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We’ve witnessed some amazing developments in home fitness take place over the past five years. Whether it’s the latest high-tech training mirrors or the newest connected devices on the market; we’ve been here to cover them all. Over the years, we’ve noticed two brands emerge as major competitors in the market. They offer similar products and services and both manufacture high-quality equipment.
The brands are Echelon and ProForm.
Echelon launched their first bike at the beginning of 2018 and they immediately became known for their high-tech fitness equipment. Since then, their inventory has expanded to include a number of more advanced bikes, rowing equipment, treadmills, reflective trainers, and more.
The company that created ProForm has been in the health industry since the late 1970s. They began manufacturing the ProForm name fitness equipment during the 1980s. In recent years, they’ve pushed to include more advanced equipment while building on a solid foundation of experience and trust.
One company brings with it decades of experience and the other offers exciting new takes on familiar equipment. They are both excellent choices if you’re interested in getting fit without leaving home. But which of the two brands is right for you?
We’re here to help you make that decision.
Equipment Compare: What Echelon And ProForm Have To Offer
1. Echelon Equipment Overview
The Echelon library of equipment may be smaller, but they’ve managed to manufacture quite a lot of content over the last few years. They offer equipment in multiple price ranges so that customers with different budgets can still find something they’ll use. And since the company is so new, there is no outdated equipment to avoid when making your decision. Here’s a look at some of the best equipment they have to offer at the moment.
- Bikes
There are currently four major Echelon bikes on the market and they vary in price as well as the additional features they offer. The introductory model is the Echelon EX-3. It’s the most affordable of the options but it also lacks the most features. For example, there is no built-in monitor, but you can choose to attach your tablet to remain connected.
The leading flagship model is the Echelon EX-7S. It features a 21.5-inch touchscreen monitor with dual speakers and several options for biometric feedback. It’s easily one of the most advanced smart bikes available.
- Reflects
Reflective training mirrors have become extremely popular over the last year and Echelon played a major role in that success. These reflective surfaces can also live-stream fitness classes from experts around the world. The two reflect trainers offered by Echelon are capable of connecting with other Echelon equipment to create a fully immersive experience.
- Rowers
If you’re in the market for a smart rower with advanced features, then you’re probably going to be shopping with Echelon. Their latest Echelon Row-S is widely regarded as one of the best available. Though, like with most Echelon equipment, you get the most value if you purchase more equipment and take advantage of the connectivity features.
- Stride Treadmill
The Stride Treadmill from Echelon is an awesome compact, connected Treadmill. Whether walking or running, you’re sure to love their live and on demand workouts, and the fact that it can easily fold up and be stored almost anywhere.
Learn more about the complete line of Echelon products below:
2. ProForm Equipment Overview
The ProForm catalog is significantly larger. There’s also plenty of outdated equipment that we’ll not cover. Instead, we’re going to focus on their most advanced products. The “smart” equipment with connectivity features similar to Echelon. It’s this type of equipment that has become in-demand as more people are staying home to stay safe. It allows people to stay connected, and sometimes competitive, without posing a health risk.
- HIIT Trainers
ProForm has always specialized in cardio equipment and their HIIT trainers are the culmination of some of their most advanced machines. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) trainers are capable of activity more muscle groups than a standard bike or elliptical alone. A single machine is capable of working the triceps, hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, and biceps without making any adjustments.
RELATED READING: Echelon vs MYX
- Fitness Mirrors
There are several categories of overlap between the two brands, but the competition between their fitness mirrors is most noticeable. Both pieces of equipment are very similar and offer similar services. The major differences between the two come down to price, connectivity, and the quality of the training sessions offered.
- Treadmills
The ProFrom line of treadmills covers a very large range of budgets and features. Even their cheapest introductory treadmill, the City L6, features connectivity with their support iFIT training app. The most expensive model, the Pro 9000, comes with its own 22-inch touchscreen and iFit Family Membership for a full year.
See more ProForm equipment options at Amazon
Connected Workout Experience: Is Echelon Or ProForm More Well-Rounded?
