9 Best Stepper Machines (Review) In 2021

The Stamina InMotion E1000 Compact Elliptical is our overall favorite stepper machine. It’s well priced, loaded with features, and durable. We love the fact that you can use it both sitting and standing. You can put it under your desk and workout whilst gaming, writing, or watching TV. Or, you can stand up and put everything into your workout.

It has a tiny LCD monitor that provides information about your workout. You can check your total strides, strides per minute, exercise time, and calories burned. We like the fact that they haven’t overcomplicated the product as well. You don’t need power to the screen to operate it – you can adjust the tension manually and use it without tracking your workout. We also love the fact that it comes in 3 colors – silver, orange, and green. Not many workout equipment manufacturers think to make their machines customizable. If you’re looking for the best stepper machine for your home gym, we think we’ve found it.

The FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical is designed purely for use underneath a desk. Unlike the Stamina InMotion E1000, you can’t use this step machine effectively whilst you’re stood up. This might seem like a disadvantage, but it means that they’ve really thought about how to make it comfortable to use sitting down. For example, it has the lowest pedal rotation height possible – the pedals only move up and down 8 inches, so you won’t be hitting your knees on the bottom of the desk. It also has extra-large pedals, which are easy to find without having to crane your neck to look. It’s even got a tension adjustment shifter that you can operate with your feet.

The LCD display has three buttons – Mode, Reset, & Set. You can use it to select different workout modes, track your progress, and check how many calories you’ve burnt. One of the things we love most about the FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical is the whisper-quiet operation. It has a high-velocity flywheel that provides a smooth motion and doesn’t distract you from whatever else you’re doing. If you’re looking for a mini stepper machine to use under your desk, this is one of the best. For more amazing equipment to help you get yourself in shape, check out our guide to the best free weights.

The j/fit Mini Elliptical Stepper is a compact stepper workout machine that you can use both sitting and standing. They’ve squashed the design to make it easy to fit under your desk and easy to store when you’re not using it. It’s very similar to the two products we’ve already featured on this list. For example, it has a small LCD screen to track your progress, the large rollerblade wheel makes it smooth and quiet, and it has large textured pedals that are easy to find.

It’s not quite as well-designed for under-desk use as the FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical, but it’s still a pretty good piece of home gym equipment. Plus, you can easily adjust it to use it as a standing stepper. One of our favorite features is the built-in ergonomic handle. It makes the j/fit Mini Elliptical Stepper one of the most portable steppers on the market. 

Next up we’ve got a full-sized stepper for workouts at home. Stamina 40-0069 SpaceMate Folding Stepper is a simpler version of what you normally find in your local gym. Most commercial gyms have steppers that provide detailed information about your fitness tracking. They’ve managed to keep production costs down on this by not including a complicated touch-screen. Instead, they’ve opted for a simple LCD screen that tells you your steps per minute, the number of steps in a workout, workout time, and how many calories you’ve burnt.

It’s also much smaller than professional stepper exercise equipment, so you can easily find a place for it in your home. When you’ve finished working out, you can fold the stepper down to make even more space. The large foam-covered handles give you support during a workout. They are big enough to give you a variety of hand placement options. The intensity of your workout is adjustable with the tension adjustment knob. It does have a weight limit of 250lbs, so if you’re heavy-built, you might need to look for a stronger machine. It also comes unassembled, so you’ve got some work to do before you can start exercising (professional installation costs an extra $103.36). Be sure to also check out our guide to the best adjustable dumbbells for more great fitness gear for your home gym.

The Xiser Commercial Mini Stairmaster is the Rolls Royce of stepping machines. You might be wondering why a machine like this – that has barely any added features at all – costs 4 times as much as the competition. The answer is simple: quality. It’s built from cast airframe-grade alloy, which makes it strong enough to take up to 400lbs whilst still only weighing 14lbs itself. It has a patented hydraulic cylinder system that provides an amazingly smooth motion. You should be able to hear a pin drop when you’re using it.

