Sitting at your desk all day is literally a pain. It’s bad for your mental and physical health and slowly turns you into a hunched-over keyboard gargoyle. You could take walking breaks away from your screen, but even then, you’re still spending a lot of the day on your butt.
Enter: the walking pad. These tiny treadmills fit under standing desks and allow you to rack up steps while you work. It might sound far-fetched, but yes, you can exercise and be productive on your computer at the same time. In fact, I’m convinced these things actually make me more efficient. They keep my energy up, and I’m more locked in. Working from home is exponentially better with my little office hamster wheel.
There are tons of walking pads on the market, with varying speed capabilities, extra features like built-in desk platforms, and durability. We tested the ones below to help you narrow down your search to the best of the best. Are you trying to get more fit in 2025? Don’t forget to check out our picks for the Best Treadmills, Best Fitness Trackers, and Best Running Shoes.
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Table of Contents
How to Pick a Walking Pad
Obviously, budget is a major factor. Outside of that, here’s what you’ll want to consider as you pick out a pad.
Space constraints: Walking pads are typically much smaller than full-blown running treadmills, but most home office areas aren’t exactly sprawling, either. Make sure the footprint will work for you, or consider a foldable option. If you’re planning to store the thing when you’re not using it, make sure it can fit under the bed or couch in your room.
Weight capacity: Walking pads aren’t as heavy, as strong, or as durable as treadmills, and that means they tend to have a lower weight capacity. Make sure the one you’re interested in will work for you and anyone else who will be using it. Typically, a higher weight capacity means it should hold up longer in general. Per the reviews I’ve read, walking pads are notorious for falling apart after only a few months or a few years of use, so it might be worth getting something that’s a little more heavy-duty.
Tracking your metrics: Most walking pads have some kind of display on them that shows you the steps and mileage you’re tallying, but many don’t keep that count going if you step off and get back on later. Most also have an app, which can sometimes sync your metrics from the machine so you can check them from your phone. If tracking is important to you, you’ll probably want that option. Otherwise, make sure you’re wearing a fitness tracker.
Extra features: Some walking pads have an incline, a speed range that allows you to run on them, and built-in desks. Some allow you to set the pace with a remote or quicken or slow your steps to automatically adjust the speed. Consider how you’d like to use the walking pad most often and then look for options that can meet those needs.
Best Overall
This little guy is a top pick on Reddit, and I can see why! It’s incredibly lightweight and easy to set up, the deck feels comfortable underfoot and has good energy return, it has a good weight capacity for a walking pad, and it’s very affordable. The remote connectivity is solid, and the app (called Sperax Fitness) syncs easily with the machine. These things might seem basic, but after testing some other walking pads with wonky functionality, it was a refreshing change.
It was easy to assemble; I had it out of the box and up and running in a matter of minutes. It also has a vibration mode; I’m not really sure what this does, but I guess getting a full body shake feels good. It’s also only 3.5 inches tall, so you can easily slide it under a couch or prop it against a wall in a closet. Since it’s on the shorter side (39 inches), I thought I might feel like I was going to fall off, but I didn’t have to shorten my strides at all. (If you’re tall, this might be a problem for you.) Even though I have a few walking pads to choose from, I want to keep using this one.
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