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Buy the ARX Alpha at $43,000 (verified 2026-09-17) if 6 guided movements cover the training you'll actually do and the room is tight. It saves $3,000 and 16 square feet, and ARX calls it the easiest of its machines to learn. Buy the ARX Omni at $46,000 (verified 2026-09-17) if you want the deadlift, the Romanian deadlift, the belt squat or any other movement only the Omni lists, or grips and attachments to vary; it's the only ARX that has them.
ARX builds 2 machines in Austin, Texas, and they share almost everything that makes an ARX an ARX: the computer-controlled motor that pushes back with exactly the force you produce at every point in the rep, the software subscription that records force on every rep, the dedicated circuit, the 1-year warranty and the ARX Certified Course. So the choice comes down to the exercise list and the footprint. The Alpha runs 6 exercises on a guided sled in 21 square feet at about 700 pounds. The Omni runs 17 exercises through a cable system with clip-on handles and attachments in 37 square feet at about 700 pounds.
We have 2 disclosures. ARX pays us a referral fee if you buy after mentioning the code LIFESPANVAULT, at no cost to you, and it doesn't change which machine we point you to; the ARX links on this page go to our own catalog entries. And we haven't tested either machine, so every figure below is ARX's published number, verified 2026-09-17 (footprint and weight on 2026-09-30), or ARX's own statement.
Quick answer
- Home buyer short on floor space: the ARX Alpha at $43,000 (verified 2026-09-17), 6 guided-sled movements in 21 square feet, the smallest footprint ARX makes.
- Buyer who wants the full ARX library: the ARX Omni at $46,000 (verified 2026-09-17), 17 cable exercises including belt squat, deadlift and Romanian deadlift, none of which the Alpha lists.
- Studio running clients back to back: the ARX Alpha at $43,000. Set against the Omni, ARX says it's faster through all of its exercises, and the sled keeps every rep on one path.
- Buyer without a dedicated non-GFCI circuit yet: neither, until the electrician has been. Both machines need the same circuit.
ARX Alpha vs Omni at a glance
| Machine | Verified price | Exercises | How resistance is delivered | Footprint | Weight | Software |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARX Alpha | $43,000, verified 2026-09-17 | 6 | Guided sled | 21 sq ft per ARX's Alpha heading; 24 sq ft, 34 x 103 x 59 in per its comparison table | About 700 lb | $200/mo home, $400/mo commercial |
| ARX Omni | $46,000, verified 2026-09-17 | 17 | Cable system, clip-on handles and attachments | 37 sq ft per ARX's Omni heading; 38 sq ft, 42 x 129 x 90 in per its comparison table | About 700 lb | $200/mo home, $400/mo commercial |
Both prices are the hardware figures ARX publishes on its machines page. There's no checkout; you buy through a Talk to ARX call. Neither figure includes the software, the electrician or the financing ARX quotes at about $1,200 a month through third-party lenders, and that lender payment is never the price.
What both machines share
Most of the machine doesn't change. In place of a weight stack, a computer-controlled motor matches the force you produce at every point in the rep, including the lowering, or eccentric, phase that ARX says weights cannot load. ARX describes the workout on both as about 15 minutes, full body, twice a week. ARX publishes its rep-scheme list (standard, negative-only, positive-only, static, time-under-tension and partial-range) in its home FAQ without naming a machine. It also says the software is identical on the Alpha and the Omni, so both machines run that list (checked on arxfit.com 2026-10-12).
The software is a separate subscription, identical on both: $200 a month for home use, $400 a month commercial, with lifetime licenses available per the site. It records total force, max force in both directions, rep speed, range of motion, intensity, exercise time and fatigue to an online dashboard, and ARX says you can train alone on either machine.
Power is the same on both: 110V on a dedicated 20A circuit or 220V on a dedicated 15A circuit, and ARX states its machines are not compatible with GFCI outlets. Every new machine comes with a complimentary 1-year warranty, a typical 2-to-4-week lead time, delivery and install arranged with ARX, and the ARX Certified Course. If you're buying an ARX for the motor and the force data, you get the same motor and the same data at either price, so only the exercises and the floor space are left to compare.
The two exercise lists, side by side
ARX publishes 6 exercises for the Alpha: leg press, chest press, row, calf raise, torso flexion and torso extension. It publishes 17 for the Omni: belt squat, deadlift, Romanian deadlift, hamstring curl, calf raise, horizontal press, incline press, decline press, overhead press, pec fly, pulldown, pullover, row, high pull, shrug, biceps curl and triceps pressdown. ARX says the Omni does the work of 10+ machines, and that its cable system allows more exercises and more types of grips than the sled.
The Alpha has 11 fewer, 17 against 6, and by name the gap is wider. Only 2 names appear on both lists, row and calf raise, so 15 of the Omni's 17 exercises have no match on the Alpha by name: the lower-body work (belt squat, deadlift, Romanian deadlift and hamstring curl), the pulls (pulldown, pullover, high pull and shrug), the pressing work (horizontal press, incline press, decline press, overhead press and pec fly) and the arm isolation work (biceps curl and triceps pressdown). ARX lists the Alpha's leg press and chest press under their own names and doesn't present them as sled versions of anything on the Omni. We haven't tested either machine, so we count by name and leave how close those movements are to the call. If your training runs on a hinge and a vertical pull, the Alpha has neither.
