Best Workout Apps (2024): More Than 50 Classes Tested by Personal Trainers

The Caliber app earns the top spot on our best workout apps roundup because it offers something for everyone. There is a robust free-forever version and two paid options that grant you access to either group coaching ($19 per month) or a fully customized one-on-one coaching program (starting at $200 per month).

The free version of the Caliber app is ad-free and features the full exercise library of over 500 movements. Each exercise features a demonstration video, step-by-step written instructions, and the ability to log your weights and reps (and access your history at any point). This alone is an incredible value (and you can even build your own workouts in this app). 

Caliber Pro offers group coaching for $19 per month and provides a few different tracks to choose from including programs for beginners, intermediate, and advanced exercisers. Plus a program for weight loss and a bodyweight-only routine.  

Caliber Premium is one-on-one personal training, which starts at $200 per month. While that is not cheap, when you compare that to working with a coach in-person, you’ll spend less and get more communication from your coach and 24-hour access to your program from the app. Coaching includes custom strength and conditioning programs, plus help with nutrition, sleep, hydration, and mobility. 

In comparison, a one-hour session with a personal trainer can run you anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour depending on where you live. For that reason, Caliber earns a 5-out-of-5-star rating for the value category. 

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With the one-on-one training option a coach will develop a customized training program based on what equipment you have available at home (or at your local gym). Caliber is geared toward resistance training and the website notes that most subscribers use the app at commercial gyms. 

However, with the group coaching option (Caliber Pro), our tester and leader reviewer for Garage Gym Reviews Everything Lindsay Scheele notes that there are bodyweight, dumbbell, and barbell progressions for most movements. Both the paid and free versions earn a 5-out-of-5-star rating for equipment demands. 

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GGR writer and product tester Amanda Capritto used Caliber Premium to work with a coach for a customized strength training routine. She reports working with her coach and using the app is easy and she appreciates the fact there are demonstration videos for every exercise assigned to your program. We have more details about both tester’s experiences in our Caliber App review.

Amanda just has one callout that the instructional videos do not always load. “Other than that, I don’t have any complaints,” she says. And for this reason, caliber earns a 4-out-of-5-star rating for ease of use on the app. She also notes the app syncs with the Apple Watch but not apps like Garmin, Fitbit, or Strava, and she found it a bit frustrating to manually enter workout data later. 

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If you are curious about personal training, the Future app is the next-best option to working with a coach in-person. You’ll be able to use the online personal trainer app to find a coach by sorting through coaching styles (high-energy, laidback, detail-oriented, etc.), coaching expertise (adaptive exercise, bodybuilding, injury prevention, etc.), or sport-specific coaches (football, hockey, winter sports, etc.). You’ll also have the opportunity to change coaches if needed.

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And because you’ll be working with an actual coach, you’ll have the accountability from a human, not just an app. For this reason, Future earns a 5-out-of-5-star rating for accountability.

GGR expert product tester Logan Block reports his coach, Layne, is personable and energetic. “Layne does a great job of checking in on training and rest days. He also took my feedback into account when designing workouts going forward,” says Logan. 

Kate Meier, GGR head of content and product tester, says her coach is fantastic about daily check-ins and gathering feedback. Kate also likes the fact the Future app pairs with her Apple Watch. “Seeing my fitness rings on my Apple Watch worked really well for me in terms of keeping me on track with my workouts,” says Kate. 

Additionally, Future has an incredible user interface which we talk about in detail in our Future App review. “Future is well-designed and intuitive,” Logan says. “I really think the ease with which you can communicate with your trainer and how clean everything operates is what sets this app apart.”

Future earns a 4.5-out of-5-star rating for ease of use. “It’s user-friendly, with good audio and visual cues to keep you moving through the workout without more effort on your part,” notes Logan. 

Kate also reports it’s easy to move through the workout on your Apple Watch, too. “I’m able to tap a button on my watch instead of having to get my phone out—that is super convenient,” she says. 

