25 Best fitness apps to download in 2023, for home & gym workouts, running, yoga & more
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25 Best fitness apps to download in 2023, for home & gym workouts, running, yoga & more
The best fitness apps out there might just change your life. And no, we're not speaking hyperbolically. Whether you’re a regular at the squat rack or prefer to get your fitness fix at home, they can help you get strong and smash your health goals — there’s something for everyone.
You want a personalised workout created with your goals and fitness levels in mind? There's an app for that. You fancy making meditation a morning ritual? Yep, there's a virtual coach to make sure it happens. You want to track your nutrition so your macros are a match for your training? There's. An. App. For. That.
Do fitness apps work?
In a nutshell, yes. Some are like virtual PTs, providing guidance and video demonstrations to help you nail the form and technique of each exercise, saving you from pesky injuries.
The best fitness apps also add structure to your exercise routine, programming workouts, practices and rest days to optimise your training and help you hit your fitness goals.
Speaking of goals, fitness apps can work wonders when it comes to accountability. By scheduling your sessions and sending you notifications when it’s time to get a sweat on, it can be harder to ditch a workout and let Netflix’s (v dangerous) next episode feature do it’s thing.
Some apps will also ask you to set targets then track your progress (progressive overload for the win) to help you hit it. So, whether you’re after your first pull-up, more mobility or a faster 5k, look to your mobile for some added motivation.
How much should I pay for a fitness app?
Nothing’s free these days. Or is it? After you’ve downloaded your fitness app of choice, some (like the Gymshark Conditioning App and NTC Nike+ Training Club) will offer handy training resources for free.
However, most will require a monthly subscription to gain access to content such as workout libraries, training programmes, nutrition guidance and other fancy features.
The most expensive on our list will set you back around £15 a month. But, when you think you’re getting a full home or gym training programme for less than most gym memberships, it feels like a worthy investment to us.
WH Lab-Approved
If you see the WH Lab Approved badge on any of these entries, know that they’ve been put through their paces by our team of fitness experts and a panel of 60 testers — made up of everyone from occasional exercisers to avid athletes.
A total of 15 apps were reviewed by at least four testers each. They were asked to use the apps for a week or more and complete at least three different sessions, testing out all the different features available. Our panel then shared their experiences, providing candid feedback on the functionality, design, usability and performance of each one. This was used to decide which ones earned the coveted WH Lab Approved badge.
Our WH editors have also selected their go-to to complete our extensive list of the best fitness apps.
Keep reading to find out which ones are worthy of your time — including the one Jennifer Aniston swears by — and start your training today. What are you waiting for? It's literally all at your fingertips!
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1) Best fitness apps for home workouts
Fancy becoming your fittest self without trekking to the gym? We got you. These workout apps will challenge your cardio, strength and endurance from the (dis)comfort of your own home.
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2) Peloton
Best for: Motivational classes (and Insta bragging rights)
Price: Free for access to 50+ free classes, £12.99/month for access to all videos, with a limit of 3 running, cycling or rowing videos per month, or £24/month for unlimited content, onepeloton.co.uk
Peloton might be best-known for its static bikes and now the Peloton treadmill, but the brand’s app deserves a significant slice of the limelight too, having been crowned our best on test.
Testers loved the huge choice of workouts available, from strength sessions to yoga to meditation, and found it easy to filter classes on the app by duration and difficulty to find the right one for them. Our team also said they were persuaded to push beyond their usual limits during each session thanks to motivational instructors, who helped keep their form in check with non-stop helpful pointers — though some testers found them a tad too intense for their liking.
Workout stats from each session are clearly presented after each class, helping you keep track of progress and take screenshots to share on Insta for ultimate bragging rights.
Now, the app also has a 'Gym' offering, featuring non-video, step-by-step gym workout plans built by the brand's elite instructors, designed to be completed in any gym setting, using both free weights and gym machines. As you progress through each workout, a timer appears on screen with a swipe to complete once you finish each move, with demos of each move appearing for every exercise.
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.
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3) Le Sweat TV
Best for: Intense lunch-hour sessions
Price: £12.50 a month, Tv.le-sweat.com
Whether it’s HIIT, yoga or resistance training you’re after, Le Sweat has got you covered with a huge selection of workouts to choose from. Classes are split into sections on the app based on type, and the search bar proved popular with our panel as it helped them find their favourite classes.
One small drawback was that the app was so full of content it sometimes felt a bit cluttered, and we would’ve liked to be able to filter workouts by duration and coach.
Instructors provide handy tips and tricks throughout each session to help you get the most out of your workout, and it’s easy to pause and rewind follow-along videos if emails keep interrupting your lunchtime sweat session.
