The Best Smart Home Gyms For Free Weights, Small Spaces, And More

As technology continues to advance, so do home gyms. While you can still opt to build out your own iron paradise with individual pieces of equipment of your liking, many fitness companies have designed smart home gyms that come with weights, storage, and streaming platforms that will guide you and even help make weight and technique adjustments throughout your workout. From mirrors to high-tech bikes, these smart gyms can save you space and keep your workouts versatile.

Smart home gyms vary widely in form, but with each different form, you’re sure to get some sort of virtual fitness classes (from strength classes to running, HIIT, biking, rowing, yoga, and more) in addition to either weights, a cable machine, a weight bench, or a cardio machine. If you’re looking for some at-home coaching, a gym for a small space, or just the latest in fitness technology, one of these products could be your solution. Here are what we think are the best smart home gyms on the market today. 

Best Smart Home Gyms

• Best Smart Home Gym: Tonal
• Best Smart Home Gym with Free Weights: Tempo Studio
• Best Smart Home Gym for Small Spaces: NordicTrack Fusion CST Studio
• Best Smart Home Mirror Gym: NordicTrack Vault
• Best Smart Home Treadmill: NordicTrack Commercial X22i
• Best Smart Home Bike: NordicTrack Commercial S22i
• Best Smart Home Rower: Hydrow Rower 

Best Smart Home Gym

If you’re going to invest in a smart home gym, you’ll want to ensure it’s versatile and caters to the workouts you enjoy doing most. This home gym offers a lot of variety, takes up zero floor space, and has smart tracking that adjusts workouts for you as you progress. 

Tonal

Looking for strength, cardio, yoga, bootcamps, HIIT, and other workouts all in a single smart home gym machine? Well, Tonal may be what you’ve been searching for. It offers myriad options to suit nearly anyone’s needs with its monthly subscription, which costs about $60 per month. The membership grants access to thousands of on-demand classes with focuses on everything from strength and cardio to yoga and barre. 

Over time, Tonal tracks your progress and automatically adjusts the machine’s resistance to keep you challenged, so all you have to focus on is completing the workout and giving it your all. And that’s just scratching the surface of what this machine has to offer. Its two cable arms offer 100 pounds of resistance each, which may disappoint elite lifters, but features like eccentric resistance and a virtual chain function can make things more challenging for them.

Despite the hefty price tag of about $4,785, Tonal can be worth it, thanks to its space-age features. It offers real time form critique using its cameras and sensors, and the cable handles and bar have Bluetooth buttons that let you cancel the weight if it proves to be too much. It hangs from your wall, so it has zero footprint. Plus, it comes with the cable handles and bar, as well as a rope attachment and bench, so you’re set for basically any exercise you’d ever want to perform. 

Who Should Buy Tonal

• If you don’t want a room full of equipment, you’ll love that this whole setup hangs on the wall. 
• People who work out alone will love that the Bluetooth handles and barbell allow you to turn the weight off instantly if, say, a bench press is too heavy.
• Athletes who want a variety of workouts will love the various categories of on-demand programming, including HIIT, Yoga, Bar, Strength, and even a Theragun series.
• Anyone who wants their smart home gym to feature cables with electromagnetic resistance instead of free weights for smooth and quiet operation. 

Who Shouldn’t Buy Tonal

• Powerlifters, strongmen, and bodybuilders who need specific weights (or lots of weight) to succeed in their sport. This machine could be a great accessory for these folks, but probably wouldn’t be able to meet all of their needs.
• Buyers on a budget can find less expensive home gyms and/or equipment on the market to satisfy their needs. 
• People who don’t want to drill holes in their walls should find a floor-based option.

Though the price tag may be a deterrent for some people, the value of this machine makes it understandable. It’s well-built and offers a lot of techy features, like adaptive programming, real-time form critique, and a very space-efficient design. Our only gripe is wishing the resistance went higher than 200 pounds. Other than that, this machine hits it out of the park.

Best Smart Home Gym with Free Weights

If you’re searching for a smart home gym that emphasizes free weight training, Tempo Studio has you covered — this machine uses free weights and AI technology to provide real-time feedback to correct your form.

