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When it comes to exercise equipment, the most valuable piece of gear might be right in your back pocket. Today, there are a ton of applications devoted to all kinds of workouts, from yoga and Pilates to HIIT and strength training sessions. Whether you’re new to fitness and are looking for something to help get you started, or are someone who just needs a little more accountability, the best workout apps will help you meet all of your health and fitness goals.
We’ve corralled a slew of handy applications—including the best free workout apps and the best home workout apps. And they work on a variety of phone types. We’re sharing ones for runners to tack on extra miles, or for those wanting to build muscle and get lean. Wanting to harness the benefits of walking? A few of these selects will help guide you on your next walking workout. Looking to zen out? Others include yoga and meditation to help you find alignment in multiple areas of your life. And if you aren’t entirely sure which exercises are best for your body, many of the paid options offer a free trial period so you can test them out before committing.
Whatever your fitness goals, we’ve rounded up the absolute best workout apps to help you meet them in 2023. These sweat-inducing downloads include trainer demos that’ll walk you through each move, modifications to help you work up to a full range of motion, and motivation to help you get the most out of every workout. So what are you waiting for? Download one (or a few) of these workout apps now.
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1
Best Free Workout App: Nike Training Workout App
Nike
Recommended by Denise Chakoian, owner and founder of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree, personal trainer, cancer exercise specialist, and boutique fitness consultant, this pick is also free and editor-approved. Channel your favorite pro athletes with this must-have workout app. Nike Training Club offers more than 180 routines and additional content from top trainers and some of the athletes you love (think: Serena Williams and Cristiano Ronaldo). Whether you’re working with a full gym or just with your bodyweight at home, get a major burn in from quick sessions to 45 minute classes, organized by activity (from yoga to running to weights). Don’t forget to share your workouts with your friends when you’re finished.
Free
iOS ANDROID
2
Most Versatile: Peloton Workout App
peloton
Turns out Peloton offers more than just their high-tech spin bikes and treads. They also have an app that has a wide range of workouts you can do at home. You can follow along with their live studio workouts for bootcamp or strength classes. You can even hop on your own (non-Peloton) bike or treadmill and be guided by their instructors. If you want to take your workout outdoors, you can take your phone or tablet with you. Plus, it offers guided running workouts. The app can track your mileage, pace, your splits so you can gauge how you are doing. You can access all Peloton workouts for a cost of $12.99 a month.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
3
Best Free With In-App Purchase: Aaptiv Workout App
Aaptiv
Download Aaptiv, take a quick fitness quiz about your goals, and get going. The app will set you up with workouts to do on your favorite cardio machine, at home on a yoga mat, or outside. Where this app excels: It pairs audio cues from instructors and personal trainers with songs you love—not boring, canned beats—so it’s more engaging than most recorded workouts. It’s basically like your favorite cycling class in the palm of your hands.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
4
Best for Walking: Apple Fitness+
apple fitness+
Apple fitness+ boasts a series titled Time to Walk, which features various guided walks by celebrities. From Jamie Lee Curtis to Rebel Wilson to Dolly Parton, these walks are must-listens. The app is only available on apple products, but features an array of other exercises, including HIIT, yoga, meditation, and more. You can share the subscription with up to five family members. Get three months free when purchasing a qualifying apple product, or one-month free upon subscribing with an existing product.
$9.99/month or $79.99/year
iOS
5
Best for Home Workouts: All Out Studio Workout App
All Out Studio
If you love Prevention’s at-home workouts, you’ll get a never-ending supply of our moves plus popular programs from our friends at Women’s Health, Men’s Health, and Runner’s World with the new All Out Studio app. Download it, and you’ll have access to hundreds of workouts at every skill level, targeting every muscle in your body, from top certified trainers.
Free with in-app purchases
IOS ANDROID
6
Best Celeb Trainer: Jillian Michaels My Fitness Workout App
Jillian Michaels
Jillian Michaels’s My Fitness app offers free 7-minute workouts for beginners and advanced skill levels alike. You can choose which area to target, from abs to legs, back, and butt. Upgrade to Premium and you’ll have access to 10-, 20-, 30, and 45-minute burns. We love that you can program the app to incorporate whatever equipment you may have at home (or not), and you can also plug in your own playlists and use the Beat Sync function adjust the beat of music to the pace of your workout.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
7
Most Extensive Workout Plans: Daily Burn Workout App
Daily Burn
Whatever your workout of choice, Daily Burn has a class for that (the app boasts more than 1,000 workouts in all). “This app is basically your own personal trainer/fitness instructor right at your fingertips,” says Jess Sander, a personal trainer at Chelsea Piers in New York City.
