10 Best Elliptical Under $500 Reviews 2022

Apart from eating a healthy meal to shed off extra weight or maintain a healthy body, the other essential routine you need to invest in is working out. Various workout equipment works magic in burning fat in the body and toning it as well. One of the most essential or rather versatile workout equipment to invest in for these results is elliptical.

Elliptical is gym equipment that is stationary and serves various workout moves. You can utilize it for running, walking and even stair climbing. 500 dollars is a reasonable price for getting an elliptical. So, what is the best elliptical under 500 on the market?

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10 Best Elliptical Under $500 Reviews

There are numerous elliptical machines in the market today. Selecting an affordable yet effective workout machine can be challenging. This list provides you with an evaluation of some of the elliptical machines that cost less than $500.

1. Best Overall- Schwinn Compact Elliptical Machine

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Stride Length: 18 inches 
  • Incline: Adjustable
  • Resistance: 16 levels
  • Weight Limit: 300 lbs
  • Pre-set Workouts: 13
  • Heart Rate: Contact & Telemetry Sensor
  • Folding: N
  • Warranty: 10 Years Frame, 2 Years Parts, 90 Days Labor

This elliptical machine has been designed with black and red accents to give it a unique look that can easily blend in with other workout equipment in your gym or home. It comes with 16 levels of resistance and offers you an 18-inch stride length to ensure even tall people can easily work out on the elliptical.

You can use 13 built-in workouts in your workout routine to ensure that you are using this elliptical well. Additionally, It has two sets of handlebars, a fixed set and a pair of moving handlebars. Some of the other features that this elliptical machine comes with include Bluetooth tracking, a wireless heart rate monitor, cushioned footplates to ensure that you do not strain during your workouts, and inertia enhanced flywheels.

Plus, it can be sued by people weighing up to 300 pounds and has a ten-year warranty.

Pros

  • Excellent stability as it adjustable stabilizers
  • 16 levels of resistance
  • Pre-installed 13 workout programs
  • Bluetooth connectivity
  • Rounded grips on top of the moving arms
  • Quite easy to assemble
  • A tablet holder section
  • Integrated with a bottle holder to ensure you stay hydrated

Cons

  • When you place a tablet on the tablet holder, it covers the console display
  • It does not include a chest strap for monitoring your pulse

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2. Best Budget- Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905 Elliptical Under 500

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Stride Length: 11 inches 
  • Incline: Adjustable
  • Resistance: 8 levels
  • Weight Limit: 220 lbs
  • Pre-set Workouts: N
  • Heart Rate: Digital Monitor
  • Folding: N
  • Warranty: 3 Years Frame

This elliptical fitness machine allows you to enjoy light to medium exercises. It uses magnetic resistance to create air resistance making it quiet and more reliable.

Sunny Health & Fitness E-905 comes with eight resistance levels to offer you a challenging workout routine. You can easily move the magnetic tension dial lower or higher to customize your workout goals. It has an advanced LCD tracking display, which is easy to read while working out.

It comes with two sets of handlebars, a stationary pair and a set that moves, which is great for ensuring you get a decent workout. The stationary handlebars have a heart rate monitor that shows you your pulse as you are working out. It is a compact design that comes with large anti-slip foot pedals. It can be used by people who weigh 220 pounds and below.

Pros

  • Relatively quiet
  • A compact design
  • 2 sets of handlebars
  • A micro tension controller
  • Smooth and reliable magnetic resistance
  • Comes with a heart rate monitor
  • Eight adjustable levels

Cons

  • It cannot be used by anyone who weighs over 220 pounds
  • It is not foldable
  • Unreliable for tall people because of the short stride path

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3. Best for Home- Sunny Health & Fitness Elliptical Trainer

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Stride Length: 14 inches 
  • Incline: Fixed
  • Resistance: 16 levels
  • Weight Limit: 330 lbs
  • Pre-set Workouts: 24
  • Heart Rate: Digital Monitor
  • Folding: N
  • Warranty: 3 Years Frame

This elliptical trainer is a good investment if you are looking for an affordable elliptical machine. It comes with a device holder section, where you can place your phone or tablet while working out. The Sunny health & fitness elliptical trainer has been made using steel. It has a programmable magnetic resistance and has smooth strides.

It also comes with floor stabilizers, which ensure that the elliptical machine remains steady during the workout. You can use the LCD display to track your speed, time, calories burned, and distance. The monitoring system also allows you to monitor your rotations per minute and watt generation. You can also link a compatible wireless heart rate monitoring belt to this trainer to ensure that you benefit from the heart-rate targeted workouts programs that come with the trainer.

You can also use the recovery function to monitor how well your heart rate returns to normal after a workout session.

