A Legit Starting Point: Best Workout App for Beginners (2025)

Why did our product testers pick Caliber for the top spot on this roundup list (and our roundup of general fitness best workout apps)? It’s because Caliber offers an ideal introduction to strength training for any fitness level. There are also three different membership tiers to meet you where you’re at: A free-forever version, pro membership with group coaching for $19 per month, and Premium membership with one-on-one coaching starting at $200 per month.

You may like knowing that the free version of the app is ad-free and grants you access to the entire exercise library, which has over 500 different movements. The app generates workouts from your initial questionnaire based on your equipment, desired frequency, goals, and age. You’ll answer the same questionnaire when getting started, even if you choose the group coaching or private coaching path.

Once you’re set up with the app, our product testers note that demonstration workout videos and overall instruction are high-quality, something we deem important for beginner exercisers. 

“Caliber has easy-to-follow instructional videos,” says Lindsay Scheele, expert product tester and the face of Garage Gym Reviews Everything. Lindsay tested the Caliber Pro membership, which gave Lindsay access to group programming and coaching. 

“It’s not the same as having a personal trainer right there along with you, but overall I knew what I needed to do. Plus, proper form and expectations were explained clearly,” Lindsay adds. Because of this, Caliber earns a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating for instruction.  

If you were to sign up for Caliber Preimum’s customized coaching, you’ll not only have high-quality videos to refer to, you can also record videos of yourself performing a certain exercise and send them to your coach. You likely won’t get real-time feedback, but our product tester Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, tested the Premium version and reports coaches respond ASAP. For her experience, she rated the instruction a 5-out-of-5-star rating for this additional video feedback feature. 

All three tiers of the Caliber app are beginner-friendly, but it’s worth mentioning that Caliber’s training programs are focused on building strength. There are plenty of bodyweight-only workouts to choose from; just know that even a few free weights (such as the best dumbbells) available to you may help you with your workout options and progression. Overall, our testers give Caliber a 4-out-of-5-star rating for equipment demands. 

Another cool feature Caliber offers for beginners is short lessons on a variety of different topics relating to strength training, a feature I would have appreciated when I was getting started. Some topics include: 

• How to log your workouts
• Why strength training?
• How to select your starting weights
• Importance of a warm-up

For more details, Amanda lays out her entire experience in the in-depth Caliber app review. 

As a personal trainer myself, I know that hiring a personal trainer is a major investment of both your time and money. We know a mobile app is not the same as a personal trainer, but Future will go above and beyond your expectations of a workout app. 

Our team is a group of experienced lifters, and everyone who tested the Future app has been blown away by the level of coaching, ease of use, and overall value. You can read all the details of our experience in our Future app review. 

Both of our GGR expert product testers, Logan Block and Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, gave Future a perfect 5-out-of-5-star rating for accountability. You’ll speak to and interact with a real coach who will customize your workouts based on your experience level, fitness goals, and equipment available. You’ll also have the opportunity to filter and find personal trainers by coaching style, coaching expertise, or sport-specific training. 

Logan appreciated working one-on-one with his coach Layne, saying, “My coach did a great job of checking in on both training and rest days. He also took my feedback into account when designing fitness routines going forward.”

During the initial period of working with a Future coach, Logan was asked to send a video walkthrough of his gym workout space. “This helps your coach understand what equipment you have access to. They will then plan your workouts around that,” says Logan. 

While you won’t have your coach actually watching you while you complete each exercise, Logan says that the audio and visual cues in the demonstration videos are super helpful. 

Much like Caliber’s Premium coaching option, with Future you can send your coach a video of yourself lifting directly through the app for each specific movement so your coach can check your form. Overall, Future earns a 4-out-of-5-star rating for instruction. 

We know that a subscription fee of $199 per month is nothing to sneeze at, however, we also know that most personal trainers charge anywhere between $50 to $150 per hour depending on your area. 

RELATED: Best Online Personal Trainers 

Product tester and GGR head of content Kate Meier compares Future to a typical CrossFit membership, which may range from $150 to $200 per month. “A CrossFit membership allows you access to tons of equipment and coaching,” says Kate. 

“But, at the same time Future provides personalized workouts catered specifically to your goals and equipment. I think it’s a really good value for virtual training,” Kate adds. Overall, both Kate and Logan agree that Future earns a 4-out-of-5-star rating for value. 

