A quiet treadmill for a flat or apartment
Written by Jamie Miller, Founder & EditorLast checked
We cannot honestly rank treadmills by noise, and you should be suspicious of any site that does. Of 17 products we have sourced with checkable specifications — including brands that publish 25 or more fields per machine — 0 publish a decibel figure measured to a standard we can verify. "Quiet" on a spec sheet is marketing language, not a measurement. Not established, checked 18 Sept 2026
Why noise is the gap nobody fills
Decibel measurement depends heavily on distance, surface, and whether the figure is motor noise alone or the whole machine under load — none of which manufacturers state when they use the word "quiet". A number without that context is not comparable between brands, and a bare marketing adjective is not a number at all. This is a genuine, checkable gap across this entire market, not a gap in our own research.
What actually affects noise in practice
- Belt and motor construction — brushless motors are generally quieter than brushed ones, but "brushless" describes construction, not a decibel figure.
- Impact noise through the floor, which has nothing to do with the motor at all and everything to do with the floor itself. A mat genuinely helps here.
- Where and how it's placed. A machine on a solid floor against an internal wall transmits far less noise downstairs than one on a suspended floor against an external wall.
- Age and maintenance. A worn belt or under-lubricated deck gets noisier over time regardless of how quiet it was new — see belt lubrication.
What we would actually do, in your position
Search owner reviews for the specific model you are considering and look for mentions of noise on calls or noise complaints from people below — that is genuine evidence, even without a number attached, and we grade it as owner feedback rather than pretending it is a measurement. Where we hold enough owner reports on a specific product, that will show in its own review page rather than here.
If you own one and have measured it
A genuine decibel reading, taken with a phone app or meter at a stated distance, is exactly the kind of evidence this page is missing. Send it over with the model, the meter or app used, and the distance, and it will change a product's grade rather than sit unused. How we review.