The Peloton Cross Training Row+ is more than just a rowing machine. Priced at $3,495 (plus a $49.99 monthly membership), it builds on its excellent predecessor with an integrated AI camera that tracks your movements during strength training workouts to ensure you're performing each exercise correctly and safely. That, combined with the excellent rowing Form Assist feature from the last generation, makes it one of the most advanced home gym machines I've tested, and a smart choice for all fitness levels. The Hydrow Arc ($2,295, plus membership fees) offers a more scenic, rowing-focused experience for less money, but it doesn't match the versatility of the Peloton Row+, so both earn our Editors' Choice for premium rowing machines. If you want to mix up your fitness routine or focus on both cardio and strength gains, go with the Peloton Row+. 

Design and Specs: Premium Indoor Rowing and Smart Strength Training

The Peloton Cross Training Row+ costs $300 more than its predecessor at launch, and isn't all that much different. It has the same comfortable and roomy design as the original, with a gorgeous 23.8-inch HD display that tilts and rotates. 

The main upgrade is above the display: a camera that uses Peloton IQ artificial intelligence to track your movements, count your reps, and provide form corrections during strength training workouts. With the camera enabled, you can also see yourself on the screen as you work out, and there are a variety of views to choose from. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

I detailed the movement-tracking camera in my review of the Peloton Cross Training Bike+, but it can be very helpful for learning and ensuring proper form. The camera tilts up and down and has a wide-angle lens, making it easy to frame yourself. 

For privacy, you can disable the camera by rotating it so the lens is covered. When the camera is on, the green light beside it illuminates, and you can stream live footage to the display to monitor your form alongside the trainer's video. Peloton says that images and videos captured by the camera are not recorded or stored, and voice recordings from the mic are not stored.

For improved comfort, the Row+ comes with a fan that attaches to the display. It has low, medium, high, and off settings that you can control with a physical button or on-screen controls. The fan is not compatible with the original Row.

The front-facing speakers and a rear-facing woofer are tuned by Sonos this generation, but there wasn't much room for improvement, so I don't notice much of a difference in audio quality. Music is crucial to the Peloton experience, and audio from the Row+ sounds fantastic, even at loud volumes. 

(Credit: Ali Jaber )

Voice control support, added this generation, lets you switch camera views and adjust the volume during mat workouts, and can be very handy when you have weights in your hands. A switch at the top of the display lets you disable the microphone if you prefer, and volume buttons sit on the right edge for manual adjustments. 

The machine has the same 94-by-24-inch (LW) footprint as the previous gen, but it stands a little taller at 48 inches (up from 45.5 inches). It weighs a solid 156.5 pounds, but the front wheels make it fairly easy to move around and position for upright storage. I had no trouble repositioning it in my workout room on my own. 

The Row+ supports riders ranging from 4'11'' to 6'5'' tall, weighing up to 300 pounds. The foot plates are adjustable for a woman's size 5 to a man's size 13.5. It features Bluetooth 5.2 and ANT+ connectivity, so you can pair it with compatible heart rate monitors, including the Apple Watch, as well as wireless headphones and speakers. 

Membership: Class-Leading Variety

The Peloton All-Access membership, required to take classes on the Cross Training Row+ or any of the brand's other machines, is now $49.99 monthly, up from $44 when I reviewed the original Row. Hydrow charges the same, but that's on the high end for connected fitness machines, exceeding Aviron ($34 monthly), Ergatta ($39 monthly), and iFit ($39 monthly, available on NordicTrack rowers). 

(Credit: Ali Jaber)

The All-Access membership offers unlimited entry to Peloton's class library and the ability to create up to 20 user profiles on the machine, so everyone in your household can track their workout stats and get personalized workout suggestions. With an All-Access membership, you also use the Peloton app on your Android or iOS mobile device to stream classes while traveling. Without an All-Access membership, you can only use the machine in Just Row mode, which shows your metrics on screen but offers no entertainment features. 

