The Best Rowing Machine for Home: Our Top 5 Picks
Buying a rower can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re new to indoor rowing. Should you choose magnetic, air, or water resistance? Do you want a rower with interactive memberships and guided workouts? Will you need something that folds or stores easily in smaller spaces?
This guide breaks it all down for you. We’ll review the best rowing machines for home on the market today, highlight their pros and cons, and help you find the perfect fit for your space, goals, and budget.
Let’s dive in!
The best rowing machine for home: Our top picks
Best Overall Rower: Hydrow Arc ($2,295*)
Best Runner-Up Rower: Concept2 RowERG Model D Indoor Rower ($990*)
Best Budget Rower: Sunny Health & Fitness Compact Folding Magnetic Rowing Machine ($249.99*)
Best Design: Ergatta Rower ($2,299*)
Best Compact Rower: Hydrow Wave ($1,995)
*MSRP, may change with sales and promotions
The best overall rower for home: The Hydrow Arc
When shopping for the best home rowing machine, the Hydrow Arc stands at the top of the list. Built with a sleek steel and aluminum frame, this rower is as beautiful as it is powerful. Its whisper-quiet electromagnetic resistance closely simulates the natural feel of water, while its ergonomically designed seat and footplate keep every stroke comfortable. Plus, the Arc’s streamlined build (86” L x 25” W x 48” H) allows it to fit seamlessly into your home, and it can be stored upright when not in use.
What truly makes the Hydrow Arc shine, however, is the way it combines cutting-edge technology with an unmatched workout experience. Its 24” pivoting HD touchscreen—Hydrow’s largest yet—brings every workout to life in stunning clarity, whether you’re rowing down scenic waterways, following instructor-led classes, or stepping off the rower for yoga, Pilates, or strength training. Paired with a premium sound system, immersive visuals, and live leaderboards, it’s all the excitement of a studio class from the comfort of your home.
At the heart of the Arc is HydroMetrics, Hydrow’s intelligent training system that delivers personalized feedback after every workout. By tracking your precision, power, and endurance, HydroMetrics calculates your HydroMetrics Index (HMI), a reflection of your progress over time. This feedback not only highlights your strengths but also offers personalized workout recommendations to help you stay on track with your fitness goals, whether you’re focused on fat loss, strength building, or developing consistent habits.
With access to the Hydrow Membership, you unlock a library of over 5,000 workouts that go beyond rowing—strength, mobility, yoga, Pilates, and more—ensuring there’s always something new to keep you motivated. And because the Arc is Bluetooth-enabled, it easily connects with heart rate monitors and headphones for seamless tracking and performance.
From its sleek design and whisper-quiet ride to its advanced performance metrics and vast workout library, the Hydrow Arc is built to deliver results that last. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or pushing for peak performance, this is Hydrow’s most advanced rower yet—designed to meet you where you are, challenge you when you’re ready, and support you every step of the way.
Considering a Hydrow rowing machine? We tackle all your burning questions in our FAQ guide.
Hydrow Arc specs:
Resistance type: Electromagnetic resistance
Screen: 24” HD touchscreen display
Product dimensions: 86"L x 25"W x 48"H
Product weight: 145 lbs; 197 lbs boxed
Product weight capacity: 375 lbs
Is membership required? No, you can use Hydrow in “Just Row” mode without a membership. However, memberships can be purchased to access additional features starting at $44/mo.
Price: $2,295
Best runner-up home rower: Concept2 RowERG Model D Indoor Rower
Looking for an air rowing machine? The Concept 2 Model D Air Rower is on the top of many rowing machine enthusiasts' lists.
This rowing machine has all the basics you’d want to find in an at-home air-resistance rower. Its small LCD display gives you access to preset workouts and games and stores health data like calories burned and distance rowed. Users enjoy its air-resistance flywheel design, which provides a smooth, quiet rowing operation. While other air rowing machines can generate noise, users of the Model D note that this machine is particularly quiet.
You can settle in for a great workout thanks to adjustable footrests, a comfortable seat, and ergonomically designed handles. This rower can also be separated into parts to store in small spaces between uses, a must-have for those with small home workout spaces.
But what about the negatives? The big downside to this rower is the lack of tech compared to its competitors. It has a screen with access to some timed workouts and games, but they are limited compared to Hydrow’s beautiful scenic rowing videos, instructor-led classes, in-depth data tracking, live leaderboards, personalized workout recommendations, and racing challengers.
Concept2 RowERG specs
Resistance type: Air resistance
Display screen: Backlit LCD display
Product dimensions: 24" D x 96" w x 14" H
Product weight: 57 lbs
Product weight capacity: 500 lbs
Is membership required? No membership required
Price: $990
Best budget home rower: Sunny Health & Fitness Compact Folding Magnetic Rowing Machine
Some shopping for an indoor rowing machine might be just looking for something that covers the basics to save money on their tight budget. In that case, we think you need to look at this compact folding rowing machine from Sunny Health & Fitness.
