x 55.5 x 17.5 cm.
The best walking pads for staying active during the working day
One of these under-desk treads we’ve vetted and recommend can help keep you moving without buyer’s remorse
Tested by The Runner's World Editors
Even if you manage to squeeze a run into your work day, if you have a desk job, you likely spend the vast majority of your day sitting down, and even standing at a standing desk can start to get old as your feet grow stiff. For some relief from the doldrums of a day spent in front of a screen, you may find some benefit in a walking pad — a walking-speed treadmill that fits neatly under your work station. (WalkingPad is also a brand that makes under-desk treadmills.)
These neat under-desk treadmills can help to rebalance all your stagnant sitting and standing, helping you fit more movement into your work days. While you don’t need to walk all day every day to perform at your best on the road and trail, a walking pad can keep you active as you send emails or attend meetings, boosting your metabolism and cardiovascular fitness with every step.
And the best part? Our top picks are low-profile enough that you can store them just about anywhere — no need to fret about cluttering up your office. Read on for our recommendations, as well as advice on what to consider before you buy your first walking pad.
Why trust us?
We’ve been testing all kinds of gear and tech at Runner’s World Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network running shoes from every brand we can get our hands on, we churn out workout after workout on exercise equipment at every price point, and we slog through hours of cruddy weather to test every kind of clothing. We’re committed to picking the best gear because, frankly, we want to run with it too.
To keep our research as objective as possible, we pour days, weeks, and sometimes even months of research into high-investment items like treadmills and shoes. For this round-up and others, we’ve tested bestselling products from big brands, as well as start-ups, to most properly assess each option without the influence of labels. This was an especially important consideration for our walking pad research because of the Kleenex-like ubiquity of brands like WalkingPad.
How we tested
We tested several of our top picks for the best walking pad in our own office — thankfully, someone else was testing some standing desks for another article at the same time, so we could even work while we walked. I even wrote some of this while I walked. To get a wider range of opinions on each model’s quality, we had multiple colleagues try our testing samples out at their own desks and at home, and compared their experiences with ours. We asked them to focus on controllability, stability, comfort, and noise, as we did when we tried them out ourselves.
To find the best options among the many walking pads we didn’t test, we used our combined decades of experience using treadmills at the gym and at home, our deep familiarity with the most trusted treadmill brands, and our understanding of what you should look for — and avoid — when making a purchase. We paid most attention to size, speed settings, and storability, but we also took into account finer details like speed adjustment methods, noise cancelling measures, and safety features like side rails.
7 best walking pads for runners to shop in 2024
Pros
- Raised bar doesnt provide much more than a phone mount
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- Space-saving design
Cons
- The track may not be long enough for running for those taller than 6ft
Rated 4.4 out of 5 stars and Amazon's Choice, The Superun Walking Pad 2.5HP is budget-friendly and ideal for getting your steps in from the warmth of your home. At 114D x 51W x 12H centimetres, it can easily fit under your desk or furniture, making it perfect for a home office.
The walking pad is shockproof, meaning it doesn't need a mat to protect your flooring. It also has wheels, making it easy to move around your home (and helping you get a better angle of your TV!). It is also quiet compared to other walking pads.
Superun products feature a supportive app called PitPal, which is handy for motivation and tracking steps.
Key Specs
| Track length | 90cm |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 114 Easy for one person to move around |
| Weight capacity | 136kg |
| Max speed | 6km/h |
WalkingPad A1 Pro Folding Under Desk Treadmill
Pros
- Folds in half for easy storage
- Best winter running gear
- So quiet you can walk through your meetings
Cons
- On the heavier side at 28kg
While walking pads aren't ugly, they're not exactly an aesthetic design choice either. Enter this folding model from under-desk treadmill titans WalkingPad. Designed to be stored folded, simply unplug and fold in half when you're done (it initially feels a bit odd and like you might break it but trust the process), then roll it under a piece of furniture. The folded dimensions are 82 (L) x 55 (W) x 13 (D), so still not dinky, but it should slip under most sofas with no issue.
On the performance front it's hard to fault this. Even with the belt regularly being folded and unfolded, it feels sturdy and well-made, the performance is smooth and fairly quiet, with the clear display cycling between distance, time elapsed and step count — which we tested against various fitness trackers and is very accurate.