The Row+ makes a great complement, or alternative to, Peloton's other machines. One All-Access membership covers one Peloton rower, bike, and treadmill. Rowing class categories include: beginner, endurance, form and drills, intervals, music/theme, and warm-up/cool-down. For strength training, there's a wide range of styles including: adaptive, arms and light weights, barre, boxing bootcamp, bodyweight, full/lower/upper body, kettlebells, resistance bands, and more. 

(Credit: Ali Jaber)

Besides rowing and strength, the membership gives you access to classes across the following categories: bootcamp (combines rowing and strength), cardio (with options like dance, family fun, HIIT, Just Tabata, kettlebell conditioning, low impact, shadowboxing, and more), floor pilates, meditation, stretching, and yoga (flow, pre/postnatal, power flow, sculpt, restorative, slow flow, yin, and more). 

In the Schedule tab, you can browse upcoming live workouts. Peloton streams about six live rowing classes per week, fewer than for cycling (six to nine per week). The somewhat meager live class schedule doesn't bother me, because on-demand classes can still get competitive with Peloton's Here Now leaderboards. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

Peloton offers a huge range of workout programs, including the beginner-friendly You Can Row (3 weeks, 17 classes), the endurance-focused You Can Row the Distance (2 weeks, 8 classes), and the speed-focused Perfect Your Pace Targets (3 weeks, 10 classes). There are many others covering everything from running and strength to meditation and even injury recovery. Peloton regularly launches new class styles and programs, and stays at the forefront of fitness trends. For instance, it recently launched a Hyrox training program (12 weeks, 103 classes), designed to build the aerobic fitness and strength needed for the trending races. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

The classes are the main attraction on the platform, but the Row+ also features an Experiences tab with a small selection of scenic rows, letting you virtually explore picturesque waters across the US and the world. Only seven Peloton scenic rows are trainer-led, and the rest are unguided. If you'd rather watch a trainer on the water instead of in a studio, Hydrow and iFit-enabled rowing machines offer much more scenic guided rowing content than Peloton. Aviron and Ergatta focus on fitness games and races. 

Within the Row+ Experiences tab, there's also a 2K Benchmark row that you can use to monitor your progress, and a custom strength workout generator that makes it easy to browse and choose specific exercises, which might be helpful if you're on a regimented training plan. 

For additional entertainment options, the Row+ lets you sign in to your streaming account to watch a range of services on the display as you row, including AMC+, DirecTV, Disney+, NBA League Pass, Netflix, YouTube, and YouTube TV. There's also a small number of Peloton Originals, including fitness-focused documentaries. 

Interface: Loaded With Insights and Metrics

AI is baked into the Row+ interface, greeting you with customized Insights and workout suggestions as soon as you visit the home page. During setup, you can select your primary fitness goal (Boost Cardio Fitness, Build Strength, Promote Longevity, Support Weight Goal, etc.), so Peloton IQ can help you stay focused. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

My goal is to build strength, and Peloton IQ regularly reminds me about that. "You're building strength with varied workouts; try 20 min strength classes focusing on lower or upper body to complement recent rowing & yoga sessions," one Insight read, alongside three class recommendations. The home page also surfaces featured content, live and upcoming classes, and recent stats like your active days, time, and workout count that week. 

The Classes tab is well organized and offers many filtering options to help you find workouts by instructor, length, music, type, and more. Within the strength section, you can use a Movement Tracker filter to browse compatible classes, which I find really helpful. Tap any class for a preview screen showing a workout overview, AI-generated metric projections (including an assessment of whether the class is easier, harder, or the same difficulty as the ones you usually take), and other details like equipment needed and the music playlist. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

The rowing class screen hasn't changed much since I tested the original Row; it's still full of real-time metrics and other information to look at while you work out. That includes your total distance and number of strokes, your real-time pace (how long it would take you to row 500 meters), output (a measure of your power and force), stroke rate (average strokes per min), calories burned, and total output. Above the pace metric, it shows your target range, based on the difficulty level you've selected (you can adjust this before any rowing class). Above your current stroke rate, it shows the target range, per the instructor. 

