Rowing Machines · Buying Guide
Best Home Rowing Machines
A rowing machine is the closest thing to a full-body workout you can put in a spare corner, working your legs, back, arms and core in one smooth movement while sparing your joints. Here are the best home rowing machines in the UK, ranked on FitRank, across every resistance type and budget, with honest notes on who each one suits.
Rowing has quietly become one of the most popular ways to train at home, and for good reason. It is low-impact, it works most of the body at once, and a good session leaves you genuinely worked in twenty minutes. The catch is that rowers vary more than most people expect, the resistance type alone changes the feel, the noise and the price dramatically, so the right machine depends as much on your room and your budget as on your fitness.
We have compared the rowers worth buying in the UK and ranked them on FitRank, our editorial score out of 5 that weighs performance, build, value and features against each machine’s price and rivals. The picks below span air, water, magnetic and folding rowers from £149 to £1,999, so there is a sensible answer here whether you want a tuck-away first rower or a connected machine with a screen.
One honest note before the list. The name most serious rowers will mention is Concept2, the air rower that dominates gyms and competitive rowing. We do not stock it, and if you are training seriously and money is no object it is the default benchmark. For the great majority of home buyers, though, the machines below deliver what you actually need, a smooth, effective row that fits your space and budget, often at a lower price, and that is who this guide is written for.
The quick list
- Best overall · JTX Ignite AirX Rower · FitRank 4.6 · £649
- Best water rower · WaterRower Original Series · FitRank 4.5 · £1,199
- Best connected · Echelon Row-7s Smart · FitRank 4.4 · £1,999
- Best folding · Echelon Row Smart Folding · FitRank 4.3 · £599
- Best value water rower · Xterra ERG600W Water · FitRank 4.1 · £499
- Best value air rower · Xterra ERG780 Air · FitRank 4.0 · £499
- Best budget air rower · JTX Freedom Air · FitRank 3.9 · £349
- Best compact rower · Viavito Sumi Folding · FitRank 3.6 · £149
JTX Ignite AirX Rower
The JTX Ignite AirX Rower is our pick of the range, and the one we would point most people to first. JTX is a specialist British home-fitness brand with a strong reputation for build quality and warranties, and this is its flagship rower. It uses air resistance, which scales with how hard you pull, so the machine matches your effort automatically whether you are warming up or sprinting.
At £649, down from £799, it sits in the sweet spot between the budget machines and the four-figure smart rowers. If you want one good rower from a brand that will still be around to honour the warranty, and you do not need a built-in screen, this is the sensible answer.
Best for Most people who want one dependable, well-built rower without paying for a screen.
Watch-out No built-in touchscreen, so you follow your own workouts or use a phone or tablet.
WaterRower Original Series
The WaterRower Original is the machine most people picture when they think of a water rower, a handcrafted wooden frame with a water tank that gives a smooth, swooshing catch and a genuinely pleasant rhythm. It is as much a piece of furniture as a rower, which matters if it has to live in a room you actually sit in.
Water resistance feels the most natural of any type, building progressively as you pull harder, and the Original is the benchmark for it. It starts at £1,199 and comes in four wood finishes, so it is a considered purchase, but it is the one water rower here with real heritage behind it.
Best for Buyers who want the classic water-rowing feel and a machine that looks good on show.
Watch-out A premium price, and being wooden and water-filled it is heavier to move than a folding rower.
Echelon Row-7s Smart
If you want the Peloton-style experience of following live and on-demand classes on a built-in screen, the Echelon Row-7s is the most complete connected rower in the range. Quiet magnetic resistance, a large rotating display and Echelon’s class library make it the rowing equivalent of a premium studio bike.
The honest caveat is the same as it is for every connected machine, the screen depends on an Echelon membership to be worth having, so factor the ongoing subscription into the cost. If you know you are motivated by coached classes, that fee buys real consistency. If you are not, you are paying for a screen you will not use.
Best for People who stay motivated by coached, on-screen classes and will use a subscription.
