Best Workout Apps 2026: Fitness Expert Approved

WH editors and SID trainers alike are obsessed with Ladder, which was co-founded by a WH advisory board member, Lauren Kanski, CPT. It gives you the best of both worlds with intense and effective guided workouts and personal training from actual coaches. Hevy combines workout tracking with social features, creating a community-driven fitness experience that’s completely free for basic use. We also appreciate apps that combine live and on-demand classes, with fresh content added regularly to keep your routine interesting. In the end, the “best” app comes down to what excites you, whether it’s a favorite instructor, a style of class you can’t get enough of, or a program that fits seamlessly into your schedule. That means intuitive navigation and filters that let you quickly find the perfect class based on workout type, duration, or even music.

• Nike Training Club offers a variety of classes, whereas an app like Strava is ideal if you’d like to keep metrics on your outdoor adventures.
• Lastly, the Audio screen offers guided narration for both treadmill and outdoor runs, as well as strength routines, yoga, Pilates, and meditation.
• Ladder costs a little bit less than the average workout app, while providing a fantastic workout experience.
• Aaptiv’s membership costs $14.99 per month and offers a free seven day trial.
• Use calendar integration to schedule distinct workout types across different platforms — strength training on one app, cardio on another, and flexibility sessions elsewhere.
• Real-time feedback during workouts helps users maintain proper form and appropriate intensity regardless of experience level.

Best prenatal and postpartum fitness app

If you’re not into weights or the fast tempo of BodyPump and Body Attack, there’s plenty of other classes to choose from. The Functional Strength classes are a great way of working on your movement patterns if you’re a complete beginner, and the Pilates, core, and tone classes were all engaging. There are also handy features like Strava Beacon, which are designed to keep you safe, by allowing your friends or family members to track your live location on a run. However, if you use a non-Apple fitness tracker, you may be a bit limited for now.

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Looking for the best workout apps can be tough, especially if you’re looking for a free app. One of the most frustrating things about browsing an app store on your Android device or iPhone is that almost every workout app says they’re free, but with in-app purchases. Once you install the app, however, you realize that the in-app purchase is to unlock full use of the workout app. Yes, strategic app combination maximizes training variety while preventing redundancy. Use calendar integration to schedule distinct workout types across different platforms — strength training on one app, cardio on another, and flexibility sessions elsewhere.

Best fitness tracker app for getting started

People may also benefit from working out with a personal trainer or joining an in-person class led by a qualified instructor. The app helps users by offering training for birth and advice on postpartum healing and strengthening. A person can choose one of four different coaches and listen to their favorite music while using the app, which can also calculate distance and pace using a GPS tracker. Strava allows users to track their cycling and running journeys using GPS.

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However, Nike Training Club requires a connection for is nike training club worth it video streaming but can cache some workouts for offline use. Jefit is the strongest option — built-in programs for every experience level, 1,400+ exercises with HD demos and form cues, and AI that tells you exactly when to add weight. Alternatively, Nike Training Club is a good choice for beginners who prefer video-led instruction over self-directed logging.

Best workout app for weightlifting

If you like to decide whether it’s leg day based on how you felt when you rolled out of bed, you probably won’t like this fitness tracker. In testing, I also found the wearable connectivity unimpressive; while accurate, it showed only basic metrics (pace and heart rate) during my run. It didn’t note any laps or splits, and there wasn’t an option to mark those manually. If you pay for the premium subscription, you can see those metrics in the mobile app afterwards—but they weren’t visible on my Apple Watch during the activity. Unfortunately, if you primarily work out indoors, you won’t get much out of the app. And if you’re privacy-conscious or just not all that competitive, a lot of the strongest features are kind of useless.

Every week you also get a message from your coach, where they give you tips on factors such as technique and mobility. Workout tracking is all done through its sleek interface with built-in rest timers, and a daily readout will show you which of your muscles are growing, and which might be falling behind. Use our quick round-up below to immediately find an app that fits your needs – and you can read more about it by jumping to our full write-ups and explanations using the links. In addition to mapping your routes, the app tracks your progress, offers challenges, and even shares your location with friends for safety. Designed by prenatal and postnatal exercise specialist Brooke Cates and taught by other experts, Studio Bloom classes help expecting and new parents perform workouts safely during and after pregnancy. The classes are designed to be 30 minutes or shorter, but if you have extra time, we recommend taking advantage of the stretching and foam rolling videos as well.

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She’s written extensively on automation, but her real jam is creative, catchy taglines. When she’s not writing, she’s probably walking around the city and trying to look at her phone less. If you’re an avid Apple customer, Apple Fitness might be the first fitness tracker you try.

How do I choose between Apple Fitness+, Peloton, and Nike Training Club?

These factors help ensure that apps remain flexible, up to date, and convenient for users with busy schedules. By combining expert analysis with real-world feedback, we identified platforms that are both enjoyable and effective for achieving fitness goals. We all start from different points and if the beginner sessions in other workout apps feel out of reach, EXi will be able to suggest an appropriate level of exercise. Competition between the best workout apps became particularly fierce when the pandemic caused an explosion of interest. This rapidly cooled, but it does mean there are a lot of effective and polished services to choose from, and they all offer free trials so you can try before you commit.

Do you want an app that’s specific to your training interests, or one that caters to a variety of disciplines? Can you structure your fitness program on your own, or need a helping hand to keep you moving forward? To help you navigate through the app store, we’ve tested 19 digital platforms, conducted plenty of research, and read through countless customer reviews to land on our favorite fitness apps available today.

Programming

It’ll prompt you to adjust this set daily goal once per week, but it’s ultimately a fitness app—not a recovery app. There are plenty of high quality fitness apps with free versions or low cost memberships. This app has more than 45 different exercises and 5 workout programs to get your kettlebell on.

The 10 Best Fitness and Exercise Apps

The Programs section, meanwhile, helps you select a series of on-demand videos based on your interests. Peloton is best known for its range of connected cardio machines, like the Peloton Bike and Peloton Tread. However, the app also works as a standalone product and it offers good value for money, unlike the cardio machines since the recent price hike. Many of the apps on this list play nicely together, too, with the likes of Fitbod and Fitbit Premium able to pull data from Google and Apple. Recommended additions to your workout include stretching periods, and Pace Prompter records your speed and tells you to slow down or speed up depending on your pace.

Alternately, scroll through the list of over 3,000 home workouts under the Library screen to find a routine that suits your style. Abdominal routines, Pilates, yoga, and kettlebell exercises are all included. Finally, the Nutrition section offers meal plans and a great selection of recipes, including air fryer meals and hearty salads.