The leaderboard, ranked by total output, is on the right side of the class screen, and if you have a heart rate monitor connected, your real-time pulse is on the left. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

During rowing classes, you'll also see a Form Assist graphic on the left side of the screen, making it easy to monitor your technique in real-time. After a quick calibration, the Form Assist module syncs with your movements. If you make a technique error, the corresponding body part on the graphic will light up in red, and Peloton IQ may also issue a real-time verbal correction. 

At the end of rowing workouts, Peloton gives you a Form Rating score out of 100%, with any tracked errors bringing it down. Peloton also offers a highly detailed post-row performance breakdown you can review at any time via the Profile > Workout History section of the interface. Here, it shows the percentage of pace targets you hit, your total number of strokes, distance, average stroke rate, and form insights for each phase of the rowing stroke in that session, so you can see exactly what you need to improve.

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

Workout Experience: Acing My Technique With AI and Human Coaching

The Row+ delivery and setup experience was as seamless as with any Peloton machine I've tested. The delivery team carried it into my chosen room and had it up and running in no time. It comes with a safety wall anchor that you'll have to install yourself if you choose to store it upright. The fan ships separately and is very easy to attach to the back of the screen.

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

After setup, you simply need to connect the machine to your home Wi-Fi, log into your Peloton account or create one, and optionally complete the voice control and Form Assist calibrations. Peloton asks about your rowing experience level so it can recommend a pace target (levels 1, the slowest, to 10, the fastest). 

(Credit: Ali Jaber)

I've been rowing on and off since 2020, and it's one of my favorite forms of cardio. Before testing the Row+, I hadn't regularly rowed in some time, so it felt like I was starting back at a beginner level with my technique. Just like strength training exercises, the rowing stroke is a complex movement that takes practice to learn, but the Row+ takes the guesswork out of good form. 

During rowing classes, I pay close attention to three things on the screen: the Form Assist module, my pace, and my stroke rate. It's tempting to hit every pace and stroke rate target during workouts, but I always prioritize good form over speed, and I urge you to do the same. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

It blows my mind that Peloton can track torso movement, like whether you lean back too far or slump forward, from the sensors in the handle and seat, but the system is extremely accurate. Early into my Row+ testing, I was rowing at max effort, eyes closed. I opened my eyes, and, disappointingly, Form Assist was lit up like a Christmas tree, and I was below the target stroke rate.  

Rowing is hard, and Form Assist is ruthless, but when you get your technique down, it's so satisfying. After about three weeks of testing the Row+, something clicked during a row with Adrian Williams; I started focusing on my feet more, and my form improved. 

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

It wasn't uncommon for me to score a Form Rating score of 50 to 70% in my first few weeks of testing the Row+. Since week three, I've been regularly earning scores in the 80%-plus range. At the same time, I'm regularly exceeding the pace target range at prescribed stroke rates, an indication that I'm ready to increase my pace target level from 2 to at least 3, where I was when I tested the original Row back in 2023. Between the instructor's cues and the Form Assist module, the Row+ makes rowing very accessible and gains achievable.  

Row bootcamp classes, a personal favorite, are highly efficient because they combine cardio and strength. Peloton's AI movement-tracking camera for strength training can't match a human personal trainer, but I still find it useful to have it watching to make sure I'm performing each move correctly. For split squat, a tough exercise, Peloton IQ audibly said: "Stack your shoulders over your hips," and I admit I was not properly aligned when it gave me that correction. While testing the Row+, Peloton IQ has also issued useful corrections for bent-over rows and praised me on my good deadlift form.

(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)

The rep counting sometimes misses. During one 3:50 AMRAP alternating squats and bent-arm lateral raises, it only gave me credit for five rounds, even though I did many more. Switching from rowing Form Assist to the strength movement tracker during bootcamp classes can stress the system; once, during my final rowing block, the Form Assist module didn't pop back up, and I missed having it as a security blanket. These are minor gripes; overall, the rowing and strength form feedback capabilities are very advanced, and the system delivers genuinely helpful and actionable insights.