User Review
( votes)You don’t have to settle for low-quality products if you’re looking for the best budget functional trainer. Several companies have manufactured functional trainers that won’t cost you more than $2000 while offering near-commercial-grade quality.
Our analysis includes functional trainers with built-in weight stacks and plate-loaded functional trainers that require steel or bumper weight plates.
I’ve already raved in my Bells of Steel Functional Trainer Review about that product, so that’s where I’ll start for my top pick in the best budget functional trainer in 2023.
Best Budget Functional Trainer With Built-In Weight Stacks
Bells Of Steel Functional Trainer
The Bells of Steel Functional Trainer features a price tag under $2000 and includes free shipping.
It’s a shockingly great trainer from a company that is focused on building high-quality gym products for people on a budget.
The Bells of Steel Functional trainer isn’t just the best budget functional trainer in 2023; it’s also one of our top recommendations for home gym-based trainers in general.
The functional trainer features 14-gauge steel, offering a solid option for non-commercial use. Yes, it’s not the same thickness as some of our favorite $2500+ trainers; still, there is virtually no shifting of the functional trainer during regular use.
While it may be a budget-friendly option, Bells of Stell includes aluminum pulleys, a feature also utilized on commercial-grade options.
Along with a solid frame, Bells of Steel has included 16 pulley positions that provide excellent upper-body, core, and lower-body workouts.
This budget functional trainer comes with a basic set of D-Handles, but you can add many well-priced options when placing your order.
Functional Trainer Frame Specs:
Total Weight | 560lb / 254kg |
Weight Stacks | 160lb / 72kg Per Stack |
Pull Ratio | 2:1 |
Total Length (Depth) | 30" / 762mm |
Total Width | 53" / 1,346mm |
Total Height | 81" / 2,057mm |
Coating Finish | Black powder coat |
Pulley Material | Aluminum |
Steel Rail Thickness | 14-guage/2mm |
Warranty | Limited Lifetime |
Remember that 160-pound weight stacks with a 2:1 pull ratio offer 80 pounds of maximum weight. That’s enough weight on each side of the functional trainer for most users, but powerlifters might want to look elsewhere.
If you’re still not convinced that this is the best budget functional trainer for your needs, be sure to check out the multi-grip pull-up bar that is also included. Multi-grip pull-up bars are often an add-on feature that can cost upwards of $200; this time, it’s included at no additional cost.
Check out the many reviews and additional product specs on the official Bells of Steel Functional Trainer product page.
Best Budget Functional Trainer With A Plate-Loaded Function
Titan Fitness Plate Loaded Functional Trainer
This Plate Loaded Functional Trainer has pulldown and low-row add-ons and a massive 600-pound capacity. It’s also a budget-friendly functional trainer that won’t break the bank.
The Titan Fitness Plate Loaded Functional Trainer may not come equipped with weight stacks, but you won’t care about that little detail once you see what it provides.
First, this functional trainer supports up to 600 pounds using standard weight plates with 2″ collars. On a typical functional trainer, that amount of weight would be overkill. However, Titan Fitness has included a pull-down option and a low-row pulley.
Titan has also included two stirrup handles, a lat bar, and a low-row cable at no additional charge.
Our favorite part of this product is that the lower cables add horizontal force to your regular workouts, specifically lunges, step-ups, and squats.
We use the Titan Fitness Functional Trainer as a mainstay in our garage gym, and in the past two years, it has withstood the test of time with no major issues.
Functional Trainer Frame Specs:
Total Weight | 178lbs |
Weight Stacks | 600 plate loaded (not included) |
Pull Ratio | 2:1 |
Total Length (Depth) | 53" |
Total Width | 61" |
Total Height | 81" |
Coating Finish | Black powder coat |
Pulley Material | Aluminum |
Steel Rail Thickness | 14-guage/2mm |
Warranty | Limited Lifetime |
Titan Fitness has come a long way in the past few years, adding new levels of quality to its often budget-friendly products. This Titan Fitness Plate Loaded Functional Trainer is almost half the price of other options on our list.
Throw in rubber feet to protect your floor, a pull-up bar for even more added exercise options, and smooth pulleys with fiberglass-reinforced cables, and it’s easy to see how this product has made our list of the best budget functional trainers in 2023.
Don’t just take our word for it; check out the functional trainer’s product reviews from 100 buyers.
Best Budget Functional Trainer – All-In-One
Force USA G3 All-In-One Trainer
The Force USA G3 is more than a functional trainer. The G3 offers up to 11 training stations in one fairly compact design. This is an excellent option if you have limited space and don’t mind plate-loading your unit. It’s also priced to sell.
Hear me out. It’s a functional trainer, but it’s also a squat rack. Oh ya, it’s also a smith machine, chin-up station, suspension trainer, and core trainer. This is the budget-friendly frankensteined functional trainer we recommend if space is a concern or you want an all-in-one piece of equipment that’s fairly easy on the pocketbook.
The Force USA G3 has 11 training stations in total and it’s upgradeable to include six additional stations, including Jammer Arms, Dip Handles, Leg Press, Low Row, Leg Developer, and a Lat Pulldown Seat.
Functional Trainer Frame Specs:
Total Weight | Main Unit: 370 Pounds Smith Machine: 772 lbs Chin-up: 772 lbs |
Weight Stacks | Tested to 2000 lbs plate loaded (not included) |
Pull Ratio | 2:1 |
Total Length (Depth) | 60.5" |
Total Width | 78" |
Total Height | 87" |
Coating Finish | Black powder coat |
Pulley Material | Military Grade Cables |
Steel Rail Thickness | Steel Tubing |
Warranty | Up To 10 Years (Home Gym) |
When a gym products company decides to Frankenstein a rack, it requires many supporting add-ons to take full advantage of the product.
