Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

• 8fit

  Best for Guidance and Instruction

  8fit brings together on-demand workouts and meal planning. It's one of the best workout apps for people who like a lot of guidance and instruction. The app creates a personalized program for your diet and exercise based on whatever goal you set. You tell 8fit what your fitness goal is, and then you work out to videos in the app, log what you eat, and create meal plans using recipes and shopping lists.

  The free version gives you access to only some workouts, which require you to look at and tap the screen often. That's not great. You can also track your weight and activities with the free app. The Pro version is better and unlocks personalized meals, shopping lists, calorie logging, instructions on what foods you should exclude from your diet, weekly classes you can join, and additional workouts. The monthly rate is high, so don't sign up for it—but six-month and annual plans are priced competitively. The list prices for the Pro plan are $79 per year, $39 per three months, or $24.99 per month.

  Android, iOS

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• Aaptiv

  Best for Screenless Workouts

  Aaptiv specializes in audio-based workouts led by trainers, meaning you don't have to keep your eyes or fingers on a screen to exercise. A trainer tells you what to do with music in the background. You can choose from one of the music styles the app offers or connect to your Spotify account. The app suggests workouts that will suit you based on the information you provide, such as what type of exercise you like (stretching, strength training, yoga, indoor cycling, outdoor running, stair climbing, and other activities) and what styles of music you prefer. Take advantage of the seven-day free trial via the web app, though it requires a credit card. List prices are $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year, though good discounts were in effect the last time we checked prices.

  Android, iOS, Web

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• Apple Fitness+

  Best for Family Sharing

  4.0 Excellent

  Inside the Fitness app by Apple is Fitness+, a membership with all kinds of video workouts. You can do yoga, HIIT cardio, kickboxing, dancing, or more restorative wellness classes such as meditation. The app also lets you create custom plans based on your preferred days to work out, class duration, trainers, music, and more. A free one-month trial is available, after which it costs a reasonable $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. If you use Apple's Family Sharing, up to five family members can also use the membership at no additional cost. If you purchase an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Apple TV, Apple Fitness+ comes free for three months. 

  iOS, AppleTV

  • Pros

    • Well-designed, intuitive interface
    • Integrates with Apple Watch for automatic workout tracking
    • Good class selection, with options for beginners and advanced users
    • Diverse trainer team
    • Quality music playlists

  • Cons

    • Requires an Apple Watch and iPhone
    • Classes only stream to Apple devices
    • No live classes, leaderboards, or partner features
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• Blogilates

  Best for Free Calisthenics and Pilates Workouts

  Blogilates—officially called Body by Blogilates in the Apple App Store and Google Play—is one of the best free workout apps, hands down. There is a paid tier of service, but it's more nice-to-have than need-to-have. We really like that you can access the workouts without even creating an account, which is good for your privacy. Blogilates contains video workouts with the ever-peppy Cassey Ho, who sweats and suffers alongside you through her tough routines. The workouts lean toward pilates moves and calisthenics, though you can also find exercises that mix in weights and some cardio. You can sign up for challenges and try to complete a series of workouts over several days, find healthy recipes, and more, all for free. 

  While free content is abundant—and Blogilates is by far one of the best free workout apps you'll find—you can pay a subscription if you love the app and want to get a little more out of it. A Workout Pass ($3.99 per month or $39.99 per year) gives you access to the Workout Calendar, as well as all challenges and programs. An All-Access Pass ($6.99 per month or $69.99 per year) lets you set goals, keep a daily journal about your progress, track your water intake, and keep a visual meal tracker.

  Android, iOS, Web

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• Centr

  Best for Tough Workouts

  Actor Chris Hemsworth, known for playing the swole hammer-wielding god Thor, brings you this all-in-one fitness app for planning your training, doing workouts, and eating healthy. You can use it to build muscle, lose weight, or just generally get fit. You tell the app which of these goals you're interested in during the signup process.

  Some workouts are coached, meaning you play a complete video of a trainer who does the workout with you. Others are self-guided, meaning you get a timer and a sample video of each exercise instead. You can get a free seven-day trial of this app, though a credit card is required to access it. The prices are all over the place. The list prices change constantly, and the annual subscription is always on sale. Typically, the monthly plan ($29.99) is too expensive, so don't sign up for it. The quarterly and annual rates ($60 per quarter, $120 per year) are good, and you may even find discounts for them.

  Android, iOS, Web

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• Find What Feels Good

  Best for Free Yoga Videos

  If you've ever searched for a yoga video on YouTube, chances are you've run into Yoga with Adriene. This same Adriene (Mishler) sells a subscription to all her yoga videos and other content under the brand Find What Feels Good, or FWFG. It's available on iOS, Android, and the web. The FWFG library has exclusive videos, premium courses, and vlogs from Adriene, plus all the videos from Yoga with Adriene (Mischler's other website) ad-free. Mischler has brought on new instructors, too, who offer pilates and other classes via recorded video in a style that's similar to her yoga workouts. The app and website have yoga classes for kids, too, if you want to get your young ones involved. Subscribers get access to new content as it's added. The subscription cost went up slightly in 2021 but has held steady since then at a reasonable $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year with a seven-day free trial that requires a credit or debit card number to get.

  Android, iOS, Web

  Learn MoreFind What Feels Good
• FitOn: Fitness Workout Plans

  Best for Finding Workouts by Time, Intensity, or Style

  Another one of the best workout apps is FitOn. This app has video-based workouts on demand led by trainers, and a good amount of the workouts are free. You can find exercise routines based on how much time you have, the level of intensity that you want, or the type of workout you prefer, including yoga, butt and thighs, abs, stretching, and so forth. If you wear a connected heart rate monitor while working out, you can see your heart rate on the screen as you move. There's also a leaderboard where you can compete with other members or a group of friends.