Watch-out The £1,999 price is only part of it, the class experience needs an ongoing Echelon membership.
Echelon Row Smart Folding
The Echelon Row Smart Folding is the pick if storage is your main constraint but you still want connectivity. It folds up between sessions, uses quiet magnetic resistance that suits a flat or a shared room, and connects to Echelon’s app so you can follow classes on your own tablet rather than a fixed screen.
At £599, down from £999, it is a lot of connected, foldable rower for the money, and the 4.9-star retailer rating suggests owners are happy with it. As with any Echelon machine, the app experience is subscription-based, so weigh that in.
Best for Smaller homes that want a foldable rower with app classes, using your own tablet.
Watch-out Full app features rely on an Echelon subscription, and magnetic feel differs from air or water.
Xterra ERG600W Water
If you want the smooth, natural feel of water resistance without the premium price of a WaterRower, the Xterra ERG600W is the value route in. It delivers the same progressive water catch in a more affordable package, and at £499 down from £899 it is less than half the price of the classic wooden option.
A 4.8-star retailer rating backs it up, and the EXTRA20 code brings it down further at the time of writing. It is the water rower to choose on a budget, accepting that the build and finish are more functional than the handcrafted WaterRower.
Best for Buyers who want the water-rowing feel at the lowest sensible price.
Watch-out More functional in look and finish than a premium wooden water rower.
Xterra ERG780 Air
The Xterra ERG780 is the value pick among the air rowers, offering the effort-scaling air resistance that suits interval training at a keen price. At £499 down from £899, it undercuts the flagship JTX while covering the same core brief, a responsive air rower for varied-intensity sessions.
A 4.7-star retailer rating suggests it holds up in daily use, and it connects with Kinomap for guided rowing if you want structure. For most people chasing a solid air rower on a budget, this is the one to compare everything else against.
Best for Interval and varied-intensity rowers who want air resistance without the flagship price.
Watch-out Air rowers are louder than magnetic or water machines, a factor in a flat or shared space.
JTX Freedom Air
The JTX Freedom Air is the most affordable way into the JTX range, an entry-level air rower from a specialist brand rather than an anonymous budget name. That brand backing matters at this price, because it usually means a better warranty and easier support than a cheap marketplace machine.
At £349 it is a straightforward, no-frills air rower for someone who wants to start rowing at home without a big outlay, and without dropping to the very bottom of the market. A sensible first rower.
Best for First-time buyers who want an affordable air rower from a brand that stands behind it.
Watch-out Entry-level, so expect a simpler build and console than the pricier JTX and Xterra air rowers.
Viavito Sumi Folding
The Viavito Sumi is the cheapest rower here and the one built purely around saving space. It folds away for storage and uses quiet magnetic resistance, which makes it a fit for a flat or a room that cannot give up permanent floor space. At £149, down from £299, it is an easy, low-risk way to find out whether rowing suits you.
Set expectations correctly, though. This is a light, entry-level machine for gentle, casual use rather than serious training, and committed rowers will outgrow it. As a first, affordable, tuck-away rower, it does the job.
Best for Tight budgets and small spaces, and testing whether rowing is for you before spending more.
Watch-out A light, basic machine for gentle use, most regular rowers will want to step up before long.
The 8 compared
| # | Rower | Resistance | Price | FitRank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JTX Ignite AirX Rower | Air | £649 | 4.6 |
| 2 | WaterRower Original Series | Water | £1,199 | 4.5 |
| 3 | Echelon Row-7s Smart | Magnetic, screen | £1,999 | 4.4 |
| 4 | Echelon Row Smart Folding | Magnetic, folds | £599 | 4.3 |
| 5 | Xterra ERG600W Water | Water | £499 | 4.1 |
| 6 | Xterra ERG780 Air | Air | £499 | 4.0 |
| 7 | JTX Freedom Air | Air | £349 | 3.9 |
| 8 | Viavito Sumi Folding | Magnetic, folds | £149 | 3.6 |
Air, water or magnetic, which resistance is right
The single biggest decision with a rower is the type of resistance, because it shapes everything else. There are three main kinds, and none is simply best, they suit different people.
