10 Best Fitness and Exercise Apps

top noun Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes

During a workout, if you’re wearing one of the best Apple Watches, you’ll be able to see stats from your watch on the screen. When it first launched, you had to have a Watch to use Fitness Plus, but Apple removed the restriction in 2022. Why you can trust Tom’s GuideOur writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. Exercising with the help of an app may be just what you need to stay accountable and get results. “That bothers me because it usually means I have to shortcut prescribed workout regimens, and I don’t like to take ‘the easy way out’; I’d much rather have a modified routine,” Currin said.

It’s also worth noting that individual preferences play a role as well. Using the app is free, but additional features are unlocked with a premium subscription for $39 annually. Taking pictures of meals may help people keep track of portion sizes more accurately and observe trends in their dietary intake, both of which help promote weight loss, though overall, the research is mixed. Plus, no foods are off limits with WeightWatchers, which uses a points system that’s based on nutrient content and calories. There’s also an extensive collection of recipes that you can search based on meal type and dietary requirements. When I first unboxed it, the square screen and thick silicone band immediately reminded me of the Fitbit Versa, and based on its comparable tracking options, I can confirm it’s a pretty solid dupe.

The first type tracks your workouts to see your progress, while the other provides workout ideas and workout regimens for you to follow. These rings aren’t meant to give you the most accurate workout training data, though. If you’re looking for a device to wear only for your workout, that will provide you with training insights, you are going to one to go for a fitness tracker designed for that situation. If you are going to wear it during your runs or lifts, for those workouts specifically, you may want a wrist or torso tracker. The workout tracking feature also offers lots of options (including, e.g., Pilates and tennis)—though for many workouts, calorie count defaults to the equivalent of a brisk walk. For runs, it marks both mile splits and lets you mark laps manually, as well as tracking heart rate and pace.

top fitness apps for goal tracking

JEFIT Workout Tracker

It features a fairly decent seven-minute workout selection with no equipment required. The app also includes 200 exercises and the ability to do multiple seven-minute circuits at a time. MyFitnessPal is another all-in-one solution for fitness and exercise. That includes tracking your exercise, providing you with workout routines, helping you count calories (with support for various diets), and integrating with over 50 other workout devices and apps.

What is the most effective weight loss app?

top fitness apps for goal tracking

I don’t have an exercise bar, but I used a set of the best adjustable dumbbells and still got a great workout. Although there are plenty of sessions that can help you build substantial muscle, we were impressed at the variety available through Centr. There are beginner-friendly workouts, high-intensity cardio sessions, and gym-based weights sessions, but the primary focus is on helping you hit your goals, whatever they are. JEFIT’s feature-rich environment is especially appealing to users serious about training.

After downloading the app, you’ll get customized workout suggestions based on the results of a quick quiz. Many of the apps on this list play nicely together, too, with the likes of Fitbod and Fitbit Premium able to pull data from Google and Apple. It’s ideal for lapsed runners and newcomers, too, with an audio prompter for helping you pick up the pace, but experienced runners will love the more detailed running metrics offered here, too. Every week you also get a message from your coach, where they give you tips on factors such as technique and mobility.

Crafted from lightweight titanium and available in three finishes, if you already use a Samsung Galaxy phone or smartwatch the integration takes no effort. At $149.99/year, it’s easily the most expensive app I tested—twice the price of Strava. I can totally see the price being worth it, though, especially if you have a home gym or a cheap gym membership. Gymverse basically takes the place of a personal trainer—so if you need a lot of guidance, it could be well worth the price. Based on which you choose, the app will put together a running program for you.

  • What began as a fitness goal for Sussie has now become a lifestyle she truly loves.
  • However, she mentioned that data privacy concerns are something to keep in mind when deciding which activities to keep private and whether to start and end your activities at your home.
  • Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels is no stranger to helping people lose weight.
  • No matter your fitness level or workout style, there’s an app here for you.
  • However—and this is a big however—to make the most of the app, you do need an Apple Watch, which comes with a hefty price tag.
  • And staying fit is hard enough; your fitness app should make it easier, not more complicated.