Both of these brands are well known for their connected workout experience. They each utilize their own fitness app to connect several of their machines. For Echelon, it is the Echelon FitPass. And for ProForm it is iFit. Both apps offer helpful features, but one of them clearly stands out as the superior choice.
1. Echelon Workout Options
The Echelon FitPass app is the golden standard when it comes to connectivity options. It is capable of communicating with all of its newest machines. It can even be utilized on its own without any equipment for bodyweight workouts on-the-go.
Echelon has put a lot of planning and marketing into their fitness app and it shows. One example is their willingness to hire celebrity trainers to lead classes and attract new customers. Mario Lopez is the latest addition to their roster. The celebrity classes are surprisingly thorough and often entertaining due to the unique styles of the actors involved.
The strongest advantage that the Echelon FitPass app has over iFit is its access to live instructor-led classes. Every day, there are hundreds of fitness classes hosted around the world and streamed through the FitPass app. These classes are created specifically for the Echelon equipment and you can compare your biometric results to what is expected.
2. ProForm Workout Options
The iFit app from ProForm does have plenty to offer to people who want to exercise at home, but it lacks the more advanced features Echelon offers. There are plenty of instructor-led workout courses, but none of them are offered live. If you don’t mind missing out on the live component, then you’ll find the iFit library large enough to keep every workout fresh.
The various fitness programs offered on iFit are designed to work specifically with the ProForm equipment. Whether it’s the HIIT trainer or a treadmill, it can feed your results to the app and provide you with a clearer picture of your progress.
Price Compare: Is ProForm or Echleon Cheaper?
It’s safe to assume that neither of these companies is the cheapest on the market. All of the advanced features they offer come with a price, but they do provide some entry-level models that are perfectly capable of making a difference. If you do choose a model with a cheaper price tag the biggest difference you’ll notice is the lack of a monitor. It’s a problem that you can easily remedy if you already have a tablet.
Let’s compare a few price points for their most important items:
Echelon Pricing Overview
- Echelon FitPass: $16/month
- Echelon Ex3: $1,039
- Echelon Ex7s: $2039
- Echelon Reflect 50″: $1,639
- Prices subject to change – see most up to date pricing at Echelon website
ProForm Pricing Overview
- ProForm iFit: $39/month (family plan)
- ProForm HIIT H14: $1,699
- ProForm Carbon CX Bike: $599
- ProForm Vue Fitness Mirror: $1,499
When comparing prices, you should consider how important the extra features are to your experience. If you are interested in the cheapest entry-level models, the ProForm has bikes and treadmills cheaper than anything Echelon offers. Even their fitness mirror is slightly more affordable. On the other end of the spectrum, ProForm does cost more each month for their training programs.
The most expensive machine on the floor is the Echelon Ex7s. If you’re interested in investing in the most advanced workout bike available, then this is what you want. The Echelon EX5s is slightly more affordable at $1,639 and still comes with its own monitor. Many of the mid-range products from both brands fall in the same budget range and include many of the same features.
Summary: Is ProForm or Echelon The Brand For You?
What are you looking for in your home workout experience? Are you interested in building a complete home gym with the most sophisticated workout equipment available? Or are you just dipping your feet in the water and interested in more affordable equipment with fewer features?
For the former, Echelon is most likely the brand for you. And for the latter, ProForm has a large selection of more affordable equipment that Echelon is lacking.
However, it’s also important to consider the quality of the membership that you are purchasing alongside the equipment. You’ll continue to pay for the membership long after you’ve stopped paying for the equipment. The big question to consider is whether you need access to live instructor-led classes. If so, then Echelon is the way to go.
Pick Echelon if:
- You want live instructor-led classes
- You want the most advanced equipment available
- You want all of your equipment to communicate with a single app
- You don’t mind paying more for the best
Pick ProForm if:
- You’d like to save money
- You’re interested in a larger variety of workout equipment
- You want a brand with a well-established track record
