# Best Rowing Machines 2026: Nine Ranked by Who They Suit Source: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine Published: 2026-09-05 | Updated: 2026-10-16 | Prices checked on Amazon UK on 2026-09-05 ## Quick answer We compared nine rowing machines on Amazon on resistance type, rail length, maximum user weight, folded size, noise and how much review evidence each one carries. These are the models that stand out for different kinds of home rower. The numbers on a rowing machine listing are rarely as precise as they look. Resistance is sold in levels that mean nothing across brands, one MERACH sheet advertises '40 kg resistance' for a magnetic flywheel, where kilograms describe a weight stack and not a magnet, and the DMASUN title prints 16 resistance levels while its sister listing prints 32 levels of tension for what is the same machine. Capacity claims slip too: the MERACH wood rower advertises 180 kg in its bullet while its own specification sheet recommends 158 kg. That is why this ranking is organised by buyer rather than by score. The best rowing machines for a tall rower, for a first timer and for a one bedroom flat are three different machines, and a single ordered list hides that. Each of the nine entries below carries the job it is best at, followed by the reason in one line. We compared them on the details that decide the purchase: the type of resistance and how it feels, rail length for your height, maximum user weight as stated in the specification table rather than the bullet, folded size, noise, and how much independent review evidence each model actually carries. Where a number collapses under inspection, we say so in the entry. ## The ranking ### 1. DMASUN 106b - Price: £179.98 | Amazon rating: 4.3 from 1,390 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/dmasun-106b - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GYS5D1RV?tag=ranked10-21 Why: 1,390 ratings at 4.3, the deepest evidence in this ranking, on a quiet dual rail magnetic frame that folds upright, for £179.98. The DMASUN 106b is the best rowing machine for a home gym because it wins on evidence rather than on specification. With 1,390 ratings at 4.3, its review pool is larger than every other machine in this ranking combined, and owners who have used it daily for more than a year describe a whisper quiet magnetic rower with a smooth double slide rail. At £179.98 it is also cheaper than most rivals, which makes it the value benchmark of the list. The magnetic resistance is the honest kind of quiet, with no fan and no water, and the dual rail design is more stable than a single rail at the same price. It arrives 80 percent pre assembled, stows upright to save floor space and connects over Bluetooth to apps including KINOMAP. One note on the numbers: the title says 16 levels while a sister DMASUN listing prints 32 levels of tension for the same machine, so treat the level count as a brand label rather than a standard measure. That sister listing is the reason this ranking has nine entries and not ten. It is the same rower in a brighter finish for £30 more, sharing this exact review pool, so it filled a slot without adding either a different machine or a single new owner report. For a household that wants a proven, quiet home rowing machine that stores away, this is the safest buy on the page. Pros: Deepest evidence in the ranking: 1,390 ratings at 4.3; Whisper quiet magnetic resistance with a dual slide rail; Stows upright, saving most of its floor area; Bluetooth app tracking with KINOMAP compatibility; The lowest price of any proven machine here at £179.98 Cons: Title says 16 levels, the sister listing prints 32 (as listed); Basic LCD monitor with no advanced metrics; Needs ceiling height and a wall to stow upright ### 2. MERACH MR-Q1S - Price: £189.99 | Amazon rating: 4.4 from 244 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/merach-mr-q1s - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D8FF8ZPP?tag=ranked10-21 Why: the app ships free guided courses and syncs heart rate, so a first time rower is told what to do instead of guessing at sixteen unlabelled levels. The MERACH MR-Q1S is the best rowing machine for beginners here, and the reason has little to do with the frame. Most people who abandon a home rower do so because nothing on the machine tells them what a session should look like, and sixteen unlabelled resistance levels are not a training plan. The MERACH app answers that with free guided courses, programmed workouts, heart rate sync through Apple Watch or Garmin and KINOMAP compatibility, which is the strongest