Tempo Studio

Since not everyone can afford to visit a personal trainer at a gym, Tempo Studio helps make personal training more accessible. Throughout Tempo Studio’s real-time workouts, the trainee’s results and form feedback are available to the trainer who leads the workout. Since proper form and movement are imperative for free weight workouts, this is a beneficial concept you don’t find with many home gym set-ups.

Tempo Studio comes with a 42-inch mirror screen, a storage cabinet, a mat, and up to 190 pounds in weight plates and barbells/dumbbells, plus additional accessories depending on if you purchase the four-, nine- or 13-piece package. Tempo Studio retails from $1,995 to $3,495 and requires a $39 monthly content subscription — a hefty price tag, but if it’s at-home personal training with free weights you’re after, it just might be worth it. 

Who Should Buy Tempo Studio

• Athletes who are looking for a personal training experience at home. Tempo Studio can sense your movements, and provides feedback to the real-time AI trainers that can help adjust your form. 
• If you prefer to use free weights over pulley resistance, you’ll appreciate that Tempo Studio comes with weight plates. 
• Buyers building their home gym from scratch. Since this product comes with weights, you won’t have to track down weights on your own to start building out your gym space.

Who Shouldn’t Buy Tempo Studio

• Anyone who is on a tight budget will be able to find less expensive free weight and virtual training options out there. 
• Folks who prefer cardio machines or pulley resistance training will want to look for a smart home gym that doesn’t center around free weights. 

Tempo Studio takes its smart home gym one step further by providing real-time form feedback. If you like the personal training experience, having this free weight option at home will be ideal for your workout style. 

Read our full review of Tempo Studio.

Best Smart Home Gym for Small Spaces

This pick offers electromagnetic resistance training using a pulley system and a space-saving design, which significantly reduces the amount of space you need for your smart home gym. 

NordicTrack Fusion CST Studio

This sleek, modern smart home gym provides resistance from 10 to 100 pounds with 20 different levels of difficulty using cables with silent magnetic resistance (SMR™). In dumbbell or free weight form, that would take up quite a bit of space even before accounting for a rack or storage area. Despite its freestanding design — as opposed to wall-mounted — the Fusion CST Studio is efficient with the room it takes up measuring only 73.5 inches tall, 60.5 inches wide, and 41.5 inches deep. You could easily have this in a small guest bedroom or corner of your garage without it feeling cumbersome.

You can chart your fitness journey to see how far you’ve come over time with real-time performance stat tracking, keeping your motivation high even during grueling workouts. If there are multiple people using this device, you also have the option to create up to five profiles with an iFit Family Membership to work seamlessly even across different iFit machines. Our only two complaints are that we wish the weights went higher to accommodate more advanced lifters and that the price was approachable for more people. The Fusion CST Studio runs for about $2,499 before the optional $39 per month iFit membership. 

Who Should Buy the NordicTrack Fusion CST Studio

• This smart home gym can save apartment dwellers a lot of space and keep the noise minimal since it uses silent electromagnetic resistance via pulleys instead of free weights. 
• Anyone who is limited on space will appreciate the modest footprint of this powerful machine that sits at just over five feet wide and three and a half feet deep. 
• Anyone who likes to keep track of their progress. The Fusion CST Studio records your performance and can display it in real-time.

Who Shouldn’t Buy the NordicTrack Fusion CST Studio

• Anyone training for a sport that may need heavier or more specific weights — powerlifters or weightlifters may want to steer clear.
• If you’re on a budget, this piece of equipment — though worthwhile and long-lasting — may not be the most financially-conscious purchase as it is quite expensive. 

The use of electromagnetic resistance instead of free weights can help save a ton of space for those working with limited real estate. Despite not being wall-mounted, the footprint of the Fusion CST Studio is compact and able to fit in nearly anyone’s home or apartment. If you don’t need a ton of weight and prefer a cable-based smart home gym, this product is an easy choice.

Best Smart Home Mirror Gym

Mirror smart gyms are both functional and aesthetic, which is why many athletes turn to them when they use their living room or bedroom as a home gym space. 

NordicTrack Vault

The Vault is a mirror that doubles as a gym. Its touchscreen display plays iFit fitness classes, and inside its “vault” (aka the cabinet behind the mirror) you can store all the workout equipment you need to follow along to these classes. You can buy the Vault with equipment for a higher price (which will include a mat, a block, a towel, dumbbells, bands, and kettlebells), or just tuck your own already-purchased equipment inside.

