Best Elliptical Machines Under $1,000 of 2023

FitRated Editorial Team | Aug 09 2021 - 3:02 pm

Elliptical machines priced $500 to $999 aren’t the cheapest on the market, but generally we call them “entry level.” We are impressed with the best choices for 2019, as manufacturers haven’t skimped on stride or resistance. Favorites in this price bracket can train beginners comfortably and effectively for a few years. Plus, color touchscreens with WiFi are becoming the norm even on discount buys. With a three-year parts warranty being standard at the $999 price point, these fitness machines can be true bargains if they suit your skill level.

Based on their review scores, five ellipticals under $1,000 earn space on the chart below. All five can support healthy natural striding for most trainees. Flywheel weights range from 20 to 25 pounds, which isn’t “commercial strong” but isn’t too shabby either. For extra challenge beyond the magnetic flywheel resistance, some have power incline settings up to 20 percent.

To compare the choices in more detail, including special workout features with WiFi and Bluetooth, follow the chart’s links to full reviews.

Top 5 Best Rated Elliptical Machines Under $1,000

	1	2	3	4	5
Model	ProForm Carbon EX	NordicTrack C 9.5	NordicTrack C 7.5	ProForm Pro 9.9	ProForm 720e
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	Rating: 92.5 %	Rating: 91.6 %	Rating: 88.5 %	Rating: 86.8 %	Rating: 86.3 %
Resistance Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.	20	22 Levels	22 Levels	24 Levels	20 Levels
Stride Length Stride Length is important for comfort and smooth strides. A stride length of 18-21 inches is ideal for most heights (5'3 - 6'7).	19"	18" - 20"	18" - 20"	21 inches	19 inches
Programs Elliptical Programs allow you to complete a workout with changing speeds and inclines, without changing anything manually.	iFit only	32	26	32	24
Flywheel The flywheel controls the smoothness and resistance of your workout. In general, the higher the better.	20 lbs	30 lbs	20 lbs	28 Lbs	20 lb.
MSRP Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$999	$1,299	$1,299	999	$799
Pricing After carefully evaluating each online retailer that offers this Elliptical, this is the website we recommend purchasing from.	See Best Price	See Best Price	See Best Price	See Best Price	See Best Price

Elliptical Machines Under $1,000 Buying Guide

If you are able to afford more than the Under $500 budget ellipticals, you ought to give them a consideration. Ellipticals from $500 – $1,000 are an obvious upgrade from the budget ellipticals yet still not terribly expensive. While manufactures may still try and cut certain corners with the $500 to $1,000 price range, if you do the appropriate amount of research you can find a quality trainer in this price range.

The pros to owning an elliptical from $500 to $1,000 is that you will save some cash, hopefully receive a quality trainer and be able to use it for at least a few years. The major disadvantage to ellipticals from $500 to $1,000 is you may not get the same warranty and guarantee compared to higher priced models, and thus if the trainer is poorly made you’ll either need a fortune to cover the costly repairs or end up buying another elliptical.

Ellipticals from $500 to $1,000 may sacrifice a few features; however the majority of specs are comparable to the next price range $1,000 to $1,500. The most important factor is the performance of the trainer. Do you see a major notice in operation between the $700 and $1,500 elliptical? Is the frame shaky? Would you prefer rear or front drive operation? Does the manufacture demonstrate confidence by offering a reasonable warranty for the price paid?

Ellipticals $500 to $1,000 — Performance

Ellipticals from $500 to $1,000 resistance system, levels of resistance and stride length compare to other price ranges:

Resistance System: Manufactures generally produce a similar resistance system regardless of the price of the model. Consequently, the resistance system on ellipticals from $500 to $1,000 are sometimes not any different from the higher priced models built by the same manufacture. They can differ, though.

Levels of Resistance: The most obvious difference between ellipticals from $500 to $1,000 and the higher priced models usually derives from the levels of resistance. Some of the best ellipticals may have 20 levels of resistance (or more) while ellipticals from $500 to $1,000 average more like 10-16. The disparity in levels of resistance is not massive, and depending on your preference, may not make a huge difference.

Stride Length: The stride length is important, especially for longer limbed users. While the Under $500 ellipticals traditionally suffer with measly 13-16 inch stride lengths some of the ellipticals in the $500 to $1,000 price range actually compete reasonably with high-end models.

Ellipticals $500 to $1,000 — Most Important Features

In our personal opinion, the most important features on ellipticals from $500 to $1,000 relate to durability of the trainer. Even though production should be a step up from the Under $500 models some manufactures will attempt to try and still cut corners with ellipticals from $500 to $1,000. A really great gauge for measuring manufacture confidence is the warranty. For this price, you’re probably not going to get any lifetime guarantees (maybe frame), but the stronger the warranty equals the more confidence the company has in the elliptical lasting.

Durability is usually measured in three ways:

Reputation of manufacture
Max User Weight
Quality of Warranty

If the manufacture has a solid reputation your confidence for the trainer should correlate. In addition to the warranty and reputation, always note the max user weight. Manufactures are notorious for bumping up the max user weight which makes the number seen on the specs traditionally a little high. Do not always trust the max user weight displayed on ellipticals from $500 to $1,000. If anything, give or take 50 lbs.