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4) Les Mills+
Best for: Motivational coaches and high-energy workouts
Price: £12.95 a month, Signup.lesmillsondemand.com
If you’re bored of living room workouts that leave you squatting in silence, Les Mills might be the app for you. With bright visuals, pounding soundtracks and plenty of class variety, the high-energy workouts make fitness fun (as it should be!). The use of features like natty graphics and countdowns made sessions feel more playful than painful (although we definitely still felt the burn) and our testers heaped praise on the app’s ‘passionate and motivational’ coaches.
We liked that we had the option of one-to-one coaching, as well as the usual group sessions, to really nail down our technique. And the inclusion of different workout durations made it easy to weave classes into our day-to-day routines.
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5) Fiit
Best for: Keeping track of your workout stats
Price: From £10 a month, fiit.tv
When you’re dragging yourself off the floor after your umpteenth burpee, drenched in sweat, you know you’ve worked hard, but sometimes it’s nice to have the numbers to back it up. The FIIT app can pair with the FIIT band which, when worn around the chest, records your average heart rate and calories burned during each session.
You can also see your overall workout minutes and earn trophies by building weekly streaks — a feature that persuaded us to give TikTok a miss (for a bit, anyway) in favour of daily sweat sessions.
We really enjoyed the live workouts, and the fact the app lets you save your favourite classes so you can build a bank of your go-tos.
The studio classes are accompanied by club-worthy music, which wasn’t to everyone’s taste as some said it was distracting. But, overall, testers said the huge range of sessions on offer meant they couldn’t see themselves becoming bored of getting FIIT.
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6) SWEAT with Kayla
Best for: Variety of training plans
Price: £15.30 a month, kaylaitsines.com
When SWEAT upgraded from just BBG to BBG plus yoga and strength training, it became the front-runner in the best fitness apps competition. That's because, you can lose fat, build muscle and calm your mind with just one subscription.
Today, the app hosts 14 trainers, 37 unique programs, 8,500 workouts, 400+ recipes and is available 8 languages.
The healthy meal plans – chose the veggie option if you don't eat meat – make eating right around workouts much simpler. And if that wasn't enough, SWEAT offers a weekly workout planner too. Enjoy LISS, HIIT, yoga, pwr at home, pilates and more.
Roll out your exercise mat - you're going to be using is. A lot.
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7) TRX Training Club
Best for: Something a little bit different
Price: £19.99 a month, Club.trxtraining.com
If you’re a home workout pro ready to graduate from air squat/burpee combos, look no further. For those of you not familiar, TRX is a form of suspension training that uses a long strap with handles on each end. This can be looped around a sturdy anchor point — usually placed up high like over the top of a door or a tree — and used for all manner of new movements including rows, planks and single-leg squats.
You’ll need a bit more space for this practice than other apps, but our testers were impressed by the inventive ways instructors used the kit, providing an extra challenge element to their usual workouts. The app has both on-demand and live workouts available and, though it’s undeniably tough, offers something for everyone from beginners to seasoned athletes.
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8) Freeletics
Best for: Tracking your progress
Price: From £32.99 for three months, freeletics.com
The popular Freeletics app offers a sleek, monochrome aesthetic and is super simple to navigate, making it easy to dive right in. But the app itself is anything but simple, providing an AI coach that can create custom training plans depending on your fitness goals (which it’ll ask you about when you sign up).
We loved the different workout lengths available, from a gruelling hour-long session to a quick five-minute blast, and also appreciated how Freeletics kept our workout stats (eg. max push-ups or workout PB) stored so we could track our progress. When working your way through prescribed sessions, each movement has a looped video showing proper form. However, some testers felt the app was a bit clinical compared to the engaging, energetic instructors on other platforms, adding that the exercise selection was sometimes a tad too challenging.
Still, we think that for those looking for a no-nonsense approach to getting fit and mastering bodyweight movements like pull-ups, this won’t be beaten.
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9) Gymshark Training App
Best for: Strength training at home
Price: Free uk.gymshark.com
You love them for their cult gym leggings and workout kit, right? Well, you're about to love Gymshark a whole lot more. The brand built on über fit influencers working out in their kit also has a workout app designed to help you build strength at home.
Track your progress in app as you follow one of over 40 plans and 300 workouts (yes, 300) they have on offer – ranging from HIIT to heavy lifting. Or, if you like to mix things up on your own time, take full advantage of their customisable workout plans – where you build the session you want to do. With exercise breakdowns and video instructions you'll be performing deadlifts and deadbugs with the most perfect form.
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10) Everyone On Demand
Best for: Indecisive exercisers
Price: £9.99 a month, Everyoneactive.com
Have you ever hit up YouTube for a quick core session, only to spend twice the time you would’ve worked out for scrolling through trying to pick the perfect vid? DW, us too. Luckily, Everyone On Demand pulls loads of workouts from the likes of Les Mills and WithU together into one place so you’ve got everything you need for a solid session at your fingertips.