CENTR is a fitness app designed by famous actor Chris Hemsworth, also known as his character Thor in the Marvel movies, and while it’s focused on strength there are numerous yoga classes that our expert product testers have come to love. The four-week yoga and pilates program follows the same principles as the app’s strength classes, starting you off easy and progressing as the class continues.

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While your Thor-like goals may have to be put on pause, CENTR stands out to our expert product testers because it has a holistic style of coaching. 

“This app can schedule your workouts, help you with meal plans, and generates a shopping list for you based on your planned meals,” says Brittany Combs, GGR social media manager and expert product tester. “It also has a logbook for you to track your progress.” 

Brittany not only appreciates this holistic and personalized approach, she also appreciates the fact CENTR offers progressive overload principles, and gives the app a 5-out-of-5-star rating in this category. She notes the workouts programs are thoughtfully designed, offering progressions each week and the ability to choose from different tracks including beginner, intermediate, and advanced options. 

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CENTR is focused on strength training and will require some equipment, but there are bodyweight options as well. Overall Brittany gives CENTR a 3-out-of-5-star rating for equipment demands. 

“The app has a section where you can check boxes on which pieces of equipment you have access to and then filter workouts that way,” she explains. “There are also several body weight programs, home gym programs, and commercial gym programs.” 

For more on CENTR, read our full CENTR review.

Sweat is a workout app designed by women for women that’s been downloaded millions of times. In addition to the classic strength training, pilates, and yoga programs there are also classes specifically designed for women who are pregnant or postpartum.

Erin Chancer, GGR editor and a certified nutrition coach, says the app is easy to use. “You can connect to a program and track it on a digital calendar using the Planner tab,” she says. “It’s also easy to follow along ensuring the workouts and pause as needed.” You can also sync it with your Apple Health app to track your daily steps and water intake.

It also comes with a Food tab that suggests healthy recipes and provides a virtual shopping list for each meal. For those reasons, we’ll rate the app’s ease of use a 4.5 out of 5.

Erin says the app does a good job of explaining each movement by providing video demos and letting you know when it’s time to move on to the next exercise. “The majority of the workouts I completed were triset or circuit-based, so this was especially helpful,” Erin says. “The app also allows you to start the next section after a rest period rather than automatically starting.” We rated the app’s instruction a 4 out of 5.

The main trainer, Kayla Itsines, is Australian and uses different names for exercises than what we’re used to in the States. “Same with the suggested foods,” Erin adds.

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There’s no real “accountability” feature, though you can share post-workout shots with the Sweat logo to your social media after each session. “You can also share your milestone badges as you collect them,” Erin adds. We rate the accountability a 3 out of 5.

Hop on to one of the best exercise bikes and you’re highly likely to find Zwift, an app that creates virtual cycling races that pit your avatar against riders from around the world. The goal of this cycling app is simple: pedal the fastest to climb the leaderboard. The harder you pedal in real life, the faster your avatar goes on the screen.

Gamified workout experiences may seem silly at first, but research has found that the competitive nature of these races make people more motivated and make it more likely that they’ll stick to their exercise routine.

Zwift releases a monthly calendar with classes/courses in each of its 11 virtual worlds, but you can also schedule races against friends by using the Zwift companion app (included in your monthly subscription). Zwift Companion also lets you send messages to your friends and join clubs based on your fitness level and preferences.

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To be clear, there are no instructors or live workout classes in the Zwift app.

While it can certainly be used by women, the SHRED app is our pick for the best workout app for men because it contains high-quality strength training programs and acts as a virtual personal trainer at a fraction of the cost.

After entering in some basic information about your height, weight, fitness history and goals, and training style, the app allows you to select from dozens of programs designed and led by world-class athletes. Anthony O’Reilly, a certified personal trainer and GGR performance editor, has been following the Shred7 program, a daily 7-minute high-intensity interval training program.

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“The instructor, Adam Summer, is very energetic and while it’s a grueling 7 minutes, you’re done with the workout in what seems like no time,” says Anthony, who rated the instruction a 5 out of 5 in his Shred App review. “I especially love that Adam gives pointers throughout the class. It makes it seem much more accessible than other workout apps.”