Force USA has gone all out, providing a mind-boggling number of included accessories. These accessories span the gamut from the upper body to the lower body and core workouts.
We’ve never seen this many accessories come with a single unit, at least not for a price that puts other functional trainers to shame.
Force USA 3G All-In-One Trainer Included Accessories:
1 x Barbell Holder | 2 x Front Safeties | 2 x J-hooks |
4 x Band Pegs | 1 x Long Straight Bar | 1 x Short Straight Bar |
2 x Nylon Handles | 4 x Carabiners | 1 x Tricep Rope |
10 x spring Collars | 1 x Core Trainer | 1 x A-Bar Row |
4 x Attachment Storage Hooks | 6 x Weight Plate Storage Sleeves | And Other Add-ons Are Available! |
If you’re low on space, this might be the perfect option for your home gym needs. It doesn’t take up much more space than a traditional functional trainer or squat rack but provides much more variety.
Between the various pulley systems, a chin-up station, and the ability to keep frankesteining this unit, it’s hard to believe it sells for less than many functional trainers on the market.
Your best bet is to check out the Force USA 3G All-In-One Product Page because there’s far too much for us to cover in our best budget function trainers list.
The Best Budget Functional Trainer For Compact Spaces
Inspire Fitness FTX Functional Trainer
Inspire Fitness makes some of the best-reviewed functional trainers for home and commercial use. Their pulleys are smooth, their chin-up bars are excellent, and in the case of the FTX functional trainer, their compact designs are perfect for home gym owners.
If you’re short on space, the Inspire Fitness FTX is the best budget functional trainer you’ll find. This unit comes in at 40 inches in depth, 54 inches in width, and 85 inches in height.
The Inspire Fitness FTX functional trainer frame is made with heavy-duty round and rectangular steel. While it’s not the same thickness we have seen on other, more expensive trainers, the unit is compact and offers less weight to support.
The unit features two 165-pound (75 kg) weight stacks with a 2:1 pull ratio. That means each stack offers 82.5 pounds per pulley. This is plenty of weight for most people, but if you lift heavy, you’ll want to look elsewhere, perhaps to the best functional trainer overall in 2023, the Rep Fitness FT-5000 2.0.
While the Inspire Fitness FTX might be light on weight, its electrostatic powder coat and chrome finishes scream commercial-grade gym equipment.
Functional Trainer Frame Specs:
Total Weight | 544 lbs (247 kgs) |
Weight Stacks | 165lbs / 72kg |
Pull Ratio | 2:1 |
Total Length (Depth) | 40" |
Total Width | 54" |
Total Height | 82" |
Coating Finish | Black powder coat |
Pulley Material | Standard |
Steel Rail Thickness | Steel Tubing |
Warranty | Limited Lifetime |
Inspire Fitness has always done a great job of providing a “ready out of the box” functional training experience. Part of that experience includes the ability to get started with multiple attachments.
For the FTX functional trainer, the company has chosen to provide multiple accessories.
Inspire Fitness FTX Functional Trainer Included Accessories:
Tricep Rope | 2 x Deluxe D Handles |
Dual Hook Curl Bar | Chin/Dip Belt |
Inspire Fitness trainers are so well received that some commercial gym owners use even the non-commercial options in their gyms.
If you’re short on space but still want an excellent product likely to last a very long time, this might be your product.
Check out the product’s Amazon reviews, and you may quickly decide.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Inspire Fitness FTX Functional Trainer – Compact at Home Workout Machine with Accessories – Space… | $1,999.00 | Buy on Amazon |
The Best Functional Trainer For Low Ceilings
Rep Fitness FT-3000 Compact Functional Trainer
The Rep Fitness FT-3000 Compact is a commercial-grade product with included commercial-grade D handles and the most solid build among budget-friendly functional trainers.
We’ve made it no secret that the Rep Fitness Functional Trainer lineup of products tops almost every list on our website. There’s good reason for this admiration. Rep Fitness has crafted commercial-grade products while maintaining home gym prices.
The FT-3000 is the most expensive trainer on our list of the best budget functional trainers in 2023. The price creeps above $2000, but what you receive for that price might lead you in this direction.
The FT-3000 Compact Functional Trainer offers 15 different cable positions, allowing for the upper body, lower body, and core workouts to happen easily.
Each weight stack on this unit weighs 180 lbs with a 2:1 pull ratio, allowing for 90 pounds per stack. That’s pretty good, considering the compact nature of the unit.
Speaking of compact design, this trainer is only 34 inches deep, which means it can fit through a standard doorway.
Throw in a chip-resistant, double-layered powder coating with a black metallic finish and fiberglass-reinforced pulleys, and it’s easy to see why we love the Rep Fitness FT-3000 Compact functional trainer.
Total Weight | 770 lbs |
Weight Stacks | 168 lbs |
Pull Ratio | 2:1 |
Total Length (Depth) | 34" |
Total Width | 53" |
Total Height | 78" |
Coating Finish | Black powder coat |
Pulley Material | Fiberglass-Reinforced |
Steel Rail Thickness | Steel Tubing |
Warranty | Limited Lifetime (Frame) One year warranty on hardware, pop-pins, pulleys, and cables. |
Given the quality of the Rep Fitness FT-3000 and that it includes shipping in the final price, we can’t stress enough how much we recommend the product.
The only two things this functional trainer has going against it are the compact size that narrows movement and the price tag that creeps over $2100.
Still not convinced? Check out the Rep Fitness FT-3000 product page for customer reviews.
Many excellent functional trainers are on the market, but these picks top our list of the best budget functional trainers in 2023 because of their price points, unique features, and surprisingly great builds.
If you’re willing to spend a little bit extra be sure to check out our list of the Best Functional Trainers For A Home Gym.
