The NBC Select staff and I also tested over a dozen fitness apps (including some that are free) to share our top picks. These are the best free fitness apps that I’ve found testing out a variety of things on my workouts from roads to trails to the gym. Affordability matters when people are trying to sustain habits over months and years, not just one sprint. Apps compress expert coaching into repeatable, low-cost sessions, eliminating scheduling friction and making high-quality guidance accessible to more people without the recurring costs of one-on-one training. The real return is consistency, as access and adherence produce more measurable improvement than sporadic premium sessions. Apps that pair slow-motion tutorials, on-screen cues, and staged regressions let you build skill before you chase numbers.

If you love to ride your bike but don’t want to hit the road during the coldest days of winter, Zwift is your solution. The app gamifies your workouts, pitting you against yourself, your friends, and fellow Zwift users in races, group rides, and targeted workouts. You can engage with other Ladder users to help spur you on to greater PRs and loftier goals without trying to make awkward small talk at your gym.

• FitOn (available on Android, iOS, various media streaming devices, and the web) offers free, on-demand, video-based workouts led by trainers.
• The app uses the GPS from your phone or a connected device, such as a running watch or fitness tracker, to track your location and speed.
• That visibility explains why users notice better outcomes, and why, according to FitBudd, 45% of users experienced better tracking of their fitness goals with the help of workout apps.
• Runna is especially helpful if you want to run your first 5K, improve your running time, or work toward a half-marathon or marathon without hiring a coach.
• If you wear a connected heart rate monitor while working out, you can see your heart rate on the screen as you move.
• Part social media, part fitness tracker, Strava is a great way to track your workouts while staying connected with friends.

Peloton The Peloton App

Sara is a self-taught blogger & photographer and brings 9+ years of experience to her craft. Her work has been featured in numerous esteemed publications, spanning building, travel, and fashion. Beyond her creative pursuits, Sara’s primary mission is to empower others to embrace a toxic-free & sustainable lifestyle. We found FitOn to be the best app to keep you on track if you struggle to work out regularly.

And if you want to watch over what you eat, MyFitnessPal is still one of the biggest names in food tracking because it makes the habit relatively simple once you get going. Of course, if you need more than that, the app also features streaks, challenges, and progress markers that turn consistency into a game you don’t want to break. Nike Training Club is one of the easiest apps to recommend to someone who’s starting from scratch because it’s genuinely so easy is madmuscles legit to set up and use. Price is determined by how many credits & classes you want to book per month. We found the JEFIT app to be the best for a workout in a home gym or with your existing gym membership.

Limitations of Workout Apps and How to Overcome Them

While some premium routines and features require the Elite subscription, the free version gives you everything you need to stay on top of your fitness goals. If you were looking to be in great shape this summer, now is the time to start training for it. We’ve found you the best workout clothes and training shoes, and now through testing we’ve locked in on the best workout apps to put them to good use.

Best Workout App for Personal Training: Caliber

The discussion boards create a virtual community, which you don’t always get through fitness apps. You can also get a membership to just the virtual on-demand and livestream classes, which is $19.99 a month. Most people piece together spreadsheets, playlists, and screenshots because that approach feels familiar and free, which works at first.

We looked at cost, whether content can be downloaded for offline use, and how frequently new classes or programs are added. 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. It has a decent amount of free features, with several workouts and single exercise demonstrations, but the bulk of the app’s content is behind the paywall. To access this, you take a quiz that asks your goals, fitness level, and how you like to work out, and it suggests a few different programs, most of which are 12 weeks long. The instructors described the exercises well in the workouts I tried, but I needed to look at the screen pretty much the whole time.

Top Fitness App for Weightlifting Progress and Strength Tracking: Hevy

“It creates running workouts with interval variations based on the time I want to exercise—great for mixing up my routine.” All the classes are easy to sort through, but I found myself drawn to Obé’s live classes more than I was with other apps. Some apps try to shame you into working out, or bombard you with notifications, so I liked this approach. Nike’s app also offers push notification reminders (which you can turn off) to prompt you when it’s time to do a workout.

Gymscore

I use a pen and little moleskin book to record my workouts and diet, but recently got a new phone and a smartwatch. Over the last couple of years Peloton has also leaned into smarter guidance, with structured multi-week programmes, revamped badges, and, more recently, its Peloton IQ system. Behind the scenes, Apple has been studying how people actually respond to all this, offering us a perspective from an extremely widely used app. Runna is what you get if you crossed a human running coach with a very organised calendar app. Every run, ride, or hike is logged with GPS maps, pace charts, and – crucially – a stream of kudos and comments from your friends and other app users.

Nike Nike Training Club App

The app also has a ton of built-in training programs to tailor your workouts to what you hope to achieve when you actually take your bike out on the road or mountain. There are gravel-specific plans, plans for crushing a 100-mile mountain bike race, or keeping up with your crew at the local criterium. To get started, choose your desired weekly training days, input your maximum lifts, and indicate if you’re preparing for a competition. Once you do this, Juggernaut’s AI-powered app will generate a personalized program for you. The strength programs leave something to be desired, so if you want to focus on lifting, we recommend going elsewhere. But this app is great for beginner cardio and general fitness workouts that will keep you moving forward toward your goals.

Apple Fitness

One of the fun new features is they have people like Deena Kastor offering guided runs. 👉If you’re just starting out and not ready to invest in a GPS watch, this is PERFECTION. It’s going to help you track everything that you need to get in to the habit and do your training. When it comes to free running apps, I wonder if new runners realize just how lucky they are and what’s available to make your running life easier. Unlimited access to the world’s best workouts, meditation, nutrition and more.

Free Workout Tracker

While the workout library isn’t as dense as some other apps, the app is high quality and you can personalize your training programs when creating fitness goals. We do want to note, though, that the Alo Moves platform is primarily centered around individual workouts and programs rather than working toward certain goals or progressive overload. If you prefer a structured regimen that’s planned for weeks, this may not be the best fit. If you need a good assortment of instructor-led workouts and don’t mind taking your sessions in a “choose your own adventure” aesthetic, this can be an excellent pick.

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Designed for beginners, this app creates personalized workout plans tailored to your age, weight, height, and fitness level. It features a 30-day beginner plan to introduce foundational yoga poses and practices, with intermediate and advanced levels available as users progress. This app offers a safe and low-impact way to gradually build strength and flexibility. Aaptiv offers a diverse range of beginner workouts, primarily designed for at-home use, covering running, strength training, yoga, and more.