Speediance vs Tonal: tower, wall… and a third option
Published on 15 de julio de 2026 · 6 min read
Speediance and Tonal are the two names that come up most when someone discovers smart gyms. Both use motor-driven digital resistance instead of plates, but they solve the same problem in very different ways: one is a cable tower that stands on the floor, the other a smart wall that bolts to the wall. This comparison puts them head to head — and, transparency first, adds a third option, because we're the Spanish distributor of the Prodigy IMBODY.
The quick summary
| Speediance Gym Monster 2 | Tonal 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Cable tower with base | Wall-mounted panel |
| Resistance | 100 kg (50 per arm) | Digital cable resistance |
| Subscription | Not mandatory (Wellness+ optional) | Mandatory, ~$60/month, 12-month minimum |
| Installation | Self-install, takes floor space | Needs building work: drill and anchor to a load-bearing wall |
| Available in Spain | Yes, via European website | Not officially |
Format: tower vs wall
The Speediance is a standalone tower: it arrives, you assemble it, you use it and, if you need to, you move it. It doesn't touch the walls. In exchange, it takes up a notable floor area and has the presence of a gym machine.
The Tonal is a flat panel fixed to the wall, with two cable arms coming out of it. It's very integrated and frees up the floor entirely, but that elegance has fine print: it requires bolting to a load-bearing wall with the right reinforcements. It's an installation with building work, hardly compatible with a rental or a plasterboard partition.
Subscription: the difference that costs the most long term
Here the two brands are at opposite poles, and it's probably the most important factor in the whole comparison.
- Speediance doesn't force a fee: the machine works with what it ships with, and the Wellness+ subscription (~€24.90/month) is optional.
- Tonal works the other way around: its membership is mandatory, sits around $60/month and requires a 12-month minimum commitment. Without it, the machine loses much of its usefulness.
Over the life of a machine that lasts years, that mandatory fee is several thousand euros on top of the hardware price. It's real money worth putting in the sum before deciding — do the full cost calculation before you compare on sticker price alone.
The problem for anyone living in Spain
However well Tonal scores in American reviews, there's one fact that changes everything: Tonal isn't officially sold in Spain and doesn't ship to Europe. The import routes are expensive, without local warranty, and with unworkable after-sales for a machine this heavy.
Speediance does have a European website, so for a buyer in Spain the realistic comparison isn't so much "Speediance or Tonal" as "Speediance or an alternative that's also sold and supported here".
The third option: the mirror
The fact that the two most famous brands are a tower and a wall doesn't mean those are the only two formats. The Power S Pro we distribute is a training mirror: the machine disappears behind a full-length mirror that takes up 0.1 m², with no tower in the middle of the room and no building work on the wall.
Against the other two:
- More load than the Speediance: 120 kg total (60 per arm) versus 100.
- Without Tonal's mandatory fee: nearly 1,000 exercises and 350+ classes included, with no forced membership.
- Sold and supported in Spain: an in-person demo, installation and warranty handled here, not thousands of kilometres away.
We're not saying it's the choice for everyone — we're saying that if you're comparing Speediance and Tonal from Spain, it makes sense to put a third name on the list before deciding.
So, which to choose?
- Tonal is an excellent product… if you live in the United States, don't mind the building work on the wall and accept the mandatory fee. In Spain, today, it isn't a practical option.
- Speediance is the proven alternative available in Europe, with no forced fee, if the tower format and remote purchase work for you.
- An IMBODY mirror enters the conversation if you want more load, zero building work, no mandatory subscription and — what neither of the other two offers — being able to try it first and having someone in Spain who answers.
Compare at your own pace: you can see the product, read the Speediance review, and decide with the numbers in front of you.