  You get a lot for free with FitOn, including all the video workouts. If you want a little more, however, such as personalized meal plans and the ability to connect to Fitbit or Garmin, you can pay for a Pro account—but don't pay the advertised rate ($79.99 for six months or $99.99 for a year). Keep an eye out for discounts, which can bring the price down significantly.

  Android, iOS, Web

  Learn MoreFitOn: Fitness Workout Plans
• Jefit

  Best for Tracking Weight Training

  Jefit is a workout app designed for people who want to log and track their strength training, such as how much weight you lift, how many reps you do, and so on. This app doesn't limit you to weight training, as you can design and track other kinds of workouts, but it's most popularly used for lifting. The app comes with routines you can do and a bank of exercises you can explore and add to a workout plan. You can search for exercises based on which muscle groups they target. The app also lets you track your body measurements. Jefit comes with a calendar for keeping track of your workouts, planning workout days and rest days, and a training schedule that tells you briefly what's up next in the coming days.

  You can get a lot from the free version of this app, which is ad-supported. An Elite membership removes the ads and unlocks advanced features, such as video-based exercise instructions, charts, and goal settings. In the years that we've been reviewing Jefit, the price has nearly quadrupled, but it's still not very high for the annual membership ($69.99 per year or $12.99 per month).

  Android, iOS, Web

  Learn MoreJefit
• Nike Training Club

  Best for Long-Term Exercise Commitment

  When a pandemic was declared for COVID-19, Nike vowed to make its Nike Training Club workout app free to everyone, at least for the time being. Almost four years later, the app is still totally free and has a wide variety of workout videos, from short yoga sessions designed to loosen and relax your body to 15-minute fun activities for kids and adults to do together. You also have access to healthy recipes and tips on nutrition and exercise. 

  The workouts come in the form of videos, usually with a trainer who talks to you while doing the activity alongside you, and sometimes videos showing a trainer doing the exercises with a voiceover, giving tips, and counting down the time. While some of Nike's on-demand workout videos are short, they can also go the distance, with routines up to 60 minutes. If you want more structure in your routine, there are programs you can join that include multiple weekly workouts, usually split into several stages. As extra motivation, you can work toward hitting the various achievements set out in the app.

  Android, iOS

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• Peloton for iOS

  Best for Energetic Instructors

  While the name Peloton may be synonymous with expensive stationary bicycles, the company does offer a reasonably priced fitness class subscription service to anyone, with or without home equipment. The app has a ton of classes, from yoga to cardio to bodyweight strength and so on. Classes and instructors have the high energy and intensity Peloton is known for. Even if you pick a quick 10-minute yoga class, expect some upbeat music and someone yelling at you through a headset mic. You can do live classes or workouts on demand with recorded videos. The app supports outdoor activities, too. Android device owners should beware that users have reported problems tracking outdoor activities, connecting to Bluetooth devices, and casting to Chromecast. There are two subscription options to choose from. You can also sync with Apple Health if you want.

  The Peloton App One costs $12.99 per month and features access to all sorts of training methods, as well as three cardio equipment classes per month (indoor cycling, running, walking, or rowing), or Peloton App+ which comes with no limit on those cardio equipment classes and costs $24 per month.

  Android, iOS, Web

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• Shred

  Best for Building Muscle

  Shred is an app that creates workouts for you to do with some basic equipment you might have at home or in a gym. The workouts are based on your goals, such as whether you want to drop a lot of weight, build muscle, or just stay healthy by adding some cardio to your routine. Whatever the case, Shred sets you up with a complete program so you know what to do and which days to do it. You can also generate a workout based on what part of the body you want to exercise, what equipment you have, and how much time you want to spend. Sometimes, you get full videos with a trainer working out alongside you, and other times, you get sample videos of each exercise or move and the ability to record your rep counts. You can try a few workouts for free and get a free seven-day trial, but after that, it's $99.99 per year with no monthly payment option.

  Android, iOS

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• Strava

  Best for Tracking Runs and Bike Rides

  Strava is a fitness-tracking app that offers access to over 30 types of sports, making it perfect for anyone who loves to run, cycle, hike, swim, rock climb, snowboard, or even golf. If you’re looking for some competition, you’re in the right place. With Strava, you compete against yourself or others who have run, biked, or swum the same segments you have. The app uses the GPS from your phone or a connected device, such as a running watch or fitness tracker, to map where you go and how fast you go. Then, it analyzes your data (and everyone else's) to see where you overlapped to compute a segment leaderboard. If you're into Strava, be sure to read all the details about the app's options for keeping your personal information private. The free app has plenty to get you started, but if you want advanced features, you'll want to pony up for the paid membership, which costs $59.99 per year. New members (and sometimes lapsed returning members) get a 30-day free trial.

  Android, iOS, Web

  Get It Now

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  Learn MoreStrava
• StretchIt

  Best for Flexibility Training

  Don't be misled by your assumptions about stretching—StretchIt has some tough sessions that work your full body and might even leave you sweating. What I like most about this app is that it has a series that you sign up to complete, such as the Middle Splits Challenge, and each day, when you open the app, you know exactly what you're supposed to do. StretchIt has routines for specific body parts, too, for people who need to work on their back or hip flexibility, for example. A monthly membership is high at $19.99, but the $159.99 per year membership works out to be a much better deal. I highly recommend taking advantage of the seven-day free trial first, plus trying out all the free sessions on the website.

  Available on Android, iOS, Web

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