If you’re looking for something of a lifestyle overhaul, with meal plans and efficient, effective workouts—and don’t mind paying for it—Centr is a good option. I particularly enjoyed the audio-only outdoor walking and running classes, in which a coach picks a playlist and talks you through a 20- to 45-minute workout, while the app tracks how far you went and your overall pace. If you decide to upgrade, a quiz asks about workout goals, level, and preferences, eating styles, and how much work you want to put into making your meals. Then you have access to a workout plan that might include a mix of tabata, pilates, HIIT, yoga, and more.

Save Time and Stay Organized

There’s a lot to like about Obé, the pastel-hued fitness app that you may have seen on your Instagram feed. Obé offers at least 10 live classes each day and more than 10,000 classes in total—most are 28 minutes long, though there are options from 5 to 60 minutes. The workouts are also equipment-heavy—you can find bodyweight workouts, but the app is best used with a big piece of cardio equipment like a treadmill or elliptical and a set of dumbbells. I thought there was too much emphasis on the fitness rings, which could encourage users to only go for high-intensity classes and skip out on mind-body ones that are important but don’t burn as many calories. Still, Peloton has a lot of workout options, so anyone of any fitness level is likely to get something out of it—particularly if you have a treadmill or stationary bike (the company’s or another brand’s). Either way, the app costs more than some, at $13 a month, but offers a full month trial so you have ample time to decide for yourself if it will be worth it for you.

What’s the best inexpensive smartwatch?

• The base and middle-tier subscriptions provide plenty of specialized activity data, including coaching features that provide tips for exercise and sleep.
• The Apple Watch SE comes with a rubber band that is comfortable, but it still can pose problems for people with weak hands.
• Plus, you’ll also be able to choose from studio-style workouts, instructor-led outdoor workouts, and self-led scenic outdoor workouts.
• Nike Training Club is a free fitness app with a robust workout library that includes one-off workouts as well as periodized programs led by certified instructors.
• Gyms supply members with a wide range of weights, but if you’re working out at home, you might need to continue buying heavier weights over time.
• Your running workout data can also be exported to any additional fitness trackers or health apps you utilize.

Basic statistics are free, but premium subscriptions unlock advanced performance analytics. Users should be cautious about privacy, as detailed location data is being shared. Nike Training Club remains a standout with its entirely free access to on-demand, live, and periodized workouts across strength, HIIT, cardio, yoga, and Pilates. While equipment is often needed, users can filter workouts by available gym gear. Basic accountability is limited to notifications and challenges, but the overall variety and quality are exceptional for a non-subscription app.

How to choose the best workout app

“By default, it’s not really meant for coaching or accountability.” We’ll give it a 2 out of 5 in the accountability category. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your fitness with a plan, here are some great choices for the best workout apps for men. It comes with an impressive feature set of 164 sport modes, AI coaching, and extensive health tracking including daily Readiness Score and all the usual health metrics you’d expect to find in a smartwatch. The App Store also means you can add layers of data from apps like Strava, Runna, or Whoop. The cheaper SE 3 offers 90% of the same fitness tracking experience, just without the advanced health sensors like ECG.

PUSH (iOS, Android)

Survey findings offer both a snapshot of current practices and insight into new priorities and growth areas across the health and fitness industry. To help increase motivation, some fitness apps offer programs that pair you with a virtual accountability buddy either through the app itself or via an exclusive group on social media, says Davis. As accountability buddies, you encourage each other to workout, cheer each other on and have frequent check-ins to ensure you’re both on track. That said, some fitness apps offer tutorials and sample videos that focus on how to use certain pieces of equipment and how to do foundational exercises.

The best fitness apps

While I haven’t turned into an exercise-obsessed robot, getting motivating messages first thing in the morning from my coach mentally prepares me to get my workout done no matter how I feel. I became more confident with exercises I previously hated and saw the benefits. Going on this fitness journey, I decided I’d try whatever was thrown my way. My coach included both weights and lunges in all their magnificent forms. Future’s playlists are great, and the app integrates with Spotify and Pandora for your preferred music during workouts. With a single tap, the watch lets you flow to the next exercise without reaching for your phone.

The best smartwatch for women vs men: Is there a difference?

It is used to provide the user with instructions and examples of exercise, nutritional programs, physical activity, or fitness topics. Juggernaut AI uses artificial intelligence to craft highly personalized strength training programs based on in-depth initial assessments. Its AI considers user fitness experience, personal records, fatigue, and goals to build progressive overload workouts aimed at muscle and strength gains. The app includes daily readiness surveys to dynamically adjust training loads, mimicking a personal trainer’s adjustments.

Personalized Training Plans

Treat your workout history like a training log you own, not content trapped behind a login. Check for CSV export, open APIs, and clear privacy settings that let you opt out of cohort analytics. Also, confirm legal madmuscles app protections, such as GDPR or CCPA compliance if those apply to you, and whether anonymized research sharing is opt-in. That access preserves your ability to analyze long trends elsewhere or move to a different platform without losing your history. Ask for a changelog or a sample week that explains every adjustment, not a generic “personalized” label.

Type of Training

Ladder is a fitness app that offers guided workout programs led by expert trainers. Zwift offers structured training plans, real-time performance tracking, and a global community, making indoor training engaging and effective. Apple Fitness+ provides a subscription-based fitness service, offering a variety of workout classes integrated with Apple Watch metrics for a personalized experience. It offers tailored workout routines based on individual fitness levels and goals, ranging from beginner to advanced exercises. In this article, we’ve tested and reviewed the best fitness apps of 2026, handpicked with trainers like you in mind. We’ve done the hard work for you, comparing free workout apps alongside premium options to find the best fit.

Whether you want a digital coach, automatic plans and sessions, a data-heavy log, or a social community to keep you honest, there’s an app on the list that you can try. Since you can use most of these apps for free, download a couple, see what sticks, and make 2026 the year your resolutions actually become routines. With that said, MacroFactor works best when paired with a smart scale, as it needs daily weight data to accurately calculate your true expenditure. Of course, if you’re serious about weight loss, you probably already have one, but if you don’t want to pay for a subscription and more equipment, you might want to try a different option. If you lift weights or want to get started, Strong is one of the cleanest workout logging apps out there.

Best Workout Apps FAQs

“You can follow people on Strava just like you could on Instagram or Twitter,” Amanda adds. You can read more of our thoughts on this coaching platform in our Future app review. The Shred app is an AI-powered virtual trainer that can be used to customize workouts in your home or commercial gym. Matt’s a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning.

You can pop in your headphones and listen to coaching cues as you work through a treadmill session or full-body workout with squats, rows, and pressing movements. When you connect Runkeeper with Zapier, you can orchestrate multi-step workflows that turn your workouts into insights and actions across your apps. For example, you can automatically store your Runkeeper activity in Google Sheets, use AI to spot patterns or summarize progress, and update your goals in your habit tracker or another spreadsheet. Outdoor mode also offered more of the metrics I would expect from an app called Runkeeper, so if you mostly run outside (or have an Apple Watch), it can work well.

These apps are virtual libraries with hundreds of workout classes, and they do all of the planning for you — just press play and follow the trainer on your screen. Aaptiv offers 2,500+ audio-led workouts for all fitness levels, making it excellent for beginners who appreciate guided instruction without a screen. The app’s easy-to-use filter system helps users select workouts based on duration, fitness level, equipment, and target body part. Though nutrition coaching is absent, the workout programming reflects expert input. Peloton provides thousands of live and on-demand classes spanning cycling, running, strength, yoga, HIIT, and meditation. The app integrates with Apple Health and supports streaming on various devices.