Its killer feature, however, is the Daily Readiness Score which helps pool all of your data into a single figure that shows just how fatigued you are, and whether you need to take a rest or not. Noom is a sleeper weight loss and diet app that uses personalized programs and psychology to not only track your food and log calories, but also change your behavior and thinking around food. I’ve used Push for well over a year as my go-to daily workout companion.

Coach.me – Best for Live Coaching Access

Starting a new fitness challenge, program, or routine can be really daunting, especially for first-timers. If you own a smartphone, however, there are a ton free workout plans app of great apps out there that can really help you get on top of your fitness goals for 2025. Either way, starting out with one of the best fitness apps can be one of the best ways to help your fitness goals. While bullet journaling is great and printed habit trackers are so fun to fill out, habit-tracking apps are so effective! These aesthetically pleasing habit-tracking apps live on your phone, helpfully reminding you with notifications and motivational messages to meet your goals.

Leap Fitness Home Workout

For extra motivation, it’s super easy to sync the watch to the brand’s app, which is available for both Android and Apple users. The app provided a snapshot of my activity levels, making me feel proud of what I’d accomplished and spurring me on to do more. Charity Miles lets you donate money to the charity of your choice based on how much you walk, run, or even bike. The free step counter app syncs steps with your phone’s Health Kit or Strava, an app for running and cycling. Some of the charities you can donate to are the ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and She’s the First, to name a few. We’d recommend this polished app to anyone seeking a new challenge from both home and gym workouts, or in need of an extra push to hit their health goals.

Pricing guide for monthly subscription

Throughout the day, check back for real-time notifications when your group meets their goals for the day, like drinking water, walking, and eating vegetables. It’s perfect for those with a competitive streak or those who want to encourage their besties to live their best lives, too. There is a free version of the app, but you can upgrade for additional features for $9.99 per month or $69.99 annually.

Who should not use weight loss apps?

MyFitnessPal is one of the best weight loss apps and fitness apps, helping nearly 1 million members reach their nutrition and fitness goals every year. Members use it as a calories tracker and calorie counter to log their foods, and take advantage of the app’s food database that contains over 20 million foods. It’s not just a free calorie counter app — it’s also the best calorie counter app for people who are looking to take back control of their health and fitness. Whether you are trying to lose, manage, or gain weight, a health and fitness app can help you achieve your health goals.

START YOUR 1-DAY FREE TRIAL

It’s not perfect, but for a free app, there’s plenty to keep you moving here. If you’re seeking better consistency and gym motivation, these apps can be key allies. BetterMe is a wellness platform for all genders that offers a little bit of everything in a very approachable manner. Unique to Studio Bloom, the app teaches diaphragmatic breathing as the foundation of every exercise. It also offers free consults with in-house pelvic floor therapists after both vaginal and cesarean births. You can browse the 250-plus workouts by body part, equipment needed, or desired class length (5 to 30 minutes) to get started.

Yes. You can change your life with ISSA.

I would say it’s much more of a smart ring for beginners looking to save a few hundred dollars while getting something that is generally useful and looks good on the finger. To go a little deeper, the app is functional, though not especially polished, and some might miss the granularity offered by more premium competitors. Still, for the price—just under $200—the Helio Ring offers a step into smart rings, especially for anyone prioritizing affordability and comfort. I tested it again, this time using the Runkeeper app on my Apple Watch. Outdoor mode also offered more of the metrics I would expect from an app called Runkeeper, so if you mostly run outside (or have an Apple Watch), it can work well.