Run it the other way and the Alpha lists 2 movements the Omni doesn't: torso flexion and torso extension. Our verified data doesn't say whether the Omni's cable system can be set up to load those patterns, so if trunk flexion and extension under motor-matched load is why you're looking at ARX, ask on the call before you assume.
Footprint and siting
ARX gives the Alpha's footprint as 21 square feet in its Alpha heading and as 24 square feet, 34 by 103 by 59 inches, in its comparison table. It gives the Omni's as 37 square feet in its Omni heading and as 38 square feet, 42 by 129 by 90 inches, in the same table. ARX doesn't state which dimension is which, so treat the longest figure as the one that has to clear a doorway, a hallway turn and a basement stair on the way in. Weight doesn't separate them: the comparison table lists about 700 pounds for each. Either one is too heavy for a 2-person carry, so it's a rigging job, and ARX arranges delivery and install with every new machine.
The 16-square-foot difference is a 4-by-4-foot patch of floor, and in a spare bedroom it decides whether you walk around the machine or edge past it. The Omni's 129-inch figure, if that's its length, is just under 11 feet, so measure the wall before the call. ARX describes the Alpha as the most space-efficient of its machines and the easiest to learn at any skill level. The guided sled is the reason for both: every rep runs on one path, so there's nothing to stabilize.
Both need their own non-GFCI circuit, so budget the electrician before delivery; that work is the same whichever machine you choose.
Cost of ownership past the sticker
The $3,000 gap between $43,000 and $46,000 is the only place the 2 machines differ in cost. The software is $200 a month for home use or $400 a month commercial on both, with lifetime licenses available; over 5 years at the home rate that's $12,000 on top of either machine. ARX doesn't finance in-house. The roughly $1,200 a month it quotes runs through third-party lenders, so compare the hardware figures.
The $3,000 gap is what tempts people toward the used market, and ARX strongly discourages third-party used purchases for structural reasons: the software license is non-transferable, and without an active license the machine won't run at all. ARX reviews every serial number individually before it'll sell a new license, not every machine qualifies, the warranty ends when the machine changes hands, and resale buyers must complete ARX Certified Training before use. Submit the serial number to ARX for verification before money moves. A used Omni that can't be relicensed is a roughly 700-pound sculpture.
Where the Alpha gives ground
The Alpha's whole case is that 6 guided movements are enough, and for a large share of buyers they aren't. It has no hinge (no deadlift, Romanian deadlift or hamstring curl) and no vertical pull (no pulldown, pullover or high pull). Pressing means the chest press alone, where the Omni lists 4 pressing angles plus a fly, and there's no arm isolation work. If your program uses any of those, either the ARX covers part of it and free weights cover the rest, or you buy the Omni.
The sled cuts both ways. It's why ARX calls the Alpha its easiest machine to learn and, set against the Omni, faster through all of its exercises. It also means the machine does the balancing and stabilizing for you. ARX itself concedes that barbells win on cost and track record and teach you to balance and stabilize real loads. The Omni's cable system gives some of that back through grips and attachments you have to control; the Alpha gives none of it back. And the Alpha is still a $43,000 single-purpose machine with a $200-a-month software bill, a dedicated circuit and about 700 pounds to site, so the saving over the Omni is real but small against the total.
Where the Omni gives ground
The Omni's case is the library, and the library costs $3,000, more floor and more learning time. At 37 square feet in ARX's Omni heading, or 38 square feet and 42 by 129 by 90 inches in its comparison table, it takes more than one and a half times the Alpha's floor on either set of figures, and the longest dimension decides whether it fits your room. By ARX's description, clip-on handles and attachments are how the cable system reaches 17 exercises and more types of grips, and ARX says the Alpha is faster through all of its exercises than the Omni. Taken together, those 2 statements mean range on the Omni comes with more to set up than a sled running 6 movements on one path.
A list of 17 exercises doesn't mean you'll use 17. ARX says the workout is about 15 minutes twice a week on either machine, so the extra movements rotate in across sessions instead of adding to each one, and a buyer who runs the same 6-movement circuit every time is paying $3,000 and 16 square feet for options that stay on the menu. And the Omni is a $46,000 single-purpose machine with the same monthly software bill, the same non-GFCI circuit and about 700 pounds to move in, so ARX's concession about barbells applies here too.
Whose numbers these are
ARX leads with the same figures for both machines: twice the muscle gain, 90 percent greater strength gain, 2.5 times the fat loss and 3.5 times the cardiovascular improvement in 72 percent less training time. They come from one 12-week study at Western Colorado University, commissioned by the American Council on Exercise in 2021, comparing ARX at 15 minutes twice a week with moderate-intensity weight training at 45 minutes 3 times a week. Those are the brand's figures from the brand's cited study. ARX also cites a 2023 Sports Medicine review and its XPRIZE Healthspan involvement, which has not reported results. We haven't tested either machine, and nothing in that study separates one model from the other, so it can't help you choose between them. The line about Tony Robbins, Dave Asprey and Ben Greenfield is ARX's, not ours.