Aaptiv is an app that offers a terrific starting place for beginners. If you’re brand new to exercise, you’ll be able to test the waters in a variety of different workouts and training styles, including running (outdoor and treadmill), strength training (weights or bodyweight), elliptical, indoor cycling, stairclimber, stretching, yoga, Pilates, and mindfulness meditation.

RELATED: Exercise and Mental Health

GGR product tester Amana Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, gives Aaptiv a 4-out-of-5-star rating for variety, saying, “There’s a lot to do in this app.”

Using Aaptiv gives you unlimited access to 8,000 workouts and tons of structured programs. While the app offers a ton of variety, Amanda notes that it might not work for everyone as you begin to progress. “I think most people would be pleased with Aaptiv for a while, a year or more,” she says. 

But, when it comes to progressive overload, Aaptiv earns a 3-out-of-5-star rating. The principles of progressive overload are present in the app’s training plans, but Amanda notes, “The app offers basic progression. Most programs are just four to six weeks, so not really enough time to see big results for most folks, but would absolutely work for a beginner,” she says. 

RELATED: 6-Week Beginner Workout Plan

Additionally, Aaptiv is particularly well-designed for beginners because most workouts feature video tutorials with on-screen animation with a voiceover for every exercise. You’ll have the chance to watch and listen to the movement cues a few times before starting a new workout. I personally think moving at your own pace and watching videos multiple times will benefit you over fast-paced on-demand or live classes (however, there are on-demand classes in this app, too). 

Plus, you can use the app’s audio-based instruction to help you move through the exercise in real-time. 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. Overall, Aaptiv earns a 4-out-of-5-star rating for instruction. 

Lastly, the app offers a seven-day free trial period, and the membership is reasonably priced at $14.99 per month. Amanda even notes, “This is easily the best value out of all the apps I tried.”

MapMyFitness is one of the best running apps we’ve tested, and you can get it for an affordable price of $5.99 per month for the premium version. It’s a little different than a strength training app that provides instruction and coaching, but the data it offers gives you fantastic insight into how you’re progressing over time. 

MapMyFitness offers route tracking (which is always available on the free-forever version of this app) in addition to custom interval workouts, cadence analysis, custom split data, audio coaching, power analysis, and heart rate analysis (available on the premium version). Your running workout data can also be exported to any additional fitness trackers or health apps you utilize.  

GGR product tester and endurance athlete Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1 says if she didn’t have so much data already stored on Strava, she’d totally switch to MapMyFitness. “It’s the best GPS app out of all the ones I’ve tried,” she says. 

When it comes to setting up the app and the ease of use, Amanda gives both categories a 5-out-of-5-star rating. “It’s super simple and quick to set up the app,” she says. 

“It syncs easily to other apps and devices including Garmin, Apple Watch, MyFitnessPal, and Under Armour connected footwear to name a few,” Amanda says. “It also sports a clean interface that is easy to navigate and find what you want.”

RELATED: Best Running Apps

While we really like MapMyFitness for running overall, we like Joggo for runners who have a goal of completing their first long-distance race, whether that be a 5k or a marathon. 

This is because Joggo is essentially a digital running coach, providing a 4-out-5 rating for Value. It is on the pricier side at $33 per month—high for a workout app, which earns it a 2 out of 5 in this category—but we think that for someone with a goal to cross that finish line, Joggo is worth it.

Not only do you get a personalized training plan that adapts to your progress, you’ll also get a library of resources on running, recovery, nutrition, and more, plus audio cues during your run that encourage you and remind you to focus on form and breath work. Because of this, we gave Joggo a 3.75 out of 5 in Instruction. One of our testers, CPT Amanda Capritto, is a seasoned runner and found the audio cues a bit annoying, but our other tester, GGR head of content and CPT Nicole Davis, liked them and found them helpful.

Nicole is just getting back into running. After completing her assessment run, Joggo placed her at the Advancing Jogger level, and she got a half-marathon training plan complete with strength workouts to do on off days (in Nicole’s opinion these are nothing to write home about, but it’s a nice bonus-add for beginners, many of whom will neglect strength training altogether and focus just on running).

For Accountability, Joggo earned a 3-out-of-5 rating, as you can get push notifications and earn running streaks if you complete all of your workouts for the week, but with no community aspect or live coach, Joggo earned a 1 out of 5 for Interactive Features.