It doesn’t have any LCD screen to help you track your progress, but you could get the same data by wearing a fitness tracker. Xiser has been making the best stepper machines since 1977. They might not have the same modern technology as the other machines on this list, but what you get instead is a reliable, unbreakable, and beautifully-made stepping machine. Plus, your purchase is protected by a 5-year consumer warranty. 

The IDEER LIFE Exercise Bike is another product designed to be used for exercising whilst you’re sat at the desk. We’ve found that this is one of the most solid machines out there – thanks to the wide and heavy base, it sticks to the floor well and doesn’t rock back and forth. This makes it much better for exercising but means it isn’t as portable as other machines.

It has extra-wide pedals so you can find them easily underneath the desk. Plus, the small LCD screen allows you to keep track of your progress by showing you metrics like calories burned, rotations in a session, and time elapsed. This stepper can also be used as a standing machine but we’d say it works better when you’re sat down. It’s even possible to attach it to your desk if you have a vertical bar at the right height. Once you have purchased the stepper, you can work out the correct height and buy a desk that fits the design. This provides even more stability and makes it easier to use. For more quality exercise equipment, check out our guide to the best assault bikes.

Next up we’ve got one of the best aerobic steppers if you’re on a budget. It’s not quite as well-made or stable as some of the competition, but it still provides a solid workout at home. Sunny Health & Fitness Twist Stepper is designed for standing workouts only, so it’s useless if you want a stepper machine to put under your desk. On the plus side, it has 2 removable exercise bands attached to the pedals. That means you can work your arms, chest, back, and shoulders for a full-body workout. Like a lot of the stepper machines we’ve featured, it has a small LCD monitor that gives you information about your workout including total count, the time elapsed, calories burned, and rep count. It’s not that advanced but this product works well with fitness trackers because you’re moving your arms as well.

The one problem we have with this machine is that it can overheat in 15 minutes. To be fair, 15 minutes is enough to get the blood pumping, but it doesn’t leave you much room to improve your fitness and go for longer. Some customers have said that you can easily do 20-30 minutes without any problems but you could be damaging the machine. To finally get that six-pack, be sure to pick the right ab machine from our list.

The Kuokel Mini Stepper is another stepper machine that comes with 2 removable resistance bands. You can use these to turn the stepper machine into a full-body workout machine. This machine is slightly more expensive than the Sunny Health & Fitness Twist Stepper that we just looked at. It’s hard to tell any difference between the two machines, but this one certainly feels more solid underfoot. This is due to the solid and wide base that has anti-slip rubber casing to stop it from moving around when you’re exercising.

Like a lot of stepper machines in this price range, it has a small LCD screen. You can use the monitor to track your progress because it shows the amount of time you’ve been exercising, your stride count, calories burned, and more. One feature that sets this tracking system apart is the scan mode. You can set the monitor to continuously move through your data, so you can keep yourself motivated as you work out. Honestly, though, you’ll have to have a pretty good vision to read the screen from a standing position. One of the best features of this stepper machine is the large and textured pedals. They are large enough for even the biggest feet. Unfortunately, this Kuokel Mini Stepper doesn’t come pre-assembled. You can pay for it to get assembled, but it does cost over $100 extra. Be sure to also check out our guide to the best squat racks for more must-have exercise machines.

Gold’s Gym is one of the most famous brands in the exercise industry. Started in California in 1965, it’s associated with the history of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and exercise equipment. That’s why we were excited to include this mini stepper. Having the Gold’s Gym logo on the equipment lets you know that you are buying a quality product. One of the things we like most about the Gold’s Gym Mini Stepper is the way it looks. The grey and black color scheme works perfectly with the bright yellow logo and makes this machine really attractive. Of course, it’s not all about aesthetics, it needs to work well too.

Fortunately, this is one of the quietest and smoothest stepper machines on the market. Plus, it’s sold at a very reasonable price. In fact, we’ve selected it as our Best Value product. You’re not going to find a better mini stepper for the price. They could improve it by making it more suited for use under a desk, but as a standing stepper machine, it works perfectly. It also has a small LCD screen, which you can use to track your progress. An ideal fitness gift for yourself or any other enthusiast in your life.