Best workout apps quick menu
The best workout apps are a great way to train at home or the gym, with access to motivational, qualified personal trainers in just a few taps. There are free options and paid apps, but it’s hard to know which will suit your training needs.
That’s why we put these fitness apps to the test, joining strength training sessions, yoga classes, and high-intensity routines over several weeks. If you’re looking for a top all-rounder, we recommend downloading Centr, the app developed by actor Chris Hemsworth.
Or, if you’re looking to keep costs down, Nike Training Club is completely free, while Fiit offers access to all group classes without charge. But if these aren’t quite right for you, we’ve rounded up the best workout apps for a range of training styles and budgets to get you started.
Quick list
Centr, the workout app designed by actor Chris Hemsworth, combines accessible beginner-friendly strength workouts, advanced training, yoga classes, and meditations for a comprehensive companion for training your body and mind.
The Nike Training Club app is completely free, but still packed with instructor-led classes and whiteboard workouts to help you boost your metabolism, and build muscle and develop mental strength without breaking the bank.
Fiit’s group classes are completely free to join, and you only need a membership to tackle standalone sessions. There are plenty of training styles, from yoga and treadmill workouts, to spin classes and strength training routines.
The best workout apps available right now
Best workout app overall
When looking for a fitness regimen, you could do a lot worse than opt for the own favored by Thor. Actor Chris Hemsworth has thrown his weight behind Centr, an app that looks to combine exercise with meal planning and mindfulness to help both your physical and mental shape.
Centr offers daily workout videos that you can practice either in the gym or at home, covering a variety of disciplines (HIIT, strength training, boxing and even yoga and pilates). Meal plans let you find healthy, tasty recipes, while guided meditations and sleep tips work on putting you in the right mental space.
During testing, we loved the variety of classes available on the app, but wished there was the option to play our own music during classes. We also wished there was the option to download workouts for when the WiFi in the gym wasn’t working.
Centr features a 7-day free trial, with monthly subscriptions costing $29.99. However, you might want to consider an annual subscription, which offers a very generous discount on the monthly rate, cutting it down to $10 a month.
Best free workout app
In March 2020, Nike made its Nike Training Club app content completely free for 90 days to help people keep fit while they stayed at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the app has been completely free for users, and unlike others on this list, there’s no paid version anymore.
However, with the update, Nike removed some of their training programs, which used to be a popular feature of the app. Instead, you now have the option to filter workouts by muscle group — abs and core, arms and shoulders, or glutes and legs, workout focus — endurance, mobility, strength, and yoga, and by equipment. There is also the option to filter by duration, level, and intensity.
During testing, we found the instructor-led workouts to be engaging and motivating, and also enjoyed the whiteboard workouts, which show you the entire workout so you can follow at your own pace. There’s also the option to connect the workout to your Apple Music. It’s not perfect, but for a free app, there’s plenty to keep you moving here.
Best workout app for beginners
Whether you enjoy weightlifting, yoga or cardio, the Fiit app has you covered. We’ve tested Fiit with and without equipment or chest strap monitors, and every class we’ve sweated through gets a huge tick from us.
Intuitive in-app features, clear metric monitoring and world class instructors are just some of the perks of being a Fiit member. From strength training to treadmill-only workouts and spin, you can build strength and improve cardio from the comfort of your own home. Then you get to cool down and go again without swapping apps.
There’s free and paid options, but you get plenty of value if you do decide to pay, and you can access a free trial if you’re unconvinced. Functional fitness, HIIT, yoga or breathwork. It’s all there, and we’re big fans.
Best workout app for iPhone
Apple Fitness Plus is the best workout app if you’re embedded in the company’s ecosystem, especially if you use an Apple Watch. There are HIIT, strength, core, yoga, Pilates, and meditation classes, taught by a range of different trainers.
During testing, we also liked the fact there were two instructors in the background during classes, showing modifications for beginners, or those looking to push themselves harder — this is particularly handy as there’s no option to filter classes by difficulty.
The app can feel a little overwhelming at a first glance, but classes can be filtered by trainer, time, and the music you prefer to work out to. You can also add classes to your library, which lets you select classes you’ve taken before, or plan on taking in the future, at a glance.
During a workout, if you’re wearing one of the best Apple Watches, you’ll be able to see stats from your watch on the screen. When it first launched, you had to have a Watch to use Fitness Plus, but Apple removed the restriction in 2022.
Best workout app for women
The brainchild of Australian personal trainer Kayla Itsines, the Sweat app started as a series of downloadable Bikini Body Guides in 2015 and has now grown into an extensive training app with several different programs and recipes to help you reach your goals.
There’s a structured program for everyone — from the new mom taking her first steps into post-baby fitness, to the girl looking to gain more confidence in the weights room at the gym.
