, many miles on them since I first started running back in 2002. Bonus points because now RTTF has a team of testers who are also using treadmills in their training and adding to the feedback!

Best At Home Treadmills

If you’re considering adding a treadmill to your home gym, we completely understand that it’s a significant investment. Our team has cut through the insane range to come up with the options we think serve the right people at the right price.

• Best Commercial At Home Treadmill – Nordictrack 2450
• Best Overall Running Treadmill for the Price – Nordictrack Commercial 1750
• Best Runner Up At Home Treadmill: ProForm Pro 9000
• Best Integrated Apple Watch, General Training – Bowflex T16
• Best Treadmill Deck for Long Miles- Wahoo KICKR RUN
• Best Treadmill for Integrated Workouts: Peloton Tread
• Best Low Tech (no streaming) Option – Sole F80
• Best Slat Belt Treadmill for Home – SoleT90

8 Best Treadmills for Running at Home

With plenty of options on the market, finding the best home treadmill can be tricky. But here I’m sharing my top 8 picks!

Every single treadmill mentioned here is one I’d recommend to a client or friend, so I’m absolutely sure you’re going to find something that fits your needs. And if you also want something for while you work, checkout these cheaper underdesk treadmills.

Let’s look at each of the 8 best home treadmills one by one:

Best Commercial At Home Treadmill – Nordictrack 2450 ($2,999 on sale for $2,499)

The person who last serviced my C2950 Nordictrack (it’s predecessor) treadmill thought the total number of miles displayed for the lifetime had to be an error…it was not.

My Nordictrack treadmill had well over 16,500 miles since I brought it home in 2013.

In 2021, the NordicTrack Commercial 2450 treadmill was launched with a few upgrades from my original model, including the swivel touchscreen so you can do more classes!

The 22-inch deck of this model glides effortlessly on 2.5-inch precision non-flex rollers, even at greater training speeds, thanks to the motor’s 4.25 continuous horsepower. The base is solid and can easily accommodate varying body weights.The deck’s RunnersFlex cushioning lets you pick between a real road feel and engaging dampers that soften stress on your joints and lessen the risk of injury.

If you’re training for a marathon or just want to keep up with your running schedule during the winter, the true road feel is a fantastic alternative to running outdoors.

Commercial treadmills tend to have a little sturdier build and are made to withstand heavy usage(hence mine has moved 5 times and done many miles). Additionally the motor size on the 2450 makes it ideal if you want to do intervals because of the quick pick up of pace and the auto adjust if you are using iFit workouts will change pace/incline.

Best Overall Running Treadmill for the Price – Nordictrack Commercial 1750 ($2,499 on sale for $1,999)

They’ve gone back and forth with offering this model, but now it seems back to say because they realize it’s a WINNER. You’re getting most of the same features of the 2450, but at a lower price point.

The main difference is the screen size shrinks from 24 inches to 16 inches and the max speed is a little bit lower. But you’re still getting the great horsepower, the great deck and the great decline feature that makes running more like the outdoors.

The 16-inch HD touchscreen display that swivels so you can see it from anywhere in the room (useful for the iFit strength workouts). You won’t find yourself wishing you had a larger screen, even though it may not be nearly as spectacular as the 24-inch display on the NordicTrack C2450 treadmill.

To fine-tune your exercises, it syncs with a heart rate monitor that is offered separately and has tactile buttons along the edges of the display that makes changing the grade and speed simple.

The reason we specifically look at this Commercial series versus some of the lower price points is the durablity and lifespan of the machines. Many of my friends have gone with my recommendation on the 1750 and had it for years with no issues.

Best Runner Up At Home Treadmill: ProForm Pro 9000 ($1,999 on sale for $1,699)

Actually made by the same company as NordicTrack, so you can expect some similarities though I often find the NordicTrack to be just a bit more upscale. But it’s truly a good bang for your buck, especially as they have added a lot of features to this model like iFit.

In the past, ProForm was always considered the more “budget-friendly” version of Nordictrack. Meaning less features, yet a good product. But they are pretty quickly working their way up the price ladder.

I would recommend it over many of the other lower priced versions for those planning to run. You need the strong enough motor to quickly pick up for intervals and not burn out.

I love a decline for some fast LHR runs, but also for training for so many of the big downhill races that are popping up. So that is a drawback for this model.

Originally I had listed the Proform 2000 as a great budget friendly option, because it was $700 less. But they have phased out that model to go with something that’s far more in line with new flashy screens.

If you’re curious to really understand more, checkout Nordictrack vs ProForm Treadmills. I’ll break down what makes them different though they have the same parent company.

Best for General Training, Streaming – Bowflex T16 ($2,299 currently on sale for $1,899)

For those of you who LOVE watching things or listening to timed music, this is all the bells and whistles! Bowflex was one of the first to integrate streaming programs into their touchscreen and have continued to improve on these machines over the last few years.

Right now we think they are doing a LOT of great things at a slightly lower price point. Like connecting to your Apple watch so that you can have ACCURATE data, how fun! Our tester Stevie found that it was really easy to use all the onscreen features and while they don’t have iFit, they do have JRNY for their own digital library of workouts.

We admit it does have a bit of an old school look to it, which is strange because it has a lot of new features like the scroll to change your pace and of course all the integrated features. The reason this one is down the list is because the motor is smaller meaning it won’t as quickly adjust paces for intervals and the deck isn’t quite as good, though we still found it to be really sturdy.

We previously recommended an even higher end version Bowflex 22 which was seriously built like a tank, but it appears they are going to stop selling that model. If you’re willing to go up in price a bit we like the features better, but also…if they are discontinuing why?