Verdicts by buyer type
- Home gym with a tight room: the ARX Alpha at $43,000. Twenty-one square feet fits where 37 doesn't, the 6 movements cover a press, a row, a leg drive, calves and trunk work, and you keep the identical motor, software and force data.
- Home gym replacing a room of equipment: the ARX Omni at $46,000. ARX names home-gym owners replacing a room of equipment for this machine, and its 17-exercise list with grips and attachments makes it the only ARX that can stand in for a hinge, a vertical pull and 4 pressing angles.
- Studio running clients back to back: the Alpha. ARX names studios running clients back-to-back, athletes in season and busy professionals for it, and its claim that the Alpha is faster through all of its exercises than the Omni is the throughput case.
- Founder building a studio around one machine, or a clinic that needs movement-specific loading: the Omni. Those are the buyers ARX names for it, and the cable system is the reason: 17 movements and grip variety on one footprint.
- Buyer who can't yet give either machine a dedicated non-GFCI circuit and a rigging path for about 700 pounds: neither, until the room is ready. The circuit, the delivery and the install are the same job on both.
What an ARX is not
An ARX is a strength machine. It doesn't double as a cardio or recovery station, and at this price that makes it a single-purpose purchase. Our Best Home Gym Equipment 2026 guide sorts home gym machines by the job each one does at prices far below this tier, and our all-in-one home gym comparison runs loaded-cost math on digital cable trainers and Smith machines, the same math worth running on an ARX's software bill. If the subscription is the sticking point, our smart home gym with no subscription piece covers machines that charge zero. In the ultra-premium tier, our catalog pairs ARX with the Vasper Pro, a 21-minute seated conditioning and recovery system. It sits in a different category, so installs that want both usually run both, and Vasper isn't an affiliate partner. Every ARX product we track is on the ARX brand hub.
If digital cable resistance appeals and $43,000 doesn't, the Speediance Gym Monster 2 at $3,387 to $3,999 across its in-stock bundles (sale prices, checked 2026-10-12) is where our all-in-one comparison starts: up to 220 pounds of cable load, with core training that needs no subscription. It's a different tier, and unlike the ARX links above, it's an affiliate link.
Bottom line
Buy the Alpha at $43,000 if 6 guided movements are the training you'll do and the room is measured in inches on its short side. Buy the Omni at $46,000 (both verified 2026-09-17) if the deadlift, the vertical pull, the pressing angles or the grips are the point, and you have 37 square feet (38 in ARX's comparison table) and a clear path for 129 inches of machine. Both run the same motor, software and force data, so you're choosing between 2 exercise lists and 2 footprints, $3,000 and 16 square feet apart. Whichever you pick, budget the dedicated circuit, the $200 or $400 monthly software and the Talk to ARX call before the hardware, and if the circuit can't happen yet, skip both for now. The Alpha and Omni side by side puts the same decision next to both spec columns, with a way to reach ARX from either one.
Is the ARX Omni worth $3,000 more than the Alpha?
Only if you'll use what the extra $3,000 buys: 11 more exercises on ARX's count, including the deadlift, Romanian deadlift, hamstring curl, pulldown and 4 pressing angles, plus clip-on handles and attachments. The motor, the $200 or $400 monthly software and the force data are identical, so a buyer running 6 guided movements gets nothing extra from the $46,000 Omni over the $43,000 Alpha.
How much space do the ARX Alpha and Omni need?
The Alpha needs 21 square feet per ARX's heading, or 24 at 34 by 103 by 59 inches per its comparison table; the Omni 37, or 38 at 42 by 129 by 90 inches. Both weigh about 700 pounds. ARX doesn't state which dimension is which, so measure the doorway and the route in against the longest figure, and plan a rigged delivery, which ARX arranges with every new machine.
Do the ARX Alpha and Omni run the same software?
Yes. The subscription is identical on both machines: $200 a month for home use, $400 a month for commercial use, with lifetime licenses available per ARX. It records total force, max force in the concentric and eccentric directions, rep speed, range of motion, intensity, exercise time and fatigue to an online dashboard, and ARX says a session can run without a trainer on either machine.
What electrical work does an ARX machine need at home?
Both machines need their own circuit: 110V on a dedicated 20A circuit or 220V on a dedicated 15A circuit, and each ships with a power supply set to your outlet voltage at install. ARX states its machines are not compatible with GFCI outlets, so budget an electrician before delivery. The requirement is the same for the $43,000 Alpha and the $46,000 Omni.
Can I save money buying a used ARX Alpha or Omni?
ARX strongly discourages it. The software license is non-transferable, and without an active license the roughly 700-pound machine won't run at all. ARX reviews every serial number before selling a new license, not every machine qualifies, the warranty ends on resale, and buyers must complete ARX Certified Training before use. Submit the serial number to ARX for verification before any money moves.
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