Although Peloton and NordicTrack are two of the more popular at-home fitness equipment brands, there are several key differences between the companies and the products offered.
But looking at NordicTrack vs Peloton, which is better?
What are the key differences in features, price, and performance between the Peloton vs NordicTrack exercise bikes? Is it a better value to buy a NordicTrack bike or treadmill or a Peloton Bike or Tread?
In this article, we will compare NordicTrack vs Peloton bikes and treadmills to help you determine whether a Peloton or NordicTrack bike or treadmill is better for you.
We will cover the following:
- Main Differences Between NordicTrack vs Peloton
- Peloton vs NordicTrack Bikes
- NordicTrack vs Peloton Treadmills
Let’s dive in!
Main Differences Between NordicTrack vs Peloton
Peloton launched in the United States in 2012 with just the Peloton Bike.
The company now has a second bike, the Peloton Bike+, along with a treadmill (called the Peloton Tread), and most recently, the company has added a Peloton rowing machine.
Peloton places a lot of emphasis on media, with 24/7 live and on-demand workout classes.
NordicTrack is also an American-based exercise equipment company. It was founded in 1975 but was purchased by Icon Health and Fitness in 1998.
The lineup of NordicTrack vs Peloton exercise equipment is significantly broader, with many treadmills, elliptical machines, exercise bikes, and rowing machines. There are also some strength training machines.
Although the NordicTrack exercise equipment used to include only pre-programmed workouts primarily, it now features iFit, a streaming platform that offers live and on-demand workout classes much like Peloton.
NordicTrack vs Peloton: Subscription Fees
Although both NordicTrack and Peloton offer streaming workouts directly on the exercise equipment, along with access to supplementary workouts that you can do off of your exercise bike or treadmill, there are a few differences in the Peloton vs NordicTrack memberships.
Most NordicTrack exercise equipment comes with a free 30-day trial iFit Family Membership.
After the 30-day free trial, you will need to pay for an iFit subscription, which costs $15 per month or $180 per year for an individual membership, or $39 a month ($396 a year) for the iFit Family Membership.
Peloton bikes or the Peloton Tread do not come with a trial membership. The Peloton All-Access Membership, which is required to use the Peloton Bike, is $44 per month.
Therefore, the subscription fees are lower for NordicTrack iFit vs Peloton. Plus, most NordicTrack equipment can be used without an iFit subscription, though program options will be limited. Peloton must be used with the Peloton membership.
Peloton vs NordicTrack Bikes
The main difference between Peloton vs NordicTrack bikes is in the number of bikes offered. Peloton has just two indoor cycling bikes, whereas NordicTrack offers seven types of exercise bikes, including studio cycles, recumbent bikes, and indoor cycling bikes.
The Peloton Bike is the cheaper of the two Peloton bike models, and the Peloton Bike+ is the newer model with additional features.
Although the prices of these exercise bikes fluctuate and depend on the accessories that you purchase, the Peloton Bike+ costs $2,495 currently, and the Peloton Bike costs $1,495.
The NordicTrack exercise bikes have a range of prices depending on the type, model and features that the bike offers.
The NordicTrack exercise bike that is most similar to the Peloton Bike is the new NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle, while the other similar comparison is the NordicTrack S27i vs Peloton Bike+.
Since it would be difficult to compare every single NordicTrack exercise bike vs Peloton Bike, we will look at the Peloton Bike vs NordicTrack S27i.
Weight Capacity and Dimensions
The maximum weight capacity is only 297 pounds on the Peloton Bike and Peloton Bike+, but it is 350 pounds on the NordicTrack S27i.
However, the dimensions of the bikes are similar. The Peloton bike is 59 inches long, 59 inches high, and 22 inches wide, whereas the NordicTrack exercise bike is 61 inches long, 58 inches high, and the same 22 inches wide.
The weight is also higher on the NordicTrack vs Peloton Bike. The Peloton bike is about 140 pounds, whereas the NordicTrack S27i studio cycle is 217 pounds.
One isn’t necessarily better than the other, but if you are a heavier user, over 300 pounds, you will want to go with the NordicTrack vs Peloton exercise bike.
