Many think of traditional yoga as a gentle art that improves balance and mobility. However, as anyone who’s tried yoga can attest, many of the traditional yoga poses are quite challenging and great options for building strength as you work toward your wellness goals.
The Asana Rebel yoga app specializes in bodyweight workouts using traditional yoga poses, often done at a fast pace that resembles home HIIT workouts. With programs for beginners and advanced yoga practitioners alike, this workout app is on a mission to help people reach their fitness goals at home with no equipment required.
This sounds promising, but is it worth the monthly fee? We had our resident yoga expert try the programs and share her thoughts, and in this Asana Rebel review, I’ll share everything you need to know about this home fitness app.
Tested by a Yoga Expert
Before we write any review here at GGR, we make sure our team of expert testers has plenty of hands-on experience using the product we’re reviewing. Our testers include certified personal trainers, certified nutrition coaches, registered dietitians, gym owners, and even an Olympian.
For this review, our tester was Frieda Johnson, CNC, ISSA-SET, an experienced yoga practitioner who understands how to assess the good and bad in an app.
Frieda tried the Asana Rebel program and calculated a final score using our testing methodology, which assigns a rating to specific aspects of a fitness app, including:
- Pricing and value
- App setup and ease of use
- Instruction quality
- Accountability
- Equipment demands
Asana Rebel
Asana Rebel App
Product Highlights
- Yoga and wellness to help you reach your fitness goals
- Features sections on exercise, sleep, meditation, and nutrition
- 100 workouts with video and audio guidance
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Creates personalized daily plan
- More than just exercise information
- Discounted first year or month
- Reminders to help you reach goals
- Workouts require minimal equipment
Cons
- No free trial or free version of the app
- Must enter height, weight, and goal weight to sign up
- Not a lot of variety in workouts
- Reviews say it’s difficult to cancel your subscription
- More expensive than competitors
Bottom Line
Asana Rebel is a yoga and wellness app designed to help you reach your fitness goals. It offers yoga-inspired workouts that require minimal equipment, healthy recipes, and sleep and meditation information. However, the app does not offer a free trial or free version and is more expensive than competitors. Customers also shared in reviews that it was difficult to cancel the subscription.
A Quick Look at the Asana Rebel App
While there are plenty of yoga apps on the market, not to mention local yoga studios to try, Asana Rebel takes a different approach. While the app has plenty of options for those new to yoga, many classes are a bit more challenging, with high-intensity workouts designed to elevate the heart rate and help users break a sweat.
Classes range in length, and many are quite short, designed for those with a busy schedule who need to save time when it comes to their workout routine.
In addition to challenging workout classes, Asana Rebel also offers guided meditation sessions, workout challenges, music, and recipes to support a healthy lifestyle. Since it uses yoga moves, you won’t need any equipment to enjoy the workouts, except one of the best yoga mats if you don’t want to work out on a bare floor.
There’s no free trial available, but new users can receive a discounted membership. Asana Rebel costs $19.99 per month or $71.99 per year, but new users can purchase one month for $9.99 or one year for $35.99. The app is available on both Apple and Android devices.
Before You Buy
- Asana Rebel features challenging yoga workouts, recipes, meditations, and various fitness challenges.
- Our tester found that the instructor quality can vary from class to class, so you may need to try a few classes to see which instructors work well for you.
- The app is affordable for most, but many users, including our tester, found canceling a membership difficult.
Is the Asana Rebel App Worth It?
Asana Rebel is significantly more affordable than a traditional yoga studio, but that doesn’t mean it’s a must-buy for everyone. Here’s who we think will benefit the most from Asana Rebel.
Great for:
- Experienced yoga practitioners who want a challenge
- Those who want to explore a higher-intensity style of yoga
- Anyone looking to try home workouts that aren’t based on strength training
Not recommended for:
- Yoga beginners who aren’t familiar with many poses
- Anyone looking to use yoga for relaxation
- Those who prefer a group class and accountability
Asana Rebel Specs
| Pricing | Pricing may range from $19.99 – $35.00 per month |
| Trial period | None, but a discounted first month is available |
| Subscription options | Monthly or annually |
| Type of training | Bodyweight yoga classes |
| Equipment demands | Yoga mat |
| Available on | iOS and Android |
Workout Experience with Asana Rebel
GGR Editor and yoga practitioner Frieda Johnson, CNC, ISSA-SET, spent time using the app and trying several workouts. As someone who regularly practices yoga, she understands how to spot good instruction, which is very important when following a video workout at home.
