Typically, you can go at your own pace and won’t need to follow a live class or workout video. That said, the best workout apps will provide a short video or animation to demonstrate each movement properly. If you’re curious about personal training, the Future app is the next best option to working with an in-person instructor. As one of the few apps that connects you with a real-life coach, Future earns 5 out of 5 stars for accountability. If you’re all in on bodyweight training, BetterMe is one of the best options around. Not only is it one of our best workout apps for beginners, but it’s packed with an array of equipment-free training plans that are geared toward just about anyone.
How to Choose the Right Workout App
If you fall into that category, gleaning the benefits of both yoga and strength work, we recommend downloading Alo Moves. The app boasts over 3,000 programs tailored to yoga, pilates, and barre, along with fitness-minded series for HIIT and strength training. Plus, the library is constantly growing with new modules being added daily. The iFit app features a library of over 16,000 live and on-demand classes that range from mental health and recovery to rowing, running, HIIT and strength classes.
- However, premium content, live classes, and detailed nutrition tracking require a paid subscription.
- Corporate sponsors donate money to the charity of your choice for every mile you move.
- For example, the Wall Pilates course starts at $15 monthly which I rate at 3.5 out of 5 — average in comparison to other platforms, but not an absolute bargain.
- In fact, one study1 found that people who used apps during the COVID-19 lockdown were more likely to remain active than those who didn’t.
- Where Runkeeper truly shines for a novice is its goal-setting functionality.
- That’s the power of virtual fitness coaching apps, and in 2025, they’re more advanced, personalized, and accessible than ever before.
More personalized. More impactful. More Peloton.
After downloading the app, you’ll get customized workout suggestions based on the results of a quick quiz. Exercising with FitOn is like having a celebrity coach cheering you on in real time. The motivational aspect of the app is unparalleled, making you feel like a VIP every time you work out. The app doesn’t just throw random exercises at you; it learns from your pace and preferences, gradually introducing more challenging routines as you progress. What makes FitBudd particularly powerful is how it streamlines the entire client journey. From initial consultation and program delivery to progress tracking and ongoing communication, everything happens within the branded app environment.
Something’s gotta give between work, family, and juggling 100 tasks at once. The brand new Fit App is perfect for carving out “me time” while still getting fit fast. This app takes all the walking challenges app guesswork out of working out for busy bees everywhere. Getting active and starting a fitness routine can feel daunting, especially if you’ve never exercised consistently.
Pumps, Endurance, and Strength Output
This means you can slap your phone directly onto a squat rack or gym machine. It keeps your phone off the dirty floor and puts your workout app right at eye level so you can check your form or timer hands-free. Rokform bridges the gap between digital fitness and physical reality.
How to Take Screenshot with Snipping Tool: Step By Step
As an All-Access member, you can encourage other users in your classes and follow the in-class leaderboard. Aaptiv’s membership costs $14.99 per month and offers a free seven day trial. However, you do need to get the entire year plan in order to try the seven week trial, which isn’t the most convenient. If you’re interested in trying TR[Ai]NER by Element 26, the app does give you three free workouts without having to sign up for a subscription or give any credit card information. We like this feature because you won’t have to worry about auto-renewals or accidental charges if you decide you don’t like the program. One drawback our testing revealed about TR[Ai]NER is the lack of detailed warm-ups and cool-downs.
Transform your fitness with science-based training.
Once you’re ready to start training again, you can use one of our post-injury training plans to return to running safely without risking another injury. Runna will support you in your running journey regardless of your experience and fitness level. Ben is a certified running and triathlon coach with over 9 years of experience, helping runners of all levels. As a Runna co-founder and competitive athlete, he brings expert knowledge and real-world performance to his coaching. What sets Runna apart is the level of personalization—you can tailor plans to your goals, schedule, and ability, and even integrate them with your smartwatch for seamless tracking. You filter out the workouts by the equipment you have as well as skills.
Openfit: Live Classes and Nutrition Coaching
A new optional paid tier, Connect+, is being introduced for more advanced features, but the free version remains incredibly powerful for beginners. Peloton’s free “Peloton App” tier gives thousands of classes—strength, yoga, outdoor running, even Power Walking (yes, that’s a thing). You can’t join live leaderboards, but on-demand is 100 % gratis. However, we feel really strongly about the fact that you’re unlikely to find virtual one-on-one training of the same caliber for less money. Yes, the monthly subscription fee is expensive at around $200 per month.
This isn’t just a list; it’s our curated selection of the best tools on the market, each with its own unique flavor. We’ve broken them down in our extensive Fitness App Reviews to help you find your perfect match. And if you’re a professional, finding the right personal trainer app is the single most important business decision you’ll make. The pandemic, of course, hit the fast-forward button on this evolution.
For Beginners
Urban runners seeking traditional road routes may need to look elsewhere for route planning assistance. The community-driven platform allows runners to share trail reports, photos, and safety tips, helping newcomers select appropriate routes for their skill level. Users should note that advanced training options require a paid subscription. The platform works well with many fitness trackers and smartwatches, making it simple to record runs accurately.
Unlock your body’s data
When I think of an app for a beginner, I would want value, ease of use, and good instruction. Megan Capritto, sister of GGR senior staff writer Amanda Capritto and our tester for FitOn, found the interface for the app very easy to use and intuitive, giving it 5 stars out of 5. There is also solid instruction for each of the trainer-led workout videos. The NHS Couch to 5K app is a running programme designed for absolute beginners.
It allows you to track your own strength training workouts with their library of exercises, each with written and visual instructions. Another good workout tracker is Hevy, which has a robust community of support where you can share your workouts and view, like and comment on others’ workouts. You should know the type of training you should do to best achieve those goals. While many fitness apps have diverse options of daily workouts—HIIT, strength training, cardio, and barre—some apps may specialize in only one or two modes of training. From guided workouts to community support features, modern running apps offer diverse tools to help beginners build confidence and maintain motivation throughout their fitness journey. MapMyRun strikes an excellent balance between data tracking and guided improvement.
Best Free Workout App for Gym-Goers: Jefit
For example, our tester told the app that he also trains for Olympic weightlifting. It recommended some lower-body accessories he could perform without accumulating too much fatigue. Plus, each session will also provide recommended RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and tempo, and you can swap movements based on your skill level or what’s available in your gym. If you’re not doing a trainer-led video, there are exercise tutorials that also come with step-by-step breakdowns on how to do a certain exercise.
While the premium option can give you special features like premium music options to spice up your playlist, personalized meal plans, and offline downloads to workouts, the bulk of the app is free. As for accountability and interactive features, there aren’t a lot in this running app. Push notifications are present, and you can create and join plans to help with holding yourself accountable—but that’s only present in the premium version. There is basic community interaction through a community feed, but if you’re looking for a lot of support in your fitness journey, you may want to look for a different running app. A virtual fitness coaching app is a platform that facilitates a direct, personalized, and ongoing relationship between a coach and a client.
We love how tailored Future is to your specific needs — our testers gave their overall experience a 5 out of 5. Once you complete a quick quiz about your fitness level, goals, injury history, and your preferred coaching style, you’re paired with your instructor. You video chat with them for an introduction, and from there, your training plan is customized to your abilities and available equipment. Before choosing an app, you should think about what you expect to get out of it. If you have no problem motivating yourself, you may do just fine with an app that provides pre-made programs to follow on your own. Our expert product testers tested all of the fitness apps for at least several workouts, while many were tested for a whole month or even longer, especially the apps we really loved using.