As a result, the app has something for everyone, with classes of varying lengths designed for all ability levels and fitness goals. The instructor-led workout videos are easy to follow along to, and testers said the clear class descriptions were super helpful when trying to find a session to suit them.
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11) EvolveYou
Best for: Training and nutrition tips
Price: £15.49 per month, evolveyou.app
If you can exhaust the extensive resources this app has to offer (over 2,000 different workouts, for those counting) then we salute you! Fronted by PT Krissy Cela, this app also provides plenty of recipes via a handy meal planner to make sure you’re never short of ideas, whether you’re in the kitchen or hitting the exercise mat.
We were big fans of the progression and regression options, offering alternative exercises at the touch of a button if a certain move proved too tricky or not challenging enough.
The training plans were great for adding structure to our week and holding us accountable too, encouraging us not to miss any sessions.
It also has sessions suited both to the gym and your living room. So, if you’re after a fitness and nutrition guru in your pocket (and want to add a bit of structure to your exercise routine), EvolveYou will soon be your BFF.
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12) Shreddy App
Best for: Combined workout and nutrition guidance
Price: Free, monthly subscriptions starting from £9.99 per month, shreddy.com
OG fit-fluencer Grace Beverley's fitness and fit-food app is the whole shebang in one. Workout guides to help you burn fat and build muscle, signing up to the app will give you access to hundreds or workouts, recipes, meal plans, real-time classes, and access to a community that'll #keepyougoing all session long.
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13) Courtney Black Fitness App
Best for: Goal-tailored training and nutrition
Price: £15.99 per month, app.courtneyblack.co.uk
Download Courtney Black's Fitness App and you've got yourself a PT in your pocket. Choose your goal: weight loss, keeping fit or muscle goal, specify how many days per week you can realistically work out, and what type of 'diet' you'd like to follow, and Courts will provide you with a bespoke plan. Each programme is primarily weights-based, with HIIT, circuits and bodyweight exercises thrown in, while your nutrition plan will be determined by calories and macros in line with your goal. Personalisation at its peak.
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14) Best fitness apps for gym workouts
If you're lucky enough to have a solid collection of fitness kit at home, or fancy a pocket-sized PT to accompany you to your local gym, these workout apps are for you. Specifically aimed for those with a variety of equipment – barbells, benches, multiple weights etc. – they'll make logging your PBs and progressions that much easier.
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15) 3x52 by Luke Worthington
Best for: Efficient, long-term results-driven plans
Price: 7-day free trial, then £22.99 per month, 3x52.app
3x52 is the brainchild of trainer to the stars (and sports scientist, nutritionist and strength and conditioning specialist) Luke Worthington, taking its name from Luke's training philosophy: training three times per week, 52 weeks per year. Every 45-minute workout is formed of three rounds of three trisets, with the science being that you keep your heart-rate high as you perform your strength work, therefore ticking both strength and cardio boxes at once. It's this approach that has helped Luke achieve major results for his celebrity clients. Add to that a library of recipes to support your goals and you're well on your way to finding your strongest self.
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16) WeGLOW
Best for: Challenges and guides
Price: From £15.99 per month, weglow.app
Founded by PT Stef Williams, the WeGLOW app is home to over 600 exercises and 1000 workouts. Each exercise comes with its own video demonstration and detailed instructions, which are then compiled into 26 challenges and guides (home, gym and yoga) to help you hit your goals. The app also offers real-time classes for both home and gym workouts.
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17) SwingVision
Best for: Tennis
Price: From $24.99 (approx. £20) per month, swing.tennis/
Keen to nail your tennis this season? Using your iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch, SwingVision records your game and tracks shots in real-time. Thanks to its own A.I. algorithms, once your game is up, you'll be able to see everything from how accurate your shots were (it'll give you a percentage of those that landed in the service box and those that didn't), to your shot speed, swing type and which kind of stroke you're better at. You'll also be able to watch your game back in slow-mo so you can really identify what's serving you (see what we did there?), and what's not.
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18) Best running apps
Lacing up sans-tracking is sometimes a blessing. But, if you're looking to push the pace and track your progress, these running apps are for you.
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19) Map My Run
Best for: Real-time audio tracking
Price: Free
Under Amour are well known for their genuinely world famous nutrition app, MyFitnessPal. But, their running app – Map My Fitness is equally as brilliant. A GPS run-tracking app that also offers real time audio coaching with customisable voice options for pace, distance and elevation, meaning you'll never how far, how high or how much longer you have to go.
