MAXPRO vs Speediance: Which Smart Home Gym Should You Buy in 2026?

October 17, 2026 · Sabrina Wescott

The quick answer: Speediance is a good fit if you want an all-in-one smart gym station with a built-in screen, digital weight, and a permanent spot on your floor, and you're comfortable spending $2,000 or more. MAXPRO is the better fit if you want up to 300 lbs of real cable resistance for $799, no required subscription, and a machine light enough to put away after every workout or take on a trip.

Both will make you stronger. The real question is how much space, money, and permanence you want your home gym to take up. Let's break it down.

MAXPRO vs Speediance at a Glance

	MAXPRO SC	MAXPRO Air	Speediance Gym Monster
Price	$799	$499	$2,000+
Required membership	None	None	Optional paid tiers
Max resistance	Up to 300 lbs	Up to 125 lbs	Around 220 lbs
Unit weight	Under 10 lbs	2.85 lbs	Well over 100 lbs
Footprint	Stores in a closet	Stores in a drawer	Permanent floor station
Portable?	Yes	Yes, fits in any bag	Wheels around a room, not travel-friendly
Screen	Your phone or tablet	Your phone or tablet	Built-in touchscreen
Resistance type	Concentric	Concentric	Digital weight with multiple modes

Competitor pricing and specs change often. Check Speediance's site for current numbers.

The Big Difference: A Station vs a Tool

Speediance is built like a compact gym station. It sits on your floor, often with a bench, a screen, and arms that adjust for different movements. It's smart and capable, and it's also a big piece of equipment that becomes a permanent part of the room it's in. You'll want a dedicated corner, a reliable outlet, and enough clearance around it to train.

MAXPRO is a tool, not a station. The MAXPRO SC weighs under 10 lbs and delivers up to 300 lbs of cable resistance through our patented Power Clutch. It anchors under your feet, to a door, or on the SlimLine Wall Track, and when you're done it goes back in the closet. The MAXPRO Air goes further still: 2.85 lbs, a 12-foot cable, and small enough to live in your gym bag.

Training with the MAXPRO Air outdoors on a tennis court

No outlet, no station. Train wherever you are.

If your living room has to be a living room again at 7 p.m., this difference decides everything.

Price: The Total Cost of Getting Started

Speediance's hardware starts north of $2,000, and many buyers add a bench or accessories on top of that. Some features and content sit behind optional paid tiers.

The MAXPRO SC is $799. The MAXPRO Air is $499. The MAXPRO Coaching App is included with no subscription required, and it tracks your reps and resistance and gives you guided workouts. If you want the full home-gym setup, you can add the bench and wall track and still land well under the cost of most smart gym stations.

That gap is real money. For a lot of people it's the difference between "someday" and "this week."

Resistance: Is MAXPRO Strong Enough?

Yes, and then some. The MAXPRO SC goes up to 300 lbs of resistance with 50 dial settings, which is more top-end load than most smart home gyms on the market. That's enough for heavy deadlifts, squats, rows, and presses even for experienced lifters.

The MAXPRO Air goes up to 125 lbs, which covers the vast majority of everyday strength training, sport-specific work, and rehab.

Backed by research. In a 12-week peer-reviewed study, UCLA researchers found people training with MAXPRO built strength equivalent to training with traditional weights and cable machines, completing nearly the same volume. See the UCLA study breakdown →

Where Speediance Genuinely Wins

Built-in screen and programming. Speediance puts guided workouts on a screen attached to the machine. MAXPRO runs through the app on your phone or tablet, which works well, but it's a different experience from a dedicated display.

Digital weight modes. Speediance uses motors to create resistance, which allows features like eccentric loading and different resistance curves. MAXPRO is concentric-only: you get resistance on the lifting phase of each rep, not the lowering phase. We're upfront about this because it surprises people who haven't used a cable machine like ours before. Concentric training is easier on your joints, means less next-day soreness, and helps you recover faster, and the UCLA study showed it builds strength just as well. But if eccentric overload is a must-have for you, a motorized machine offers it.

An all-in-one station feel. If you love the idea of one dedicated machine that's always set up and ready, Speediance delivers that.

Where MAXPRO Wins

Space. No permanent footprint. The SC stores in a closet. The Air stores in a drawer. With the optional SlimLine Wall Track, you get a permanent setup that uses zero floor space.

Portability. Speediance can roll across a room, but it isn't coming on vacation. Both MAXPRO machines are TSA-friendly and built to travel, so business trips and holidays don't break your streak.

Price. $799 for up to 300 lbs of resistance, or $499 for the Air. No required subscription.

No power cord tethering you to one spot. MAXPRO's resistance comes from the Power Clutch, not a plugged-in motor, so you can train in the garage, on the patio, or at the park.

Proof. Peer-reviewed by UCLA, featured on Shark Tank, and named the Best Portable Smart Home Gym by Sports Illustrated.

Who Each One Is Really For

Choose Speediance if...

you have a dedicated home gym room or corner, you want a screen and motorized resistance modes, and you're happy to invest $2,000+ in a stationary setup.

Choose the MAXPRO SC if...

you want heavy resistance, a complete full-body program at home, and the freedom to put it away or take it with you, for $799.

Choose the MAXPRO Air if...

you travel often, train outdoors or for a sport, are new to strength training, or want real cable training that fits in any bag, for $499.

Plenty of our customers own both MAXPROs: the SC stays home, the Air goes with them.

The best machine is the one you'll still be using six months from now. For most people, that comes down to how easy it is to start a workout. Less setup, less space, fewer excuses. That's what consistency is made of.

Shop the MAXPRO SC →Shop the MAXPRO Air →

MAXPRO vs Speediance: FAQ

Is MAXPRO cheaper than Speediance?

Yes. The MAXPRO SC is $799 and the MAXPRO Air is $499, with no required subscription. Speediance's smart gym stations typically start above $2,000.

Which has more resistance, MAXPRO or Speediance?

The MAXPRO SC offers up to 300 lbs of resistance, more top-end load than Speediance's Gym Monster.

Does MAXPRO need to be plugged in?

No. MAXPRO's resistance comes from its patented Power Clutch, not a motor, so you can train anywhere. The Bluetooth connection to the app runs on a rechargeable battery.

Is MAXPRO good for small spaces?

Yes. The SC weighs under 10 lbs and stores in a closet, and the Air weighs 2.85 lbs and fits in a drawer or bag. Neither needs a permanent spot on your floor.