Tonal Verdict (2026)

Scores at a glance

Why C: Strong hardware and a clearly written two-year warranty, pulled down by a steep first-year cost, a 12-month membership lock-in and non-refundable installation fees on any return.

Overall is the weighted mean of the five rows, adjusted by a small slug-seeded offset so that brands never line up in a false staircase, and capped at 9.8. Full working on the Methodology page (v2.1).

Main findings

1. Tonal 2 lists at $4,295; the Essentials accessory bundle adds $495, standard delivery and installation $295, and membership $59.95 a month for at least 12 months.
2. That puts a typical first year at roughly $5,800 before tax, and Tonal’s own terms warn that much of the functionality depends on the subscription.
3. Returns are accepted within 30 days of installation, but the delivery and installation charge is non-refundable and refunds can take up to 45 days.
4. The warranty covers the trainer for two years including parts and labour, smart accessories for one year, and excludes software and internet connectivity.
5. Trustpilot shows 4.6, ‘Excellent,’ on a profile that invites reviews; recent one-star reviews focus on service waits and paid repairs out of warranty.
6. Tonal can only be shipped and installed within the 50 US states, with flat fees of $495 for remote areas and $550 for Alaska and Hawaii.

Range overview

Tonal is a San Francisco company founded in 2015 by Aly Orady. Its product is a wall-mounted strength-training machine: two adjustable arms driven by electric motors that create digital resistance, a touchscreen with coach-led classes, and a built-in camera that gives form feedback. Tonal 2, the current model, offers up to 250 lb of resistance starting at 5 lb. Accessories (smart handles, bar, rope, bench and mat) are sold as bundles. The membership is required for the first 12 months and unlocks the workout library, personalised weight progression and unlimited household accounts. A Certified Refurbished Tonal 1 and a rental option through a partner sit below the new machine. It is aimed at people in the US with a suitable wall, a high budget and a preference for guided strength workouts at home.

Item verdicts

6 items. Each chip is a per-product call and can differ from the brand verdict.

Tonal 2 CONSIDER

The current trainer lists at $4,295 on Tonal’s US store, with up to 250 lb of digital resistance starting at 5 lb, a built-in camera for form feedback and professional installation in all 50 states. The engineering is impressive and reviews of the training experience are strong. The weakness is total cost and dependency: accessories, the $295 installation fee and a 12-month membership at $59.95 a month come on top, and without a membership the machine drops to Basic Lift. Buy it only if you will use it several times a week for years.

StrengthCompact full-body gym with smart weight progression

WeaknessHardware is under three-quarters of the true first-year cost

Check at Tonal

Essential Accessories Bundle BUY

Listed at $495, the Essentials bundle contains the Smart Handles, Smart Bar, Bar Control Module, Dual T-Lock Rope, Bench, Mat and Foam Roller. Bought separately, the Smart Handles alone cost $250, so the bundle is the cheaper route. In practice it is not optional: the smart handles and bar are how you switch the weight on and off and unlock most movements. The weakness is that Tonal presents it as an add-on rather than including it in the headline price, and its smart accessories carry a one-year warranty against two for the trainer.

StrengthCheaper than buying the handles and bar separately

WeaknessEffectively mandatory but excluded from the headline price

Check at Tonal

Tonal Membership CONSIDER

Membership costs $59.95 a month plus tax, with a 12-month initial commitment that starts at installation. It includes unlimited accounts per trainer, so one fee covers a household, plus the class library, strength assessment, spotter mode and dynamic weight modes. After the first year it becomes month to month and can be paused by phone or cancelled in your account. Cancel and you keep only Basic Lift, safety controls and Wi-Fi updates. Shared across two or three adults it is reasonable; for one person it is the price of a mid-range gym.

