Which smart home gyms work without a subscription?
Of the 9 brands we read, only Tonal makes its membership a condition of purchase. Echelon adds a cancellable plan at checkout; the others sell theirs as an option, or have none.
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Short answer: Concept2 RowErg (standard legs) at $990 (Rower, no plan at all), Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym at $1,499 (Strength, no plan at all), or Speediance Gym Monster 2 (Basic) at $2,579 (Digital weight, plan optional). Prices checked Nov 14.
- Rower, no plan at allCheck price at Concept2
- Strength, no plan at allCheck price at Bowflex
- Digital weight, plan optionalCheck price at Speediance
No required plan, by need
Rule: among machines whose brand does not require a plan, the cheapest that meets the need, at prices of Nov 14, 2026.
1. Rower, no plan at all
Concept2 RowErg (standard legs)
$990, free app, nothing to subscribe to.
- Type
- Rower
- Subscription
- none
- Max load or resistance
- Air resistance, flywheel with damper (no figure published)
- Size in use (L x W x H)
- 96 x 24 in (height not published)
- Machine weight
- 57 lb
- Warranty
- Limited 2-year (moving parts, monitor) and 5-year (frame parts)
2. Strength, no plan at all
Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym
$1,499, no screen, no subscription.
- Type
- Smart or home gym
- Subscription
- none
- Max load or resistance
- 210 lb
- Size in use (L x W x H)
- 76 x 78 x 83.25 in
- Machine weight
- 174 lb
- Warranty
- 7 years machine, 5 years Power Rods
$1,499
Check price at Bowflex
3. Digital weight, plan optional
Speediance Gym Monster 2 (Basic)
$2,579; Wellness Plus sold separately.
- Type
- Smart or home gym
- Subscription
- $19.99/mo, optional
- Max load or resistance
- 220 lb
- Size in use (L x W x H)
- 48.03 x 27.16 x 72.83 in
- Machine weight
- 171.96 lb
- Warranty
- 2 years (main unit)
$2,579 $3,849
Prices checked Nov 14. How we chose, and where each number comes from
Tonal is the only brand in our list that requires its membership: $59.95 a month with a 12-month commitment. Echelon makes you pick a plan at checkout but lets you cancel anytime. Speediance, Ergatta, Aviron, NordicTrack and Hydrow sell their plans as options; Bowflex's Revolution and Xtreme 2 SE and the Concept2 RowErg have none (stores read November 14, 2026).
What does each brand say about its plan?
| Machine | Plan | What the brand says | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Tonal 2 | $59.95/mo required, 12 months min. | "Membership required $59.95/mo + tax. 12-month commitment. Most features require an active membership." | Tonal store |
 Echelon Row-s | $39.99/mo picked at checkout, cancel anytime | A plan is picked with the rower: 30-day trial then $39.99 a month, cancel anytime; or 1 year $399.99, 2 years $699.99. | Echelon store |
 NordicTrack RW900 Rower | optional ($39/mo) | "iFIT Pro Membership required to access full content and features on equipment"; it "auto-renews for $39/mo plus tax unless canceled". 1 year $396, 2 years $699. | NordicTrack store |
| Speediance Gym Monster 2 (Basic) | optional ($19.99/mo) | Wellness Plus is sold as a separate product ($19.99 a month or $169.99 a year); the machine page does not list it as required. | Speediance store |
 Ergatta Luxe Rower | optional ($39/mo) | "A membership is not required, but recommended." Monthly $39; 1 year $390. | Ergatta store |
 Aviron Strong Series Rower (16 in screen) | optional ($29/mo) | "Is a membership required? No." $29 a month billed yearly ($348), or $34 month to month. | Aviron store |
| Hydrow Wave | optional ($50/mo) | Hydrow's help pages, as quoted by search engines: "a Hydrow membership isn't required, it is strongly encouraged", $50 a month; without it, a limited "Just Row" mode. hydrow.com blocked our reader on Nov 14, 2026. | Hydrow store |
| Concept2 RowErg (standard legs) | none | No subscription sold with the machine; Concept2 calls ErgData "our free app". | Concept2 store |
 Bowflex Revolution Home Gym | none | No subscription: a mechanical machine with no screen. | Bowflex store |
How much does a plan add over 5 years?
Sixty months at $59.95 is $3,597 for Tonal, more than the machine. At $39 (Ergatta, NordicTrack), $2,340; at $29 billed yearly (Aviron), $1,740; at $19.99 (Speediance), $1,199.40 [calc]. That is why the same machine can beat a gym membership without its plan and lose to it with one: the Ergatta Lite comes to $1.79 a workout without the plan and $4.79 with it, against $4.69 for a $61 gym [calc, 5 years, 3 workouts a week]. Run your case in the cost per workout calculator.
What do you lose without the plan?
Each brand decides. Tonal says most features need an active membership. NordicTrack says iFIT Pro is "required to access full content and features on equipment". Aviron says the machine is "a complete working machine the moment it's assembled" and keeps profiles and the metrics monitor without a plan. Hydrow's help pages, as quoted by search engines, describe a limited "Just Row" mode. If classes and games are why you want a connected machine, count the plan in the price. If you only need resistance and numbers, the comparison shows which machines carry no plan at all.
Specific questions: can you use Tonal without a membership? and can you use Hydrow without a membership?
Frequently asked questions
Can you use Speediance without a subscription?
Speediance sells Wellness Plus as a separate product ($19.99 a month, $169.99 a year, $269.99 a year for two users), and the Gym Monster 2 page does not list it as required.
Does a Concept2 rower need a subscription?
No subscription is sold with the RowErg. Concept2 describes ErgData as "our free app" and its Online Logbook as free.
Is the Aviron membership required?
Aviron's membership page answers "Is a membership required? No." The plan is $29 a month billed yearly or $34 month to month. Note that Aviron ties its 20-year warranty to keeping the first membership active; otherwise it lists 10 years on the frame and 1 year on parts.
What happens if you stop paying for Tonal?
Tonal requires the membership for the first 12 months and says most features require an active membership. See can you use Tonal without a membership.
Related questions
- Tonal without membershipNot for the first year: Tonal says its membership "is required for the first 12 months after your installation date", at $59.95 a month plus tax, and that "most features require an active membership".
- Hydrow without membershipYes, in a limited mode, according to Hydrow's own help pages as quoted by search engines: a membership "isn't required, it is strongly encouraged", at $50 a month.