5 best walking pads for hitting your 10,000 step goal with ease

Sunny Health & Fitness’s treadpad 100 is the best walking pad I’ve ever tested, largely because it makes walking fun with guided workouts and virtual trails you can access in the connected app. It also gamifies your walking with fitness challenges and badges when you hit certain milestones. Even if you don’t take advantage of these smart features, this walking pad is a smart buy.

A long deck means even extra-tall legs can comfortably open up their stride. Meanwhile, a safety key automatically stops the belt if you happen to trip. Although it does take up quite a bit of space, the smooth maneuverability means you can easily stash this pad under your couch or bed when you’re done. (If you’re low on space, I’d recommend LifePro’s pacermini thanks to its slim design – it’s less than 5 inches high.)

For just over $100, Mobvoi’s walking pad gets the job done impressively well, making it a great choice if you’re on a budget. I loved the solid-feeling grip on the belt and the fact that the speed can increase to 4mph. Although there are no transport wheels, it’s easy to move around, since it clocks in at a light 28.7lbs.

You can take advantage of the Bluetooth connection to play music or a podcast (though the sound is a bit tinny) or connect to a training app like Zwift. It’s worth noting that you might not be able to take a work call on this machine because the motor is somewhat noisy, and each of my steps also made a pretty loud sound as I walked — Egofit’s M2 is a quieter option.

Egofit comfortdeck-m2 under desk treadmill is the most comfortable design I tested. The honeycomb design of the shock-absorbing deck makes for exceptionally soft yet springy strides. You can even see the deck flex up and down with every step. It’s set at a subtle three percent incline, which adds just a little challenge but is mild enough that I didn’t even feel it at first. But I also appreciated that this walking pad is pretty quiet at lower speeds.

If aesthetics are a top priority, you may be put off by all the writing on the frame and belt. It is the biggest downside as it might be a bit too industrial-looking for some tastes.

If you want to fit a walking pad into a small space, the pacermini from LifePro is less than 3ft long. That means, however, that it might not be big enough for people with long strides at faster paces — I’m 5ft7, and felt my toes slipping off the back a bit when I cranked this up to its max (3mph).

But the genius of this walking pad is that you don’t actually need to hit high speeds to get your heart pumping. It’s set at a seven-degree incline, giving your glutes and legs a workout even at a low-key pace. Another major bonus? It’s quiet enough to take a work call while stepping.

Rove Concepts’s camino treadmill looks as good as it works. The sleek frame comes in two color options (alabaster or black) and is designed with a minimal amount of writing so it looks more like a high-end piece of furniture than a clunky machine you’d find at a big box gym. Yet the belt is long and wide enough to comfortably accommodate a range of walkers.

I found it’s definitely louder than other options (like LifePro’s pacermini) — it sounds a bit creaky underfoot at lower speeds, and then the motor gets noisy once you crank up the pace. So I wouldn’t recommend it if you want to take phone calls while you walk. But it’s not so loud that you can’t hear a TV or music during your workout.