Reformer vs Mat Pilates: Differences, Cost, and Where to Start
Mat pilates uses your body weight; reformer pilates adds a spring-loaded machine. Here is how they compare on difficulty, results, cost, and where to start.
Mat pilates uses your own body weight on a mat, while reformer pilates uses a machine with a sliding carriage and springs that add resistance or assistance. Mat classes are cheaper, bigger, and easy to start; reformer classes are smaller, cost more, and let you adjust the load, which helps with both strength and form.
Both teach the same method and train the same muscles. Which one to start with depends on your budget, your goals, and how much hands-on coaching you want. Here is the full comparison.
Reformer vs mat pilates at a glance
| Mat pilates | Reformer pilates | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Mat, sometimes a magic circle, small ball, or band | Reformer machine: carriage, springs, footbar, straps |
| Resistance | Body weight and gravity | Springs, adjustable for each exercise |
| Difficulty for beginners | Can feel harder, since nothing assists you | Springs can support you, but the machine takes learning |
| Class size | Often 10 to 30 | Often 6 to 12, one machine each |
| Instructor attention | Less per person in big classes | More, because classes are smaller |
| Price per class | Lower, close to a yoga drop-in | Higher than mat at most studios |
| Intro required | Rarely | Usually an intro class or private first |
| Practice at home | Easy, any floor | Only with a home reformer |
| Variety of exercises | Classical mat series plus props | Hundreds of exercises lying, kneeling, sitting, and standing |
How mat pilates works
Joseph Pilates designed the mat work as the foundation of his method. The classical mat sequence includes the hundred, roll-up, single-leg circles, rolling like a ball, the series of five (stretches for your abs), spine stretch, saw, swan, side kicks, teaser, and more. Contemporary classes rearrange these and add props like a small ball, a ring, light weights, or a band.
The challenge is that you have to hold everything up yourself. A roll-up with no assistance is hard for most new people, and there is no spring to help you through the sticky part. That makes mat pilates a very honest test of core strength, and it is why many instructors call it harder than the reformer.
How reformer pilates works
On a reformer, you lie, kneel, sit, or stand on a padded carriage that slides along a frame. Springs connect the carriage to the frame and set the load, from very light to quite heavy. You push against a footbar or pull on straps to move the carriage. The springs can make an exercise harder (more resistance to push) or easier (support through a movement you could not do alone), and a light spring can make an exercise harder because you have to control the carriage. Our full guide to what is reformer pilates walks through the machine and a first class.
Which is better for what
Strength
Reformer has the edge because you can add load over time. For legs and glutes in particular, footwork and lunges against heavy springs build more strength than body-weight mat work. Mat pilates builds strong core endurance and control, especially in the abdominals.
Core
Both train the core heavily. Mat work arguably challenges it more because there is no assistance, while the reformer adds variety and instability from the moving carriage.
Form and alignment
Reformer classes are smaller and the springs give you feedback, so many people find they learn alignment faster. In a big mat class, the instructor cannot correct everyone, so pick a smaller or beginner-labeled class when you start.
Rehab and back care
Physical therapists use both. The reformer is often preferred in rehab settings because the springs can support a limb or offload body weight. A Cochrane review of pilates for low back pain found short- and medium-term benefits compared with minimal exercise. Check with your doctor or physical therapist first if you are managing an injury.
Cardio
Neither is a big cardio workout. An ACE study of mat pilates measured about 175 calories for a 50-minute beginner session and 254 for an advanced one. Faster reformer formats and jump-board classes push the heart rate higher, but you will still want walking, cycling, or other cardio during the week.
Cost
Mat wins. Reformer studios need a machine per person, more floor space, and smaller classes, and that shows up in the price. At Portland's Springboard Pilates, for example, a single mat class is $35 and a single equipment class is $45, dropping to $25 and $35 with a 10-pack, according to its 2026 rate sheet as of October 2026. Our pilates cost guide has a full Portland price table and national ranges.
Which should you start with?
- Start with mat if you are on a budget, want to test whether you like pilates, want to practice at home, or prefer to walk into a class without an intro session.
- Start with reformer if you want more coaching, find body-weight core work too hard right now, are rehabbing with a PT's approval, or want resistance you can increase.
- Do both if you can. Mat work makes you better on the reformer, and the reformer teaches you what the mat exercises are supposed to feel like. A common mix is one mat and one or two reformer classes a week. See how often to do pilates for sample weeks.
Whichever you pick, wear fitted clothes and grip socks. Our guide to what to wear to pilates covers the details.
Mat and reformer pilates in Portland, Maine
Portland has both. Springboard Pilates in the West End runs reformer, tower, and mat sessions. Cait Bower Pilates on Free Street and The Pilates Center of Maine on India Street are equipment studios. For mat pilates on a yoga schedule, Portland Yoga Collective and Creating Space Yoga both include it, which is an inexpensive way to start. Our Portland pilates directory lists all twelve area studios with addresses.
When you settle into a rhythm, Corvi can help you keep it. Full disclosure: it is our app. It is free, it does not book classes, and it lets you check in after mat or reformer classes, keep a streak, and see where your friends practice.
Common questions
Is mat pilates harder than reformer?
For many people, yes. On a mat, you lift and control your own body weight with nothing to assist you, so exercises like the roll-up and teaser are tough. On a reformer, springs can support you through hard parts, though they can also add heavy resistance. Each can be made easier or harder by the instructor.
Can you get results from mat pilates alone?
Yes. Mat pilates builds core strength, posture, and control, and Joseph Pilates designed the mat work as the foundation of the whole method. Two or three mat classes a week, plus some cardio, is a solid routine. The reformer adds adjustable resistance and variety, which helps if you want more leg and glute strength.
Why is reformer pilates so expensive?
Each person needs a machine that costs thousands of dollars, the machines take up a lot of floor space, and classes are kept small so the instructor can watch everyone. Those costs push the price above mat and yoga classes. Intro offers, class packs, and memberships bring the per-class price down if you go regularly.
Should a beginner start with mat or reformer pilates?
Either works. Mat is cheaper and easy to try without an intro session, so it is a good test of whether you like pilates. Reformer gives more support and coaching, which helps some beginners learn form faster. If you choose reformer, take the studio's intro or foundations class first.
Find your next class: compare every studio on our Portland pilates page.