10 best workout apps, tried and tested in 2026

Making the most of physical activity apps

In LES MILLS+ workouts, you’ll find motivating coaches and good pump-up music, just as if you had gone to your local studio. “It brings the feeling of group fitness into the comfort of your own home if you’re not able to get to the gym or if maybe you’re not comfortable in the gym atmosphere,” says Beebe. You can get exclusive programs from our top-notch trainers in one place, along with routines from other all-star content from Men’s Health, Prevention, and Runner’s World. WH editors and SID trainers alike are obsessed with Ladder, which was co-founded by a WH advisory board member, Lauren Kanski, CPT. It gives you the best of both worlds with intense and effective guided workouts and personal training from actual coaches. After testing dozens of health apps IRL, our registered dietitians and fitness experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute are sharing their favorites for 2023.

How accurate are health apps?

We talk about physical health a lot, but mental health is just as important. Talkspace gives you easy access to therapists via text and video, and it’s pretty reasonably priced. Research shows that having community support during a weight loss journey can help keep you accountable and tie in a much-needed social aspect1.

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When you’re shopping, simply scan products to learn more about the ingredients in them and their health implications. If the product you scanned doesn’t fare so well, the app also offers recommendations for healthier product options. Here are some of our favorite healthy living apps that can help you achieve your fitness, nutrition and lifestyle goals.

Are there any workout apps that don’t require a subscription?

That said, Nicole notes that you may have to dig around to find what you need. “Once you get used to it, it’s easy enough; things are clearly labeled,” she adds. It doesn’t get better than this, except for being with an in-person trainer. And to be honest, this style of personal training kind of forces you to be held even more accountable because the trainer can really see what you’re doing all the time and check in with you regularly. Our tester and former lead reviewer for Garage Gym Reviews Everything, Lindsay Scheele, CPT, CNC, notes 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.

Best Free Workout App for Gym-Goers: Jefit

Moreover, the app offers daily tips to help you increase your water consumption and remain hydrated throughout the day. To make the app even more enjoyable to use, Clue features cool illustrations and photos throughout the interface, including gorgeous full-color charts. And with support for multiple devices, you can access your data from anywhere. Download Clue Period Tracker & Calendar today and discover how easy it can be to manage your period. With a variety of poses designed to alleviate tension, improve balance, strengthen muscles, stretch cramped areas, and reduce stress, Down Dog is a simple yet powerful tool you can use anytime and anywhere. You can easily follow along as each posture works to stretch and strengthen your entire body from head to toe, thanks to the user-friendly UI.

best fitness apps for active lifestyles

JEFIT Workout Plan Gym Tracker

Some apps even connect you with other users and lend a sense of community to your workouts. Apple Fitness Plus is a seamless fitness app that integrates with Apple Watch, providing real-time metrics during your workouts. The app offers a wide variety of workout classes, including strength, yoga, HIIT, and meditation, all led by professional trainers.

Nike Training Club

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.

Best workout app for women

  • A training and nutrition app is also available, but we didn’t review the diet aspect.
  • While the app is free to join, you’ll reap the most benefit by signing up for one of its subscription tiers.
  • “It brings the feeling of group fitness into the comfort of your own home if you’re not able to get to the gym or if maybe you’re not comfortable in the gym atmosphere,” says Beebe.
  • The app also offers meal plan options if you’re looking for healthy recipe ideas.
  • Fitness Online stands out as more of an all-in-one platform, rather than just a library of workout plans.
  • Freeletics is an app run with AI software, much like Runna, meaning you get a digital coach right at your fingertips for significantly less per month than you’d have to pay for a personal trainer.

The Pro (paid) version of comprehensive lifestyle app 8fit offers personalized workout plans, meal plans, recipes, and a meal log. It has a “basic” free option, but it’s very basic and seems to function mainly as a way to make you aware of the paid app. In it, you get a few decent muscle building transformation beginner workouts to do on your own but still see everything that’s available in the paid app.

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best fitness apps for active lifestyles

She’s written 14 books and hundreds of articles on fitness, wellness, nutrition, and lifestyle. Lindsay holds certifications in holistic nutrition, functional nutrition, and professional food safety, as well as a B.S. There’s also a Body Scan tool that can calculate your lean mass and body fat, data it uses to personalize your fitness plan.

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There are workout programs available on FitOn, but they’re shorter ones—about 2 to 4 weeks long. That’s not enough time to make much progress.” Also, the community feed is present and available, but basic, earning just a 3 out of 5. Still, the amount of workouts you get with this app may still be worth it. The main benefits fitness apps provide are convenience, flexibility and personalization. You can pick the length of your class, what trainer you want to work with and what exercise type or skill you want to focus on.

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