Pros

  • Floor stabilizers for stability while doing workouts
  • Smooth strides
  • Weights of up to 330 pounds
  • Performance monitoring features
  • Comes with a programmable magnetic resistance
  • Heart rate monitoring device

Cons

  • Assembling the trainer can be tedious
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    4. Best Compact- Aceshin Elliptical Machine Trainer Under 500

    SPECIFICATIONS

    • Stride Length: 13 inches 
    • Incline: Fixed
    • Resistance: 8 levels
    • Weight Limit: 330 lbs
    • Pre-set Workouts: N
    • Heart Rate: Contact Sensor
    • Folding: N

    This elliptical machine offers you a smooth straining session. It comes with eight levels of magnetic resistance that you can select from while working out. It’s relatively small and compact design makes it suitable for homes, offices, and gyms. It offers you a 13-inch stride length, which ensures you will get a smooth workout for your entire body.

    Aceshin Elliptical comes with pulse pads and an additional set of stationary handlebars to offer you a wide range of exercises. It comes with a digital monitoring LCD display that helps you to track your speed, time, distance covered, and the calories you have burned. The user manual helps you understand the different features that the trainer offers. Plus, it has elbow mounting devices where you can rest your elbows while working out.

    Pros

    • Eight levels of magnetic resistance
    • Pulse rate pads
    • Variable tension control
    • Big and comfortable non-slip pedals
    • Elbow mounting devices
    • A digital monitoring LCD display

    Cons

    • Limited stride length space, making it difficult for people 6 feet tall or above to work out on the trainer

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    5. Best 2 in 1 Machine- Body Power Elliptical Stepper Trainer

    SPECIFICATIONS

    • Stride Length: 13 inches 
    • Incline: Fixed
    • Resistance: 8 levels
    • Weight Limit: 250 lbs
    • Pre-set Workouts: N
    • Heart Rate: Digital Monitor
    • Folding: N

    Body Power elliptical machine comes with a two-in-one stepper and has been made using curve-crank technology, which ensures that you have a smooth workout session by applying constant tension to the trainer and ensuring that the pedals do not rotate when you step on them. It combines two exercise machine movements, which is the normal elliptical trainer and the stepper machine to ensure that you get the most out of your workout sessions.

    The elliptical comes with eight levels of resistance and has a smooth heavyweight flywheel. It is one of the most compact elliptical trainers. It has a simple and straightforward LCD computer that helps you track the distance you have covered, your speed, and the calories burned.

    The dimensions of this product in inches are 42 x 24 x 62 inches and it weighs 96.8 pounds, making it a lightweight elliptical stepper trainer. It has a limited weight capacity of 250 pounds making it unsuitable for people who weigh more than 250 pounds.

    Pros

    • Created using curve-crank technology
    • Great for home use
    • Compact and lightweight machine
    • Front rollers for easy relocation
    • A simple LCD computer for tracking your progress

    Cons

    • Less weight support than others

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    6. Best Folding- Exerpeutic Folding Magnetic Upright Exercise Bike

    SPECIFICATIONS

    • Incline: Fixed
    • Resistance: 8 levels
    • Weight Limit: 300 lbs
    • Pre-set Workouts: N
    • Heart Rate: Contact Sensor
    • Folding: Y
    • Warranty: 90 Days

    This elliptical machine is created in upright bike design and comes with a pulse monitoring system. It is equipped with a three-piece crank system and a large and comfortable seat that is 14.6 inches wide to ensure that it will support you well during workouts and reduce the risks of falling off the bike.

    Exerpeutic elliptical is easy to get on and off the bike. The seat can be easily adjustable to fit people whose heights range between 5’3’’ to 6’1’’.  It comes with a large LCD display that is easy to read. The LCD display indicates details such as your speed, calories burned, time, pulse rate, and distance covered.

    This product’s dimensions in inches are 31 x 19 x 46 and it weighs 42.8 pounds, making it a lightweight elliptical machine that can be easily moved out of the way after a workout session. It requires two AA batteries, which are included in your order. Plus, it has an eight-level magnetic resistance.

    Pros

    • The height of the seat is adjustable
    • Supports up to 300 pounds of weight
    • Can be folded and stored away after use
    • Lightweight elliptical
    • A 3-piece high torque raking system

    Cons

    • After 999.9 miles, the mileage on the console resets to 0.0
    • The seat can be a bit larger for small-bodied people

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    7. Best Value -ProForm 150I Elliptical Machine Under 500

    SPECIFICATIONS

    • Stride Length: 17 inches 
    • Incline: Fixed
    • Resistance: 12 levels
    • Weight Limit: 250 lbs
    • Pre-set Workouts: 12 Workouts
    • Heart Rate: EKG Heart Rate Monitor
    • Folding: N
    • Warranty: 5 Years Frame, 90 Days Parts & Labor

    This elliptical machine is a mid-range trainer that was created for home or office use. It weighs 127 pounds and is designed to support weighs of up to 250 pounds. It has been made using steel and all the areas with steel are coated with rust-resistance and abrasion resistance paint. This elliptical machine is equipped with an eddy current resistance system and has a magnetic break.

