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If my apartment were larger than 500 square feet, my life would be much simpler — I’d buy a stationary bike and never go back to the gym again. Peloton is arguably the most popular stationary bike, and the company has seen a lot of success in the past few years: Though it reported losses in Q4 2021, Peloton still brought in $936 million in sales during that time period. Everyone I know who’s invested in a Peloton (including Select editor Morgan Greenwald) seems pretty happy with their decision, though I can’t help but wonder if they bothered considering what else was out there first.

LEARN MORE How to shop for a stationary bike

While there are many exercise machines you can use to work out at home — you have your treadmills, your ellipticals, your indoor rowers — a stationary bike is my personal favorite. (Not only do I love all the ways it contradicts itself, but it reminds me of my childhood.) If you’re interested in getting a stationary bike for your home, check out these popular Peloton alternatives, which range from budget-friendly to a few more expensive options.

We highlighted stationary bikes that cost less than $700, focusing on those with great customer reviews. All the bikes feature aluminum or steel frames and have belted drive systems, which are designed to operate very quietly. They also have adjustable handlebars, seats and resistance knobs so you can customize your ride to your specific needs. (Unlike most of the higher-end models, budget stationary bikes don’t list how many resistance levels they have.)

We looked for stationary bikes that can hold at least 270 pounds — to account for a wide variety of body types — as well as bikes that have water bottle holders. Although many of them don’t come with warranties at this price point, we made sure to highlight those that did.

The Pooboo Magnetic Resistance Indoor Cycling Bike has an LCD digital monitor that tracks your time, speed and distance, among other metrics. If you want to give the Pooboo a boost, it offers a tablet stand where you can place your iPad or water bottle. Though the bike doesn’t come with a warranty, Pooboo says its customers can receive free replacement parts within a year of buying the bike. It comes with a 4.5-star average rating from more than 6,100 customer reviews on Amazon.

Like the Pooboo before it, the Lanos Stationary Exercise Bike offers an LCD digital monitor to track various metrics as well as a tablet mount to watch instructional YouTube videos — or simply pass the time by watching TV. The Lanos Stationary Exercise Bike has a 4.4-star average rating from more than 300 reviews and it’s ranked highly on Amazon’s list of best-selling exercise bikes.

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike comes with an LCD monitor to help you track your progress, as well as an iPad holder for more ways to amuse yourself as you exercise. The Yosuda comes with a three-month warranty for the overall bike and offers free replacement parts within a year of buying it, the brand says. The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike has a 4.4-star average rating from 18,000 customer reviews on Amazon.

Warranty: 3 months (parts); 1 year (frame)

Although it doesn’t come with a digital monitor or an iPad holder, the Sunny Health & Fitness Indoor Exercise Bike is a good option for those looking for a basic, adjustable exercise bike. The bike is mounted on wheels to make it easier to transport it from room to room, the brand says. It comes with a three-month warranty for its parts and a one-year warranty for the bike’s frame, according to Sunny Health & Fitness. It has a 4.4-star average rating across more than 9,000 customer reviews on Amazon.

Warranty: 5 years (frame); 2 years (mechanical); 2 years (electrical); 1 year (labor)

Schwinn’s IC3 Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike is equipped with dual pedals that allow for different types of footwear, meaning you can wear regular sneakers or higher-end clip-in shoes that snap into the bike’s pedal clips. The Schwinn IC3 comes with a digital LCD monitor as well as a water bottle or tablet holder. The brand says it can hold around 300 pounds — more than most of the bikes here — and Schwinn says its warranty will cover the frame for five years, among other things. It has a 4.6-star average rating from nearly 4,500 customer reviews on Amazon.

Stationary bikes can get pretty expensive — even so, there are many highly rated and quality stationary bikes that cost less than Peloton’s Bike Ultimate Package, which falls around $2,000. All of the bikes we recommend have adjustable handlebars and seats. They can all hold at least 325 pounds and have warranties of at least one year. They also include metric consoles and the capability to link your workouts to apps and social media.