Best Treadmill Deck By Far – Wahoo KICKR RUN ($7,000) – Currently 25% off

We know, the price tag on this one is a little alarming. But this is “the treadmill that’s not a treadmill”.

So maybe what we really need is to think of this a little bit different. It’s about the experience you have while training, meaning making it feel a whole lot more like running outside!

The Wahoo gives you a surface similar to running on a hard-packed trail. PLUS, not only can you change the incline and decline from the Wahoo app, you have the ability to turn on the side-to-side tilt feature.

This is terrain mode, which is similar to when you’re running outside and hit a slight dip. It’s a quick little lateral tilt and then right back to level.Another feature that we love (well, after taking a few weeks to get used to it) is the run free mode. If you’ve ever run on a curved treadmill, it’s kinda similar to that, but with a boatload of technology to give you that hands-free, run without thinking about it experience!

There are just so many cool features about this treadmill we could take up this entire blog, so you should just check out our full review of the Wahoo KICKR Run. 

Best Treadmill for Integrated Workouts: Peloton Tread ($3,295)

This used to be one of the more expensive treadmills on our list, but over the years it has come down in price so that it’s more affordable for more homes! We know it’s still a little higher but it’s still a really good machine.

The belt on the Peloton is one of the features that has stood out to many over the years. While the Wahoo now surpasses it, this is still one of the best feeling running decks on the market.

Additionally, we’ve heard from countless runners that they love the entire Peloton system and the classes are what has kept them on track for years.

There is now the Tread+ and the Tread, here we are looking at an older model of the Tread. The new version is going to have a smaller swivel screen

Coach Amanda has actually put together a full comparison of Nordictrack vs Peloton treadmills to give you a better idea of how they work.

Best Low Tech at Home Treadmill – Sole F80 ($1,899)

My first at-home treadmill was a Sole F63! It was 2008 and I absolutely chose it because it was budget friendly, while that one still exists I would go up just a tad to the F80.

Our team recently did a full review of the Sole F89 as their commercial grade option. If you’re someone who is nervous about NordicTrack because of the customer service stories we’ve heard, then absolutely check it out!!

This treadmill is going to have that  more old school look. Chunky console, grey screen, cup holder. And yet, who cares if it gets the job done at a price that feels good! You’ll be letting go of a lot of the streaming options and other Wifi components, but for a lot of you those are things you don’t care about!

It’s going to cover all your bases and they’ve been running some great sales. Like the Sole F 80 is $1599 right now on their site linked above.

Best Slat Belt Treadmill for At Home – Sole T90

All right this one could be debated because our first pick is probably the Peloton Tread+ based on Coach Stacey’s personal experiences, BUT we think that for a few thousand dollars less this Sole is a great option. In fact, this is one of the most affordable slat belt treadmills that is still extremely sturdy.

100% the cost of this machine is around the deck. Many runners find slat belts to be more comfortable and “more like running outside”.

And in theory there should be less maintenance long term than a traditional belt, we’d say that’s been our experience so far with slats but would like to put in more miles. This one we do not have at home, and have only tested in a sample setting.

This machine does have a much smaller motor than most of what we recommend, which is again where you might lean to the $6000 Peloton, but we think it’s going to suffice for the majority of runners. Plus, you can cast your phone screen, so if you want to follow Peloton workouts go for it and save.

As mentioned with a few other models we LOVE the lack of a kick plate which makes the stride more natural, but we really wish this had a decline feature. Again that’s not something everyone will care about, but from coaching a lot of athletes we find it useful for those who will be putting in a lot of training on the treadmill.

Best Curved Treadmill

If this is your jam, check out my detailed post on curved treadmills at home. They are much more expensive and have a few different things to consider when buying. They are not ideal for long-distance running in most cases.

I also break down self-propelled vs motorized treadmills, so you can figure out what’s best for you.

There are tons of at-home treadmills out there and lots of versions even from those brands, but that’s where I’d start if shopping myself. In fact, it is where I started earlier this year!

PART 2: Treadmill Buying Guide – Understanding the Most Important Features.

I listed a few things here, but you’ll get far more details in that article.

And if you know you’re mostly going to be walking, checkout my Budget Treadmills for Under $1000.

What Is The Best Treadmill For Home Use?

As I mentioned above, I’ve tested over 75 treadmills in one day as part of a job, and have been using one or the other since 2002. And that’s how I’ve come up with this list to help you find the best treadmill for home use.

The Nordictrack C1750 which can be had for around $2000 and will LAST forever.

I’ve tested it. I’ve recommended it to many friends who now have it and love it. It’s from a stellar brand, which means it’ll have a long life, it feels stable, and has the features you need without going too crazy.

If that’s all you wanted to know, there you have it. But beyond that treadmills have gone up in price and a lot of that has to do with technology. So you have to decide how important all the streaming features are for your workouts.

Personally the areas that I think are most valuable:

• A great deck – truly the commercial machines have an edge in this and if you are doing decent mileage on the treadmill it will matter
• Decline – not everyone will agree, but if you are trying to mimic outside then decline is going to use your quads differently than just climbing
• Minimum CHP of 3.0 for runners
• Running belt 58 inches or longer, walkers could look for a shorter belt
• Sturdy frame and high quality
• Console that’s easy to use

You can tell we love NordicTrack, so check out our full list of the best NordicTrack treadmills here.

Whewww that’s a lot of information to find the best at home treadmill, but I hope this helped!

A few more of the common treadmill questions I get:

• Why does treadmill running feel harder?
• Treadmill Vs Outside Running
• How to survive long runs on the treadmill?
• Benefits of Treadmill Training
• Treadmill Pace Chart