If you want the most immersive Peloton experience: The Peloton Tread+ has an extensive library of on-demand and live classes, all broadcast on a giant, 32-inch color touchscreen that resembles an iMac monitor. (It also has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera; a Peloton spokesperson said that its only function is to take your user-profile photo.) A 20-watt, built-in soundbar produces crisp sound, and during classes you can adjust the volume to emphasize the voice of the trainer or the background music. The Tread+ also offers a Just Run setting, which allows you to, well, just run—with or without a subscription—and a Free Mode, which simulates a manual treadmill experience without the use of a motor.
At $6,000, the Tread+ is the most expensive treadmill we’ve tested to date. It was a near-unanimous favorite among our testers, who rated it as the most steady model, with the best controls, top-notch responsiveness, and a superlative interactive experience. As one tester said, “This machine felt like a different class to me.”
Peloton’s all-access subscription membership fee, on top of your purchase of the treadmill, is $44 per month. One tester noted that the size of the screen makes interactive workouts “feel really immersive but also forces you to pay attention to it.” (The Just Run mode displays only running metrics such as time and speed on the screen, which can be less distracting.)
The belt consists of rubberized slats that are supposed to absorb shock better than a traditional non-slatted belt, a style made popular by Woodway treadmills. These belts are intended to last longer and mimic an outdoor running experience better than belts found on most treadmills.
After a 2021 safety recall of the Tread+, following scores of injuries and one child’s death due to being pulled under the machine as the belt was running, Peloton equipped the treadmill with new safety mechanisms. The Tread Lock feature requires the use of a four-digit digital passcode to unlock the treadmill’s belt. The Tread+ also has a rear safety guard that is intended to break away, decelerate the belt, and shut off the treadmill when it makes contact with an object.
To test this new rear-guard feature, we wanted to simulate a small hand near the device, so we dropped a ballpoint pen and a similarly sized silicone teething toy in between the belt and rear guard. The pen immediately shut down the device, while the silicone teether did not (it fell beneath the belt).
We reached out to Peloton to ask why the pen triggered automatic stoppage and dropped the rear guard to the floor, while the silicone teether did not. A Peloton spokesperson said that the Tread+ guard “worked exactly as intended.” It opened with the dropped pen “because the rigidity of the pen triggered the guard.” The representative continued, “Because the silicone teether was softer and more compressible, it did not pose a risk, so it safely passed through the guard without it opening unnecessarily.” (The US Consumer Product Safety Commission declined to provide comment on our videos.)
Existing Tread+ owners should have been contacted by the company to have the rear safety guard installed on their machine.
The Tread+ has a 2.0-horsepower alternating-current (AC) motor, which is supposed to last longer than the direct-current (DC) motors found in most home treadmills, and hits a top speed of 12.5 mph. Its maximum incline is 15%, the highest of the treadmills we tested, and it allows you to adjust the incline by both half and whole grades. The belt measures 67 inches long and 20 inches wide, providing the roomiest ride of the machines we tested, and it runs smoothly. The deck is solid and comfortable, if a bit firm, and may take some getting used to because the belt has individual rubber slats.
The Tread+ changed speeds and inclines faster than any other treadmill we tested, though its huge screen shook a lot at higher inclines.
Instead of offering traditional buttons, the Tread+ provides two adjustment knobs, for incline and speed, that allow you to make quick adjustments (you can also change speed and incline on the touchscreen). A few testers noted that they’d prefer the knobs to have a definitive click for each increment. Two round water-bottle holders and a long tray hold personal items securely. Unlike our picks, the Tread+ doesn’t fold up.
Peloton’s warranty is one of the least comprehensive that we’ve come across in this category: 12-month limited coverage for the touchscreen and “most” components, with five years of coverage for the frame and five years for the motor, belt, and rear guard.
If you want a pared-down Peloton experience: The Peloton Tread offers the same extensive library of on-demand and live classes on a 23.8-inch touchscreen.
The Tread’s belt, which is not slatted like the Tread+’s belt, measures 59 inches long (8 inches shorter than the Tread+’s) and 20 inches wide and runs smoothly. The deck is solid and comfortable, though a bit firm. Testers who ran on both Peloton models preferred the Tread+’s running surface, also noting that the pricier machine seemed to adjust speeds and inclines quicker.
The Tread has a 3.0-horsepower direct-current motor and hits a top speed of 12.5 mph (the Tread+ uses an alternating-current motor, which is usually the more durable type). Its maximum incline is 12.5%, which is less than the 15% max on the Tread+, but like the Tread+ this model allows you to adjust the incline by both half and whole grades. Free Mode, Peloton’s manual-treadmill experience, is available only on the Tread+. The Tread+’s larger touchscreen is also easier to read and access than the touchscreen on the Tread, which sits lower on the machine.
The Peloton Tread also has the Tread Lock safety feature. The Tread is $3,000 less than the Tread+ but still costs more than our picks. Its warranty is similar to that of the Tread+ but lasts for only three years on the motor and belt.
If you prefer to stream classes on a device of your own and require quick adjustments: You might like the Horizon Fitness 7.0 AT. Along with traditional buttons, the 7.0 AT provides two QuickDial controls (one for speed, one for incline) on what look like video-game joysticks. They allow you to flick between speeds and inclines during intervals swiftly and fairly precisely. The console, which has a tablet holder for streaming workouts from your own device, houses a 7-inch LCD.
The 7.0 AT has a top speed of 12 mph and a maximum incline of 15%. Using the dials, you can adjust the incline in increments of 0.5. The treadmill is meant to work well with a variety of workout apps, and it pairs with Zwift for interactive workouts.
We found the platforms for water bottles and other items to be too flat to keep items steady. Though the 7.0 AT folds, it returns to the ground with a harder landing in comparison with other foldable treadmills we’ve tried. The warranty is strong: lifetime for the frame and motor, three years for the parts, and one year for labor.