How to choose the best workout app

Apple Fitness sets the same daily goal for you, regardless of how well you slept or how hard you worked out the day before. It’ll prompt you to adjust this set daily goal once per week, but it’s ultimately a fitness app—not a recovery app. If you’re overwhelmed by the number of fitness apps on the market, you’re not alone. There are seemingly a bajillion fitness apps available, and from logging your personal bests to tracking your pickleball wins, each has its own niche.

top noun Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes

During a workout, if you’re wearing one of the best Apple Watches, you’ll be able to see stats from your watch on the screen. When it first launched, you had to have a Watch to use Fitness Plus, but Apple removed the restriction in 2022. Why you can trust Tom’s GuideOur writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. Exercising with the help of an app may be just what you need to stay accountable and get results. “That bothers me because it usually means I have to shortcut prescribed workout regimens, and I don’t like to take ‘the easy way out’; I’d much rather have a modified routine,” Currin said.

It’s also worth noting that individual preferences play a role as well. Using the app is free, but additional features are unlocked with a premium subscription for $39 annually. Taking pictures of meals may help people keep track of portion sizes more accurately and observe trends in their dietary intake, both of which help promote weight loss, though overall, the research is mixed. Plus, no foods are off limits with WeightWatchers, which uses a points system that’s based on nutrient content and calories. There’s also an extensive collection of recipes that you can search based on meal type and dietary requirements. When I first unboxed it, the square screen and thick silicone band immediately reminded me of the Fitbit Versa, and based on its comparable tracking options, I can confirm it’s a pretty solid dupe.

The first type tracks your workouts to see your progress, while the other provides workout ideas and workout regimens for you to follow. These rings aren’t meant to give you the most accurate workout training data, though. If you’re looking for a device to wear only for your workout, that will provide you with training insights, you are going to one to go for a fitness tracker designed for that situation. If you are going to wear it during your runs or lifts, for those workouts specifically, you may want a wrist or torso tracker. The workout tracking feature also offers lots of options (including, e.g., Pilates and tennis)—though for many workouts, calorie count defaults to the equivalent of a brisk walk. For runs, it marks both mile splits and lets you mark laps manually, as well as tracking heart rate and pace.

top fitness apps for goal tracking

JEFIT Workout Tracker

It features a fairly decent seven-minute workout selection with no equipment required. The app also includes 200 exercises and the ability to do multiple seven-minute circuits at a time. MyFitnessPal is another all-in-one solution for fitness and exercise. That includes tracking your exercise, providing you with workout routines, helping you count calories (with support for various diets), and integrating with over 50 other workout devices and apps.

What is the most effective weight loss app?

top fitness apps for goal tracking

I don’t have an exercise bar, but I used a set of the best adjustable dumbbells and still got a great workout. Although there are plenty of sessions that can help you build substantial muscle, we were impressed at the variety available through Centr. There are beginner-friendly workouts, high-intensity cardio sessions, and gym-based weights sessions, but the primary focus is on helping you hit your goals, whatever they are. JEFIT’s feature-rich environment is especially appealing to users serious about training.

After downloading the app, you’ll get customized workout suggestions based on the results of a quick quiz. Many of the apps on this list play nicely together, too, with the likes of Fitbod and Fitbit Premium able to pull data from Google and Apple. It’s ideal for lapsed runners and newcomers, too, with an audio prompter for helping you pick up the pace, but experienced runners will love the more detailed running metrics offered here, too. Every week you also get a message from your coach, where they give you tips on factors such as technique and mobility.

Crafted from lightweight titanium and available in three finishes, if you already use a Samsung Galaxy phone or smartwatch the integration takes no effort. At $149.99/year, it’s easily the most expensive app I tested—twice the price of Strava. I can totally see the price being worth it, though, especially if you have a home gym or a cheap gym membership. Gymverse basically takes the place of a personal trainer—so if you need a lot of guidance, it could be well worth the price. Based on which you choose, the app will put together a running program for you.

  • What began as a fitness goal for Sussie has now become a lifestyle she truly loves.
  • However, she mentioned that data privacy concerns are something to keep in mind when deciding which activities to keep private and whether to start and end your activities at your home.
  • Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels is no stranger to helping people lose weight.
  • No matter your fitness level or workout style, there’s an app here for you.
  • However—and this is a big however—to make the most of the app, you do need an Apple Watch, which comes with a hefty price tag.
  • And staying fit is hard enough; your fitness app should make it easier, not more complicated.

