Best Expert-Tested Workout Apps and Services for 2026

The Apple Watch is really well-used here, enabling you to enter the amount of weight and number of reps for each piece of equipment – so you can track improvement as you progress. There’s also a greater focus on training plans and programs, so you can choose to start challenges and journeys that can last anything from a single week to 90 days. It;s not quite as compelling for those looking for some extra workouts to augment running or cycling.

Best Alternative Weightloss Add-Ons: Found

In addition to our personal experience and expertise, here are the main factors we used to evaluate each workout app. If you like to run outdoors, for example, you’ll likely want an app that offers location tracking. These are the workout apps that will make exercising at home a breeze. Centr is a holistic wellness app founded by Chris Hemsworth, aiming to provide a comprehensive approach to fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. With countless fitness apps available, finding the perfect one to suit your needs can be overwhelming. To help you navigate this digital fitness landscape, we’ve curated a list of top-rated apps across various categories.

Your Fitness Journey Starts with the Right App

A good place to start is by searching your App Store and seeing what free workout apps it has to offer. One for when we return to the gym, Fitbod’s strength is guiding you around the equipment. There are bodyweight and stretching exercises, but we’d hazard this isn’t playing to Fitbod’s strengths.

Fitbod Workout & Fitness Plans

Caliber is a mobile-first strength training platform designed to deliver personalized workout plans based on individual goals, experience level, and available equipment. Unlike generic fitness apps that rely solely on preloaded routines, Caliber uses principles of periodization and progressive overload to adjust workouts over time. The app supports multiple training styles—including powerlifting, hypertrophy, and general strength—with an emphasis on form education through high-quality video demonstrations. Freeletics is an AI-powered fitness coach focused on bodyweight workouts you can do anywhere. It became famous for its no-equipment HIIT routines and “Coach” feature that adapts training to your feedback.

• The workouts are high-intensity and circuit-style, meaning you go from exercise to exercise without resting.
• And critically, it collects no biometric data beyond what users manually enter in the journal.
• It will help you figure out which workout apps for men are suitable for different goals from gaining strength to improving flexibility or simply maintaining consistent home activity.
• If you have acute pain or post-rehabilitation needs, pair NTC with a physical therapist’s input—or choose a platform like Future that embeds clinical screening questions upfront.
• Many apps allow device sharing without additional fees, though progress tracking remains individual.
• Cronometer is a precision-focused nutrition tracker beloved by those who want deep nutritional data.

Best For Personal Training: Future

The app asks for age, body type, training goals, and fitness level. You can also choose where to train, at home or in the gym, and indicate the equipment available. Based on this data, the MadMuscles app creates a personalized fitness program driven by AI technology that suits your abilities.

Centr App Review – Fitness, Nutrition, and Mindfulness in One

Now you have access to various workout programs that can be done at home or in the gym, such as yoga, strength and Pilates, all taught by different women personal trainers. The app also offers meal plan options if you’re looking for healthy recipe ideas. The Nike Training Club is our pick for the best overall workout app because it’s free and offers a variety of classes, like HIIT, strength training, mobility and yoga. You can even follow a program over the course of a month and decide how often you’re looking to work out.

Best Advanced: Nike Training Club

Think about what goals you’re trying to achieve when using the app. Do you just want to get moving more often, or are there specific fitness milestones you want to hit (like running a certain speed or lifting a certain amount of weight)? Some apps let you personalize your goals or even connect with a personal trainer to help you meet them. Fiit is one of our favorite services, with top-quality videos and classes.

Finding the Best Workout App for Men: What Really Works?

There are better choices available to you, so if you’re willing to spend money on a workout app, I’d look elsewhere. If you want a personalized training program, you can upgrade to The Coach. Instead of hiring a coach or personal trainer, you can just download an app that gives you workouts, keeps you accountable, and tracks your progress. Hop on the app when you a quick, seven-minute workout, or follow a complete training program designed to help you reach your fitness goal. This app has a specially-designed system to handle that problem with an individualized plan.

Home Workout — No Equipment

She relies on systems that respond to her biology, not just her calendar. Customer service, is madmuscles a scam functionality, fitness goal choices, and app design were all much better with the Fitbod app. Read our full Fitbod review to learn more about it and if it’s right for you. Both the free version and the paid version will act as a digital personal trainer for you that travels with you – the paid version does that a bit better but the free one is good. Training and nutrition cost $3.83 a week, while only training costs $2.68 a week. You can pay $114.99 upfront for a year of training and nutrition or $74.99 for only training.

“Targeted plans, specific muscle focus, full-body—you name it, they got it,” says Savary. With NTC, she completed 92% of planned workouts but repeated the same “Upper Body Power” program twice. With Future, her coach noticed she skipped mobility work on high-stress days and added a 3-minute guided breathing protocol before every strength session.

Freeletics on Reddit

Most modern fitness apps offer complete bodyweight workouts requiring only floor space, making them perfect for small apartments or travel. Equipment-free options specialize in HIIT routines and bodyweight exercises, while apps accommodating minimal equipment work with just dumbbells or resistance bands. Daily Burn clearly marks equipment needs before each workout selection and provides bodyweight alternatives for most exercises, ensuring accessibility regardless of your home gym setup. The Alive app is SID class of 2024 trainer Gabrielle Savary’s “go-to” for strength training workouts. You can access Alive’s 100-plus daily workouts, over 10 programs, and multi-day challenges.