The 10 Best Functional Trainers for Your Home Gym (2024)

The REP Fitness FT-5000 is our recommendation for home gym owners who want a high-quality machine similar to those found in commercial gyms. Plus, it ships partially assembled (a huge plus when it comes to functional trainers, which often take many hours to put together), sells for $2,500 (a great price for this kind of machine), and has a lifetime frame warranty. 

The dual 220-pound weight stack has a 2:1 ratio, which means that pulling 220 pounds gives you 110 pounds of effective resistance (functional trainers can have pulley ratios as high as 4:1). It also comes with a multi-grip pull-up bar that has a neutral grip, supinated grip, and wide-grip. 

“I think a 2:1 ratio makes the most sense for home gym owners: It’s going to cost less, be easier to move around, and it gives you plenty of cable travel distance,” says GGR Founder Coop Mitchell.

The main callout is that the starting weight of 12.5 pounds. It may be too heavy for some isolation exercises, a concern some reviewers have voiced in their reviews of this machine.

“Most people focus on the maximum weight, but the reality I use my functional trainer for a lot more than just heavy rows. I expect to use a functional trainer for isolation and rehabilitation exercises for smaller, weaker muscles. And 12.5 pounds is a bit heavy that work,” says Coop.

The handles are also only capable of reaching 52 inches off the ground, so taller lifters may not be able to get a full range of motion.

If none of those things are a problem for you, you’ll be rewarded with a 1,000-pound frame made of 11-gauge steel that’s sure to last in your home gym for many years, and you’ll have a lifetime warranty to give you peace of mind should anything happen to it. 

You can check out our in-depth REP FT-5000 Functional Trainer review for more of our thoughts on this machine.

If you already own a REP power rack, we suggest looking into the REP Fitness Athena (plate loaded) or REP Fitness Ares functional trainer add ons for a customized experience.

The Titan Fitness Functional Trainer dominates this category because it comes with seven different attachments, more than 1,000 adjustment positions, and a multi-grip pull-up bar for a great price (around $2,500). Plus, at 64 inches wide it’s more compact than other models so it can fit in more home gyms.

Cooper Mitchell, founder of Garage Gym Reviews and a home gym equipment expert, has used the Titan functional trainer for many years. “I personally think the Titan Fitness Functional Trainer is a great value for those looking to add a compact and high-quality functional trainer to their home gym,” he says in our Titan Fitness Functional Trainer review. “While there’s more affordable options out there, I think paying the extra money is worth it for a more high-quality machine.

It’s still an affordable trainer that comes with durable aluminum pulleys, dual 100-pound weight stacks with a 2:1 ratio (so 10 pounds really feels like 5), and a power coated frame. Coop rated the cable’s smoothness a 4 out of 5, saying they required some slight lubing. “It was a very smooth experience after that,” he says. “I like that they used something durable instead of a material that wears down faster over time, like plastic.”

Titan, however, only comes with a one-year warranty, whereas most functional trainers have a lifetime warranty on the frame (and shorter ones for other parts).

The Titan Fitness Functional Trainer is also a bit more compact and lightweight than REP’s, and despite the fact that it’s under 700 pounds, it’s still stable in use and doesn’t have to be bolted into the ground (there is some shaking at heavier weights, but nothing to be concerned about). 

Coop mentions that taller people may struggle with pull-ups due to the 82-inch height. “I wish Titan had a taller option, but this also allows it to be used in home gyms with shorter ceilings.”

If you’re looking to spend less, we suggest the B.o.S Functional Trainer for the ultimate value purchase.

The Bells of Steel Functional Trainer costs under $2,000 but has some of the same features found on much more expensive models. Before we even go over the many great things this machine has to offer, we should note that it’s incredibly rare to find a well-built functional trainer for under $2,000—and we’re usually wary of any such machine that costs that little.

Bells of Steel, however, has reliable construction and a 4.9 average customer review rating to allay our concerns. Alright, now onto the machine.

You get dual 160-pound weight stacks with a 2:1 pulley ratio, which means that 160 pounds is actually 80 pounds of force, which is still enough for most home gym owners to get some heavy resistance on isolation movements. The aluminum pulleys are what’s used on most home gym functional trainers to provide a smooth pull each time.

As a bonus, you get hooks for easy attachment storage and a sleek-looking black powder coat.

Our one knock against it is that it uses 14-gauge steel, which is thinner than what’s found on most other functional trainers (the bigger the number, the thinner the steel) but this is one of the ways that Bells of Steel is able to keep costs down and offer budget home gym equipment. Just make sure you take extra care of this functional trainer.

If you have some flexibility in your budget, we suggest the REP Fitness FT-5000 for better quality cables and overall durability.

Just about every functional trainer can be described as “versatile,” but only one truly personifies that term: The Major Fitness All-in-One Home Gym. It’s more affordable than other combination machines and will probably be the last piece of strength training equipment you’ll ever have to buy since it combines a power rack, a plate-loaded pulley system, multi-grip pull-up bar, and landmine attachment. You’ll also get band pegs and the opportunity to add even more attachments if desired.