As you progress through your program, SHRED uses artificial intelligence to customize the training program to your needs based on your performance and feedback. You’ll have to grant the app access to your camera so it can track and rate your performance.

Nike offers a free strength-based training app that reduces the barrier of entry for weight-based workouts at home or in a commercial gym. A free training program may have the power to free your mind of any woes about designing an effective workout for yourself and worry about more pressing matters (like what you’re going to have for dinner). 

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Amanda Capritto, GGR writer, product tester, and certified personal trainer, tested the Nike Training Club app, and you can read about her comprehensive experience with it in our Nike Training Club review. Here are the Cliffs notes.

Prior to 2020, the app had both free and premium versions, but since the pandemic, Nike made the entire workout library free to use. The app is also easy to download from the Apple app store or Google Play. 

When it comes to value, this free app earns a 5-star rating. “It’s an unbeatable value,” says Amanda. “The NTC app has on-demand and live classes as well as periodized programming for a variety of goals and workout types. All of the instructors are certified and most are specialists. You don’t see this kind of value in a free app almost ever,” Amanda explains. 

However, if you’re looking for accountability, this free app probably won’t make the cut. “You can download it on your phone, but no one is gonna make you use it,” says Amanda. However, she does note that the app can send you notifications if you enable them in your settings and you can join programs or challenges. Overall, Amanda gives Nike Training Club a 3.5-star-rating for accountability. 

If you’re limited on equipment or new to strength training, Nike Training Club has you covered with a number of bodyweight-only workouts. “However, when you compare it to the entire workout library, the bodyweight workouts are a small fragment,” says Amanda. 

Amanda gives NTC a 4-out-of-5-star rating for equipment demands, noting that you’ll need equipment for the majority of workouts, but you can filter workouts by what type of equipment you have available. 

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JuggernautAI is a powerlifting program generated by artificial intelligence. You won’t work with a coach or personal trainer, but rather input information about yourself (like your previous workout experience, personal records, your recovery habits, and weak points to name a few) into the app and allow AI to create a personalized powerlifting program based on your stats. 

JuggernautAI is not just designed with your stats in mind, it’s designed to help you move the needle on your strength. “While artificial intelligence programs your workouts, it’s completely based on the principles of progressive overload,” explains Amanda Capritto, GGR product tester, writer, and certified personal trainer who used JuggernautAI for over a year. 

The program is centered around getting stronger and improving the big three lifts (squat, bench, and deadlift). If you’re not interested in powerlifting (or powerbuilding—a combination of bodybuilding-style training and powerlifting), this will not be the best workout app for you. 

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You’ll be challenged to lift heavier weights, increase range of motion, complete more sets, and add more repetitions. In the progressive overload category, this app earns a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating. 

Because this is a powerlifting program, it may not be a surprise that you’ll need a squat rack, bench, barbell, and weight plates to complete your workouts. It will also be helpful to have access to dumbbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands. 

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Although more equipment is needed than other apps we reviewed, Amanda still gives JuggernautAI a 4-out-of-5-star rating for equipment demands. “You can swap in exercises each day or for an entire block based on what you have handy,” she explains. 

“For instance, I normally work out in my home gym, where I have limited dumbbells and kettlebells. But if I decide to do a Juggernaut workout at the CrossFit gym I go to twice a week, I can swap in a different move I might not normally do because of equipment restraints,” says Amanda. 

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Read Amanda’s full JuggernautAI review for all of her thoughts. 

The Aaptiv fitness app is our top pick for beginners because it doesn’t just offer quality workouts, it can also help you stay accountable and has a reasonable monthly subscription fee. 

We also picked Aaptiv for beginners because the programming on a macro-level won’t be adequate for intermediate or advanced exercisers. However, Aaptiv is a great starting point and tester Amanda Capritto, GGR writer and CPT gives the app a 3-out-of-5-star rating for using progressive overload principles. 