One thing Nicole didn’t like about Joggo was the emphasis it placed on running for weight loss. For some people, that’s not their goal when they set out on a running journey; and for those who do have that goal, Nicole cautions that tying cardio exercise directly to calorie burn is not an effective long-term strategy.

“All in all, I think Joggo is a good option for someone new to running who needs the guidance of an affordable running coach to finish a race,” Nicole explains. “However, the weight loss component turned me off.”

The Nike Training Club app isn’t perfect, but it’s 100% free and offers a low-stakes starting point if you’re new to exercise. You’ll be able to build muscle and aid weight loss from the comfort of your own home or in a commercial gym as you follow along with instructor-led workouts. 

RELATED: Best Weight Loss Apps

The reason I say it’s not perfect is because there is no fitness assessment or questionnaire to help personalize your workouts. Plus, it’s also only compatible for iPhone users with iOS 16.0 or later.

However, you’ll be able to filter workouts based on training style, equipment available, or workout duration. GGR expert product tester Amanda Capritto says it’s user-friendly, which will be helpful for beginners. 

“It’s easy to navigate the workouts, blog articles, recipe and meal plan ideas, and a motivational social media-style feed,” says Amanda. Overall, Amanda rates Nike Training Club a 5-out-of-5-star rating for both getting started and ease of use. 

So, if you’re on a tight budget and you need an app that will help you get your heart rate up, Nike Training Club could be the ideal solution. It offers hundreds of on-demand, trainer-led workouts for strength training, HIIT, yoga, and Pilates. You can also find mindfulness sessions, stretching, and mobility. 

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You may also like knowing that Amanda enjoyed the trainers and on-screen instruction during her test workouts. “NTC offers better instructions than most download-and-stream fitness apps—plus, it’s free,” says Amanda. She gave NTC a 5-star rating for instruction. 

Peloton is a popular home workout app—and for good reason—offering variety, high-quality instruction, and live workouts with ultra-peppy trainers. Using the app is easy, and you’ll be able to filter your search based on your training style, duration, instructor, or music genre and playlists. 

Between excellent instruction and fan-favorite music, GGR product tester Caroline Lubinksy says Peloton is hard to beat for live classes. She describes her workout experience in detail in the Peloton app review. 

Plus, live workouts may provide additional motivation for newbies. It helps knowing you’re not the only one sweating, working hard, and pushing yourself in that moment. Caroline gives Peloton a 4.5-out-of-star rating for instruction, saying, “The instruction and trainers are top-notch—you’ll work hard and get adequate time to catch your breath.”

Peloton is available to download through Google Play for Android devices and the App Store for Apple devices. It’s also available on Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku TV. Plus, Peloton is accessible on the Peloton Tread, Tread+, Bike, Bike+, and Guide. 

While the Peloton app is similar to iFIT with a heavy focus on cardio (and cardio machine-based workouts), there is still a huge selection of off-machine style training, including strength training, yoga, Pilates, barre, and more. 

RELATED: Peloton vs iFIT

The iFIT app is an excellent choice for beginners who want to focus on cardio training. The app can be used for machine-based workouts on ellipticals, rowers, exercise bikes, and treadmills (like one of the best NordicTrack treadmills) or used as a stand-alone app without a machine. 

GGR product tester and senior editor Erin Chancer uses iFIT (and her NordicTrack S22i) on a weekly basis. Erins finds her continuing experience with iFIT enjoyable and easy to find what she wants, which she understands is important for a beginner new to cardio workouts. 

“I tend to choose rides that fall around 25 to 30 minutes,” says Erin. “But, at first, I was all about the locations when choosing which workouts I wanted to try, but soon found that the type of workout—such as endurance or intervals—was the better determining factor for me.”

However, when it comes to app set up, Erin experienced a bit of trouble during the initial set up process with her S22i bike. She also experiences an occasional crash in the app. For that reason, iFIT earns a 4-out-of-5-star rating when it comes to ease of use and a 3.5-star rating for the set up process. 

Not only that, there is a ton of variety with iFIT, earning it a 5-star rating for this category. You’ll have access to machine-specific workouts and strength training, circuit training, yoga, and Pilates. In our original iFIT reviews, the app featured more than 16,000 on-demand workouts, with tons of new options added since then. Plus, you’ll also be able to choose from studio-style workouts, instructor-led outdoor workouts, and self-led scenic outdoor workouts.