software package in this ranking. The hardware holds up its end. A dual track rail imitates the stability of a wooden rower, the magnetic flywheel is quiet, the capacity is 158 kg and the whole machine weighs 20 kg, so it is light enough to move between rooms after each session. It part assembles in around 30 minutes and the LCD shows distance, time, calories, speed and heart rate on the machine itself. It is currently the number 1 best seller in Rowing Machines on Amazon, with 244 ratings at 4.4. It sits second here only because the DMASUN pool is nearly six times deeper, and for a buyer who has never rowed before, the £10 difference between them is the cheapest coaching available. Pros: Guided courses and programmed workouts in the MERACH app; Number 1 best seller in Rowing Machines; Dual track rail for a stable, smooth glide; 158 kg capacity in a 20 kg frame that moves easily; Heart rate sync through Apple Watch, Garmin and KINOMAP Cons: Shorter rail than taller rowers need; The on machine LCD is basic without the app; Review pool is far shallower than the DMASUN above it ### 3. YPOO RM910 - Price: £199.99 | Amazon rating: 4.3 from 444 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/ypoo-rm910 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DRCRZ945?tag=ranked10-21 Why: 444 ratings on the purest magnetic package here, with sixteen levels, a dual slide rail and an upright stow the listing puts at 95 percent space saving. If you want a magnetic rowing machine and nothing else, the YPOO RM910 is the cleanest example in this ranking. There is no water to maintain, no app ecosystem to sign up to and no contradictory marketing number to work around: sixteen levels of magnetic resistance, a dual slide rail for stability, a 350 lb capacity and a 23.5 kg alloy steel frame, for £199.99. Its defining feature is the upright stow, which the listing claims saves 95 percent of storage space when the rower is stood on end, the boldest folding claim in this comparison. Assembly is fast, around ten minutes for most owners of an 80 percent pre assembled machine, and the LCD monitor shows time, strokes per minute, total count and calories. YPOO holds the number 2 best seller spot in Rowing Machines, and its 444 rating pool is the second deepest here. Where it trails the top two is polish rather than substance: the data screen is simpler, there is no wearable heart rate sync, and it is a couple of kilograms heavier to shift than the lightest rivals. For a buyer who wants a proven folding magnetic rower and has no interest in an app, this is the sensible machine at this price. Pros: Upright stow, claimed at 95 percent space saving; Dual slide rail with 16 magnetic levels; 444 ratings at 4.3, the second deepest pool here; Number 2 best seller in Rowing Machines; Ten minute assembly on an 80 percent pre built frame Cons: No wearable heart rate sync; LCD monitor is basic; At 23.5 kg it is heavier to move than the lightest rivals ### 4. MERACH MR-R15 - Price: £199.98 | Amazon rating: 4.8 from 55 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/merach-mr-r15 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DWXFHQ8M?tag=ranked10-21 Why: a 130 cm rail, the longest declared in this ranking, which is what decides whether a taller rower finishes the stroke or runs out of slide. The MERACH MR-R15 is the best rowing machine for tall users here for one measurable reason: it states a 130 cm rail, the longest declared figure in this ranking, and rail length is the specification that decides whether a taller rower completes the stroke. On a short rail the motion turns cramped and choppy, and because nothing breaks, most buyers blame themselves rather than the machine. The handle position and rail angle are tuned to keep a natural posture with less elbow and knee contact. The rest of the sheet is competitive: 158 kg capacity on a 23 kg alloy steel frame, sixteen magnetic levels, genuinely quiet running, MERACH app support with KINOMAP, a rail that folds for vertical storage and roughly 90 percent pre assembly. One number needs a flag. The title advertises '40 kg resistance', and kilograms describe a weight stack, which is a different mechanism from a magnetic flywheel, so treat that figure as marketing rather than physics. At 4.8 it holds the highest average in this ranking, and owners who moved across from noisy air rowers describe it as the quiet replacement they wanted. It ranks fourth rather than first because 55 ratings is thin proof next to pools of 1,390 and 444, not because the machine is worse on paper. Pros: 130 cm rail, the longest