Peloton and NordicTrack are brands of exercise equipment. When deciding to purchase exercise equipment for your home, it is important to consider the brand and decide which brand is a better fit for you and your home.

Both companies produce a variety of exercise equipment—such as bikes and treadmills—and they offer virtual fitness platforms you can use for guided workouts. However, there are some big differences between the two. Read on to find out the differences to decide which is the better brand for you.

Similarities and Differences Between Peloton and NordicTrack

There are similarities and differences between Peloton and NordicTrack. 

Below is a table outlining these:

Keep reading to see a detailed explanation of the founding of Peloton and NordicTrack, as well as a detailed explanation of the similarities and differences between these two companies.

The Founding of Peloton and NordicTrack

Peloton and Nordic both developed in unique ways. One was founded in 2012, while the other goes back to 1975.

Keep reading to learn more about the timeline of development for both Peloton and NordicTrack.

Peloton’s Timeline of Development

John Foley founded Peloton on January 3, 2012. 

The timeline of the development of Peloton into the company that it is today is as follows:

  • 2013—The company designs a prototype bike to be used as the model on their Kickstarter. Kickstarter generates $307,000.2014—Peloton receives extra funds, which they use to improve the bike’s design. Peloton bikes start selling. Peloton studio opens in Manhattan.2015—Peloton raises more funds, which they use to expand their retail locations and improve bike production. They became more focused on getting bikes to consumers faster and more efficiently than the year prior. By the end of the year, they had expanded the software engineering team.2016-Now—Peloton continues to improve their equipment and the classes they offer. They recently raised more funds to be used toward product growth.

Click here to learn more about what Peloton is doing today.

Nordic’s Timeline of Development

Ed Pauls founded NordicTrack in 1975. 

The timeline of the development of NordicTrack into the company it is today is as follows:

  • 1975-1987—Ed Pauls invented the original NordicTrack exercise machine at his home in Minnesota. Pauls builds the company from the ground up. Pauls builds each machine individually in his home, and cross-country ski racers primarily buy the machines.1988—As NordicTrack increases in popularity, Pauls’ struggles to keep up with the demand. He sells the company to the CML corporation, but Pauls remains CEO of the company until he retires a couple of years later.1989-early 1990s—CML corporation expands NordicTrack operations to other areas around the country. They focus heavily on expansion and advertising. They begin manufacturing other types of exercise equipment.1998—CML cannot keep up with debts incurred and file bankruptcy. NordicTrack is sold to another company, Icon Health & Fitness. The company thrives and focuses on the manufacturing of new equipment.2019—NordicTrack releases the NordicTrack VR bike, which comes with an iFit connection to automatically adjust the bike’s settings through commands by an online personal trainer. The company continues to thrive today.

Through the timeline comparisons, it is shown that NordicTrack is the older of the two companies. Despite NordicTrack running into some problems along the way, it continues to be one of the top-selling brands of exercise equipment today. On the other hand, Peloton has shown great promise and continues to focus on growth and bettering their equipment.

Peloton vs. NordicTrack: Price Differences 

A major thing to consider when deciding which company to buy your exercise equipment from is the price of their products. 

When compared to others with similar features, the products run about the same price. However, Peloton can be slightly more expensive, and they charge an additional delivery and installation fee. NordicTrack may be the more cost-conscious option when adding up the price with their streaming platforms and additional charges.

 NordicTrack uses an iFit streaming platform, and Peloton has its own streaming platform. Both streaming platforms cost $39 per month. However, NordicTrack offers discounts. NordicTrack offers the first year of streaming free with any NordicTrack purchase.

Peloton vs. NordicTrack: Streaming Service Differences

Both streaming services, iFit and Peloton, offer live and on-demand classes, and they also offer leaderboard interactions and various settings to choose from. However, they differ in user experience.

Overall, Peloton provides a better user experience than iFit. However, iFit offers a wider selection of classes than Peloton offers. Both platforms offer new classes daily.

Even though iFit may have a larger selection, classes are not organized properly, and it will take some time to find the specific class you are searching for. However, iFit does offer more scenic classes than Peloton.

Peloton vs. NordicTrack: Bikes Offered

These two companies also differ in the choices they offer in their bikes.

Peloton only offers two bikes, the bike, and Bike+, while NordicTrack has six bikes, their studio series (S15i and S22i), recumbent bikes (Commercial VR25 and R35), and upright bikes (Commercial VU 19 and VU 29).

In addition to offering six bikes, NordicTrack has a sister company, ProForm, which sells bikes compatible with iFit.

Peloton vs NordicTrack: Treadmills Offered

An additional difference between Peloton and NordicTrack is their choices in treadmills.

Peloton only has two treadmill options, Tread and Tread+, while NordicTrack has eight various treadmill models, including incline, commercial, and T series.

As with their line of bikes, NordicTrack’s sister company also offers treadmills compatible with iFit.

Tying it All Together

Peloton and NordicTrack followed along different timelines and despite Peloton being a newer company, overall, it shows just as much promise as NordicTrack. There are some differences among what these two companies offer as far as their prices, products, and platforms are concerned.

Peloton has sleeker, more modern-looking products and offers easier navigation on their streaming platform. As far as price, these two companies are similar, though NordicTrack is slightly cheaper and offers discounts.