You’ve just finished a 20-minute rowing session in your spare room, glanced at the screen, and realised you’ve been pulling at the wrong split time the entire workout. No feedback, no coaching, no idea whether you’re actually improving or just going through the motions. That’s the problem with a basic rower — it counts strokes, maybe calories, and that’s about it. A smart rowing machine changes the game entirely, turning every session into structured training with real-time metrics, on-demand classes, and performance tracking that actually helps you get fitter.
After spending months testing and researching the best smart rowing machine UK options for 2026, the Concept2 RowErg with PM5 remains the one I’d recommend to most people. It’s about £950 from Fitness Superstore or Amazon UK, connects to every major fitness app going, and the PM5 monitor tracks everything from stroke rate to drag factor with bulletproof accuracy. It’s the standard that every other smart rower is measured against — and for good reason.
But the Concept2 isn’t the right pick for everyone. If you want immersive on-screen classes, a quieter machine for a flat, or something under £500, keep reading. There’s a smart rower for every budget and living situation in 2026.
How to Choose a Smart Rowing Machine
Before you get distracted by touchscreen sizes and subscription prices, focus on what actually matters for daily use.
- Resistance type — Air rowers (like the Concept2) feel closest to rowing on water and scale resistance with effort. Water rowers are quieter and look stunning in a living room. Magnetic rowers are the quietest of all, which matters if you’re training at 6am above someone’s bedroom. Hybrid air/magnetic models offer the best of both worlds.
- Connectivity and app ecosystem — This is what makes a rower “smart.” Look for Bluetooth and ANT+ so you can connect heart rate monitors, pair with apps like Strava, Apple Health, or Kinomap, and join online races. Some machines lock you into proprietary apps with monthly subscriptions — check the ongoing cost before buying.
- Screen and coaching — Ranges from a basic LCD showing splits and distance (Concept2) to a full 22-inch HD touchscreen with live classes (Hydrow). Bigger screens are nice but add hundreds to the price. An iPad holder and a good app can get you 80% of the way there for a fraction of the cost.
- Footprint and storage — Most smart rowers are about 220-250cm long. If space is tight, look for models that fold upright or separate into two pieces. The Concept2 separates quickly without tools. The WaterRower stands upright against a wall. Measure your room before you buy — I’ve heard too many stories of rowers arriving and not fitting through the doorway.
- Build quality and max user weight — Cheap rowers flex and creak within months. Anything under £300 is unlikely to last if you’re rowing regularly. Check the max user weight rating — it’s a decent proxy for overall build quality. Aim for 135kg+ rated machines.
If you want a deeper look at resistance types and sizing, our complete rowing machine buyer’s guide covers everything in detail.
Concept2 RowErg with PM5 — Best Overall
Price: About £950 | Buy from: Concept2 direct, Fitness Superstore, Amazon UK
The Concept2 is the rower you’ll find in every CrossFit box, rowing club, and PT studio in the country. There’s a reason for that. The PM5 performance monitor is accurate enough for competitive rowers to train on, yet simple enough that a complete beginner can jump on and start pulling.
What makes it smart in 2026 is the ecosystem. The PM5 connects via Bluetooth and ANT+ to apps like ErgData (Concept2’s own, free), Asensei for AI coaching, and community platforms like ErgRace and EXR where you can race other rowers worldwide. Pair it with a chest strap heart rate monitor and you’ve got a complete connected training setup without paying a monthly subscription — which is worth more than most people realise when you’re comparing it to rowers that charge £30-40/month for their app.
The air resistance is smooth and responsive: pull harder, it gets harder. That natural feel is something magnetic rowers can’t replicate. The trade-off? It’s loud. Not unbearable, but you won’t be having a quiet conversation over it. In a detached house, no problem. In a flat with thin floors, your downstairs neighbour will know about your 5am sessions.
It separates into two pieces in about 20 seconds for storage, and the build quality is industrial. People are still using Concept2 machines from 15 years ago. At £950, it’s not cheap — but the cost per year of ownership is lower than almost anything else in the gym equipment world.
Best for: Serious rowers, data-driven trainers, anyone who wants zero subscription fees
Hydrow Wave — Best for On-Screen Classes
Price: About £1,495 | Buy from: Hydrow direct (hydrow.com), John Lewis
If you’ve tried Peloton and loved the instructor-led format, the Hydrow Wave is the rowing equivalent. The 16-inch HD screen streams live and on-demand classes filmed on actual waterways — the Charles River in Boston, the Thames, lakes in Switzerland. It sounds gimmicky until you try it. Watching a coach row ahead of you on real water while calling out stroke rates is surprisingly motivating.
The electromagnetic resistance is whisper-quiet. Genuinely near-silent. For flat-dwellers or anyone training while kids sleep, this is a major advantage over air rowers. It’s also smooth and consistent, though it doesn’t have the same dynamic feel as the Concept2’s air flywheel.
