Face-Off: The Proform Vs. Sole Elliptical

Shannon ClarkLast Updated: December 24, 2019

Getting ready to purchase some home gym equipment but not quite sure, which is right for you? If you are looking at the Proform vs. Sole elliptical, you are probably a bit stuck in your decision. Both machines offer great benefits and it can be hard to determine which is the better buy.

Both are going to burn loads of calories, strengthen similar muscle groups, and offer you a good user experience. So where do they differ?

We’ve put together a great comparison guide between the Proform vs. Sole elliptical that will help you get this all sorted out in your mind.

Here’s what you need to know.

Now it’s time to look at these in greater detail.

Brand Comparison

When looking at the comparison between Proform vs. Sole elliptical trainers, one thing to note off the top is that Proform is a huge brand in the industry. Created by ICON, this brand isn’t going anywhere. They are a major game player that has been making innovations in the health and fitness field for many years and will continue for many years to come.

Sole on the other hand is a smaller company that makes only sole equipment and isn’t as advanced in their technology.

Why am I telling you this? Because it comes into play with some of their features.

Drive Options

The drive options on both of these machines is comparable. Both use a front drive feature, which for most users will provide a good experience. If you were to step it up and go with the NordicTrack line of ellipticals, which is also made by ICON fitness, who makes Proform, then you would get the rear and front drive options.

Some people do prefer rear drive, so this may be of benefit to them. The Proform elliptical is essentially the lower model of the NordicTrack, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Console

The next thing to look at in the debate between the Sole vs. Proform elliptical is the console. The console on the sole machines is relatively basic, again thanks to the fact that this company just isn’t as big and powerful as ICON fitness is.

The consoles on the Sole are still backlight, so at least you can see the information that it’s relaying but otherwise, they are quite basic. You will still get all the necessary functions that any good elliptical provides however, so don’t feel too put off by this.

If you like the bells and whistles though, then Proform is probably going to be for you. These consoles are bigger, have better lighting, better buttons, and also offer more programs for advancement as well.

This is something that ICON fitness does very well as a brand, so they are one of the leading companies for this part of your experience. Having more programs pre-built into the machines can come in very helpful if you are someone who feels it’s challenging to come up with your own workouts and continually put additional stress on your body. If you do the same program day after day, eventually your results will plateau. So this could be a huge decision maker in the choice of ellipticals.

Inward Sloping Pedals

One thing that is of the advantage of Sole if you are feeling a little like there’s no point even considering them is they do offer the feature of inward sloping pedals. This is a unique feature and many claim it does help you feel more comfortable with longer sessions on the elliptical because it puts the body in a more ergonomic position.

This could be important as well for preventing your risk of injury, so something that you do strongly want to consider.

If you often feel like you just don’t feel quite right when you are going about your elliptical workout, it could be because of the position of the pedals. Trying the Sole out could just fix that feeling.

This alone is one factor that leads many to purchasing this line of ellipticals.

Stride Length

The stride length is something else that needs to be considered when making an elliptical trainer purchase. Many companies are now increasing their stride length to a standard of 20 inches, so it’s not abnormal any longer to see elliptical coming in at that.

Both the Sole and the Proform are going to offer ellipticals that provide this stride length, however the good news is that the Proform line is actually adjustable. Many of their machines allow you to adjust between 18-22 inches, so this allows you to have the most comfortable overall user experience.

Not everyone is a standard height and your height is really going to impact your stride length, which then influences your comfort.

If you are not comfortable, you aren’t going to be able to push as hard and this will impact the degree of results that you see.

iFit Compatible

One thing that does really set apart the Sole vs. Proform ellipticals is the fact that Proform is iFit compatible. If you’re someone who loves using iFit as part of your workout experience, there’s no question that it’ll be important that whatever machine you choose, has this.

Sole leaves you in the dark here, unfortunately. So this could make the buying decision for you. With more and more people tuning into iFit to help them reach their health and fitness goals, it is a benefit worth noting.

Buying Experience

Finally, if you look at the overall buying experience, we see that the Proform elliptical does stand above the Sole. The website for Sole is a bit clunky and it’s hard to get all the information that you need while Proform is much more streamlined and direct. You can get exactly what you need to know about each of their machines.

Granted, if you are purchasing the machine from a distributor then you can easily get information there about each one but sometimes having the information direct from the manufacturer is desired.

So there you have a closer look at the Sole vs. Proform elliptical trainers. They are in the same price range generally speaking (it will vary, based on the machine you choose however), so price will probably not be your determining factor here but rather, which machine has the better benefits that you desire for your own workout sessions.