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20) Strava
Best for: Dedicated runners and cyclists working out on the reg
Price: Some free features, some paid, strava.com
You've likely heard of Strava—it's the UK's most popular run and cycle tracker, and for good reason. It has a Facebook-community style vibe about it, and is built for keen fitness fans who want to log, track and share their movements, routes and PBs with friends. Ready, set, race.
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21) Nike Run Club
Best for: Steady progression and goal-achieving
Price: Free, nike.com/nrc-app
Chances are you have – or had –a pair of Nike running shoes. They're heavyweight in the kit and trainer game but also in the apps-that-make-running-better game too. If you're looking to up your mileage in a sustainable and steady way, take advantage of their weekly, monthly or custom distance goal setter, or get involved with one of their bespoke coaching plans. Trying to run a faster 5k or further than you did last week, this is the app for you.
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22) Best yoga apps
No, yoga doesn't have to be practiced in a candle-lit studio for you to nail zen status — quite the opposite, in fact. The beauty of the practice is that you can stretch and breathe any time, any place. Let these apps help you get stretchy, supple and strong.
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23) Movement For Modern Life Yoga
Best for: Mental and physical wellbeing
Price: Free, Movementformodernlife.com
We all know the importance of looking after our bodies, but you should never let your mental health take a back seat in your pursuit of a squat PB. That’s where the Movement For Modern Life app comes in handy; by taking our testers out of their (sweaty) comfort zones and thrusting them into the wonderful world of yoga.
Many of our panel said they wouldn’t have tried the type of classes the app had to offer on their own, but they really enjoyed the beginner sessions and appreciated the guidance of the (remarkably likeable) instructors. And, despite yoga’s reputation as a relaxed practice, they said there were some particularly taxing classes on offer alongside the more traditional soothing sessions.
So, if you’ve ever considered starting yoga but never quite made the leap, this app’s knowledgeable instructors will provide the perfect introduction. Just make sure you’ve got your gym towel handy!
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24) Asana Rebel
Best for: Yogi's who want a little more strength
Price: Free, asanarebel.com
You love yoga – we do too. But, you also want to mix things up on occasion, keep the yoga inspiration but work on building strength and breaking a sweat. If you're nodding your head emphatically right now, Asana Rebel might be the one for you.
With a mix of yoga-inspired workouts ranging from high-intensity to Hatha, meditation and sleep-aids – think calming music, sounds and audio loops – Asana Rebel keeps the yoga but adds in the variety. Work on building strength, burning fat and becoming the fittest version of yourself – all from home, too.
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25) Best meditation apps
You may think using tech to channel your inner calm is a bit fo a contradiction, but trust us when we say these downloads will take your stress levels to a whole new (lower) level.
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26) Insight Timer
Best for: A ginormous meditation library to chose from
Price: From free
A platform for meditation experts to flex their calming muscles, Insight Timer is the app to find a session for almost everything under the sun. From healing breathwork to connecting with your inner warrior, shop around for the meditation that makes you feel most balanced. It also has the JenAn stamp of approval so you know it's good stuff.
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27) Headspace
Best for: a mental workout
Price: From £5.99 each month, headspace.com
Not a physical workout per se, but a mental workout, which is just as important. With Headspace, you'll be a meditation queen in no time.
The app soothes you into a meditation each day, which can be done from your home, on the tube, or even walking, if that's more your thing.
Find your zen and relish inner calm by simply taking this time out to breathe. Alternatively, treat someone else to 6 months of zen. Boots has launched Headspace gift cards (£30) via Boots.com.
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28) Calm
Best for: Meditation and sleep stories
Price: Free, calm.com
Problems with your sleeping routine or just keen to include more meditation in your day to day life? Plus, soothe yourself to sleep with tales to the soothing vocals of world-renowned actor Matthew McConaughey's, as he reads out a dreamy story about the mysteries of the universe in "Wonder."
Plus, you'll get a daily calm mantra to boost your daily outlook.
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29) Best food apps
Keen to track your nutrition or want to get a better insight into what your body needs to thrive? These apps will help fuel your thirst for knowledge and your training.
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30) MyFitnessPal
Best for: Easily tracking macros, nutrition or calories on Android, iOs or Windows
Price: Free, myfitnesspal.com
The queen of all calorie counting free apps, MyFitnessPal has long been the go-to tracker of everything from calories to macros.
Flexible for whatever health goals you're looking to achieve, it will track your weight and height and then calculate a recommended daily calorie and macro intake dependent on your fitness goals.
And it's free- so you don't have to break the bank.
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31) Deliciously Ella
Best for: Plant-based recipes
Price: Free for 1 month, 99p thereafter, deliciouslyella.com
Answering the needs of millions of Gram-based foodies, Ella Woodward launched her app with plant-based recipes (and handy accompanying shopping lists!), yoga, podcasts and articles aiming to get you feeling healthier and happier.