declared here, for taller rowers; 4.8 average, the highest in this ranking; 158 kg capacity in a 23 kg frame; Foldable rail for vertical storage; Quiet magnetic resistance with MERACH app support Cons: The '40 kg resistance' claim uses a weight stack unit on a magnet (as listed); Only 55 ratings in the pool; Shorter stroke than a full sized water rower ### 5. Dripex 14L - Price: £279.99 | Amazon rating: 4.4 from 404 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/dripex-14l-water - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FFMSL4CV?tag=ranked10-21 Why: a 14 litre tank and a 12 blade impeller make resistance answer the stroke, and 404 ratings make it the most proven water rower under £300. The Dripex 14L is the best water rowing machine in this ranking and the only one under £300 with a serious review trail behind it. Instead of magnetic levels it uses a 14 litre tank and a 12 blade bionic impeller, so resistance rises with the force you apply and falls when you ease off. That is the difference people mean when they say a water rower feels like rowing rather than like a gym machine, and no number of magnetic levels reproduces it. The frame is oak and rubberwood, rated for a 150 kg user, and it folds for vertical storage on four transport wheels. The LCD tracks distance, time, speed and calories, Bluetooth syncs to fitness apps and there is a built in device holder. The honest trade offs are the ones water always brings: the tank needs filling and occasional care to keep the water fresh, and at 25.2 kg it is heavier to move than any magnetic rival here. It is also not silent. Owners describe the sound as relaxing rather than intrusive, but it is audible through a wall in a way a magnetic rower is not, which is why it sits fifth rather than higher in a list aimed at home use. With 404 ratings at 4.4, anyone who rows for the feel of the stroke rather than the data screen should start here. Pros: Real water resistance from a 14 litre tank; 12 blade impeller answers the force of your stroke; Oak and rubberwood frame rated to 150 kg; 404 ratings at 4.4, the deepest water rower pool here; Folds vertically on four transport wheels Cons: Needs filling and occasional tank care; Heavier to move at 25.2 kg; Audible water noise, unlike the magnetic machines ### 6. VIAVITO Sumi - Price: £169.00 | Amazon rating: 4.3 from 268 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/viavito-sumi - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0153NKCZG?tag=ranked10-21 Why: it folds to a 74 cm bundle on wheels, the smallest folded footprint here, and states its row length so you can measure the room before you buy. The VIAVITO Sumi is the best rowing machine for small spaces because it is the only one here that folds flat rather than standing upright. Upright stowing saves more floor area on paper, but it needs ceiling height and a wall to lean against, and in a one bedroom flat neither is guaranteed. The Sumi collapses to a 74 cm bundle on transport wheels, which is short enough to go under a bed or behind a sofa. It is also the most honestly specified listing in this ranking. An 80 cm row length, 178 cm in use, 120 kg maximum user weight and a two year warranty are all stated up front, which means you can measure your room and yourself before ordering rather than after. The mechanism is 10 levels of silent magnetic resistance on a 7 kg flywheel, which gives a smoother stroke than the level count suggests. The limits sit in those same numbers: 120 kg is the lowest capacity here, 10 levels is fewer than the 16 level rivals, and at 26 kg it is the heaviest machine on the page to carry. What you get in return is build confidence, a named brand with a stated warranty and a seat and pedals that 268 owners at 4.3 describe as comfortable and stable. Pros: Folds flat to a 74 cm bundle on wheels; Row length, footprint and capacity all stated up front; 7 kg flywheel for a smooth stroke; Two year warranty from a named brand; 268 ratings at 4.3 Cons: 120 kg capacity, the lowest in this ranking; Only 10 resistance levels; At 26 kg it is the heaviest machine here to carry ### 7. MERACH R28 - Price: £297.48 | Amazon rating: 4.5 from 61 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/merach-wood-water-r28 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DRK5MWH6?tag=ranked10-21 Why: a solid wood frame that folds 180 degrees for one handed vertical storage, which no other water rower in this ranking manages. The MERACH R28 is the best wooden rowing machine here, and the wood is not only cosmetic. A solid timber frame is what lets this