The catch: you need the Hydrow subscription at about £38/month to access the classes. Without it, you’ve got a very expensive basic rower. Over three years, that’s nearly £1,400 in subscription fees on top of the purchase price. That’s a serious commitment, so make sure you’ll actually use the classes before buying.
The Hydrow Wave is the smaller, more affordable version of the original Hydrow (which runs about £2,295). It’s still a substantial machine at 218cm long, but it stores upright with an optional wall mount kit (around £70 extra).
Best for: Class lovers, quiet environments, people who need motivation from instructors
WaterRower Natural with S4 Monitor — Best Looking
Price: About £1,049 | Buy from: WaterRower direct, John Lewis, Fitness Superstore
Let’s be honest — most rowing machines look like gym equipment. The WaterRower looks like furniture. Built from solid ash wood (sustainably sourced, certified by the FSC), it’s the only rower you’d happily leave in a living room. And the sound it makes — the swoosh of water in the tank — is actually pleasant. Calming, even. It’s the polar opposite of the Concept2’s fan roar.
The S4 monitor is the weak link. It tracks time, distance, stroke rate, and calories, but it’s a basic LCD that feels dated next to app-connected screens. The good news: WaterRower has finally improved their connectivity. The S4 now has Bluetooth, and the free WaterRower Connect app syncs with Apple Health and other platforms. It’s not as slick as the Concept2’s ErgData, but it works.
You can also pair it with third-party apps like Kinomap for virtual rowing sessions and structured workouts, which brings it closer to the smart rower experience. The resistance comes from water paddles in the tank — add more water for more resistance. It feels natural and is self-regulating like air resistance, scaling with your effort.
Storage is clever: it stands upright on its end against a wall, taking up about 50cm x 55cm of floor space. For a room that doubles as a home office or guest bedroom, that’s a real advantage.
Best for: Living spaces where aesthetics matter, noise-sensitive homes, fans of the on-water rowing feel
JTX Freedom Air Rower — Best Under £500
Price: About £399 | Buy from: JTX Fitness direct, Amazon UK
Not everyone needs a £1,000+ rower. The JTX Freedom Air is the best smart rowing machine uk buyers can get without breaking the bank, and it’s a properly capable machine — not a flimsy budget compromise.
It uses air resistance with 16 adjustable levels, which gives you manual control over the intensity on top of the natural scaling. The backlit LCD shows all the key metrics (time, distance, strokes, calories, stroke rate), and Bluetooth connectivity means you can pair it with apps like Kinomap for guided workouts and virtual courses.
Build quality is solid for the price — rated to 130kg user weight, with a comfortable padded seat and smooth rail action. JTX are a UK-based company with decent customer service, which counts for a lot when you’re buying fitness equipment online. They offer a 30-day home trial and two-year warranty.
It folds upright for storage and has transport wheels, making it manageable in a smaller space. At 215cm unfolded, you still need a reasonable amount of room while rowing — but that’s true of every full-size rower.
The compromises? The monitor isn’t as accurate as a Concept2 PM5 (calorie counts in particular feel generous), and the seat rail can feel slightly rough until it’s been used a few dozen times. These are minor gripes at this price point.
Best for: Budget-conscious buyers, first-time rower owners, home gym builders watching the pennies
If you’re building out a full home gym setup around your rower, check our guide on how to set up a home gym on a budget for tips on getting the most from every pound.
Technogym Skillrow — Premium Connected Option
Price: About £2,800 | Buy from: Technogym direct, selected premium fitness retailers
The Technogym Skillrow is what you get when Italian design meets serious rowing engineering. It uses a unique air + magnetic hybrid resistance system that can simulate both rowing on water and power training for HIIT intervals. Switch between “cardio” and “power” modes, and the resistance profile changes completely — the power mode adds a heavy, muscular pull that’s unlike anything else on this list.
Connectivity is through Technogym’s Mywellness app, which tracks every session and integrates with their broader ecosystem (useful if you’ve already got Technogym kit). It also connects to Apple Watch, heart rate monitors, and third-party platforms via Bluetooth. The build is commercial-grade — this is the same machine you’ll find in five-star hotel gyms and luxury health clubs.
At £2,800, it’s firmly in premium territory. The Mywellness app is free (no subscription), which softens the blow slightly. But you’re paying for engineering, aesthetics, and a resistance system that offers something no other home rower can match.
Best for: High earners who want the best, HIIT enthusiasts, Technogym ecosystem users
Concept2 vs Hydrow: Which Should You Buy?
This is the comparison most people end up making, so let’s cut through it.
Choose the Concept2 if: You care about data accuracy, want zero ongoing costs, prefer to choose your own apps and training plans, or plan to do competitive rowing training. It’s the open-platform choice — bring your own entertainment, your own coaching app, your own heart rate monitor. Total cost over three years: about £950 plus a £30-40 chest strap.