Its killer feature, however, is the Daily Readiness Score which helps pool all of your data into a single figure that shows just how fatigued you are, and whether you need to take a rest or not. Noom is a sleeper weight loss and diet app that uses personalized programs and psychology to not only track your food and log calories, but also change your behavior and thinking around food. I’ve used Push for well over a year as my go-to daily workout companion.

Coach.me – Best for Live Coaching Access

Starting a new fitness challenge, program, or routine can be really daunting, especially for first-timers. If you own a smartphone, however, there are a ton free workout plans app of great apps out there that can really help you get on top of your fitness goals for 2025. Either way, starting out with one of the best fitness apps can be one of the best ways to help your fitness goals. While bullet journaling is great and printed habit trackers are so fun to fill out, habit-tracking apps are so effective! These aesthetically pleasing habit-tracking apps live on your phone, helpfully reminding you with notifications and motivational messages to meet your goals.

Leap Fitness Home Workout

For extra motivation, it’s super easy to sync the watch to the brand’s app, which is available for both Android and Apple users. The app provided a snapshot of my activity levels, making me feel proud of what I’d accomplished and spurring me on to do more. Charity Miles lets you donate money to the charity of your choice based on how much you walk, run, or even bike. The free step counter app syncs steps with your phone’s Health Kit or Strava, an app for running and cycling. Some of the charities you can donate to are the ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and She’s the First, to name a few. We’d recommend this polished app to anyone seeking a new challenge from both home and gym workouts, or in need of an extra push to hit their health goals.

Pricing guide for monthly subscription

Throughout the day, check back for real-time notifications when your group meets their goals for the day, like drinking water, walking, and eating vegetables. It’s perfect for those with a competitive streak or those who want to encourage their besties to live their best lives, too. There is a free version of the app, but you can upgrade for additional features for $9.99 per month or $69.99 annually.

Who should not use weight loss apps?

MyFitnessPal is one of the best weight loss apps and fitness apps, helping nearly 1 million members reach their nutrition and fitness goals every year. Members use it as a calories tracker and calorie counter to log their foods, and take advantage of the app’s food database that contains over 20 million foods. It’s not just a free calorie counter app — it’s also the best calorie counter app for people who are looking to take back control of their health and fitness. Whether you are trying to lose, manage, or gain weight, a health and fitness app can help you achieve your health goals.

START YOUR 1-DAY FREE TRIAL

It’s not perfect, but for a free app, there’s plenty to keep you moving here. If you’re seeking better consistency and gym motivation, these apps can be key allies. BetterMe is a wellness platform for all genders that offers a little bit of everything in a very approachable manner. Unique to Studio Bloom, the app teaches diaphragmatic breathing as the foundation of every exercise. It also offers free consults with in-house pelvic floor therapists after both vaginal and cesarean births. You can browse the 250-plus workouts by body part, equipment needed, or desired class length (5 to 30 minutes) to get started.

Yes. You can change your life with ISSA.

I would say it’s much more of a smart ring for beginners looking to save a few hundred dollars while getting something that is generally useful and looks good on the finger. To go a little deeper, the app is functional, though not especially polished, and some might miss the granularity offered by more premium competitors. Still, for the price—just under $200—the Helio Ring offers a step into smart rings, especially for anyone prioritizing affordability and comfort. I tested it again, this time using the Runkeeper app on my Apple Watch. Outdoor mode also offered more of the metrics I would expect from an app called Runkeeper, so if you mostly run outside (or have an Apple Watch), it can work well.

How to choose the best workout app

Apple Fitness sets the same daily goal for you, regardless of how well you slept or how hard you worked out the day before. It’ll prompt you to adjust this set daily goal once per week, but it’s ultimately a fitness app—not a recovery app. If you’re overwhelmed by the number of fitness apps on the market, you’re not alone. There are seemingly a bajillion fitness apps available, and from logging your personal bests to tracking your pickleball wins, each has its own niche.