Air resistance
A fan provides the resistance, and it scales with how hard you pull, so the machine automatically matches your effort from a gentle warm-up to an all-out sprint. That responsiveness makes air rowers the choice for interval and varied-intensity training, and it is why they dominate gyms. The trade-off is noise, a spinning fan is the loudest of the three, which matters in a flat or a shared room. The JTX and Xterra air rowers here are the picks.
Water resistance
A paddle turns in a water tank, giving a smooth, progressive catch and a distinctive swooshing sound many rowers find pleasant and almost meditative. Water rowers feel the most natural and often look the best, frequently built from wood, so they double as furniture. They tend to cost more and are heavier to move once filled. The WaterRower Original and Xterra ERG600W cover the premium and value ends.
Magnetic resistance
A magnet provides quiet, consistent resistance set by level rather than effort, which makes magnetic rowers the quietest and usually the most compact and foldable. They are ideal for small spaces and early-morning sessions in a shared home, and they are common on connected and folding models. The feel is less dynamic than air or water, but the quiet and the fold-away convenience win a lot of people over. The Echelon and Viavito machines here use it.
Who a home rower suits
Rowing earns its popularity because it does a lot at once. A single stroke drives through your legs, swings through your back and core, and finishes with your arms, so you work roughly the whole body in one low-impact movement. That makes it efficient for general fitness and for people who want cardio without the joint impact of running.
It suits small spaces better than most gym kit too, particularly the folding and magnetic machines, which pack away between sessions. And because the movement is seated and smooth, it is approachable for a wide range of ages and fitness levels, provided the technique is sound. The one thing a rower asks of you is decent form, since rowing with a rounded back is the most common way people get sore, so it is worth learning the stroke properly early on.
How to choose your rower
Match the resistance to your room
If you row in a flat, a shared house or early in the morning, a quiet magnetic or water rower is kinder to everyone than a fan-driven air machine. If you have a garage or a dedicated space and want the most responsive workout, air is the classic choice.
Be honest about storage
A folding magnetic rower like the Viavito Sumi or Echelon Row disappears between sessions. A wooden water rower or a big air machine needs a permanent home. Measure your space before you fall for a machine that will not fit your life.
Decide whether you want a screen
Connected rowers with built-in screens and coached classes, like the Echelon Row-7s, add real motivation for some people, but the class experience depends on an ongoing subscription. If coached content keeps you consistent, it is worth it. If not, a good non-connected rower saves you the monthly fee.
Buy the brand as much as the machine
At this price a warranty and support matter. A rower from an established brand sold through a proper retailer is a safer bet than an anonymous marketplace machine, because when a part fails there is someone to call. It is why we lean towards JTX, Xterra, Echelon and the like over unbranded alternatives.
How we chose these rowers
Every machine here is scored on FitRank, our editorial rating out of 5 that weighs performance, build quality, value and features against each rower’s rivals and its price. We do not rank by commission, and the order follows the scores. Our assessments draw on published specifications, resistance type, pricing and independent owner and reviewer feedback rather than a single showroom session, and we would rather be honest about a machine’s limits than oversell it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best home rowing machine?
Are air or water rowing machines better?
What is a good budget rowing machine?
Do rowing machines give a full-body workout?
Are folding rowing machines any good?
Do I need a subscription for a rowing machine?
How much should I spend on a home rowing machine?
Is a rowing machine better than an exercise bike?
Ready to narrow it down? See the best water rowing machines, the best air rowing machines, the best folding rowing machines, or the best cheap rowing machines if you are on a budget.
Chris writes the home fitness reviews across our sites, including our sister site HomeTreadmill.co.uk. He compares every machine against its rivals on UK pricing and specs, and scores each one with FitRank.
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