    This elliptical machine provides you with LED backlight for each monitor to ensure that you can easily read the information about your progress while working out. The resistance of the machine can only be controlled from the console. The console is powered by four D-type batteries or a 6V 2A output adapter, which is not included in the package.

    Pros

    • A tablet holder
    • Bluetooth enabled
    • Contains 12 workout programs
    • An adjustable stabilizer on the rear base
    • A bottle and accessories holder
    • 12 levels of eddy current resistance
    • LED backlight for each monitor
    • A sound system

    Cons

    • Only supports people with up to 250 pounds of weight
    • No heart rate chest strap
    • The AC adapter is not included

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    8. Best Under-Desk- Cubii Jr. Under-Desk Elliptical

    Under Desk Elliptical

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    This elliptical will not stand out in your environment as you can easily use it under your work desk while working. It comes with eight levels of magnetic resistance and does not strain your joints.

    The elliptical is easy to assemble and ensures that you will be able to keep fit while seating on your desk. It has a built-in display monitoring system that shows you your speed, strides, distance, and calories burned during a workout session. It will not affect your work routine because you can use it while working. Its dimensions in 23.2 x 17.6 x 10 inches, making it small enough to fit under most desks.

    Weighing at 28 pounds, it ensures that you can carry it around. It requires one LR44 battery, which does not come with the product. This is the perfect product for someone who has a busy schedule and lives a sedentary lifestyle but wishes to incorporate exercise in their daily programs.

    Pros

    • Great for multi-tasking while working
    • Easy to assemble
    • Relatively quiet
    • It does not strain your joints
    • Highly portable

    Cons

    • Requires a separate rubber mat for grip
    • No Bluetooth connectivity features

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    9. Best Hybrid- ProForm Elliptical Trainer Under 500

    SPECIFICATIONS

    • Stride Length: 15 inches 
    • Incline: Fixed
    • Resistance: 16 levels
    • Weight Limit: 350 lbs
    • Pre-set Workouts: 13
    • Heart Rate: EKG Grip Pulse Sensors
    • Folding: N
    • Warranty: 5 Years Frame, 90 Days Parts & Labor

    Proform elliptical machine has a high-quality solid frame that has been built using steel. Its front-drive design also makes it look unique. It has a 15-inch pedal that ensures that you will enjoy your workout routine.

    The elliptical allows you to easily switch your resistance at the touch of a button through the QuickSpeed buttons that are located on the console. This elliptical machine comes with 16 levels of silent magnetic resistance that ensure that you can start working out on the low resistance levels and build your resistance as you progress.

    It has a smooth and steady pedal stroke and offers you effective weight placement, which creates a natural stride experience. The pedals on this elliptical machine provide you with effective stability as they can be adjusted to suit your needs. You can use this elliptical machine on uneven surfaces because it has adjustable levelers.

    Pros

    • Uses QuickSpeed buttons technology to ensure that you can easily switch resistance levels
    • The seat offers you back support
    • Adjustable pedals
    • A water bottle holder
    • 16 levels of silent magnetic resistance
    • Adjustable cushioned seat

    Cons

    • Limited warranty
    • Cannot be folded for storage

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    10. MaxKare Magnetic Elliptical Machine Trainer Under 500

    SPECIFICATIONS

    • Stride Length: 15 inches 
    • Incline: Adjustable
    • Resistance: 8 levels
    • Weight Limit: 286 lbs
    • Pre-set Workouts: 13
    • Heart Rate: LCD Monitor
    • Folding: N
    • Warranty: 2 Years Frame, 90 Days for Any Defect,

    MaxKare elliptical machine comes with eight levels of magnetic resistance and uses noise reduction engineering. This ensures that you can track your progress from warm-up to high impact training and you can use their elliptical to target different muscles.

    The front flywheel design and a dual directional workout provide you with more stability and reduces the distance between the feet. It features dual-directional capabilities, which will help you tone your muscles on both the front and backside of your legs. Plus, it comes with an LCD display to ensure that you can track your progress while working out.

    Additionally, it comes with a pulse grip, which you can hold while working out to obtain your real-time heart rate. It comes with a water bottle holder that ensures you will stay hydrated during your workout. It has a dual handle that can help you exercise your arm muscles. The MaxKare Elliptical machine also has an iPad holder to ensure that you can entertain yourself while working out.

