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Comparison

Walking pad with incline vs flat walking pad

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In short

A flat walking pad is lighter, lower and simpler, which suits steady walking at a standing desk. An incline pad tilts the deck to give a hill-walking feel; manual incline uses a lever or feet you set before walking, while automatic incline uses a motor you adjust with the remote. Choose incline if you want that variety and can accept extra weight and height.

Details as stated in the Amazon listing or by the manufacturer. See the current price on Amazon.

Our verdict

Pick the flat Urevo SpaceWalk Lite type of pad for light, simple desk walking. Pick a manual incline pad like the TREAFLOW for a fixed tilt with little extra weight, or an automatic incline pad like the Urevo CyberPad if you want to change the angle while you walk.

Incline is one of the most common upgrades on walking pads. Some pads have a fixed or manual tilt, others raise the front with a motor while you walk. It sounds like an easy yes, but incline changes more than the angle: it often adds weight, height and complexity, and it can affect how the pad works under a desk. This comparison sets a popular flat pad against a manual incline pad and an automatic incline pad, using their listing facts, so you can judge whether incline is worth having for the way you will use it.

Three types of walking pad

Flat pads have a fixed, level deck. They are the lightest and lowest, and most have a simple remote. Manual incline pads have a fold-out foot, lever or block that raises the front to a set angle; you change it with the pad stopped. Automatic incline pads have a second motor that lifts the deck in steps while you walk, controlled from the remote, console or app.

Incline is usually given as a percentage grade, where 10 percent means 10 cm of rise for every 100 cm of run. Our incline converter turns percentages into degrees.

grade % = rise ÷ run x 100degrees = atan(% ÷ 100)5 % = 2.9°10 % = 5.7°15 % = 8.5°θrunriseDrawn to scale: a 15 % incline is only 8.5 degrees.
Grade % is rise over run. Degrees come from the arctangent, so 10 % is 5.7 degrees.

Three models compared from their listings

These figures come from the amazon.co.uk listings. Imperial figures are converted and rounded.

ModelInclineSpeedMax userWeight
Urevo SpaceWalk LiteNone (flat)1 to 6 km/h265 lb (about 120 kg)16 kg
TREAFLOW walking pad0 to 8 percent, manual0.6 to 6 mph (about 1 to 9.7 km/h)265 lb (about 120 kg)19.1 kg
Urevo CyberPadUp to 14 percent, automatic0.5 to 6 km/h300 lb (about 136 kg)28.6 kg
Flat vs incline walking pads

What incline changes in daily use

Weight and handling. In this set, the flat Urevo SpaceWalk Lite is 16 kg, while the automatic incline Urevo CyberPad is 28.6 kg. That difference matters if you slide the pad out from under a sofa every day.

Desk height. When the front of the deck rises, your standing height at the front of the belt rises with it. At a standing desk, you may need to raise the desk a little when walking on an incline. Our desk height guide shows how to set it.

Noise. An incline motor adds a short whirr each time it moves. Walking uphill can also change your footfall. If you share floors, read are walking pads loud.

Things to maintain. A powered incline is one more motor and mechanism. If it stops working, our incline troubleshooting article explains the usual checks.

Manual or automatic incline

Manual incline, as on the TREAFLOW pad, is simpler and lighter. You set it before you start and leave it. The TREAFLOW listing also states it arrives fully assembled, has a foldable handlebar and offers walking and running modes. The downside is that changing the angle means stopping.

Automatic incline, as on the Urevo CyberPad, lets you change the angle while walking and can follow programmes in an app. It costs weight and adds a motor. Our article on manual vs auto incline covers this choice in more depth.

Which to choose

Choose a flat pad if your main use is steady walking at a standing desk, you move the pad daily, or you want the lightest and simplest option. Our walking pad guide lists flat models by belt size and folded footprint.

Choose an incline pad if you want the variety of walking uphill at home and accept more weight. Compare manual and automatic options in our walking pads with incline guide.

Whichever type you pick, check the stated maximum user weight, the belt size for your stride and the stored height if the pad has to slide under a particular sofa or bed. Incline pads are often a few centimetres taller than flat ones, even when lowered.

Compare walking pads with incline →

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a walking pad with incline? Not for steady desk walking. Incline adds variety but also weight, height and an extra motor on automatic models.

Can you add incline to a flat walking pad? Do not prop a pad on blocks or books. It can make the pad unstable and may void the warranty. See do all treadmills have an incline.

Is manual incline worth having? It suits people who like one fixed angle and want a lighter, simpler pad. You need to stop the belt to change it.

Does incline make a walking pad louder? Automatic incline adds motor noise while it adjusts. Footfall may change too, so a dense mat is still useful.

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