Concept2 RowErg vs Hydrow Wave
Updated June 2026
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Quick Winner: Concept2 RowErg
The Concept2 wins for nearly everyone on durability, accuracy, and lifetime cost. The Hydrow takes it only if instructor-led classes are the thing that actually gets you rowing.
Score comparison
Specifications
Concept2 RowErg
- Resistance
- Air (flywheel), 10-setting damper
- Monitor
- PM5: accurate metrics; Bluetooth + ANT+; free ErgData app (no subscription)
- Subscription
- None required, ever
- Max user weight
- 500 lb
- Storage
- Separates into two pieces, no tools; caster wheels
- Fits users to
- ~6'6" (rail extension available)
- Machine weight
- 57 lb (standard legs)
- Warranty
- 5-yr frame / 2-yr parts (PM5 included); fully transferable
Hydrow Wave
- Resistance
- Electromagnetic (computer-controlled drag, 300 levels), very quiet
- Screen
- 16" HD touchscreen (fixed; smaller than Arc/Origin)
- Membership
- $49.99/month required (live + on-demand classes, off-rower content)
- Weight
- 102 lb, ~30% lighter than the Origin/Arc
- Footprint / storage
- 80" × 19"; stores vertically
- Max user weight
- 375 lb
- Data
- No open data export or third-party app support
- Warranty
- 5-yr frame / 12-mo parts, screen & labor
The verdict
The Concept2 vs Hydrow question is really two questions: how do you stay motivated, and what will you pay over time? On the second, the gap is stark. The RowErg costs $990 once, with no subscription ever, carries the most accurate data in the sport, and holds the best resale value in home fitness. The Hydrow Wave runs about $1,695 plus a $50 monthly membership (raised in January 2026) that the machine effectively cannot function without; five years in, that is roughly $4,700 all-in against the Concept2's $990, and canceling strips the Wave of most of its usefulness. On motivation, the Hydrow's case is real: immersive instructor-led classes on quiet magnetic resistance, in a lighter, more storable frame. So the honest split is this. Buy the Hydrow if you know classes are what get you on the machine and you will pay for them for years. For performance rowers, value buyers, and anyone wary of lock-in, the Concept2 is more durable, more accurate, and several times cheaper to own, which is why it is our overall pick.