3 Best Under-Desk Treadmills of 2026, Expert-Tested and Reviewed

While we found a few options we can recommend, overall, we’d advise consumers to be very wary of these products. Most of the walking pads we tested did quite poorly in our evaluations because of shoddy build quality, poor ergonomic fit for users, or safety concerns. 

Under-desk treadmills are essentially very basic, lightweight treadmills with no display, no adjustable inclines, and usually no railings, designed only for walking. They are generally easier to store than even traditional folding treadmills, but they are also often quite a bit less sturdy. 

“You run the risk of faulty manufacturing with many of these products,” says Sarah Bogdan, who leads CR’s treadmill testing. “If you are looking for long-term health benefits, many of these may not last long-term.” The belt on one under-desk machine actually tore during our durability test.

CR’s testers assessed under-desk treadmills in our labs to see how well they are built, how well they can accommodate a variety of user body sizes and shapes, the range of exercises on offer, how easy they are to use, and whether they pose any safety risks to users.

We evaluated models ranging in price from $150 to $900. To select models for our evaluation, our testers chose walking pads that appeared to be popular based on search interest and Amazon sales volume.