Peloton vs NordicTrack treadmill: the 1750 is more treadmill, the Tread is more studio

Buy the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 if you run most days and want the most treadmill for your money. Buy the Peloton Tread if the classes are why you want a treadmill at all, or your room can’t fit an 80-inch machine. And if you won’t keep paying a monthly fee, buy neither: a Sole F80 does the running for less and needs nothing.

The 1750 has a 22 x 60 in belt, a 3.5 CHP motor, 3% decline and a deck that folds, for $1,999 to $2,499 at time of writing. The Tread has a 23.8 in touchscreen on a 20 x 59 in belt with a 3.0 HP motor, no decline and a fixed frame, for $2,995 to $3,295. That’s a $500 to $1,300 gap before either subscription. We haven’t bench-tested either one yet, so this comparison runs on the published specs; we’ll add measured noise and assembly time after our bench test.

Treadmill vs studio

Line up the specs and the 1750 wins every treadmill column. The belt is two inches wider and an inch longer. The motor is rated higher. It declines to 3%, which the Tread can’t do at all. It folds, and the Tread doesn’t. And it costs less. For someone putting in 20 miles a week, those are the numbers that count.

The Tread wins the columns that have nothing to do with the deck. Its 23.8 in screen is far bigger, and in our view Peloton’s classes are the best on any treadmill. Its frame is 68 inches long against the 1750’s 80, a full foot shorter, which decides whether it fits in a lot of apartments. Its 12.5 mph top speed and 12.5% incline also edge the 1750’s 12 mph and 12%, though few home runners touch either ceiling.

Belt, motor and decline

Sixty inches is the belt length we want for a running stride, and 59 is close enough that most people won’t notice. Width is the bigger gap. A 20-inch belt is fine for a runner under 6 ft who lands straight. A taller runner, or anyone whose form opens up late in a hard interval, will feel the 1750’s extra two inches.

The 1750’s 3.5 CHP motor is rated above the Tread’s 3.0 HP, and that’s why it’s our pick for daily mileage.

Decline is the feature the Tread just doesn’t have. The 1750 runs from 3% down to 12% up, and iFIT’s trainer-led routes use the whole range. The Tread inclines to 12.5% and stops at zero. For trail runners and anyone whose knees notice downhill walking, that matters. Our incline treadmills page covers which machines go further in either direction.

Footprint and fold

The Tread is 68 x 33 x 62 in and doesn’t fold. The 1750 is 80 x 38 x 65 in open, folds to 42 x 38 x 71 in, and weighs 340 lb. In a dedicated room the fold is a convenience. In a studio apartment the Tread’s shorter fixed frame may be the only one of the two that fits, since a folded 1750 still takes 42 inches of floor and 71 inches of height. Measure the room before you fall for either screen.

At 340 lb, the 1750 is also a big box to get into the room and put together, so line up a helper. We’ll time both builds when we do them.

Screen and subscription

Peloton lists its membership as required for classes on the Tread. The 1750’s 14 in pivoting touchscreen is built for iFIT, which at time of writing costs about $39.99 a month for a family plan or $180 a year for an individual. The 1750 runs in manual mode without iFIT, but you can’t cast to the screen or install apps on it. In practice both are subscription machines, and we wouldn’t buy either one without planning to pay.

What differs is the feel. Peloton’s classes are instructor-led studio sessions, and they’re the reason the Tread exists. iFIT leans on trainer-led routes that move the incline and decline for you. People who love one often don’t love the other, and if you already use the Peloton app on a bike, the Tread is the obvious match. Our NordicTrack brand page runs the iFIT math over five years.

Warranty and weight rating

Peloton covers the Tread’s frame for 5 years, the motor and belt for 3, and parts and labor for 12 months. NordicTrack covers the 1750’s frame for 10 years, parts for 2 and labor for 1, and you have to register. Peloton’s motor and belt cover is longer; NordicTrack’s frame cover is twice as long. Both fall well short of Sole’s lifetime frame and motor warranty, which we weigh up on our Sole vs NordicTrack page.

Both are rated to 300 lb, so with our 50 lb rule the practical running limit is about 250 lb. The Bowflex T9, rated to 400 lb with a 10-inch screen that also works as a plain console, is where we’d point a heavier runner at this price.

Which one we’d buy

The 1750, for almost everyone who asks. It’s more deck, more motor, decline, a fold and a longer frame warranty for less money, and iFIT is good enough that we wouldn’t pay $500 to $1,300 more to swap it for Peloton. We’d buy the Tread in two cases: a household that already lives in the Peloton app, or a room where 68 inches fits and 80 doesn’t. Either way, you’re buying the smaller deck. If the 1750 is more screen than you need, the NordicTrack Commercial 1250 has the same decline on a 20-inch belt for a typical $1,499 to $1,799, and our NordicTrack 1750 vs 1250 page explains when that’s enough.