Row & Recover

Head to head

Concept2 RowErg vs Aviron

One is a bare, brilliant training tool with no subscription. The other turns rowing into a game with heavy resistance and a $29/month membership. They suit very different people.

By Stephen V.An enthusiast who reads the manuals and does the math. Not a coach, not a lab.Last verified July 24, 2026.

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Two pieces of home cardio equipment side by side in a home gym

The Concept2 and the Aviron sit at opposite ends of what a rowing machine can be. The Concept2 is a tool: no screen, no subscription, a monitor that measures power honestly, and a design that has barely changed in thirty years because it did not need to. The Aviron is an experience: a 22-inch screen, game-based programming, heavy dual air-and-magnetic resistance, and the cheapest membership in the connected category.

The five-year number

Live pricing is more than 48 hours old, so this table is not rendering. We would rather show you nothing than show you last week’s arithmetic. Why prices expire here.

Aviron’s membership is $29/month (about $24 annually), the lowest among connected rowers, and one membership covers the whole household — but over five years it still adds roughly $1,740 the Concept2 does not charge. The Concept2 has no subscription and never has.

Where the Aviron leads

Motivation and resistance. Aviron’s games and challenges genuinely get people onto the machine who would ignore a bare monitor, and its dual air-and-magnetic resistance reaches up to 100 lb — heavier than most machines, which suits hard interval work. If external motivation is what you need and you want a screen, the Aviron is a strong, comparatively affordable choice.

Where the Concept2 leads

Cost over five years, a published 500 lb capacity, a five-year frame warranty, decades of parts availability, PM5 split times that transfer to every other rower, and a 24-inch narrower machine (the Aviron Strong Series is 27 inches wide, the widest we cover). For serious, self-directed training, the Concept2 is simply the better instrument.

The honest recommendation

Buy the Aviron if games and a screen are what will actually get you rowing, and you want the cheapest connected membership with heavy resistance. Buy the Concept2 if you will train without being entertained, want to own your machine outright, and care about numbers that mean something. Both handle hard intervals well — the difference is whether you want a game around them.

Our pick

Concept2 RowErg

Cheaper over five years, a published 500 lb capacity, a five-year warranty, comparable split times and no subscription. Buy the Aviron instead if game-based motivation and a 22-inch screen are what will genuinely get you rowing, and you want heavy dual resistance.

Straight answers

Questions people actually ask

Is a Concept2 or Aviron better?

The Concept2 is the better bare training tool - cheaper over five years, a published 500 lb capacity, a five-year warranty, and split times that transfer to other rowers, all with no subscription. The Aviron is the better motivator, with game-based programming, heavy dual resistance up to 100 lb, and the cheapest connected membership at $29/month. It comes down to whether you want a game around your rowing.

Does the Aviron have a subscription and the Concept2 doesn't?

Correct. The Aviron's membership is $29/month (about $24 annually), the cheapest in the connected category, and one membership covers the household - but over five years it adds roughly $1,740. The Concept2 has no subscription at all; its PM5 monitor records everything on its own.

Which is better for interval training, Concept2 or Aviron?

Both handle hard intervals well. The Concept2's air resistance scales with effort and its monitor gives honest, comparable numbers to chase. The Aviron's dual air-and-magnetic resistance reaches up to 100 lb and its game-based programming is built around challenges. The Concept2 is the purer instrument; the Aviron is more motivating.

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