The price for the Vault with all the equipment included is comparable to other smart home gyms, but if you opt for the empty Vault, you can pay almost $1,000 less. The NordicTrack Vault is just as functional as any other home gym — it’s biggest plus is that when you’re not using it, it just looks like a mirror, which is great to have in common spaces throughout the house. 

Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Vault

• Customers who want to put their smart home gym in their living room or bedroom, and need something that looks like a piece of furniture when it’s not in use. 
• Athletes who are building their home gym from the ground up, and could benefit from buying a “vault” full of different kinds of fitness equipment.
• Anyone who prefers to follow along to virtual classes on a large screen instead of streaming them from a handheld device or laptop. 
• Those who already have their own fitness equipment but may still benefit from the mirror smart gym will appreciate that you can buy the standalone Vault at a cheaper price point.

Who Shouldn’t Buy The NordicTrack Vault

• Folks who are perfectly fine streaming iFit classes from their phone or tablet, and don’t need to spend money on a large mirror for streaming.
• Anyone who wants to take additional cardio iFit classes on a treadmill, bike, or rower may find it more beneficial to purchase a smart version of those machines instead. You can still stream strength classes on those machines, as well.

If you’re starting from scratch and building out your home gym in the middle of your living room, the NordicTrack Vault is a great option. You can purchase all the equipment you may need in one go, and when the Vault is not in use, it doubles as a mirror. 

Read our full review of the NordicTrack Vault.

Best Smart Home Treadmill

One of the most versatile treadmills out there, this pick not only functions as a smart home gym, but it can also incline up to 40 percent and decline down to -6 percent.

NordicTrack Commercial X22i

Though you may not think of a treadmill as a “smart home gym” right off the bat, hear us out. The NordicTrack X22i comes with a 22-inch touchscreen display that provides iFit virtual training and displays all of your measurable stats. It inclines up to 40 percent, and declines down to -6 percent, and it also offers a sled push option.

If you have a couple sets of dumbbells and a mat, the iFit classes on this machine can turn it into a fully functional smart home gym — especially if you take a bootcamp class that alternates between the floor and the treadmill to incorporate both strength and cardio. If you’re a runner and already have a few weights or bands on hand, this pick can act as both a treadmill and a virtual gym space. 

Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Commercial X22i

• Runners who prefer a combination of running and strength training. NordicTrack is compatible with iFit, which can provide running, strength, and combination classes. 
• Anyone interested in intense incline or decline training will appreciate the range of this machine. 
• Folks who already have a handful of weights and training accessories at home and are just looking for the virtual aspect and a cardio machine. 

Who Shouldn’t Buy The NordicTrack Commercial X22i

• Weightlifters who aren’t interested in having an advanced cardio machine at home, and would rather invest in free weights. 
• Anyone on a strict budget, as this product retails for around $3,500. 

This pick is definitely ideal for athletes who like to incorporate treadmill work into their training. This purchase doesn’t come with weights, but if you already have some or want to purchase some separately, this could create a complete home smart gym for runners. 

Read our full review of the NordicTrack X22i.

Best Smart Home Bike

For those who love a studio spin class, this smart bike can bring that experience into your home. 

NordicTrack Commercial S22i

If you like combining your cardio and strength training, you may be looking for more than just a set of free weights and a mirror with a coach. The NordicTrack Commercial S22i can help bring the studio cycling experience into your home — it’s compatible with iFit, which provides not only spin classes, but also strength, yoga, pilates, running, and more. This bike’s magnetic resistance also offers one of the smoothest rides out there.

If you have dumbbells and resistance bands available to you, adding this bike to your home gym can provide a boost of cardio. It has a 22” touchscreen display, plus 22 levels of resistance and incline and decline options that range from -10 to 20 percent, making it one of the more advanced bikes on the market. 

Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Commercial S22i

• Spin fanatics who are looking to expand their home gyms and bring the studio experience home with them.
• Users who want a large display screen they can use for virtual training via iFit.
• Bikers looking for a lot of resistance levels, as well as incline and decline options. 