Choose the Hydrow if: You need motivation from instructors, want a quieter machine, prefer a polished all-in-one experience, or know you’ll skip workouts without accountability. It’s the Apple approach — everything works together beautifully, but you’re locked in. Total cost over three years: about £1,495 plus roughly £1,370 in subscriptions = around £2,865.
That price gap is worth seeing clearly. The Hydrow is nearly three times the total cost. If you’ll actually use the classes five days a week, it’s money well spent. If you’ll watch them for three months and then row with headphones in, you’ve wasted over a grand.
For most people, I’d lean towards the Concept2 paired with a free or low-cost app. But I’ve seen plenty of people who only kept rowing because the Hydrow classes kept them accountable. Know yourself.
Getting the Most From Your Smart Rower
Buying a connected rower is only half the battle. Here’s how to make the investment count.
Pair a heart rate monitor. A chest strap (about £30-50 from Polar or Garmin) transforms your training data. Rowing by heart rate zones is far more effective than just pulling as hard as you can — our guide on heart rate zones explained breaks down exactly how to use them. Most smart rowers display your HR zones on screen when a monitor is connected.
Use a training app. Even if your rower has a basic monitor, apps like Asensei (AI coaching, about £15/month), EXR (virtual racing, free tier available), or Kinomap (guided routes, about £10/month) add structure and variety. The NHS also recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week — a smart rower with a tracking app makes it easy to verify you’re hitting that target.
Focus on technique first. A smart rower will track your stroke rate and split times, but garbage technique at 30 strokes per minute is still garbage technique. Slow down to 18-22 spm, focus on the drive sequence (legs-back-arms), and let the metrics guide your progress once the movement is locked in.
Set up your space properly. You need about 270cm of clear length and 120cm of width for comfortable rowing with arm clearance. A rubber mat underneath (about £20-30) protects your floor and stops the machine creeping forward. Good ventilation matters too — rowing is a full-body workout and you’ll generate serious heat.
Track your progress. The whole point of a smart rower is data. Log your sessions, watch your 500m split time trend downward over weeks, and set targets. The Concept2 logbook (free online) and most connected apps will do this automatically. If you’re also tracking with a fitness tracker or smartwatch, you’ll get a complete picture of your training load and recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a smart rowing machine worth the extra money? If you’re rowing three or more times a week, yes. The performance tracking, app connectivity, and structured training options help you improve faster and stay motivated longer. If you’re rowing once a week casually, a basic rower will do the job — save your money for something else in your home gym setup.
Do I need Wi-Fi for a smart rowing machine? For basic performance tracking, no — the onboard monitor handles that independently. You need Wi-Fi (or a phone with mobile data) for streaming classes, syncing workout data to apps, online racing, and firmware updates. Bluetooth connectivity for heart rate monitors works without Wi-Fi.
How loud are smart rowing machines? It varies enormously by resistance type. Air rowers (Concept2) are the loudest — comparable to a loud fan or vacuum on low. Water rowers produce a pleasant swooshing sound at moderate volume. Magnetic and electromagnetic rowers (Hydrow, some JTX models) are near-silent. If noise is a concern, magnetic resistance is the way to go.
What’s the best free app for rowing? Concept2’s ErgData is the best free option — accurate tracking, workout history, and connection to the Concept2 online logbook. For non-Concept2 rowers, Kinomap has a limited free tier, and EXR offers free virtual racing. Apple Health and Google Fit aggregate data from most Bluetooth-connected rowers at no cost.
How much space do I need for a rowing machine? Plan for about 270cm x 120cm of clear space while rowing. Most rowers fold or stand upright for storage, reducing the footprint to about 50-80cm x 50-60cm. Ceiling height matters too if you’re in a loft conversion — you need clearance for the full arm extension at the catch position.
The Bottom Line
The best smart rowing machine for most UK buyers in 2026 is still the Concept2 RowErg. It’s accurate, durable, subscription-free, and works with every app worth using. At £950, it’s a serious investment — but it’s the kind of equipment you’ll still be using a decade from now.
If instructor-led classes keep you accountable, the Hydrow Wave at £1,495 (plus subscription) delivers the best connected class experience available. Just budget for the ongoing cost.
For tighter budgets, the JTX Freedom Air at £399 proves you don’t need to spend a fortune to get Bluetooth connectivity and app-compatible training. And if your rower lives in a shared living space, the WaterRower Natural looks and sounds beautiful enough to earn its place in any room.
Whichever you choose, the “smart” part only matters if you actually use it. Pick the machine that fits your space, your budget, and — most importantly — the one you’ll actually sit on at 6:30am when it’s dark and cold outside. That’s the best rower for you.