Not sold on it yet? The entire rig has 13 different attachments, 31 adjustment points, and comes with J-hooks and spotter arms. Those last two attachments are critical for those who like to workout on their own, but one of the benefits of the all-in-one home gym is that it’s large enough for multiple people to use at once. You could have someone doing low rows while another person hits a few pull-ups, and a third person performing landmine rows with more than enough room for everyone.

A 1,000-pound weight capacity (800 pounds on the spotter arms) is similar to what high-quality squat racks offer, though at a much higher price than this trainer. Taller people may struggle to perform pull-ups with full range of motion, though there’s still dozens of full-body exercises from them to choose from with this piece of equipment.

It’s also much more compact than other trainers, combination machines, and functional trainers. That, combined with the fact that it saves you from having to buy other equipment, makes it a no-brainer for people with limited space.

If you’re not concerned about space the Gronk Fitness Functional Trainer is a bit bigger and offers tons of attachments.

When in use, the Torque F9 Fold-Away Strength Trainer tucks into a 3-foot-by-3-foot corner while still giving you up to 94 inches of cable travel. There are functional trainers much larger than that without nearly that much range. 

But the beauty of this trainer is its ability to be folded to an even more compact footprint, which is not only great for those looking to save on space, but also for anyone with small children who may want to play with sharp and heavy objects. Simply fold the doors, and your little ones won’t be able to access any part of this machine (until they get old enough to figure out how it works). 

“The folding feature definitely the most notable element on this machine,” says GGR Founder and OG Product Tester Coop Mitchell. “It’s great for anyone who doesn’t want a functional trainer on display all the time.”

It comes with multiple accessories, an optional stow-away bench, and pulleys with a 2:1 ratio (you can pick from a 150-pound, 200-pound, or 225-pound dual weight stack). Just know that you’ll be sweating as much, if not more, assembling this thing as you will working out with it. Several reviewers claim the instructions are not very helpful, and that it took several hours until it was installed. 

If you already have a squat rack, another great option is the Torque Relentless Rope Trainer.  While it may not be as versatile as some of our other options, it fits on most racks and gives you a full-body workout that doubles as your cardio session. 

Read our Torque F9 Functional Trainer review for more.

If you like a compact option, but don’t need the foldability, check out the Major Fitness All-in-One Home Gym.

To address the elephant in the room, yes the Beyond Power Voltra I is an expensive piece of equipment but you’re essentially getting a functional trainer and a personal trainer in one. This portable cable machine produces up to 200 pounds of resistance, can be used with multiple attachments, and has a smartphone app that tracks your sets and reps so you can track your progress in real time.

Cooper Mitchell, home gym equipment expert and founder of Garage Gym Reviews, adds that the unit is very durable, awarding it a 5 out of 5 in that category. “The design and engineering on this are top notch,” he says. “The cable that come with it is very sturdy, too. This is a synthetic cable that claims to be stronger than steel.”

In other words, it’s money well spent — at least we think it is. Coop says the cables feel as smooth as a commercial functional trainer no matter what type of movement he does. “There are a few movements that you have to be creative to do,” he adds, specifically mentioning bench presses and leg extensions. You can see him demonstrate those moves in our Voltra I video review.

Plus, the machine comes with three lifting modes: weight training, resistance band, and dampering. With the weight training, you can change the weight on the eccentric and concentric parts of the movement. “There is a chain mode that gets heaviest at the top of the lockout of the rep similar to how using chains on a barbell would be,” Coop adds.

Coop says the resistance mode feels like an actual resistance band, and that the dampering mode is great for people who want to work on their explosiveness. “Think of a parachute on your body,” he explains. “The harder and amount of force you put against it, the heavier the resistance will be.”

Since it attaches to your squat rack post, or a separately sold travel mat, it can also open your home gym to other equipment that you might not have had room for.

For more, read our in-depth Beyond Power Voltra review.

If you’re not convinced about this type of new tech, REP Fitness Athena or REP Fitness Ares could be a better option as they are both functional trainer add-ons to compatible power racks.

Functional trainers are often marketed as being a personal trainer you can keep in your home gym because of their versatility and ease of use. The Tonal smart home gym takes that concept and kicks it up a notch by adapting to your strength levels as you do certain exercises. 

For example, if you’re doing a lat pulldown, the machine’s artificial intelligence (AI) can determine how much force you’re applying and adjust the resistance to that exact level. This way you’re always lifting Goldilocks weight—not too light, not too heavy, but just the right amount of tension to build muscle without injuring yourself. 

The Tonal machine is a perfect fit for those who are curious about AI strength training equipment, anyone who lives in apartments or small spaces (you need 7 feet of space around the machine), or those who just want a machine capable of providing a full-body workout. 

“It takes the guesswork out of fitness. Tonal has programs for you to follow, sets your workout cadence, selects the weight, and tracks your reps for you,” says GGR Founder and OG Product Tester Coop Mitchell. “All you have to do it touch a button and do the work.”