Warranty: 10 years (frame); 3 years (mechanical); 3 years (electrical); 1 year (labor)

The Bowflex C6 Bike has a backlit LCD metric console as well as a media holder for your phone or tablet. As an upgrade over the more affordable exercise bikes, the Bowflex C6 Bike has two water bottle holders (for those of us who grow very thirsty during a bike ride) and a knob that allows you to choose between 100 resistance levels, according to the brand. The Bowflex C6 Bike comes with lots of fun additions, like a one-year fitness membership to JRNY, Bowflex’s workout app that comes with trainer-led videos. (Once its trial is up, JRNY costs $20 a month or $149 annually.) It also has dual-sided pedals (to slip your toes or clip your cycling shoes into) and comes with a pair of 3-pound dumbbells that slide into cradles at the front of the bike and a Bluetooth-enabled heart rate monitor. The bike incldues a 10-year warranty for its frame and has a 4.7-star average rating from more than 2,700 customer reviews on Bowflex.

Warranty: 2 years (frame); 2 years (mechanical); 1 years (electrical); 1 year (labor)

If you love Bowflex but you’re looking for a bike that has a built-in tablet, the Bowflex VeloCore Bike is your best bet — it comes with a 16-inch console (you can swap it out for a 22-inch console if you’re looking for something bigger and don’t mind spending $400 more). Like the Bowflex C6, it has two water bottle holders and a knob that allows you to access 100 resistance levels, according to the brand. It also offers the same one-year JRNY fitness membership, dual-sided pedals, 3-pound dumbbells and Bluetooth-enabled heart rate monitor. The VeloCore features Bluetooth speakers and a media rack, but it comes with a shorter warranty than its brethren: two years for its frame. It has a 4.7-star average rating from more than 800 reviews on Bowflex.

Membership: 30-day iFIT Family Membership

Warranty: 10 years (frame); 2 years (parts); 1 year (labor)

Like the Peloton Bike+, the NordicTrack Commercial Studio S22i Cycle has a large 22-inch touchscreen display that rotates 360 degrees so you can use the display off your bike, too (it’s the most affordable bike here with that capability). It comes with a touchscreen display, dual water bottle holders, dual-sided pedals and a variety of resistance levels (though it only offers 24 compared to Bowflex’s 100 levels). The NordicTrack S22i bike comes with a 30-day iFit Family Membership — it costs $15 a month once the trial is up, or $180 for the year — and a pair of 3-pound dumbbells. Like the Bowflex, it has a 10-year frame warranty and the bike has a 4.3-star average rating across nearly 3,800 customer reviews on Amazon.

Membership: 14-day Myx+Openfit membership

The Myx II Plus has a 21.5-inch swiveling touchscreen tablet on the front of the bike — its in-unit workout classes will give you on-screen data as you ride, including (but not limited to) heart rate, speed and distance, the brand says. You can choose between white and black colorways and different weight levels in its included dumbbells and kettlebells. It comes with a couple of mats, a foam roller and a resistance band for working out while you’re not on the Myx II Plus — something the other machines don’t offer.

The Myx II Plus comes with a 14-day Myx+Openfit membership. After you’ve owned your Myx II Plus for two weeks, you’ll have to pay $39 per month for access to Myx+Openfit and its various workout programs. Although it has its own app and connects to Apple Health, it’s important to note that the Myx doesn’t connect to other fitness apps like Strava, Fitbit or Zwift. The Myx II Plus also doesn’t provide a water bottle holder. Although it doesn’t feature any customer reviews, the Myx has been favorably reviewed by a handful of well-known publications.

Lindsay Goldman, a former professional athlete and the former director of membership and marketing at USA Cycling — a non-profit group focused on cycling as a sport — said that serious riders should prepare for a hefty price tag if they’re looking for quality equipment. “The more money you spend on cycling equipment and gear, the better it will be,” she said.

That said, if you’re on the hunt for your own at-home bike, be sure to prioritize what your basic needs are — many of them might be met by relatively affordable options. Maybe you want to easily adjust the bike’s resistance, move its handlebars or just need something quiet for nighttime sweats. (It's often when you introduce screens, monitors and trackers — as well as features allowing for social connectedness — that prices climb significantly.) And don’t overlook sprucing up your current stationary bike up with spinning accessories like a padded, adjustable seat and easy-to-grip support handles, if those are the issue.

Experts told us that, though it might seem like spinning accessories are added luxuries, “an uncomfortable bike has the potential to affect your performance and form while you bike [...] In the long run, this could lead to unnecessary muscle strain and sustained injury.”

Before you decide which bike is the right fit for your needs, here are a few things to consider:

Regardless of which stationary bike you invest in, it’s important to make sure you’re keeping your workouts diverse. Once the weather allows for it, Goldman advised switching things up and getting out of the house for some fresh air. (As a Citi Bike enthusiast, I tend to agree with her.)

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Justin Krajeski is an associate editor for Select on NBC News. 

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