“It is a paid app, but you can choose more than 15 different programs ranging from HIIT to yoga. And the app constantly updates adding new workouts and instructors.” But the best part: It’s super easy to sync the app to an Apple TV, Roku, or other streaming device to watch the workouts on your TV or laptop and turn your living room into a fitness studio.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
8
Best With Meal Plan: 8fit Workout App
8fit
If you’re trying to lose weight, you know that isn’t not all about exercise—what you eat plays just as big a role. Tackle both sides of the equation with this app, which pairs exercise programs and meal plans. Weekly HIIT workouts geared toward your experience level fry fat and rev your metabolism while the food side of the app helps you take note of everything you eat. It’s a one-two punch for keeping your fitness on track.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
9
Best for Cardio: obé Workout App
Obe Fitness
For those who are looking to get their sweat and their groove on at the same time, obé Fitness is where it’s at. This company provides live and on-demand HIIT, dance cardio, sculpting, yoga, and boxing classes. They even have pre- and post-natal workouts for the moms, and new programming specifically for both kids and senior citizens.
30-Day free trial, $27/month
iOS ANDROID
10
Best for Running and Cycling: Strava Workout App
Strava
Another app recommended by Chakoian, if you’re into cycling or running, you need to get into Strava. This app, which gets its name from the Swedish word for “strive,” tracks your workouts with GPS and then analyzes your stats (think: distance, elevation gain, heart rate). It’s like a high-tech cycling computer right in your phone. Plus, you can join challenges, share photos, and follow your friends’ activities too.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
11
Best for Heart Rate Stats: MyZone Workout App
MyZone
One of the best ways to track your fitness is tracking your heart rate while you work out. That’s the focus of this app, which follows your beats per minute, calories burned, percentage of maximum effort, and more, and then lets you share with your friends on social channels. You do need to pair it with a heart rate monitor to get the stats, but it’s worth it if you’re serious about keeping tabs on your workout progress.
Free
iOS ANDROID
12
Best for Yoga: Daily Yoga Workout App
Daily Yoga
Get your Om on with the more than 100 yoga and meditation classes available through Daily Yoga. Choose your session based on the area of your body you’d like to work on and your experience level Newbie alert: There’s an entire series of beginner-friendly tutorials if you’re just starting out. The app also connects you with other yogis to ask questions and share experiences, and it keeps records of your practice—so you can look back on your sessions and see how you’re making progress.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
13
Best for Specific Goals: Sworkit Workout App
Sworkit
Yoga for runners, daily stretch, 5-minute abs—the exercise routines in Sworkit are fine-tuned to meet your fitness goals. Choose from a category (strength, cardio, yoga, or stretching) and your goals (to get fitter, leaner, stronger). Then, you can pick a workout based on the amount of time you have. With plans ranging from an hour down to as little as five minutes, you have no excuses to not squeeze in a quick workout.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
14
Best for Quick Exercises: Quick Fit Workout App
Quick Fit
A lot of fitness apps include workouts for when you’re short on time, but this one is devoted to it. Choose from plans as short as four minutes to rev your heart rate or a 15-minute yoga session to wind down on your most hectic days.
Free
iOS ANDROID
15
Best for Spinning: CardioCast
CardioCast
Don’t have the money to buy a Peloton bike, but have a classic spin bike at home? Cycle Cast has got you covered for your workouts, each of which are led by their “world class instructors.” With this app, you can pick from 20, 30, 45, or 60 minute cycling rides and jam out to their hit music playlists. Cycle Cast works with Apple Health and Google Fit so you can also track your heart rate and how many calories you burn. The app recently expanded beyond just cycling to include a range of cardio workouts, including body weight, elliptical, running, walking, and more.
7-Day free trial, $9.99/month
iOS ANDROID
16
Best for Improving Flexibility: ROMWOD Workout App
ROMWOD
You’ll love this app if you want to improve your flexibility and range of motion. During your “off” days, login to ROMWOD and choose from various stretching routines to tackle specific body parts or problem areas. The app even provides programming so you can work towards a goal.
