For most homes, the Sole E25 is the elliptical to buy. Choose by stride length first, because it decides whether the machine feels like walking.
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The Sole E25 is our top pick because it gets the most important number right: a 20-inch stride, which suits most adults from about 5 ft 2 in to 6 ft 2 in. It adds a 20 lb flywheel, power incline, a 189 lb frame built not to rock and a lifetime frame warranty, typically for $999 to $1,299.
After stride, look at the frame, because a light elliptical rocks at a real pace, and then at noise. The Horizon EX-59 is the cheaper pick with an 18-inch stride, and the Cubii JR2 is the seated unit for under a desk. We'll measure stride feel, stability and noise when we test each one.
Best for most homes: a 20-inch stride, power incline and a 189 lb frame, with no subscription.
Best value: an 18-inch stride and a lifetime frame warranty, typically $599 to $799.
Best under a desk: seated, designed to be quiet, and easy to keep using through a workday.
Best for larger users: the E25's 20-inch stride with a 25 lb flywheel and a 375 lb rating.
Product photos are representative stock images, not the exact models, until our own test photos replace them.
Match the stride to your height: about 18 inches if you're under 5 ft 6 in, 20 inches up to about 6 ft 2 in, and 22 inches above that. A matched stride feels like walking. Two inches short, and it feels like a stepper you'll soon stop using. Machines under 16 inches are for shorter users and small rooms.
Rear-drive ellipticals, like Sole and Horizon, have the flattest, most walking-like stride and the longest frames. Front-drive machines, including most ProForm and NordicTrack models, follow a slightly rounder path and fit shorter rooms. Center-drive machines are the shortest and cost the most for the stride you get. Drive type matters less than the stride number and the frame weight.
A heavier flywheel, 20 lb and up, smooths the stroke so the pedals don't surge at the top. Light flywheels on budget machines feel fine at a stroll and jerky at a real pace. The Sole E25's 20 lb flywheel and 189 lb frame are the two reasons it should feel better than machines at the same price.
An elliptical lifts you 10 to 14 inches off the floor at the top of the stroke. Add your height and a few inches of headroom, then check the ceiling; low basements catch tall users out. Length is the other surprise. A 20-inch stride needs about 70 inches of floor, and the pedal arms swing past the frame.
All 15, with our rating under each name. Tap a column heading to sort.
| Model | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole E25Sole · 4.2/5 | $999–1,299 | 20 in | 20 lb | 350 lb | 70 × 24 in | Not yet tested |
| Sole E35Sole · 4.3/5 | $1,499–1,899 | 20 in | 25 lb | 375 lb | 82 × 31 in | Not yet tested |
| Sole E95Sole · 4.4/5 | $2,199–2,599 | 22 in | 27 lb | 400 lb | 83 × 32 in | Not yet tested |
| Sole E20Sole · 3.5/5 | $999 | 20 in | 15 lb | 300 lb | 65 × 23 in | Not yet tested |
| ProForm Carbon ELProForm · 3.7/5 | $699–999 | 19 in | 15 lb | 300 lb | 69 × 25 in | Not yet tested |
| Cubii JR2Cubii · 4.0/5 | $199–299 | — | — | 250 lb | 23 × 17.5 in | Not yet tested |
| Reebok FR30Reebok · 3.0/5 | $799 | 15 in | 20 lb | 265 lb | — | Not yet tested |
| Schwinn 430Schwinn · 3.6/5 | $799 | 20 in | 18 lb | 300 lb | 70 × 28 in | Not yet tested |
| Schwinn 470Schwinn · 3.6/5 | $1,099 | 20 in | 20 lb | 300 lb | 70 × 28 in | Not yet tested |
| Schwinn 420Schwinn · 3.2/5 | $699 | 18 in | 15 lb | 300 lb | — | Not yet tested |
| Niceday EllipticalNiceday · 3.3/5 | $399–549 | 15.5 in | 16 lb | 400 lb | 46 × 25 in | Not yet tested |
| NordicTrack X16 EllipticalNordicTrack · 3.1/5 | — | — | — | — | — | Not yet tested |
| Yawza Under Desk EllipticalYawza · 3.3/5 | $199 | — | — | 250 lb | — | Not yet tested |
| ObiTrek EllipticalObiTrek · 3.3/5 | $199 | — | — | 250 lb | — | Not yet tested |
| Horizon EX-59Horizon · 3.6/5 | $599–799 | 18 in | 14.3 lb | 300 lb | 74 × 25 in | Not yet tested |
Tap a column to sort. Ratings come from published specs until we bench test a machine; specs are the manufacturer's unless a review says we measured them. Noise shows once we've measured that machine.
The Sole E25 for most people: a 20-inch stride, a 20 lb flywheel, power incline and a lifetime frame warranty, typically $999 to $1,299. If the budget or the room is tighter, the Horizon EX-59 has an 18-inch stride for $599 to $799.
For heart rate and calories at the same effort, it's close. For bone loading and running fitness, a treadmill does more. For sore knees and hips, an elliptical is easier on them. Our treadmill vs elliptical comparison goes through it.
About 18 inches if you're under 5 ft 6 in, 20 inches for most adults, and 22 inches if you're over 6 ft 2 in. Under 16 inches starts to feel like a stepper.