machine fold 180 degrees and stand vertically with one hand on bottom wheels, which no other water rower in this ranking manages, and it is the reason a water rower becomes viable in a flat at all. It pairs water resistance across 6 levels with a built in monitor, Bluetooth app sync and an electric pump in the box for filling the tank. One number needs a flag. The title and bullet advertise a 180 kg capacity while the specification sheet recommends 158 kg, and we treat the sheet figure as the honest limit, because it is the number the manufacturer files rather than the one the copy chose. The machine weighs 24 kg, arrives 98 percent pre assembled and carries a one year warranty, and owners note that purification tablets are needed to keep the tank clear. The water sound is what buyers keep mentioning, describing it as close to rowing on a lake. It ranks below the Dripex because it costs nearly £20 more, holds less water and cannot match a 404 rating pool with 61 ratings, but if the machine has to look like furniture and fold away, this is the one. Pros: Folds 180 degrees for one handed vertical storage; Solid wood frame that looks like furniture; Water resistance with 6 levels and an electric pump included; Bluetooth app sync with a built in monitor; 4.5 average from 61 ratings Cons: Bullet claims 180 kg, the sheet says 158 kg (as listed); Needs purification tablets to keep the water clear; Thin review pool at 61 ratings ### 8. Dripex RW801 - Price: £167.66 | Amazon rating: 4.6 from 71 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/dripex-rw801 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FCF8DFGJ?tag=ranked10-21 Why: £167.66 with a 4.6 average, sixteen magnetic levels and a dual rail frame, as long as you are comfortably inside its 130 kg limit. The Dripex RW801 is the best budget rowing machine in this ranking, and at £167.66 it is the cheapest machine on the page without being the most compromised. It offers sixteen adjustable magnetic levels on a dual rail aluminium frame, a wide cushioned seat and front transport wheels, in an 18.8 kg package that is among the easiest here to lift and store. The Bluetooth LCD tracks time, strokes, distance, calories and total count, and syncs to fitness apps. The honest limits are capacity and length. A 130 kg maximum sits below the 158 kg class that most of this ranking occupies, and the compact 156 cm frame suits smaller spaces and shorter rowers more than tall ones. Owners describe it as easy to assemble, simple to store and quiet enough for a flat, with the only recurring grumble being Bluetooth pairing on the app side. With 71 ratings at 4.6 the evidence is healthy for a machine at this price. It ranks eighth because it targets a lighter and shorter user than the machines above it, which is a narrower fit rather than a flaw. Inside that fit, nothing here is better value. Pros: £167.66, the lowest price on this page; 4.6 average from 71 ratings; Sixteen magnetic levels with a Bluetooth LCD; 18.8 kg, easy to lift and store; Dual rail aluminium frame Cons: 130 kg capacity suits lighter users only; Compact 156 cm frame is short for tall rowers; Bluetooth pairing can be fiddly, per owners ### 9. Flesar FS1 - Price: £199.99 | Amazon rating: 5.0 from 17 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/fitness/best-rowing-machine/flesar-fs1 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HFT42QJ4?tag=ranked10-21 Why: the spec reads well and the price is fair, but seventeen ratings is not enough evidence to place a rowing machine above eight better documented rivals. The Flesar FS1 closes this ranking not because it is weak but because it is unproven, and we would rather say that than pad the list with confidence we have not earned. The specification reads right for £199.99: sixteen magnetic levels on an upgraded dual rail frame, a 350 lb sheet capacity, a belt drive the listing puts under 25 dB, and an LCD with seven workout metrics plus Bluetooth to FitShow and Kinomap. At 17.5 kg it is the lightest machine on this page. Three claims need flagging. The bullet promises a 24 month warranty while the specification sheet states one year, and we take the sheet. The bullet quotes a 160 kg capacity against the sheet's 350 lb, which is about 158 kg. And the under 25 dB noise figure is a marketing number with no test behind it that we can verify, which matters because quietness is exactly what a flat dweller would buy this for. Seventeen ratings, all of them five stars, is the thinnest evidence in this ranking by a wide margin, and a perfect average from a pool that small tells you