Best under-desk treadmills: our favourite walking pads for working and walking

Under-desk treadmills, or walking pads, had a real boom around 2020 as remote working and home workouts became the norm. Put the two together and you can clock up your daily steps while answering emails, writing reports or sitting through a meeting.

But you don't need to work from home to make use of one. They're particularly handy if space is tight, whether you live in a studio flat, share a house or simply don't fancy giving a full-sized treadmill permanent residence in your living room. Walking pads have a much smaller footprint than traditional treadmills, and many are slim enough to tuck under a bed or sofa when you're done. They're also a natural fit for the rise of 'cozy cardio', the idea of making exercise more relaxed and enjoyable by walking indoors while watching TV, listening to a podcast or simply staying in your own space.

The catch is that the walking-pad market can be a bit of a revolving door. Brands launched models thick and fast during the boom, and some have since disappeared, been discontinued, or become difficult to find. We keep this guide as up to date as we can, but we can't control what retailers have in stock. What we can do is test the models available and recommend the ones we think are worth your money.

Matt Evans

Our Senior Fitness & Wearables Editor Matt Evans has been writing about fitness and health tech online for years, which means he knows what to expect from a treadmill. From the width and cushioning of the belt to how its settings hold up against its contemporaries, Matt co-ordinates the entries in this buying guide and has personally tried most of them.

Best under-desk treadmill overall

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If you're going to have a treadmill lurking under your desk, it might as well be one you don't mind looking at. The Urevo SpaceWalk E4W has a wood-grain finish that makes the usual black-plastic walking pads look a little, well, gym equipment-y. Better still, it's lightweight enough to move between rooms, quiet enough for Teams calls and spacious enough that you don't feel like you're walking on a conveyor belt designed for action figures.

At 18kg, our reviewer Emma said she could move it between her desk and the TV with ease, and she found the 100 x 38cm belt gives you plenty of room to walk naturally. The double shock absorption helps soften the impact of each step, too, which is useful if you're planning to spend an hour or more on it.

Emma tested it for two weeks, usually walking for an hour a day, and found it straightforward to use. The remote makes it easy to change speed on the fly, while the Urevo app lets you keep track of your progress and adds challenges and 'World Tour' videos if you need a little extra motivation to keep walking.

There is one important caveat: the 6km/h top speed makes this a walking pad rather than a treadmill you can use for proper running workouts. But if your main aim is to sneak more movement into your working day, catch up on TV while getting your steps in, or simply spend less time glued to a chair, the SpaceWalk E4W gets the important things right without taking over your home.

Read our full Urevo SpaceWalk E4w review

Best under-desk treadmill for beginners

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If you're new to at-home treadmills, walking on a treadmill or even exercise more generally, then the JTX MoveLight is a great option for everyone because it's relatively affordable, offers solid build quality and is very easy to set up. Simply plug it in with a single cord, and you’re ready to go once you press the remote.

Our reviewer recommended the JTX MoveLight as it's compact and easy to slide out of the way – such as underneath a sofa or in a cupboard. However, it's worth mentioning that it might be a little too long for alcove desk spaces, so those looking for a shorter tread for easier storage may be better off with the Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill. What's more, its compact design does mean there's a weight limit of 100kg.

The build quality on offer is good and the JTX MoveLight is robust – even if it's a bit dull to look at. It's a really solid entry into this list – it's just a shame that it's not available in the US.

Read our full JTX MoveLight review

Best budget under-desk treadmill

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If your main ambition is to get more steps in without your walking pad costing more than your desk, the DeerRun Q1 Classic is a very sensible place to start. There's no fiddly assembly, no intimidating array of settings and no need to clear half your Sunday afternoon for setup. Plug it in, grab the remote and you're ready to walk.

It feels solid underfoot, too, with a little cushioning in the deck and smooth speed changes that make it easy to settle into a steady pace. The PitPat app will track your activity and offers some basic programmes, but it's not exactly going to become your new favourite app. We mostly stuck with the remote and got on with walking.

The catch is noise. You can happily watch a webinar or listen to a podcast, but we'd think twice before firing it up during an important Teams call. It also sends some vibration through upstairs floors, so your downstairs neighbours may become unexpectedly invested in your step count.