“There are decent progressions in the programs, but it’s all pretty basic and you won’t see all the progression principles being used. It will certainly suffice for a beginner. Most programs are only about four to six weeks, so it’s not quite enough time to see big results, especially if you have training experience under your belt,” says Amanda. 

When it comes to equipment demands, the app earns a 5-out-of-5-star rating from Amanda with a wide selection of bodyweight and weight training workouts. Amanda appreciates that there is a way to filter by equipment in order to choose a workout. Plus, there is a selection of running and walking workouts you can do outside. Aaptiv has something for everyone including cardio, HIIT, full-body strength training, yoga, pilates, and mobility. 

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Amanda gives Aaptiv a 4-out-of-5-star rating for accountability. She notes there is a supportive online community, challenges you can join, and the ability to add your workout program to your calendar. When you use the calendar option, your workouts come up as appointments with calendar reminders, which is ideal for anyone establishing a routine. 

Check out our full Aaptiv fitness app review for more information.

The Peloton app is a popular option for anyone who owns a cardio machine from Peloton, but it’s not necessary to own a Peloton brand machine—you can use the app on its own, too. The app features some of the most peppy, motivating, and upbeat instructors you’ll experience and that’s why our team agrees Peloton is the best workout app if you’re seeking high levels of enthusiasm from fitness instructors. 

Certified CrossFit instructor and expert product tester Caroline Lubinsky gives Peloton a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating in the instruction category. Not only are instructors filmed in high-quality studios with super crisp audio, the instructors lead you through the workout and provide demonstrations in real-time. 

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Whether you’re participating in a yoga class, treadmill bootcamp, or strength training session, instructors provide adequate rest, enough time to change weights or resistance, and encourage you to stick through all the physically tough moments. 

Caroline also appreciates the fact you can filter workouts by instructors. “After a few weeks of using Peloton, I knew who my favorite instructors were: Robin Arzón, Jess Sims, and Becs Gentry. Each has their own unique style that helps me push myself to perform better.” 

“The filters make the experience more customizable. Plus, it’s super user-friendly,” says Caroline. Not only can you filter your workouts by instructor, you can also search workouts based on workout duration, type of class, difficulty level, and music.” 

Speaking of music, the app even offers artist-based workouts to curate workout playlists based on your favorite artists. You’ll be able to find everything from Metallica to Taylor Swift. 

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If you’re looking for a bit of help with your home workouts, Ladder is a top choice. GGR Head of Content and certified personal trainer Nicole Davis has used Ladder for months now, and continues to do so. She remarks, “I’ve had my hands on tons of fitness stuff throughout the years, and I fully believe that if your goal is to get stronger, then Ladder has unbeatable value for you.”

She rates the value a 5 out of 5; for $30 a month you get a multi-week exercise program carefully planned for you. “You’d pay hundreds to get an online plan like this from a qualified certified specialist,” Nicole adds. It’s also an intuitive app to use, as Nicole rates both the setup and ease of use a solid 5 out of 5.

Ladder is primarily a strength-training app, with certain subcategories that delve into other interests and training modes: strength mixed with yoga or pilates, HIIT, and endurance with power, for example. You’ll need some basic resistance training equipment for the strength programs, although it’ll vary depending on the series you choose. But you shouldn’t need much more than the essentials: kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, or resistance bands. Nicole rates the equipment demands a 4 out of 5.

Progressive overload is vital in a strength training app like Ladder, and it doesn’t disappoint, earning it a 5 out of 5. “This is how Ladder shines,” Nicole explains. “It’s not a random workout that you choose each day. Instead, you follow a series designed to help you gain strength in six weeks, followed by a deload week or two.”

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The app doesn’t have much variety once you dive into a program, but that’s also strength training. “That’s kind of the point, though,” Nicole says, rating the variety a 3 out of 5. “Strength training will involve a lot of the same movements and exercises, but you’ll challenge yourself by increasing the weights or reps each time.”

You can see more of Nicole’s thoughts in her full Ladder app review.