Best Horizon Fitness Treadmills of 2024

Horizon Fitness Treadmills Buying Guide

Horizon Fitness is one of FitRated.com’s favorite home treadmill brands. This wasn’t always the case, but the brand has really upped their game in recent years. Its products cover a wide price range, but now even the cheapest Horizon treadmill (the T101, which is just $799) combines durability with special features.

The Typical Horizon Treadmill

So, how strong do you need your treadmill to be? Horizon treadmills vary in continuous horsepower (CHP), from 2.5 CHP found on the T101 to an impressive 4.0 CHP found on the new 7.8 AT.

Before exploring the differences between Horizon treadmills, it’s helpful to know what they have in common. Similarities include:

• Easy assembly: Plan to spend about 30 minutes on the assembly of a Horizon machine.
• Space-saving: Horizon treadmills have FeatherLight folding frames. Hydraulics make it easy to store their decks upright to save floor space.
• Quiet motors: Johnson Drive motors are quiet to help you exercise without disturbing your household. What’s more, all Horizon treadmill motors have lifetime guarantees, even on the cheapest machines.
• Three-zone suspension: Horizon treadmills’ 3-Zone Variable Response Cushioning is inspired by the typical high-quality running shoe, which provides different amounts of cushioning to different parts of your foot. This helps make exercise more comfortable and promotes endurance.
• Power incline: We tend to favor treadmills with inclines, as they literally ramp up your potential for calorie burn and muscle toning. Each new Horizon treadmill has an incline maximum of 10, 12 or 15%.
• Amenities: Horizon machines have a range of different amenities depending on the model, from Bluetooth speakers and tablet holders, to fans and water bottle holders.

As for workout tech, many Horizon treadmills are Bluetooth compatible, and their ViaFit-enabled machines make tracking and monitoring your fitness data a breeze. When it comes to workout variety, as well as the built-in workouts, Horizon’s Passport-enabled treadmills allow you to experience immersive Virtual Active video workouts. Here, you can virtually experience the rise and fall of terrain (simulated through incline/decline) on running trails around the globe. 

• Passport/Virtual Active: Horizon’s Passport-ready machines allow you to exercise with synchronized sights and sounds of scenic destinations, as Virtual Active programming controls your treadmill incline to copy topographical changes. Using a Passport Player, you can connect the programming to your treadmill and home entertainment system. Explore everywhere from the California Desert to the French Riviera from the comfort of your home gym. It’s a great way to stay motivated to keep exercising as it allows you to mix up your workouts and explore new destinations around the world.
• ViaFit data tracking: ViaFit makes it easy to track your long-term fitness progress by automatically storing your workout data in the ViaFit mobile app. You can pair an Apple or Android device to sync whenever it’s in range of your fitness machine. The ViaFit app can also connect with wearable fitness trackers to log daily step counts and other fitness data.

Horizon GO Series

The GO Series features Horizon’s entry-level treadmills: the T101, the T202 and the T303. Historically these machines have been ideal for walking and light jogging, but not running. Prices range from to $799 to $1099.

The cheapest treadmill on Horizon’s website is the Horizon T101. This budget-friendly folding treadmill has a 20″ x 55″ track and 2.5 CHP motor. With power controls or preset workout programs, the track speed can reach 10 mph and the incline can reach 10%. Overall the machine is a good buy at $999, a price that has seen a significant drop from when it was a newer kid on the block.

The T202 and T303 offer a roomier 20″ x 60″ track, a higher top speed of 12 mph and a steeper incline up to 12%. They also offer more motor power: the T202 has a 2.75 CHP drive, just below the T303’s 3.0 CHP drive.

Even though these are Horizon’s cheapest treadmills, they’re still protected with a lifetime frame and motor warranty, and one year of labor coverage. As for parts, the T101 and T202 offer 1 year of coverage and the T303 bumps this up to 3 years.

Horizon Studio Series

The Studio Series features the most tech-friendly treadmills in Horizon’s roster, and includes the 7.0 AT, 7.4 AT and 7.8 AT. Prices for these models ranges a lot, starting at just $999 and reaching $1,599 and $1,999 for the newest models. One of our favorite features found across the Studio series is how speed and incline are controlled. With recent updates, a pair of roller controllers were added to these models, allowing for a very quick ‘dialing in’ of settings as you run. Rather than pressing buttons repeatedly to make changes, you can get to your settings in no time. 

In addition, these models all use variants of Horizon’s Rapid Sync motors, and are capable of changing their speed and incline faster than most other models on the market. This is a good change for overall efficiency, but the big benefit comes in with how the motor can keep up with Horizon’s Sprint 8 HIIT programming. These built-in programs are only included on the 7.4 AT and 7.8 AT at the moment.

The 7.0 AT offers a roomy 20″ x 60″ track and an impressive 3.0 CHP motor that can drive a top speed of 12 mph and an incline range up to 15%. All three models offer a lifetime frame and motor warranty.

The 7.4 AT and 7.8 AT both have an impressive 22″ x 60″ deck, and offer more powerful 3.5 CHP and 4.0 CHP motors respectively. As for customer protections, the models offer 5 years of coverage for parts and 2 years for labor.

Horizon Company Profile

Established in 1998, Horizon Fitness is a brand owned by Johnson Health Tech., Co., Ltd. The multinational company is headquartered in Taiwan and specializes in exercise equipment sales. Horizon Fitness products are built with comfort, performance, and value in mind, a trifecta that ultimately delivers high-quality fitness machines at a price the average consumer can afford.

A Story Over 40 Years in the Making

While Horizon Fitness was founded just over two decades ago, the story began in 1975 when Johnson Health Tech founder Peter Lo acquired his very first customer after sending hundreds of hand-written offer letters to companies soliciting his quality fitness equipment. Ivanko Barbells was the first of many clients to answer, kicking off the evolution of a modest business to a vertically-integrated leader in the exercise equipment industry.  

Today, customers can expect the highest standards are followed as oversight of all key manufacturing elements are within full control of JHT facilities. The company takes pride in their highly-skilled staff specializing in robotics and the latest technology to ensure their customers can expect state-of-the-art fitness innovation. Their diligence in quality control has earned Horizon Fitness more than 50 awards since 2009 including Plus X Awards, Best Brand of the Year 2021; Fitness Professor, Best Cardio Brand 2014; and Fitness Professor, Best Cardio Brand 2013.