One group of people it’s not for, however, are those on a budget. The machine itself costs $3,500 (psst, don’t tell anyone but we have a Tonal coupon), which includes the cost of professional installation. But that’s still expensive, and on top of that, you need to pay a $49 monthly membership fee to access all the classes. 

If you have the money for it, we think it’s well worth the investment. But if you’re on a budget, we have other options for you. Check out our full Tonal review to get our complete in-depth look at the future of fitness. 

Want something more simple and less tech-heavy? Try the X3 Bar.

Functional trainers aren’t known to have a versatile range of attachments, although now and then a machine happens to innovate and shine. Our pick for the best functional trainer for attachments is the Gronk Fitness Functional Trainer. 

Already a solid functional trainer with smooth cable travel—especially at its price point—the Gronk Functional Trainer has a few optional attachments definitely worth a look. The most unique attachment is a half rack kit, which has attachable J-cups and spotter arms that convert the functional trainer to a squat rack.

GGR founder and fitness equipment guru Coop Mitchell tried out the Gronk Fitness Functional Trainer, and while he prefers a power rack with a cable pulley system as the ideal combo, he says, “This can be a great compact option for someone that doesn’t have the floor space for a dedicated power rack.” Depending on your gym setup, it could also be a boon to have a second place to rack a barbell during your training session.

Additionally, the functional trainer has optional low row and lat pulldown seat attachments, which add even more versatility to an already versatile machine. One warning that Coop gives is that the lat pulldown setup probably won’t have enough height to get a full range of motion for most athletes.

Still, at $2,399 with free shipping, this functional trainer has great value, providing higher end components and aluminum pulleys at a competitive price. You can see more in our Gronk Fitness Functional Trainer review.

Although this machine can be outfitted with J-cups and spotter arms, we suggest going with a the Major Fitness All-in-One Home Gym if you want a squat rack with a functional trainer built in.

If you’re someone who’s on-the-go a lot, or lives in an apartment, you may think that a functional trainer is out of the question for you. Not so, and the X3 Bar is proof of that. This machine weighs less than 20 pounds and packs up to 600 pounds of resistance.

There are three components to the set up: the bands, the bar, and the foot plate. The last one is used as an anchoring point for movements like deadlifts and biceps curls. Why combine the bands and the bar? For one, resistance bands offer something called variable resistance — they weigh about 20 pounds at the start of the lift and get heavier as they move away from you. The bar makes it easier for you to create more force than with bands alone, thereby increasing your workout intensity.

RELATED: Best Portable Home Gym

The bar itself is like a mini Olympic barbell, with good knurling and bearings for smooth movements every time. “It’s actually thicker than a power bar,” says Cooper Mitchell, founder of Garage Gym Reviews and a home gym equipment expert. “It’s got some girth to it, which I don’t mind on deadlifts. There’s no bending this thing, it’s extremely stiff.”

You can also get access to the X3 app, which will track your progress not just in terms of reps and sets but also measure how much force you’re creating with each lift. Coop and Brittany Combs, GGR’s social media manager and a busy mother, say they enjoyed the workouts and have both used it while on the go.

Read our X3 bar review for our full thoughts.

Want resistance bands without extra X3 features? Try Living.Fit Resistance Bands or Rogue Monster Bands.

The XMark Functional Trainer would be higher on our list, were it not for its $2,900 price tag. But if you have the budget for it, or you’re just someone who refuses to shop anywhere besides Amazon, it’s a great option. 

The adjustable cable pulley system starts at 12 inches and goes up to 78 inches in height, allowing people of multiple height levels to use it. 

“The polypropylene and fiberglass blend make for fairly smooth travel,” says Caine Wilkes, an Olympic weightlifter who competed for Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “Not as smooth as most aluminum pulleys, but still a nice feel.”

The accessory bundle includes a triceps rope, triceps pressdown bar, a multi-grip revolving curl bar, and two single-grip handles, in addition to the two short handles that come with it. Not many functional trainers offer that many attachments without having you pay extra. If that’s not enough versatility for you, it also comes with a split grip pull-up bar and 19 adjustment points.  

RELATED: Best Curl Bars

Lastly, it’s made with 11-gauge, 2-inch-by-3-inch steel, so it’s built like a tank. Caine was able to hang from the pull-up bar and said there was no give or wobbling (and he competes in the +109 KG weight class). He scored it a 4 out of 5 on durability.

The dual weight stacks go up to 200 pounds with a 2:1 pulley ratio (meaning 40 pounds is really 20 pounds of force). “Still plenty of weight for most cable movements, although you may be limited to the weight for a row or pulldown,” Caine notes.  

Price aside, the only other major red flag about this trainer is the assembly process. We spotted several reviews stating customers had to make frequent trips to the hardware store to replace low-quality bolts and screws, or that certain parts were missing in their order. 

If you’d rather not buy such a bulky piece of equipment from Amazon, we suggest going with the Titan Fitness Functional Trainer. It’s a super similar machine and Titan offers free shipping.