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Home Exercise Equipment Finder

How to buy the best home exercise equipment for all your fitness needs.

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Tim Falk
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Best Home exercise cardio equipment (e.g. Treadmills, Bikes)

Best Rated Home exercise cardio equipment Brand: NordicTrack

NordicTrack's home exercise cardio equipment scored well across the board for quality, features and ease of use. It's also recommended by 93% of Aussies.

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Key facts about comparing home exercise equipment

  • Investing in some home exercise equipment can allow you to work out conveniently in more comfortable surroundings than at a gym.
  • To choose the right equipment, you’ll need to consider your fitness goals, the type of exercise you enjoy doing, the amount of space you have at home and your budget.

Home exercise equipment guides

What are my main options?

There's quite an overwhelming array of home exercise equipment available. In this guide, we're focusing on exercise equipment designed to improve your cardio fitness or provide an overall body workout. Your main options in this category include:

  • Treadmills. Perhaps the best-known piece of exercise equipment, a treadmill lets you run, jog or walk on a moving belt. You can adjust the speed or the incline if you want to increase the intensity of exercise. Find out more in our guide to the best treadmills.
  • Exercise bikes. These indoor cycling machines give you the cardio fitness benefits of riding a bike but without the hassle of having to deal with weather, traffic and other hazards. They come in multiple styles, including upright and recumbent bikes, as well as spin bikes – plus, lycra is optional. Find out more about the pros and cons of these different options in our exercise bike buying guide.
  • Rowing machines. Rowers provide a full-body workout, helping you build muscle strength while also boosting your aerobic fitness. You can adjust the resistance level to suit your workout needs. You can also get machines that fold away if you have limited space. Check out our guide to the top sites to buy rowing machines online if you're ready to start shopping.
  • Elliptical trainers. Also known as cross trainers, elliptical trainers offer a low-impact workout option. Combining exercises such as walking/jogging, cycling, stair climbing and cross-country skiing, these machines target a wide range of muscle groups for a full-body workout while also offering cardio benefits.


There are plenty of other items that you might want to fit out your home gym, including yoga mats, dumbbells, resistance bands, jump ropes, medicine balls and foam rollers. Find out more in our cheap home gym equipment guide. And if you want to do some weight training, a multi-station home gym might be more your style.

How to compare home exercise equipment

There's a lot to consider when choosing home exercise equipment. Be sure to take the following factors into account when comparing your options – they'll help ensure that you end up with the equipment that suits your needs.

Your fitness needs and goals

The most important factor that you need to consider is the fitness goals you want to achieve. Do you want to focus on a particular area of your body, like your stomach? Do you want to improve your muscle strength, boost your cardio fitness or both?

Each piece of equipment offers a unique workout, so research how they can each improve your health and fitness before deciding on what you need.

Size and space

Consider the amount of space you have in your home for exercise equipment. Will the machine you want to buy fit comfortably in the available space without completely dominating the room?

If space is tight, you may need a machine that can fold away for easy storage. It's also worth checking the weight of the machine in case you need to move it around your home.

Assembly and set-up

Find out how easy the machine is to set up. Will it be ready to use straight out of the box or is there some assembly required?

Ease of use

If possible, try the machine out in store to see how easy it is to use. Is it comfortable to use for long periods of time? Are all controls easy to understand and reach? What do you need to do to select a new program or adjust the resistance level? Can it be easily adjusted to suit more than one member of your home, not just in terms of fitness level but also in terms of height/reach? Does it feel sturdy and durable?

Programs

Check how many programs a machine offers to suit different fitness levels. Can you adjust the speed, incline or resistance level to a wide range of settings to provide an easier or more difficult workout as needed?

Workout data

Check what data the machine gathers and displays about your workout, including distance, speed, time, power and calories burnt.

Additional features

The list of extra features available varies, depending on the equipment you buy. On a basic level, these include things like drink bottle holders, book racks and fans to help you keep cool. More advanced features can include HD touchscreens, heart rate monitors, online workouts and real-world running and cycling routes.

  • Weight limit. Check the specs sheet to make sure you don’t exceed the machine’s weight limit. As an example, some cheap treadmills have a maximum weight limit of 100kg.
  • Noise levels. If you want to work out while you (or others in your home) are watching TV, or while other members of your household are asleep, check how noisy the equipment is before you buy it.
  • Warranty. Check the length of the warranty that comes with your machine and what it covers. Will you be covered if the machine breaks down? Is there an extended warranty available for extra peace of mind?
  • Price. As a rough guide, here's an approximate price range for common home exercise machines. Please note that not all machines will fit within the price guide quoted.
    • Treadmills: $300-$4,000
    • Exercise bikes: $200-$3,000
    • Rowing machines: $300-$2,200
    • Elliptical trainers: $250-$3,000


    While a higher price tag doesn't necessarily guarantee a better machine, more expensive options do tend to offer a higher level of quality.

  • Delivery cost. If you’re getting home exercise equipment delivered, remember to include the cost of delivery in your calculations. Exercise machines are often quite heavy pieces of equipment.

How to find home exercise equipment that you'll actually use

Take a stroll around any suburban neighbourhood on kerbside cleanup day and you'll find the streets littered with abandoned exercise bikes, rowing machines and treadmills — all of which no doubt seemed like good purchases at the time.

Many home fitness machines don't come cheap, so you need to be sure that you'll actually use the equipment on a regular basis before you buy it. And while your fitness goals are important, it's just as critical to find a machine that offers a type of exercise that you actually enjoy.

For example, if you hate running with a passion, you're unlikely to get too much use out of a treadmill – despite your best intentions. If you're looking for a low-impact form of exercise that will be easy on your joints, an elliptical trainer or stationary bike might be a good choice.

Personal preference will be a huge factor in your final decision. It's worth trying out similar equipment at a local gym to figure out what really works for you.

3 things to consider

There are a few other factors you should consider before buying any home exercise equipment:

  • Are you better off getting a gym membership? While joining a gym does have its downsides, it also offers several advantages: access to a much wider range of better-quality machines and workout classes, plus tailored advice from trainers and gym staff. Whether or not going to the gym is right for you will vary depending on everything from your budget to how comfortable you feel exercising in a public space. But if you are considering joining a gym, check out our ultimate gym comparison to help find a facility that's right for you.
  • Future-proofing. Remember to consider your current fitness levels as well as your future goals when buying equipment. The right machine for you will not only have programs and workouts to suit your current physical capacity, but also offer more difficult settings that you'll be able to use as your fitness improves.
  • New or used. If you'd like to save money on home exercise equipment, you might want to check listings on sites such as Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and eBay for a bargain. Just make sure to give any equipment a thorough inspection before you buy it to make sure it's in good working order.

Best rated home exercise equipment brand award breakdown

Total Score Overall rating Value for Money Ease of use Features Quality/sturdiness
NordicTrack 8.13 4.47 4.03 4.33 4.47 4.47
Bodyworx 8.1 4.48 4.21 4.42 4.24 4.3
Freeform 8.08 4.39 4.32 4.39 4.29 4.48
Other 7.88 4.33 4.22 4.31 4.18 4.18
Pro-Form 7.87 4.26 4.04 4.35 4.52 4.39
York Fitness 7.77 4.18 4.2 4.42 4.18 4.22
Lifespan 7.42 4.1 3.8 4.12 3.86 3.96
Sole 7.42 4 4 3.78 4.11 4.19
Data: Finder Retail Brand Survey, 2020, Kantar. Metric out of 5 stars unless indicated. Methodology and more info. Kantar logo

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