Who Shouldn’t Buy The NordicTrack Commercial S22i

• Customers who prefer using free weights and want to invest in strength equipment more so than cardio equipment.
• Anyone who doesn’t already have weights or strength accessories at home — this product will not be a full home gym unless you already have the accessories to use with the non-biking virtual iFit classes.

For those who love spin and virtual spin classes, the NordicTrack Commercial S22i can be a great smart gym — all you need are a couple sets of dumbbells and a mat, and your home gym can be complete. 

Read our full review of the NordicTrack Commercial S22i.

Best Smart Home Rower

Rowers have hopped into the smart gym market too, and this one is one of the most advanced options available — plus, it will add a sleek look to your gym space. 

Hydrow Rower

The Hydrow has a 22” pivoting touchscreen display, so you can take your workouts both on and off the rower. A monthly membership fee of roughly $38 will provide you with access to the rower’s full library of coached virtual classes. As with any cardio machine that has a virtual class aspect, so long as you have some weights, a mat, and/or other accessories on hand, your machine can function as a full smart home gym for both cardio and strength training.

This machine, in particular, is a solid addition for rowers or anyone who favors a rowing machine (or “erg”) for their cardio work. Hydrow’s streaming service takes you around some of the world’s most beautiful waterways with professional rowing coaches as you follow along on your erg. Plus, Hydrow’s magnetic resistance is one of the quietest types of resistance on the market. 

Who Should Buy The Hydrow Rower

• Rowers who want to have their own erg at home, and prefer to follow virtually coached classes on a large touchscreen display.
• Athletes who already have fitness accessories like weights, bands, or mats at home, and just need a cardio machine with virtual classes for a complete smart home gym. 
• Anyone who prefers a workout with a mix of both cardio and strength training. 

Who Shouldn’t Buy The Hydrow Rower

• Athletes who prefer to focus on just strength training and don’t need to spend their money on a piece of cardio equipment. 
• Folks who just use a rowing machine occasionally for their cardio may be better off opting for a treadmill or bike if they use those pieces of equipment more frequently.

If you’re looking for interactive technology, cardio and strength classes, and a sleek rowing machine to supplement your training, you can’t go wrong with the Hydrow. 

Read our full review of the Hydrow Rower.

What to Consider Before Buying a Smart Home Gym

Since there are so many ways you can use a smart home gym and so many different varieties of this product, it’s important to consider how you plan to use it for your training before deciding which one to buy. For a more in-depth look at what we think are the most important considerations, peep our tips below.

Space

Home gyms can take up a small corner of your bedroom or an entire garage. It’s important to consider how much space you have to dedicate to working out before picking out your smart home gym — if you only have six feet of space, your purchase may look very different from someone’s who has a full room to fill. 

Products like Tonal (which doesn’t use additional weights) are made for small spaces, while the Nordictrack Commercial X22i or NordicTrack Vault will take up a bit more room. While none of these products take up a ton of room on their own, when combined with the floor space you need for your strength work and weights, they may end up taking over a bit more space. If you’re trying to squeeze a smart home gym into a corner, take the proper measurements prior to your search, so you know which products will fit.

Type of Workout

With such a variety of smart home gyms, you’ll want to make sure the one you choose caters to your most frequently preferred type of workout. If you strength train more than you do cardio, opt for the Tonal, Tempo, or Vault, all of which come with either weights or resistance pulleys. If you do more cardio, but still like to incorporate strength work, pick your smart bike, tread, or rower of choice. 

Smart home gyms can be pricey. It’s not necessary to purchase multiple different kinds of smart home gyms for each workout you’re doing. Decide which workout you do the most and invest in that variety of a smart home gym. Then, build the rest of your home gym out around that product. 

Streaming Service

Most smart gyms come with their own fitness streaming service. If you already have a streaming service you prefer — such as Peloton or Studio SWEAT onDemand — it may be more beneficial to buy a smart product that is compatible with that streaming service. If you’re willing to try a new service, your options are more open.

How Much Do Smart Home Gyms Cost?

Smart home gyms are generally understood to be more costly up-front than traditional home gym equipment with prices of over $2,000 a regular occurrence. Due to the eye-popping price tags of these pieces of technology, most smart home gym retailers have partnered with a credit firm to offer financing to qualified customers — making the purchase sting less with payments that are spread out over time. We’ve made a table to show you the starting price of the base model (if applicable) of each product on this list before any memberships, accessories, or upgrades.