Good for small spaces, it weighs just 50 pounds and can fold for storage between use. This magnetic rower has a digital monitor displacing workout stats like time, row counts, and burned calories. It also has a comfortable and wide padded seat, comfortable foot holds, and ergonomic non-slip handles, along with a water bottle holder and a small device/tablet holder, so you can watch a screen as you row.
It’s also the lowest in price, coming in at $249.99. However, this smaller size does mean a smaller slide rail, which can make this machine troublesome for users who need more legroom. It also gives it a lower overall weight capacity.
Despite the shortcomings, this machine still provides everything you need for a standard rowing machine workout, which is great for those who want a magnetic rower that doesn't break the bank. Unfortunately, many of the tech features that can help motivate you to do more rowing workouts would not be available on this machine.
Sunny Health & Fitness Compact Folding Magnetic Rowing Machine specs
Resistance Type: Magnetic resistance
Display Screen: Small digital monitor
Product Dimensions: 77L X 23W X 22.5H In
Product Weight: 49.6 lbs
Product Weight Capacity: 285 lbs
Is membership required? No membership required.
Price: $259.98
Best design: Ergatta Rower
The Ergatta Rower is a water-resistance rowing machine unique in its design, perfect for those who want a stylish addition to their home gym.
Unlike the other metal rowers on our list, the Ergatta Rower is made of cherrywood, equipped with a well-designed wide seat, strapped footholds, and a comfy handlebar. We should note some users find these footholds a bit close together, which is not good for users with larger legs.
The Ergatta also has some membership options and tech features, though they are limited compared to competitors like the Hydrow. It has a 17.3-inch HD touchscreen, and with a paid membership, users can access a library of game-based workouts. These include racing games, target-hitting games, or even scenic views for free rowing.
Ergatta is limited to just these rowing games and scenic views. Unfortunately, you will not find instructor-led classes here, nor additional mat workouts like those offered by Hydrow. Instead, Ergatta aims to get you competitive, motivated by beating games and climbing leaderboards to improve performance.
The Ergatta can be folded upright for vertical storage, but users point out that its weight and design make it a little more difficult to move. This rower has a traditional water tank for resistance, which causes the machine to weigh 105 pounds once filled. Along with making the machine heavier and harder to move, the water tank also requires yearly filtering maintenance not found on other devices.
Ergatta Rower specs
Resistance type: Water resistance
Display screen: 17.3 inch HD touchscreen
Product dimensions: 7.1 ft. x 1.9 ft.
Product weight: 76.5 lbs (105 lbs with water tank filled)
Product weight capacity: 500 lbs
Is membership required? No, you can use it without a membership. However, to access the library of games and leaderboards, you need a paid membership priced at $29/mo.
Price: The machine on its own starts at $2,249
The best compact rowing machine for home: Hydrow Wave
Those looking for the perfect compact rower need to look no further than the Hydrow Wave. At 30% smaller than other Hydrow models, this streamlined rower is built for smaller spaces and can even be stored vertically with the purchase of the Hydrow Wave Vertical Anchor (sold separately). Available in multiple color options, the Wave makes it easy to match your fitness equipment to your style.
Despite its reduced footprint and smaller screen size than other Hydrow models, the Wave doesn’t compromise on performance. Its electromagnetic drag mechanics deliver a smooth, nearly silent rowing experience that mimics the feel of being on the water. And, with a Hydrow Membership, users also unlock access to more than 5,000 workouts across rowing, yoga, Pilates, strength training, and scenic waterways around the world—all led by expert athletes.
Where the Hydrow Wave really sets itself apart, though, is with HydroMetrics, Hydrow’s intelligent training system. After every session, you’ll receive three core scores—Precision (your highest burst of force over seven strokes), Power (an assessment of your rowing form), and Endurance (your best five-minute effort). Together, these create your HydroMetrics Index (HMI), a simple yet powerful way to track your progress over time. With personalized feedback and real-time insights, HydroMetrics ensures every row helps you move closer to your goals, whether that’s building strength, boosting endurance, or simply creating lasting fitness habits.
Hydrow Wave specs
Resistance type: Electromagnetic resistance
Display screen: 16” HD Screen
Product dimensions: 80″L x 19″W x 43″H
Product weight: 102 lbs; 128 lbs boxed
Product weight capacity: 375 lbs
Is membership required? No, all Hydrow rowers can be used membership free when in “Just Row” mode. Memberships can be purchased at $44/month to access additional content.
Price: $1,895
Shop Hydrow rowers today
We hope you enjoyed exploring some of the best rowing machines for your home on our list! A rowing machine is an amazing investment for any home gym, with many benefits when engaging in rowing machine workouts.
We hope this guide encourages you to get curious, invest in your own machine, and see all the amazing things rowing can bring into your life. Whether you’re just starting out or already active, Hydrow offers options that fit your level. Explore our range of rowing machines, discover membership benefits, and see why thousands trust Hydrow to move stronger every day.
Find the Hydrow that fits your goals and begin building lasting strength today.
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