    Pros

    • Eight levels of magnetic resistance
    • An LCD display
    • Pulse grip
    • 90-day full refund warrant in case of any defect
    • An iPad holder
    • Dual-directional capabilities for muscle toning

    Cons

    • It has a limited warranty of two years

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    Best Elliptical Under 500 Buying Guide

    elliptical machine

    Elliptical comes with different settings, features and even brands that may determine the rates. Some models retail at more than 1000 dollars whereas others cost less than 500 dollars. If you are budget cautious and you plan to buy an elliptical of less than 500 dollars, the following is a buying guide to help you choose the right brand.

    • The Size of the Stride

    The stride in the elliptical machine is referred to as the distance between the two pedals when functional. Checking on the distance of the pedals on this device is crucial as it determines the level of comfort when working out. The larger the stride the elliptical has, the more comfortable and convenient your workout will be since you can freely move your legs with fewer restrictions.

    The elliptical is designed with different stride levels ranging from 14 inches to 20 inches. But, it can be less than 14 inches or higher than 20 inches. So, choose a machine with the right and most comfortable stride within your budget. In most cases, a machine with a stride of 15 to 20-inch works perfectly even for injured and tall people.

     

    • Resistance Levels

    Other than choosing running, or stair climbing levels on the elliptical equipment, do you want a machine that can challenge your body for that well-toned legs and waist? Well, if the answer is yes then you should settle on an elliptical that has a high level of resistance.

    They come with multiple resistance levels for customers to choose from. This feature also makes it possible for a beginner to learn how to use it since you get to choose the resistant level that your body can handle.

    • Functional Sound

    One of the many features that people look out for when shopping for workout machines or any other home machine is the functional sound. This is a crucial feature to check out for if you don’t have a gym stationed far from the main house.

    An elliptical that works at a numb sound is convenient because you cannot distract other activities going on in your home. This also increases its versatility in installation as you can set it in your bedroom,  living area, and many other places. Therefore, if sounds from workout equipment irritate you, choose a machine that does not produce high sounds.

     

    • Weight

    Who needs a machine that they have to call two extra people to help in moving to different areas in the house. So, to save all this hustle, settle on an elliptical that is light in weight. A lightweight machine increases its portability and flexibility since you can move it to your preferred area of working out.

    To test for portability before buying it, try lifting it while still at the shop to determine the appropriate weight for you. Note that you get a good cheap elliptical machine with a weight of down to 80 pounds.

     

    • Settings

    One of the major reasons that most people prefer this workout machine is the versatility of working out. The elliptical machines are fitted with different setting levels that provide different workout moves for the user to choose from.

    So, if you are looking for a machine that is versatile and has a wide range of moves, check out the available settings. Some models have up to 20 settings while other features about 5 to 10. The choice will be highly influenced by your workout needs and the results as well.

     

    Benefits of Elliptical Exercise Machine

    use elliptical

    The benefits of owning an elliptical machine include:

    • Helps in Weight Loss

    Weight loss is connected to the number of calories you burn per workout sessions. When it comes to burning calories in the body, the elliptical machine helps crush up to 400 calories per session. Note that the number of calories you burn may differ since our bodies respond differently to workouts and diets, but generally, this is reliable workout equipment that significantly helps one to lose weight.

    • Strengthen and Build Stamina

    The cardio workout moves help to boost the stamina of various body parts and organs due to the vigorous movements involved.

    The elliptical equipment is also preferred and approved for cardio workouts since you can choose from running, jogging, stairs climbing among other workouts. These types of workouts involve the major parts of the body and organs like the heart, lungs, and even the body muscles.

    Involving these body parts in your workout helps to strengthen them and improve their functionality at large. So not only does this workout machine helps in weight loss, but it also helps to improve the functionality of your whole body.

    • Involves the Whole Body

    One excellent benefit of using the elliptical workout machine is the fact that it involves the entire body when working out. You need to build balance with both the upper and lower areas which in return provides excellent workout results in all areas. This is all-round gym equipment for those with small houses, or if you don’t want to spend a lot of money investing in multiple workout equipment.

    • Helps to Burn Fat

    Fat in the body is built up of extra calories that are converted to fats and stored in various parts of the body such as the waist, and the thighs. If the elliptical equipment can help in burning the calories in the body, rest assured that it can also help to burn fat stored in the body.

    The vigorous and cardio moves provided by the machine helps to increase the rate of metabolism in the body, which in return, results in the burning of stored fats in the body.

    • Tones the Body

    This workout equipment plays a huge role in toning the body to give you a good and lean body. This is because working out with the equipment requires one to use body muscles; hence, resulting in more strengthened body muscles.

     

    Conclusion

    If you are looking for convenient and versatile workout equipment for your home gym, I would recommend you get the elliptical machine. It is quite reliable in a workout and gives excellent body results in terms of weight loss and toning.

    The elliptical machines are sold at different prices meaning that you can still get a piece of good equipment under 500 dollars. Check out the reviewed ellipticals above to find the best elliptical under 500 and use the customers’ reviews to guide you in choosing the most quality equipment brand at your budget.