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Ergatta
Rowing machines combine calorie-burning with low-impact cardio for a unique workout almost anyone can enjoy, regardless of age or fitness level. They can be more effective than running on a treadmill and are even a better full-body workout than a stationary bike.
Our top pick is the Concept2 Model D. It offers smooth, easy rowing, a comfortable and ergonomic design, and is the quietest model we tested. If you prefer a smart rower, we like the Hydrow Wave. It does a solid job of replicating the on-water experience, has a library of interactive classes, and glides smoothly and quietly.
As the fitness tech editor for Insider Reviews, and an avid gym-goer my entire life, I've used plenty of rowers. Below are the nine best I've tested. Though most deliver similar benefits, differences in tension design, online classes, and overall footprint help determine which are best for certain folks. You'll also find answers to FAQs, as well as insight into how I test rowers, at the end of this guide.
Top picks for the best rowing machines
Best overall: Concept2 Model D - See at Amazon
The Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine brings the gym to your home with its sturdy build, smooth gliding action, comfortable design, and superb quality.
Best budget: Stamina Body Trac Glider - See at Amazon
The Stamina BodyTrac Glider 1050 Rowing Machine offers a versatile workout with its independently moving arms and smooth hydraulic resistance for continuous rowing action.
Best interactive: The Ergatta Rower - See at Ergatta
The Ergatta Connected Rower combines the rush of video game racing with the fitness benefits of a full-body exercise to deliver one of the most interactive rowing machines available.
Best smart: Hydrow - See at Hydrow
The Hydrow Rowing Machine aims to be the Peloton of at-home rowers with an immersive content experience that delivers a complete, full-body workout.
Best budget smart: Hydrow Wave - See at Hydrow
The Hydrow Wave replicates the on-water experience better than the original Hydrow, is the smoothest rower we've ever tested, and is one of the most affordable smart machines on the market.
Best classes: Peloton Row - See at Peloton
The Peloton Row is an at-home row machine with interactive, instructor-led classes, which is exactly the kind of premium home workout experience Peloton made its name on.
Best digital resistance: NordicTrack RW900 - See at NordicTrack
NordicTrack's RW900 combines the stimulation of instructor-led courses with the versatility of both air and digital resistance to offer one of the best at-home rowing experiences.
Best water resistance: WaterRower Natural Rowing Machine - See at Amazon
The elegant WaterRower Natural Rowing Machine uses water resistance to make you feel like you're truly sculling on the open water.
Best for beginners: Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic Rower - See at Amazon
Quiet, smooth, and stable, the Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic Rowing Machine provides varying magnetic resistance levels for a wide range of workouts.
Amazon
Pros: Smooth gliding operation, ease of assembly, large size to accommodate tall people
Cons: Pricey, requires a bit of space (9 feet by 4 feet)
The Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine features solid aluminum front legs, steel rear legs, a flywheel with air resistance, and a maximum user weight capacity of 500 pounds, making it our top pick.
Essential for executing powerful and uninterrupted strokes, the Model D's flywheel has a damper for adjusting its air resistance, granting you complete control of the resistance yourself. The harder and faster you row, the more wind the flywheel generates and the more drag you'll feel.
With an air-resistance rowing machine, you'd expect a bit of noise, however, the Model D runs quiet enough for rowers to listen to music or watch television at a normal volume during workouts. Its performance monitor tracks stroke rate, calories burned, distance, pace, and watts, and has several built-in workouts.
Walmart
Pros: Inexpensive for a rower, independent arms for a full range of movement, easy to assemble
Cons: Resistance declines as the piston heats up during long rowing sessions, short warranty (90 days for parts, one year for frame)
The Stamina BodyTrac Glider 1050 Rowing Machine offers excellent value at $100. Although it's compact and quiet, this hydraulic resistance rowing machine provides a great workout with a smooth-gliding padded seat and separate, movable arms.
What makes the BodyTrac Glider so special is its versatility in arm movements. You can row forward or backward, move your arms in circular directions, pull the handles close together for a conventional stroke, or hold the grips apart to exercise different arm, shoulder, and upper back muscles.
The machine can maintain a variety of consistent levels of resistance for roughly 30 minutes of hard rowing but like most hydraulic rowers, fluid in the hydraulic piston heats up, which decreases resistance. When this happens, you'll need to pause and increase the resistance setting manually.
Rick Stella/Insider
Pros: Motivating video game-inspired workout platform, beautiful design, features a folding design for easy stowing
Cons: Expensive
The Ergatta Connected Rower uses a giant onboard screen to display its on-demand workouts and exercises that are mostly comprised of a series of video game-inspired routines. you against the machine itself for goal-based routines and interval workouts, while also allowing you to compete against other Ergatta users in simulated races.
The actual rower itself is a beauty, too. Made of Cherry wood and featuring a traditional water rowing mechanism, it achieves a premium look and feel while the soothing swoosh of the water reservoir adds to an already enjoyable experience.
Its lone downside, however, is that it isn't cheap (plus there's a recurring $27 per month for its streaming classes). Still, the Ergatta Connected Rower delivers a full-body workout disguised as an interactive gaming experience — and it's one of the most enjoyable we've tested.
Read our full review of the Ergatta Rower.
Courtesy of Hydrow
Pros: Extensive library of motivating classes and rowing events, delivers a full-body workout, features quiet, electromagnetic resistance
Cons: Expensive
One of the best rowers we've tested that delivers the same kind of connected content fans of NordicTrack and Peloton have come to love is Hydrow and its aptly named rower, the Hydrow Rowing Machine.
Built with an aluminum and steel frame on a flat, anthracite polymer body, the Hydrow is a durable and sturdy rower. Attached to the front of the machine is an HD touchscreen where you're able to access its library of interactive workouts. These workouts include everything from on-demand routines, open swim-style free rows, whole body-specific workouts, and live classes.
The machine also comes with the ability to read your heart rate via an included monitor and features whisper-quiet electromagnetic resistance. Hydrow does well to not only provide classes that highly motivate you to finish a row but it also creates a competitive environment where you can see how you rank with other global users or anyone else using your machine.
It has a steep sticker price plus a recurring monthly fee of $38 for access to the classes, but it's well worth the investment.
Read our full review of the Hydrow.
Jessica Orwig/Insider
Pros: Extensive library of streaming classes, incredibly smooth rowing, closely simulates the on-water experience, very quiet when in use, tons of helpful safety features
Cons: Smaller screen than the regular Hydrow and it's not adjustable
While the original Hydrow is a quality rower in its own right, the brand's follow-up, called the Hydrow Wave, is an impressive improvement in two areas: its ability to replicate the on-water experience and its cheaper price tag.
Of the rowers we've tested, none came as close to what it feels like to actually row on water as the Hydrow Wave. This is due in large part to its ultra-smooth rowing operation that allows for a quite pleasant and rhythmic experience. It's also incredibly quiet when in use, something that we found to be calming and, at times, a bit hypnotic (in a good way).
What makes the Wave even better is that it carries a price tag of $1,895, which is $600 cheaper than the original Hydrow. Now, it is still a hefty investment, no doubt, but it's impressive for a smart machine of this caliber to cost less than $2,000.
There are a few big differences, however. First, it has an unadjustable 16-inch built-in touchscreen display, compared to the original Hydrow's moveable 22-inch display. It also has smaller dimensions, though this isn't necessarily a drawback as it still supports the same amount of weight and takes up less space.
Read our full review of the Hydrow Wave.
Peloton