Trainers include Kayla herself, as well as the likes of Kelsey Wells, Chontel Duncan, Britany Williams, and Stephanie Sanzo. You can switch your program easily and take on-demand classes if you feel like adding the odd barre session to your planner.
During testing, we loved the range of workouts but found it a little irritating having to bend down and manually skip between exercises, although it wasn’t enough to put us off using the app regularly.
We’d also say this app is definitely aimed at women, but there’s no reason why guys couldn’t follow the training plans. We just love the emphasis on female-led programs!
Best workout app for meal plans
If you’re someone who likes to mix up your workouts, alternating between cardio or weights, Pilates or HIIT, the gym, or workouts in your living room, EvolveYou is a workout app worth considering.
Designed for women by personal trainer Krissy Cela, the app has six different trainers on board, all of whom have a number of different workout plans to choose from.
During testing, we found the app was easy to navigate around, although we did find it a little glitchy now and again. The workouts were simple and extremely easy to follow, making the app well suited to complete newbies, and more experienced gym-goers alike.
There’s also the option to play your own music or listen to a podcast while working out, as you don’t have to follow along with a video, which we appreciated. There’s a 14-day free trial if you want to give the app a whirl before signing up for a membership.
Best workout app for runners
Strava is one of the best running apps on the market, with a free and a paid subscription to allow runners, cyclists, and walkers to keep track of their progress. That said, despite its reputation as an app for runners and cyclists, you can track a total of 31 different sports.
The list includes hiking, canoeing, an E-Bike ride, rowing, alpine skiing, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, and yoga. Of course, it’s important to point out that there are no actual workouts on Strava, so unlike other apps on this list, don’t expect to follow a strength training session — this is an app for tracking your progress.
While the free version of the app is brilliant, the paid version gives you the option to use the Routes tool, which gives you suggestions based on where other runners in your area have clocked their miles, as well as segments, advanced performance metrics, and training plans.
Strava supports a variety of running trackers in addition to Wear OS devices and Apple Watch. (Just make sure you opt out of the location tracking features if you happen to be around restricted areas.
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.
Best workout app for the gym
Whether you’re a CrossFit fanatic, or you’re taking your first tentative steps into the world of weight lifting, you’ll find something for you on the HWPO training app.
Designed by Mat Fraser, the only CrossFit Athlete in to win five consecutive CrossFit Games, the workouts are clearly written out and easy to follow, with instructional videos to help you master the perfect form.
We tested the HWPO Sweat program for a month and we were impressed with how quickly we gained strength following the app’s routines. HWPO stands for “Hard Work Pays Off” and it really does — we quickly gained confidence and strength in the gym following the plan.
And although mostly targeted at gym-goers, you can do some low-equipment sessions at home if you have the right weights. The main downside, though, is the high monthly cost. Then again, you do get to follow sessions designed by one of the fittest men on earth. Want a taster? Here’s a workout Fraser wrote for Tom’s Guide.
How to choose the best workout app
The best workout app for you covers the exercises you’re interested in doing at a level that’s accessible to you. Ideally, a good fitness app will support multiple levels of expertise so that as you get fitter and more comfortable, you can push yourself to the next level.
While a handful of apps are free, many of these workout apps require a subscription. Take advantage of any trial period and then try a monthly subscription to see if the app meets your needs. If you like what you see, you can always switch to an annual subscription, which usually lowers your monthly cost.
If you’re someone who likes to mix up your workout routines regularly, it might be a good idea to look for a well-rounded workout app that has a good mix of workouts to suit your mood and prevent you from regretting your monthly subscription.
Several of the options on our best workout apps list will log your exercise data. If you’re an iPhone user, pay special attention to any apps that integrate with the built-in Health app on your phone.
How we test the best workout apps
To help you make the best decision when choosing a workout app, we put them to the sweat test by using them for a number of different workouts. For each of the apps, we tried multiple workouts and looked at how easy the workouts were to follow, the range of workouts on offer, and how often new workouts were added to the app.
We also looked at the little extras that make using the app more enjoyable — for example, the option to sync the app with third-party music platforms to allow you to listen to your own playlists as you work out, or the option to download workouts to do without phone reception or wifi.
Finally, we’ll look at the cost of the workout app to download or subscribe to, and what you get for your money.
FAQs
Do workout apps really work?
Training at home using an app can be a great way to hit your fitness goals, but it’s important to find the best workout app for your specific needs and the way you like to exercise.
If you enjoy the sessions and programs, you’ll find it easier to make them part of your routine and progress towards your targets. For instance, if you like intense, high-energy classes, then the Peloton app might suit you.
However, for strength workouts, Centr is an excellent option, especially as you can filter classes by the equipment you have at hand. It’s also important that the workouts themselves are effective.
That’s why we put each app to the test before including it in our guide. We’ve tried these apps ourselves to see if they’re easy to use, fun, and worth the money you need to pay in subscription fees.
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