Best Smart Home Gym	Tonal	Starting Price: $3,995 before premium membership
Best Smart Home Gym with Free Weights	Tempo Studio	Starting Price: $2,495 for the Starter package
Best Smart Home Gym for Small Spaces	NordicTrack Fusion CST Studio	Starting Price: $2,499 before iFit membership and accessories
Best Smart Home Gym Mirror	NordicTrack Vault	Starting Price: $1,499 for the standalone model before membership
Best Smart Home Treadmill	NordicTrack Commercial X22i	Starting Price: $3,499 before accessories or membership
Best Smart Home Bike	NordicTrack Commercial S22i	Starting Price: $1,999 before accessories or membership
Best Smart Home Rower	Hydrow Rower	Starting Price: $2,495 before accessories or membership

Many people would rather pay $73 per month for 48 months instead of $3,495 up front. Keep in mind that these prices are separate from memberships that may be required to use the product’s full suite of features — which can easily cost another $30-40 per month or more. When you compare the cost of a smart home gym against that of a high-end fitness club with a personal trainer, these do end up being comparable or even cost-effective.

How We Chose the Best Smart Home Gyms

With so many fitness brands creating their version of a smart gym, we had a lot of digging to do. From size to accessories, here are the aspects we weighed to help us pick out our favorites. 

Versatility

It was important to us to pick out equipment that provides a variety of workout options. Most people don’t do the same workout over and over again every single day, so the more workouts you can do with one machine, the better. 

All of the products we chose offer options for both cardio and strength training. Whether they include weights or cardio equipment varies, but rest assured that no matter the product you choose on this list, you’ll have a variety of virtual workouts to choose from. 

Technology and Training

We wanted to select smart gyms that offered more than racks, or basic treadmills, bikes, or rowers would on their own. All of our picks here have a form of virtual training, as well as different variations of personal feedback, games, classes, workouts, inclines, resistance, adjustments, and more. Smart gyms can help take your home workouts to the next level via this technology and coaching.

Technology can offer options you won’t find with basic equipment. For example, some picks on this list have personal trainers that can adjust your form virtually, while others offer coached classes that are similar to those you may find at fitness studios. To make your smart gym purchase fully worthwhile, we only selected products with technological advancements and virtual training options.

Accessories

All of the products we considered either come with accessories or have them built into the machine — you won’t find a product on here that’s just a screen without the actual “gym” aspect. For example, Tonal has pulleys that offer resistance training and the Vault comes with (optional) weights and accessories, while the NordicTrack S22i is a bike form of a smart gym. If you’re investing in a “gym,” it’s important to us that you are getting a full gym for your money. 

Size

Since smart home gyms come in a variety of sizes, and people build home gyms in a variety of spaces, we wanted to ensure there was an equal size variety on this list. No matter the space you’re working with, we have an option for you here.

If you’re squeezing your smart home gym into the corner of your bedroom, a smaller product (like the Tonal home gym) will have you covered. On the contrary, if you have a full room to fill, feel free to opt for a larger option on this list.

Quality

If you’re dropping a significant amount of money on a smart home gym, we wanted to ensure it will last long enough to make your purchase worthwhile. We’ve only selected products with reliable builds, solid manufacturing, and high-quality designs. What that means is that these smart gyms won’t glitch a year into use, their touchscreens won’t scratch with every tap, and their workout programs and available resistance/training options will withstand the test of time. 

Final Word

Smart Home Gyms are multifaceted pieces of workout equipment that you can tailor to a variety of workouts. Whether you prefer strength training, running, biking, rowing, yoga, or even pilates, these home gyms and their virtual training options can take your workout tech to the next level.

Some may have coaches that are able to help you adjust your form virtually while others may provide coaching with motivational pep talks. Smart home gyms may come with weights and accessories, or they may come in the form of a cardio machine.

Before you decide which smart home gym is right for you, make sure you know what space you’re working with and what type of workout you’re going to want to hit most in that space. No matter your intended use or level of expertise, we’ve included a pick for you on this list — with the versatility of these products, a smart home gym may just be the last piece of gym equipment you have to buy.

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