$13.99 a month
iOS ANDROID
17
Best for Running: MapMyRun Workout App
Map My Run
Perfect for the runners out there, this app designed by Under Armour was created to track performance and route data, including your heart rate, cadence, mileage, elevation, calories burned, and more. It also allows you to map your runs so you can have an overhead visual of your route. As a bonus, it provides training plans and nutrition guidance to help you meet your goals. You can use the main features for free, but for additional coaching and additional data tracking, you’ll need to sign up for MVP ($5.99/month).
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
18
Best for Boxing: Boxx Workout App
Boxx
When you can’t get to your boxing studio, this app from the UK might do the trick. Boxx offers free on-demand boxing, HIIT, strength, cardio, and yoga classes that you can do at home with minimal equipment. If you pay for a membership (about $11 a month), you can get a workout and nutrition plans to get a bit more guidance on your fitness journey.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
19
Best for Minimal Equipment: Sweat App
Sweat
Those with a tight schedule will love Sweat’s 28-minute long workouts crafted by renowned trainers Kayla Itsines, Kelsey Wells, and Sjana Earp. This female-led app includes HIIT, bodyweight workouts, Barre, and yoga, as well as strength training circuits requiring minimal equipment. In addition to workouts, the app features a fitness tracker, recipes, monthly challenges, and a community for support. Sweat is free to download, but you’ll have to pay $19.99 a month (or $119 a year) for access to workout programs.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
20
Best With Guided Meditations and Cardio: FitOn App
FitOn
If you’ve ever wanted to work out with celebs, consider downloading FitOn. This fitness app offers free exercise videos and customizable workout plans led by notable trainers and celebrities such as Gabrielle Union, Julianne Hough, and more. Workouts range from cardio and HIIT to strength training and Pilates. The app also features guided meditations for relaxation. And with over 200,000 ratings on iTunes, FitOn is loved by customers, who rated it 4.9 out of 5 stars. The best part? The app is free to download. And you can upgrade to FitOn Pro for unlimited workouts and more starting at $19.99 a year.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
21
Best for Bodyweight: Fit Body App
Fit Body
For those looking to tone and sculpt, Fit Body App offers eight workout programs designed by trainers Anna Victoria, Nicci Robinson, Brittany Lupton, and Martina Sergi specifically designed for women. Fit Body’s programs include bodyweight circuits, strength training gym-based workouts, pregnancy-safe exercises, and yoga to improve strength and flexibility. The app also offers monthly challenges, custom meal plans, a macro counter, and an online community for support. To sign up for a membership, you can choose from four different pricing packages, starting at $19.99 a month.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
22
Best for Community: ASICS Runkeeper App
Runkeeper
Runners and bikers looking to step up their mileage should consider downloading Runkeeper. Equipped with a GPS, the app allows you to track running, walking, biking, and hiking workouts. Runkeeper tracks stats like distance, pace, and time, and you can log goals to track your progress. You can create plans geared toward individualized goals, participate in virtual running groups, and join in-app challenges. Signing up for Runkeeper costs $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
Free with in-app purchases
iOS ANDROID
There are countless workout applications out there for a variety of price points, operating systems, fitness levels, and so much more. To narrow down the seemingly endless options, consider the following before downloading:
✔️ Price. Luckily, there are quite a few free workout apps that go above and beyond. Whether you’re searching for a running app, Pilates app, or another form of exercise, there’s plenty to choose from. But be mindful of hidden costs. Some applications allow free trials, but you’ll eventually hit a paywall. Do your due diligence and find a plan that works best for you and your budget.
✔️ Fitness levels. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or you’re a seasoned pro, there’s a fitness app out there for you. But be sure your needs are being met before paying a pretty penny for a paid plan. If you’re a beginner, ensure that the app you choose will grow with you in your fitness journey by looking to see if they offer beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. If you’re a seasoned athlete, make sure the app you choose has varying levels of intensity and enough to offer in the long run.
✔️ Tech requirements. While we note whether the workout apps we’re sharing require an iPhone or Android, be sure that you don’t need additional tech, like a heart rate monitor, exercise bike, treadmill, or rowing machine before making a purchase.
✔️ Level of guidance. Plenty of fitness applications offer one-on-one coaching with seasoned trainers, but that’s not always everyone’s desire. Consider what you want from the app: do you want to learn how to perform certain moves? A tailored fitness routine? Or perhaps you just want to simply log the details of your run or swim to keep track of your progress. Either way, make sure the application meets your needs prior to deciding.
