Smart fitness tech bridges the gap between a personal trainer or instructor-led studio exercise classes and winging it on your own with a workout of dumbbells or cardio. Through apps, built-in touchscreen displays, remote classes, free weights and more, you can stay motivated even when you're working out at home.

In my search for the best smart home gym, I specifically tried out ClassPass Live, theMirror, the Peloton Bike and the Peloton Tread, but you can find others with a variety of workout and fitness levels out there now, and plenty more health and fitness products on the way.

All four of the fitness kits I reviewed offer something a bit different, so I've put together descriptions of each one below, including where they excel and where they need some work. Let's get started.

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Editor's note, May 22, 2019: ClassPass Live is now only available to ClassPass subscribers and is included with the monthly membership fee.

ClassPass Live costs $79 up front and has a $19 monthly subscription service. For your initial $79, you get aGoogle Chromecastand a WahooTickrheart-rate monitor. ClassPass says you need that specific heart-rate monitor to see your stats on the screen.

Connect the Chromecast to your TV and stream exercise classes from the ClassPass mobile app.

Read my full review of ClassPass Live.

Mirror is, well, a mirror, that doubles as a screen and walks you through workout classes.

The Mirror is a $1,495 full-length mirror. It's also partLCD screen. Pay $39 per month to access live and on-demand fitness classes that play on the mirror while you also watch yourself. Mirror offers classes in different disciplines, and with different workout lengths and fitness levels. It comes with the mirror, a Bluetooth heart-rate monitor and six fitness bands. Each workout is a "body weight" exercise so you don't need additional equipment like dumbbells. It's only available in the continental US.

Read my full review of Mirror.

Channel your inner cyclist with Peloton's spin bike.

Peloton's $2,245 Bike is a spin bike designed to mimic what it's like to ride on the road. It has an adjustable seat and handle bars and features a 21.5-inch touchscreen display. Use the display to participate in live and on-demand classes from home -- this feature costs an additional $39 per month. (It's 1,895, plus 39 per month, in the UK. It's not yet available in Australia.)

Read my full review of the Peloton Bike.

Running is hard, but Peloton's Tread makes it a lot more fun.

The $3,995 Peloton Tread is a smart treadmill. Pay $39 per month to access Peloton's live and on-demand Tread classes. Train for a beginner 5K on the track or participate in an advanced high intensity class alongside other seasoned runners. The Tread features a 32-inch touchscreen display, too, so you can easily follow along with whatever guided classes you select, access your profile settings and view your stats, including calories burned, from each workout. (It's not yet available in the UK or Australia.)

Read my full review of the Peloton Tread.

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Mirror, the Peloton Bike and the Peloton Tread were installed for me by professional dealers sourced by Mirror and Peloton. Mirror charges an extra $250 for the delivery and installation; Peloton includes it with your purchase, which is good because the Tread, in particular, weighs over 450 lbs. (over 200 kg).

After each installation, it was my turn to download the Mirror app or access the Peloton touchscreen display to create my account, sign up for classes and start exercising.

ClassPass Live was the only service out of the four that had a simple do-it-yourself installation process. It involved connecting the Google Chromecast to my TV and making sure the ClassPass app was functioning properly.

From there, testing was all about trying out a bunch of different classes and seeing how well the app, TV screen or display made it for me to follow along, improve my technique and stay motivated. Value also plays a large part here, since the products I tested ranged from the $79 ClassPass Live service with a $19 monthly fee to the $3,995 Peloton Tread with a $39 monthly fee.

Here are some questions I routinely asked myself:

ClassPass Live offers the best overall value and has my favorite classes (both in terms of variety and how they're filmed). Mirror has the best heart-rate monitor integration via its easy-to-read screen. Both Peloton products are well-designed and keep you motivated by displaying real-time competitive rankings every time you take a class.

There's no overall winner here because each product or service offers something different. There are a lot more smart fitness gadgets out there, too -- from electricity-generating treadmills to home boxing systems -- we've just barely scratched the surface.

Originally posted January 19.

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3 smart gyms tested and rated: Peloton, ClassPass and Mirror - CNET