Horizon 7.0 AT vs 7.4 AT: $500 buys belt width and warranty, not speed

Buy the Horizon 7.0 AT if you’re under 6 ft and under about 250 lb. Buy the Horizon 7.4 AT if you’re taller or heavier, or someone in the house is. The two share a 76-inch frame, a 15% incline, a 12 mph top speed, Horizon’s dial controls and a console that needs no subscription. What the 7.4 AT adds is a 22-inch belt instead of 20, a 3.5 CHP motor instead of 3.0, a 350 lb rating instead of 325, and two more years of parts cover. At typical prices of $999 to $1,399 for the 7.0 AT and $1,499 to $1,999 for the 7.4 AT at time of writing, that’s about $500.

We haven’t bench-tested either one yet, so this comparison runs on the published specs; we’ll add measured noise and power after our bench test.

Belt width and weight rating

Both belts are 60 inches long, which is enough for a full running stride. The difference is width. A runner under 6 ft who lands straight won’t think twice about 20 inches. A runner over 6 ft, or anyone whose form drifts late in a hard interval, will use the extra inch on each side of the 7.4 AT. It’s the margin between a clean landing and clipping the side rail.

The ratings follow the belts: 325 lb on the 7.0 AT, 350 lb on the 7.4 AT. We like 50 lb of headroom above the heaviest runner, which puts the practical running limits around 275 lb and 300 lb. Past 300 lb we’d look at the Horizon 7.8 AT, rated to 375 lb, or the 400 lb frames on our heavy-duty treadmills page.

Motor: 3.0 CHP vs 3.5 CHP

The 7.0 AT’s 3.0 CHP motor has the headroom to hold 10 mph, which is why it’s our interval pick under $1,500. The 7.4 AT’s 3.5 CHP has more again. You’d notice that with daily mileage, or with a heavier runner at speed. A walker, or someone running three days a week, won’t feel a difference.

Same console, and that’s a good thing

Both use an LED console with Bluetooth, and the 7.0 AT lists a tablet rack. Both have Horizon’s dials: one roller for speed, one for incline. They change a setting faster than any button console we know of, and they’re the reason interval runners keep asking us about these two. There’s no touchscreen, no required app and nothing that stops working when a membership lapses. You stream whatever you like on the tablet you already own.

If you want a built-in screen, the Sole F80 has a 10.1 in touchscreen at the 7.4 AT’s price, also with no subscription. Our treadmills without a subscription page puts the Horizons next to the Soles.

Footprint and fold

Both are 76 inches long open, which is short for a 60-inch belt and one reason we like them in a spare room. The 7.0 AT is 36 in wide and 59 in tall; the 7.4 AT is 37 in wide and 63 in tall. The 7.0 AT folds to 45 x 36 x 68 in and weighs 277 lb. Horizon doesn’t publish a folded size or a machine weight for the 7.4 AT that we can cite, so we’ll tape it on arrival. Both are on our folding treadmills list.

Warranty and price

Both have a lifetime frame and motor warranty. The 7.0 AT covers parts for 3 years and labor for 1. The 7.4 AT covers parts for 5 years and labor for 2. On a treadmill that runs most days, that’s a real share of what the $500 buys, because the belt, deck and controller are the parts that tend to fail in years three to five.

Horizon’s sale prices move a lot, so check the retailer before you buy. At 7.0 AT money, the Sole F63 is the other 20 x 60 in belt with a lifetime motor warranty and a 15% incline, with buttons instead of dials. At 7.4 AT money, the F80 is the direct rival, with a 22-inch belt, a 3.5 HP motor and that touchscreen.

Which one we’d buy

The 7.0 AT, for most people who ask. An interval runner under 6 ft and under 250 lb gets the dials, the 15% incline, a 3.0 CHP motor and a lifetime frame and motor warranty for well under $1,500, and we don’t know a better interval treadmill at that price. We’d move to the 7.4 AT for a runner over 6 ft, anyone over 250 lb, or a house where two people run every day. The 22-inch belt, 350 lb rating and 5-year parts cover are exactly what a hard-used treadmill needs. Our Horizon brand page shows where the T101 and the 7.8 AT fit around these two, and we’ll update this page with measured figures once both have been on our bench.