Still, at this price, the DeerRun Q1 Classic did impress us. If you want a straightforward way to turn some of your sitting time into walking time without spending a fortune, it's a budget buy that makes a lot of sense.

Read our full DeerRun Q1 Classic treadmill review

Best space-saving under-desk treadmill

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The Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill is the one to look at if your biggest question isn't "How much can this treadmill do?" but "Where on earth am I going to put it?" At just 5 inches / 13cm deep, it's slim enough to slide under a bed or tuck into a cupboard when you're finished, making it a particularly good fit for smaller home offices and bedrooms.

It's also reassuringly well built for something so slender. We had it up and running in around 10 minutes, and despite its compact dimensions, it felt sturdy rather than flimsy. The black glass display gives it a more polished look than you might expect at this price, too, so it doesn't have quite the "cheap bit of gym equipment dumped in the corner" vibe you might fear.

There is a trade-off for all that space saving, the walking belt is relatively narrow, and our reviewer needed a little time to get used to it without catching their foot on the sides. Also, the features are deliberately thin on the ground, but that's arguably part of the appeal. There's a remote, a simple display and enough speed control to get you walking, whether you're using it with a standing desk or watching TV.

Read our full Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill review

Best for runners

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The Mobvoi Home Treadmill SE is perfect for those who want to get more bang for their buck by grabbing a device with a running mode attached.

With the safety rail folded down, the device is in 'walking mode' in which you're able to walk up to a set speed of 3.7mph and use it with a standing desk to exercise while you work, chat in meetings, or just watch TV at home.

On the other hand, when folded up, you're able to jog up to 7.5mph, controlling your speed and settings with either the remote control or the attached console. There's no incline in running mode, the belt just moves faster, but during our tests, we found it works just fine for gentle jogging, and the walking mode is quiet enough to not disturb your meetings or distract you from working. The best of both worlds.

Read our full Mobvoi Home Treadmill SE review

Best under-desk treadmills: At a glance

Choosing the best under desk treadmill: What to consider

Space

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An under-desk treadmill will take up plenty of space in your home, so you need to make sure you have room for it. It might be worth measuring a space and then considering how much room you have, bearing in mind you'll want a bit of clearance for your plug sockets etc. Also, think about what you're going to do with your treadmill when you're not using it. How will you store it? Do you need a folding model?

Price

Perhaps the most obvious consideration, generally spending more on an under-desk treadmill will score you more features, but perhaps more importantly a more rugged and durable design. A budget treadmill will work just fine if you haven't got the cash to spare, but bear in mind that it might not last as long as more premium options.

Weight

Consider how heavy your treadmill is and how much weight it can take. Most under-desk treadmills have a weight limit, and the lowest we recommend in our guide is 220lbs. We also have picks with weight limits of 265lbs, while the Lifespan TR1200 wins out with a user weight limit of 350lbs.

Speed

You won’t be able to run on an under-desk treadmill, but the speed setting is still important. Ideally, you want a good range. The lowest we’d recommend is around 3.5mph, with none of our picks dipping below 3.7mph. At the higher end, models like the Mobvoi Home Treadmill SE go up to 7.5mph, giving you more flexibility for brisk walking.

When we talk about “best for runners,” we are not suggesting you use these for interval sessions or structured runs. Instead, it is about supporting your training. That might mean clocking easy aerobic miles while you work, keeping your legs moving on active recovery days, or staying loose during tapering.

The faster the top speed, the more intensity you can build into those walking or light jogging efforts, and the more useful the treadmill becomes as a training companion rather than just a desk accessory.

How we test the best under-desk treadmills

We walk (and run) on each treadmill for an extended period of time, testing it up to its top speed. We use both running shoes and flat-soled shoes to check comfort levels, as walking treadmills should have adequate cushioning for extended use with pretty much any footwear.

We also check the response of the safety key, ensuring the treadmill halts in a timely manner in case of an emergency. We look at how responsive the remote is and rate how easy the treadmill is to control from your desk.

We also check out any other features it might purport to have, such as Bluetooth capabilities, functions of the console, and dedicated interval workouts. Read more about how we test here.