almost nothing. Early owners report a smooth, quiet stroke, easy assembly and a frame that stays put under load. The machine deserves attention and a second look in six months; today it does not deserve a higher place than eight rivals with hundreds of owners behind them. Pros: Sixteen magnetic levels on a dual rail frame; 17.5 kg, the lightest machine on this page; LCD with seven workout metrics and app sync; Belt drive, quiet per early owners Cons: Only 17 ratings, all five stars, which proves little; Bullet says 24 months warranty, the sheet says 1 year (as listed); Bullet says 160 kg, the sheet says 350 lb, about 158 kg (as listed); The under 25 dB noise claim is unverifiable ## Magnetic, water or air: which resistance suits your home? Magnetic rowers brake the flywheel with magnets, so resistance is set by a dial and the machine makes almost no noise. Seven of the nine here are magnetic, and that is the right default for a flat, a shared house or anyone who rows while other people are asleep. The trade off is that the effort stays where you put it: pulling harder does not make the machine push back harder. Water rowers replace the magnets with a paddle in a tank, so resistance rises with the force of your own stroke and falls when you ease off. That is the closest a home machine gets to the feel of a boat, and the sound is water rather than silence. It also means maintenance: the tank needs filling, and purification tablets keep it clear. Air rowers, the gym standard, are the loudest of the three and none of the machines in this price bracket use them. ## Rail length is the spec tall rowers should check first A rower that is too short for you does not break, it just stops you finishing the stroke, and you feel it as a cramped, choppy motion rather than as a fault. The MERACH MR-R15 states a 130 cm rail, the longest declared in this ranking, which is why it is our pick for taller users. The VIAVITO Sumi is the only other listing here precise enough to be useful, stating an 80 cm row length and 178 cm in use. Most listings state neither. Where rail length is missing, the overall length of the machine in use is the next best proxy: the Dripex RW801 is 156 cm, which is short, and its own copy points smaller users towards it. If you are over roughly six feet, treat a listing that will not state its rail or row length as a listing with something to hide. ## Maximum user weight: the number listings contradict most often Several machines here quote a capacity in pounds and kilograms that do not agree with each other, or quote one figure in the marketing bullet and a different one in the specification table. The MERACH wood rower is the clearest case: 180 kg in the bullet, 158 kg in the sheet. We use the sheet figure every time, because it is the number the manufacturer files rather than the number a copywriter chose. The practical spread in this ranking is real. The VIAVITO Sumi stops at 120 kg and the Dripex RW801 at 130 kg, while most of the rest sit at 158 kg, which is the 350 lb figure converted. If you are near a machine's limit, that limit is about frame stress over years of use, not about whether it holds you on day one. ## Folded size, and where the machine will actually live Every rower here folds, but they fold in two different ways, and the difference decides which room it can live in. Upright stowing machines like the YPOO RM910 and the DMASUN 106b stand on end, which saves the most floor area but needs ceiling height and a wall to lean against. Flat folding machines like the VIAVITO Sumi collapse to a 74 cm bundle on wheels, which is the only format here that slides under a bed or behind a sofa. The second number to check is the weight of the machine itself, because you will move it after every session. These run from 17.5 kg for the Flesar up to 26 kg for the VIAVITO, and a 25 kg water rower with a full tank is a two handed job. If the rower has to be put away daily, weight and fold type matter more than a resistance level count. ## What the resistance level count does not tell you Level counts are brand labels, not units. Ten levels on one machine and 32 on another do not describe the same range, the same steps or the same top end, and there is no standard behind either figure. The DMASUN is the proof: the same machine is sold with 16 levels in one title and 32 levels of tension in the sister listing's specification sheet. The MERACH MR-R15 goes further and prints '40 kg resistance' on a magnetic rower. Kilograms describe a weight stack, which is a different mechanism entirely, so on a magnetic flywheel the figure is