Additionally, a heavier exercise bike will be more stable, particularly at high intensities and high speeds, or if you are doing a lot of climbing in and out of the saddle and you have a higher body weight.
Therefore, even if you are under the weight limit of the Peloton bike, if you are above 200 pounds and tend to do intense indoor cycling workouts, you might find a smoother and more stable ride with the NordicTrack vs Peloton Bike.
Resistance Levels
Peloton bikes and NordicTrack studio cycles, and indoor cycling bikes both use digitally controlled magnetic resistance. However, there is a difference in the number of resistance levels.
The Peloton Bike offers 100 levels of magnetic resistance, which is far more than the 24 resistance levels on the NordicTrack S27i.
However, where the NordicTrack studio cycle exercise bike shines relative to the Peloton Bike and Peloton Bike+ is in the ability to offer adjustable incline and decline, from -10 percent to 20 percent grade. The Peloton Bike does not have any adjustable incline in either direction.
As a result, if you are looking for the best exercise bike for training in the off-season and you normally like to ride outdoors, you will get a much more authentic “real outdoor cycling feel“ with the NordicTrack indoor cycling bike vs Peloton Bike.
This is because the NordicTrack studio cycle allows you to replicate real-life conditions of riding outdoors on the road.
You can even use Google Maps to simulate true-to-life outdoor courses with the real topography you would encounter on the course.
Display
Although some of the budget-friendly NordicTrack exercise bikes have smaller touchscreens, when comparing the premium NordicTrack bike vs Peloton Bike+, the Peloton Bike has a much smaller touchscreen display—measuring just 21.5 inches rather than 27 inches on the NordicTrack S27i.
Even the Peloton Bike+ has a smaller touchscreen display than the NordicTrack studio cycle, measuring 23.8 inches versus 27 inches.
Therefore, if you prefer the largest, most immersive experience, you might prefer the NordicTrack vs Peloton Bike.
Warranty
The warranty is better with the NordicTrack vs Peloton Bikes.
NordicTrack offers a 10-year frame warranty, two-year parts warranty, and one-year labor warranty on exercise equipment while the Peloton Bike warranty is just five years on the frame and 12 months for everything else.
NordicTrack vs Peloton Treadmills
As with the exercise bikes, there are many more treadmills offered by NordicTrack vs Peloton.
The Peloton Tread is the sole treadmill sold by Peloton, whereas NordicTrack has about eight treadmills in the lineup.
NordicTrack treadmills are divided into three different series. The Commercial X32i is a premium treadmill with astounding features like a 40% incline (you read that right!), a decline, a manual training mode for sled pushes, and a massive 32-inch touchscreen.
It is truly a luxury treadmill.
You would need to take a step down in the tiers of NordicTrack treadmills to compare a NordicTrack vs Peloton Tread with more of an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of specs.
For this, we can compare the Peloton Tread vs NordicTrack Commercial 1750 treadmill.
These treadmills have similar features (like the ability to adjust the incline from -3% up to 12%), but the Peloton Tread is about $1000 more expensive.
With that said, the display size is much larger on the Peloton treadmill vs NordicTrack Commercial 1750 (24 inches versus 14 inches). The footprint is also somewhat larger in the NordicTrack treadmill vs Peloton treadmill.
Overall, when comparing Peloton vs NordicTrack exercise equipment, NordicTrack exercise bikes and treadmills tend to be moderately to significantly less expensive when comparing similar models.
Plus, NordicTrack has some premium models with even more features that still fall at or below the price of Peloton exercise equipment. The NordicTrack membership through iFit is also cheaper than a Peloton subscription.
Furthermore, the warranty is significantly better on NordicTrack vs Peloton fitness equipment, which can be indicative of a higher quality product in the company believing in the durability, robustness, and premium-grade construction.
Therefore, if you are on a tighter budget, you will get a bigger bang for your buck and better value with NordicTrack vs Peloton.
The primary reason to choose Peloton vs NordicTrack is if you specifically want to take Peloton classes, compete in the Peloton leaderboard, and want the media experience to be as much a part of the R&D of the product as the performance specs and function of the exercise equipment itself.
For more information about buying exercise equipment for at-home workouts, check out our guide to exercise bikes vs treadmills here.