StrengthUnlimited household accounts on one fee

Weakness12-month lock-in; machine is basic without it

Check at Tonal

Tonal 1 Certified Refurbished CONSIDER

The previous-generation trainer, refurbished, lists at $2,495, which is $1,800 less than Tonal 2. It still needs accessories, installation and the same 12-month membership. The product page is blunt: “No returns—all sales are final,” and it is sold while supplies last. The warranty does cover Certified Refurbished Tonal 1 units, but it is the first-generation hardware, without the newer model’s upgrades. It makes sense for a buyer who is certain they want Tonal and wants to cut the hardware cost, not for anyone who is still deciding.

StrengthLarge saving on hardware with warranty coverage

WeaknessFinal sale with no 30-day return

Check at Tonal

Extended warranty (4-year) CONSIDER

Tonal sells a four-year extended warranty for $425 on the Tonal 2 product page, and at the time of reading the page advertised it free as part of a $595 Ultimate Accessories Bundle offer. The standard warranty is two years on the trainer, and recent one-star Trustpilot reviews describe paid repairs after that: Tonal’s own servicing visits list at $395, and $795 for advanced servicing that may swap in a refurbished trainer. On a $4,295 machine that cost is easier to justify than most extended plans. Check what it excludes before buying.

StrengthCovers the period when paid repairs start to bite

WeaknessAnother $425 on an already expensive purchase

Check at Tonal

Tonal Rent SKIP

Tonal promotes rental through a partner, Fragile Inc. (trading as Whim), at $279 a month for Tonal 2 or $219 for a refurbished Tonal 1, plus a $49 setup fee and tax, with the first month free for qualifying applicants until November 1, 2026. The fine print says it is “Not rent-to-own” and approval depends on credit. A year of renting Tonal 2 costs more than three thousand dollars with nothing owned at the end. It only makes sense as a short trial, and even then the 30-day return on a purchase may be cheaper.

StrengthLets you try Tonal without the upfront purchase

WeaknessNot rent-to-own; a year costs over $3,000

Check at Tonal

The small print, summarized

Values are short phrases taken from the brand's own pages at the time of the last update. "Not stated" means the desk could not find the policy in writing.

Caveats

• Returning Tonal inside 30 days still costs you the delivery and installation fee, which Tonal’s terms make non-refundable, and refunds can take up to 45 days to process.
• Membership is compulsory for 12 months, and Tonal’s terms tell buyers to confirm that the hardware without a subscription meets their needs, because without one the machine falls back to Basic Lift.
• Recent one-star Trustpilot reviews describe weeks-long waits for technicians and paid out-of-warranty repairs; Tonal replies to almost all of them, mostly by asking reviewers to email support.
• Moving house costs $300 to $550 for Tonal to detach and reinstall, since the warranty excludes self-installation and relocation by anyone not authorised.

Sentiment from reviews

Trustpilot shows Tonal at 4.6, ‘Excellent,’ from fewer than nine hundred reviews, and the profile notes that Tonal invites customers to review and pays for a Trustpilot subscription, which tends to lift scores. The five-star reviews are enthusiastic and specific: coaches people like, progress they can measure and the convenience of not driving to a gym. Several call it pricey but worth it.

The one-star reviews read in October 2026 tell a different story about after-sales service. The recurring complaints are long waits on the phone, installation and repair appointments pushed back by weeks, screens or handles that failed, and bills for repairs once the warranty ended. A few object to the membership price. Tonal replies to nearly all negative reviews, but most replies ask the reviewer to email support rather than resolving anything in public.

Rivals worth a look

Final call

Desk notes

• Read tonal.com homepage, the Tonal 2 product page and the full US product catalogue with prices in October 2026.
• Read Tonal’s FAQ, membership, financing and warranty pages and the Terms and Conditions of Sale in October 2026.
• Read Trustpilot reviews for tonal.com, overview and recent 1-star filter, in October 2026.

Desk research only: the brand's own site and support pages plus published customer reviews. Nothing was purchased or tested by this site. Scored under Methodology v2.1.