marketing rather than physics. Judge a magnetic rower on flywheel weight where it is stated, on build and on rail length, and treat the level count as a rough indication of how finely you can adjust it. ## How we ranked these rowing machines Everything on this page comes from the Amazon listings as they stood in September 2026, not from our own testing of the machines, and we say so rather than implying a lab we do not have. What we do is read the specification table against the marketing bullets on the same page and report where they disagree, which is how every contradiction quoted above was found. Evidence depth decides close calls. A 4.8 average from 55 ratings is weaker proof than a 4.3 from 1,390, and where two listings share one review pool we count that evidence once, which is why a duplicate DMASUN listing was removed from this ranking rather than occupying a second slot. Prices and ratings move; the figures here are from the September 2026 harvest. ## Verdict For most homes the DMASUN 106b is the rowing machine to buy: 1,390 ratings at 4.3, a quiet dual rail magnetic frame that stows upright, and the lowest price of any proven machine here at £179.98. If you have never rowed before, the MERACH MR-Q1S is worth the extra £10 for the guided courses in its app, and if you are tall, the 130 cm rail on the MERACH MR-R15 matters more than either of those. Small flats should look at the VIAVITO Sumi, which folds to 74 cm, while anyone who wants resistance that answers the stroke should take the Dripex 14L water rower. The Dripex RW801 is the budget choice provided you are inside its 130 kg limit, and the Flesar FS1 is the one to revisit in six months, when enough owners have reported back to tell us whether the spec sheet was honest. ## FAQ **Which are the best rowing machines for a home gym?** It depends on the home. The DMASUN 106b is our overall pick at £179.98, with 1,390 ratings behind it and an upright fold. For a first timer the MERACH MR-Q1S is easier to start with because its app ships guided courses. For a small flat the VIAVITO Sumi folds to a 74 cm bundle, and for the feel of real rowing the Dripex 14L uses a water tank instead of magnets. **What is the best rowing machine for beginners?** The MERACH MR-Q1S. A beginner who buys a machine with 16 unlabelled resistance levels and no guidance usually stops using it, and the MERACH app answers that with free guided courses, programmed workouts and heart rate sync through Apple Watch or Garmin. It is also the current number 1 best seller in Rowing Machines on Amazon, with 244 ratings at 4.4. **Are magnetic or water rowing machines better?** Neither is better outright, they solve different problems. Magnetic rowers are near silent and need no maintenance, which suits flats and early mornings, but the resistance stays where you set it. Water rowers respond to how hard you pull and feel closer to rowing a boat, at the cost of audible water, a heavier machine and a tank that needs purification tablets to stay clear. **What is the best rowing machine for tall users?** The MERACH MR-R15, because it states a 130 cm rail, the longest declared in this ranking. Rail length is what decides whether a taller rower completes the stroke or runs out of slide, and most listings do not state it at all. The MR-R15 also carries the highest average here at 4.8, although from only 55 ratings. **How much do the best rowing machines cost?** The nine machines ranked here run from £167.66 for the Dripex RW801 to £297.48 for the MERACH wood water rower, and the magnetic models cluster between £169 and £200. Above roughly £500 you reach a different class of machine, with Concept2 and WaterRower frames built for years of daily use, which we rank separately. **Are rowing machines quiet enough to use in a flat?** Magnetic rowers generally are, because nothing but the seat and the belt is moving and there is no fan or water. Water rowers make a distinct water noise that owners tend to describe as pleasant but which is audible through a wall. Be careful with decibel figures in listings: the Flesar FS1 advertises under 25 dB, and that is a marketing claim with no test behind it that we can verify. **How much space does a rowing machine need?** Around 156 cm to 178 cm of clear floor length in use, plus room behind you for the seat to travel, so most people need about two metres. The stored footprint is the other half of the question: upright stowing machines like the YPOO RM910 need ceiling height and a wall, while flat folding machines like the VIAVITO Sumi collapse to about 74 cm and go under furniture.