The walking track feels large and you never feel in danger of sliding off the end or stepping on the front or sides of the machine — one of our testers is 6'3" and had no problems.
Like the WalkingPad model below, as well as being able to manually set the speed (from 0.5 to 6 km in 0.5km increments), this also has an automatic speed mode, which adjusts the speed based on your footfall, and is ideal when you want to concentrate, as your speed will naturally ebb and flow.
It comes well packaged, with the pad, instructions, remote, remote battery and remote wrist loop in the box. It is on the heavier side though, so bear that in mind when moving it to its new home. It's also worth noting that you have to check the belt is straight before you set off each time — this takes just a second to adjust but we have found it migrates to one side sometimes. However this doesn't affect the performance so is a minor quibble.
Key Specs
| Track length | 120cm |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 143 mph 9.65 km/h |
| Weight capacity | 136kg |
| Max speed | 6km/h |
Pros
- So quiet you can walk through your meetings
- Easy setup
- Large track is suitable for taller and shorter users
Cons
- Not suitable for small spaces
This is a simple, no-fuss walking pad that ticks a lot of boxes. It's very easy to set up — just take it out the box and plug it in — the performance is smooth and very quiet (we were able to use it during meetings with no raised eyebrows) and the large belt means those with a longer stride length won't have any issues.
The large, clear display shows a timer and alternates between steps and speed, plus you can set a timer (up to 99 minutes) if you want to do a set number of minutes a day. The step count seems accurate — our tester found it was only one or two out compared to their own counting, and they liked the five-second countdown timer you get when pressing start or after pausing.
There are wheels to help move the pad into place, but it's worth noting it's still quite big and unwieldy to move around. And bear in mind that you need two AAA batteries for the remote in order to get the pad going, and they're not included.
On the build quality front this thing feels premium and like it will last. Our tester loves using it during the afternoon when they usually lag in energy. Plus it’s so easy to hop on and off that it doesn’t feel like a chore to get going, which acts as effective encouragement to get those steps in.
Key Specs
| Track length | 122cm |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 147 Save 48% in the Theragun Cyber Monday sale |
| Weight capacity | 100kg |
| Max speed | 6km/h |
Pros
- Easy to move around
- Short setup time
- x 57 cm
Cons
- Bluetooth audio quality isn’t exceptional
When we first unpackaged this treadmill at our headquarters, we were relieved to see that it was already assembled — we simply needed to stick a battery in the remote and plug the machine into an outlet to get started. We tested this one right after spending half an hour deciphering another model’s poorly written instructions, so it gets contextual bonus points for that.
This GoYouth model weighs in at only 29kg, and the wheels underneath make it a breeze to move around. Despite being lightweight, it feels sturdy underfoot, and it can comfortably reach speeds up to seven miles per hour, which makes it one of the faster models on our list.
If you want to jam out to some music, you can also connect your phone to the treadmill’s speakers via Bluetooth. It doesn’t provide an audiophile’s dream sound quality, but it’s still nice to see that included in a way that doesn’t feel like it compromised any other facet of the build quality.
Key Specs
| Track length | 105cm |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 128 Short setup time |
| Weight capacity | 100kg |
| Max speed | 7mph (9.65 km/h) |
Pros
- Can handle running speeds
- Folds neatly away under a desk or against a wall
- Automatic speed adjustments
Cons
- Automatic speed adjustments
This WalkingPad model may look like a standard under-desk treadmill, but it has one feature that makes it an especially prudent option for cramped office spaces: it can fold in half.
Whether you’re dealing with a small space or simply don’t want to move your treadmill every time you want to use it, this allows you to easily fold the whole thing up against the wall and out of the way. It also has an automatic speed mode that adjusts as you walk, tracking whether you’re outpacing the belt (or vice versa) by measuring how your fore-aft position changes on the deck.
