10 Best Workout Apps of 2026, Tested by Personal Trainers

While the platform is ideal for advanced athletes, beginners also benefit by learning foundational movements and mastering strength basics. “I cannot say enough good things about this app,” a staffer said. “You pick a coach based on your goals and preferences, and each day’s workout—including rest—is programmed for you. My sessions are about 45 minutes, and at 45, I feel and look stronger than ever.” Some https://www.talkandroid.com/511952-mad-muscles-reviews-by-android-users/ workout apps let you download videos for offline use, while others require a constant internet connection. Live classes or sessions with virtual coaching almost always need a working connection, so it’s important to check how each app handles offline access.

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Most offer a free trial, which lets you explore the workouts, features, and overall vibe before committing. Compared to an in-person gym membership, fitness apps are typically more affordable, far more convenient, and they take the guesswork out of programming our own workouts. Since you can use them anytime, anywhere, they’re also one of our favorite tools for staying consistent (and seeing real results). PS Fit (formerly Popsugar Fitness) has a little bit of everything. On this YouTube channel, run by Popsugar (or PS now, with the rebrand), you’ll find cardio, weight training, dance, barre, HIIT and everything in between.

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On the app, you’ll have access to customized strength plans based on how often you want to work out per week, nutrition guidance, and “A++ quality” videos, says Woerner. 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. The Nike Training Club app will make your fitness habits stick with quicker options, goal-setting tools, and new content daily. Strengthen your mindset and your muscles with free guidance from your favorite trainers, athletes, and wellness experts.

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Designed to help build strength, improve flexibility, mobility and balance. Isolated strength and powerful cardio sessions will set you on the path to feeling fierce! With built in recovery, this series will both challenge you and provide a balanced two week routine. Strength, cardio, mobility and Pilates sessions keep your weekly routine perfectly balanced.

Best For Yoga: YogaRenew

• Glow up from the inside out with a physical, mental and emotional transformation.
• Build power and stamina with a well balanced workout routine focused on strength training and cardio.
• Some apps offer cardio sessions that can be done on any equipment, while others, like Peloton, connect with their own machines to provide more detailed metrics and insights.
• Unlike many other apps, each course contains anywhere from four to 64 videos, giving you more control over how much time you’d like to invest.
• The Nike Training Club app will make your fitness habits stick with quicker options, goal-setting tools, and new content daily.
• In the end, the “best” app comes down to what excites you, whether it’s a favorite instructor, a style of class you can’t get enough of, or a program that fits seamlessly into your schedule.

Packed with intense HIIT & cardio workouts with resistance training. I workout totally from home with dumb bells and I have a squat rack in my garage. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Hedy Phillips is a freelance lifestyle writer based in New York. While she’s not writing on topics like living on a budget and tips for city dwelling, she can usually be found at a concert or sightseeing in a new city. Over the past 10 years, her bylines have appeared in a number of publications, including POPSUGAR, Hunker, and more.

Yes, at-home workouts can be very effective at achieving fitness goals, especially when paired with video-based guided exercises. Our top recommendation for at-home workouts, Thenx, is an excellent choice for whole-body workouts starting at 5 minutes in length. Personal trainer Heather Robertson offers a variety of HIIT workouts on her channel to get you moving. She specializes in workouts that require no equipment and can be done in any length of time you have.

Do I need equipment to use workout apps?

You can find single-song workouts or full classes set to a playlist. Plus, Kinkeade offers livestreamed workouts, so you can dance with her in real time, and on-demand workouts to save for later. Pamela Reif offers a little bit of everything, especially aerobic workouts that get your heart pumping. There are plenty of quick 10-minute workouts (but you’ll also find longer ones), including dancing and full-body workouts. There are playlists organized by workout type so you can go straight to what you’re looking for, and Reif also hosts livestreamed workouts if you want to sweat with her in real-time.

Power through intense HIIT, cardio and AMRAP circuits plus strength sessions loaded with high reps and lighter weights. Build power and stamina with a well balanced workout routine focused on strength training and cardio. No matter where you’re starting, NTC’s worldwide community of fun, approachable trainers can help guide you to where you’re headed. After all, an app can help you work out, but it’s the people who help you show up. It has 30ish minute workouts and shorter and longer options as well.

Best for weight training

Ranging from 10 minutes up, the workouts are designed for a variety of skill levels and muscle groups. She’s also designed several series and calendars to help you stick to a schedule of working out your muscle groups equally and efficiently. Find exactly what you’re looking for in the catalog of over 100 workouts, including bodyweight routines, strength training with weights, HIIT, yoga, meditation, dance cardio, and barre. WH editors and our trusted Strength In Diversity (SID) trainers are constantly testing and trying new fitness apps throughout the year, so we polled them about their most-used and most-loved platforms.

Training Gear

The apps on this list represent the ones that fast-tracked strength and performance gains, were user-friendly, and really delivered on the user experience, and kept us returning to our workout plan. Consider these picks the ones we will never delete (even if we are running low on storage!). Another staffer said it’s the first platform that’s helped her exercise consistently in years, thanks to a knowledgeable, encouraging trainer.

Nike Training Club

However, they cannot fully replace the individualized attention and expertise of a personal trainer in a one-on-one session. Some apps, such as Future, offer virtual personal training so you can receive tailored guidance from the comfort of your home. If you already work with a trainer, it is worth asking whether they use an app to program and track your workouts, allowing you to combine professional expertise with the convenience of digital tools.

Strength In Diversity

If you prefer workouts that require little to no equipment, make sure the app you choose is designed with that in mind. Testers also loved the energizing, motivating workouts for all levels, as well as the wellness series focused on sleep, nutrition, and self-care. Many classes are filmed in stunning locations and led by instructors like Emily Sferra, Anabella Landa, and Bianca Wise, who keep sessions interesting and never boring. “The instructor, Bianca, was beautiful, the setting amazing, music perfect. I’m absolutely hooked on her workouts,” a tester commented. Some workouts require equipment like a Pilates ball, resistance bands, or hand weights, but bodyweight-only options are easy to find. The monthly price is incredibly reasonable for all the content it delivers.

The classes come in different durations, so you can pick what works best for the amount of time you have for your at-home workout. There are also plenty of difficulty levels to choose from, so if you want to try yoga and have never done it before, you can pick a beginner’s yoga class and work your way up until you’re a pro. There are hundreds of workouts to choose from, and you can sort by the workout or instructor you want. You can even take on a curated challenge, like the 5-Day Full-Body Blast.

“Targeted plans, specific muscle focus, full-body—you name it, they got it,” says Savary. Evlo Fitness is a strength training app with classes that include elements of Pilates, barre, yoga, and light cardio created and exclusively taught by physical therapists. Evlo is about what it calls “gentle consistency,” which means you’ll be doing efficient, targeted movements to build strength while avoiding exercises that leave you overly sore or burned out.