The Best Rowing Machines of 2026

If you ask competitive rowers, CrossFit coaches, or physiologists which indoor rower to buy, the answer is monotonously consistent: the Concept2. The Model D (now sold as the RowErg) is the machine every other rower is measured against, and it is the safest purchase in the entire home-cardio category. The air resistance scales infinitely with your effort so you can never outgrow it, the PM5 monitor makes your data the worldwide racing and testing standard, and the build routinely runs for a decade or more.

It is not the cheapest option at around $990, but it occupies an unusual sweet spot - a fraction of the price of premium connected rowers while out-measuring and out-lasting nearly all of them. Add resale value that holds 75-85% of new, and the real cost of ownership is lower than almost anything else here. The only reasons to look elsewhere are a need for an instructor on a big screen, a very tight apartment, or a higher seat.

The Model E is the same machine as the Model D - identical PM5 monitor, identical flywheel, identical data and durability - sitting about six inches higher, with a 20-inch seat instead of 14. That elevated seat is a genuine benefit if you have knee, hip, or mobility concerns, or if you are tall and find getting up off a low seat annoying.

Our advice is simple: default to the Model D, and only step up to the E for the seat height, not for any perceived quality upgrade. You are paying roughly $200-300 more purely for ergonomics, which is money well spent if you need it and wasted if you don't.

The WaterRower Natural is what most people picture when they imagine a beautiful rowing machine - handcrafted hardwood that genuinely belongs in a living room, a smooth water stroke with a pleasant whoosh, and upright storage that takes up almost no floor space. It is quieter than an air rower and made in the USA with a strong frame warranty.

The trade-off is data: the S4 monitor is basic for the price, with none of the split-rich feedback serious trainers want. Buy the Natural if you value how a machine looks and feels in your home more than lab-grade numbers - it is the water rower we recommend without reservation for that buyer.

If your motivation depends on a coach on a screen, the Hydrow Wave is the connected rower we recommend first. It pairs near-silent electromagnetic resistance with a sharp 16-inch HD touchscreen and a large library of live and on-demand instructor-led rows, in a more compact, lighter footprint than the full-size Hydrow - and for several hundred dollars less.

Be clear-eyed about the model, though: the experience leans heavily on a roughly $44/month membership, and the frame doesn't fold (the vertical storage kit is an extra purchase). If you will only train with a charismatic instructor pushing you, that ongoing cost may be exactly what keeps you consistent. If not, a Concept2 plus a free app is the smarter buy.

Ergatta is the rower for people who are bored by classes but motivated by competition. It puts a game-based platform on a 21-inch touchscreen mounted to a furniture-grade cherry-wood frame, turning intervals and races into something you actually want to come back to - over genuine, self-adjusting water resistance rather than simulated magnets.

It is expensive up front and a membership unlocks the full value, and the closed software ecosystem means no third-party streaming on-screen. But for the right buyer - someone who wants water feel, a machine that looks like furniture, and gamified workouts instead of instructor-led ones - nothing else on this list scratches the same itch.

If you want the honest air-rower feel of a Concept2 but can't stretch to one, the Xebex Air Rower is the standout step-up from entry-level machines. It is a heavy, steel-built frame rated to a 500 lb user weight, with smooth air resistance, a 10-position damper, and a console that tracks the metrics that matter - and the 2.0 model folds in half for storage.

The catch is data portability: the proprietary console formulas make your numbers hard to compare against the global Concept2 standard, and the standard model has no Bluetooth (the Smart Connect variant fixes that). For a garage gym or a budget-conscious household that wants real air resistance without Concept2 money, it is the best value going.