Key Specs
| Track length | 120cm |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 145 We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article |
| Weight capacity | 110kg |
| Max speed | 12km/h |
Pros
- Space-saving design
- Easy for one person to move around
- 5% incline
Cons
- Best phone mount
If you don’t want your exercise equipment to take up too much space in your home, this Egofit treadmill could be the perfect addition to your WFH setup. At just 97.5cm long and 55.5cm wide, it’s among the most compact under-desk treadmills on the market, and its 22kg weight makes it easy enough for one person to move alone.
The rails at the side of the belt are sturdy, so you can stand on them if you need a break — and a good thing too, as the 5% incline means you work harder (almost) without noticing it.
Fair warning: you may find yourself slipping off the back of this treadmill if you have a long walking stride, but you’ll likely take more careful steps as you type on your computer anyway. Just make sure to watch your feet as you’re getting used to it.
Key Specs
| Track length | 87cm |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 97.5 x 55.5 x 17.5 cm |
| Weight capacity | 100kg |
| Max speed | 5km/h |
Pros
- at JTX Fitness
- Large track
- Save 48% in the Theragun Cyber Monday sale
Cons
- Raised bar doesn't provide much more than a phone mount
If you want the extra speed of a 2-in-1 treadmill but don’t need the fancy dashboard that typically comes on one, this Urevo treadmill gives you little more than a nook for your phone.
When this treadmill’s bar is up, you can get the speed up to a peppy 10km/h (roughly 6.2mph), which is certainly fast enough to classify as a brisk run. When not in use, the folding bar collapses behind the back of the treadmill, and it barely adds any bulk to its silhouette on the floor.
Key Specs
| Track length | 108cm |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 130 Counts your steps and has a clever auto speed feature |
| Weight capacity | 120kg |
| Max speed | 10km/h |
What to consider
Quality disparities
Before we delve into any specifics about these treadmills, we cannot understate this: most underdesk treadmills are complete rubbish. We don’t just mean they’re cheap, they wear quickly, or they’re loud — we mean that many simply do not work as advertised and could fail within days. Whether you take our advice or not, understand that the broader walking pad market is a minefield.
If nothing else, ensure the brand from which you’re buying has a warranty available, or at least a customer service or quality control department. Many brands we tried to contact about acquiring samples simply didn’t have anyone who could reply to us. Others didn’t have customer service departments that spoke any of the same languages as us. If it looks like you’re going to run into the same problem with a brand, we recommend you avoid it.
Stationary vs folding
As compact as walking pads are, there’s some variation in how well they pack down. Some fold in half so you can tuck them in a cupboard, while others are designed to stay stationary when you aren’t using them.
Folding treadmills often have poorer shock and noise absorption compared to stationary options — making a treadmill sleek enough to fold into a smaller package usually means it’ll be much thinner and have more small, noisy parts.
Stationary treadmills often have much sturdier builds, with room to let your feet compress the track surface. This leads to a comfier ride, as well as a quieter one, but it does also mean that you’ll have a much more awkward item to pack away if you don’t want it at your desk all the time.
Track length and speed
If you’re looking to save floorspace in your home or office, you may be tempted to look for treadmills with a small track. In most cases, you’ll be using your treadmill only for walking, so your stride won’t be very long — all is good.
On the other hand, if you take big steps or want to ramp up to a faster pace and start jogging, you’ll appreciate having a longer track so your feet don’t slip off the back end. In these cases, we recommend looking for a track that’s longer than 114cm.
Regarding speed, if you want to jog or run regularly on a treadmill, look for a more purpose-built running treadmill. Not only will these models give you a more substantial track and higher speeds, but they’ll feel more stable and will have motors strong enough to maintain an accurate speed regardless of how much weight stands on top of them.
Impact on productivity
Before you go all-in on a walking pad, we do recommend you consider whether having your feet moving under you will augment or hinder your work experience. This tends to be a matter of personal preference, but we’ve generally found that work involving fine motor skills (such as lots of typing) can be more difficult while you’re walking, whereas an under-desk treadmill helped my meetings and brainstorming sessions fly by.
For a quick check, try walking in place while you complete various tasks at your desk. If you can’t handle the extra motion and find that it makes your work more difficult, a walking pad might not be for you. On the other hand, if you don’t mind your own rhythmic weight-shifting, you’ll likely have an easy time adjusting to a proper machine.
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