Overall, she found that the quality of instruction varied between classes. She tried one beginner class and found the pace to be very fast. While she was able to keep up because she knew how to do the poses, Frieda felt that beginners would have a very hard time.
Frieda noted that while another beginner class she tried was better, it still wasn’t appropriate for true beginners who haven’t spent plenty of time learning yoga poses. Similar to pilates, yoga takes practice to become comfortable with the movements, and this app makes learning new poses a little challenging.
RELATED: Best Pilates App
Asana Rebel uses a fast-paced style designed to provide a challenging workout and seems best for those who already practice yoga and want to increase the challenge. Those looking for a way to learn yoga for the first time should probably choose something else.
Pricing and Subscription Options
For pricing, Asana Rebel earns a 1 out of 5. The pricing is very unclear and confusing, and the app seems to show different pricing to different users.
When Frieda tested the app, she paid $9.99 for the first month and was billed $35.99 for her second month. I was interested in trying a class for myself, but when I set up my profile on my iPhone, I was offered $9.99 for the first month and only $19.99 for the following months when joining on my phone.
I also checked the subscription options shown in the App Store listing, which has a monthly price of $15.99, lower than both of us were offered. We can’t confirm what pricing will be offered at sign up, as the company seems to offer different rates depending on where you join.
App Setup and Ease of Use
Nobody wants to use an app that’s difficult to set up, but Asana Rebel has an easy process that earned a 4-out-of-5-star rating. All Frieda had to do was download the app and take a short quiz, and she was ready to go.
However, once your profile is set up, using the app on a regular basis isn’t quite as user-friendly.
Frieda said, “I took a quiz, and it automatically signed me up for a beginner program even though I said I’m not a beginner, and I can’t find anywhere in the app to change it. The Today page (like a home page, I guess) is way too long and has way too many things on it. There are limited ways to filter the workouts, and many of them are vague.”
For ease of use, Asana Rebel only earned 2 out of 5 stars.
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Accountability and Instruction
For accountability, Asana Rebel earns a 2 out of 5. You can turn on push notifications and add workouts to a calendar, but that’s it. There’s no other way to communicate with an instructor or find accountability within the app.
As for the actual classes, Frieda gave the instruction 2.5 out of 5 stars.
The video classes show a yoga teacher demonstrating the poses while providing verbal instructions so users can follow along. However, even though Frieda tried multiple instructors, she mentioned that both beginner classes had a very fast pace that would be difficult for true beginners to follow.
Asana Rebel’s fast pace is a great challenge for experienced yogis, but it’s not a good choice for those who need to learn the poses.
RELATED: 10 Best Bodyweight Exercises
Equipment Demands and Workout Variety
For equipment demand, Asana Rebel earns a 5-out-of-5-star rating. Frieda couldn’t find any classes that required anything beyond a yoga mat.
While the lack of equipment demands is great for those who don’t want to purchase much home gym equipment, this means there isn’t much variety, as all of the classes are yoga-based. The workouts can be filtered by theme and category, but this isn’t a very clear process.
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“There are limited ways to filter the workouts, and many of them are vague, such as ‘Breathe and Relax’ and ‘Get in Shape,’” said Frieda. “You can filter by low, medium, and high intensity and long or short workouts, but the categories don’t really let you know what to expect. When I tried to search ‘lower body,’ none of the workouts that came up were relevant.”
Asana Rebel earns a 3-out-of-5 for workout variety.
Asana Rebel vs Down Dog App
Down Dog
Down Dog
Product Highlights
- Over 60,000 configurations for a personalized yoga practice
- Beginner-friendly with a Beginner 1 Level in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Restorative
- Multiple practice types, including Vinyasa, Cardio Flow, Hatha, Gentle, Restorative, Yin, Ashtanga, Chair, Yoga Nidra, Hot 26, and Sun Salutation
- Available in multiple languages, including six different English-speaking voices and nine other languages.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Auto-generated workouts so it is a different workout every time
- Fits all experience and fitness levels
- Download classes to use offline
- Configuration of poses and practices is immense
- Clear instructions
Cons
- Some reports of the app freezing
- Music is reported to be mediocre
- Pricing is not listed on their website
Bottom Line
For those who prioritize variety in their yoga practice, Down Dog offers over 60,000 ways to personalize your yoga practice, beginner-friendly options and various practice types. The pricing on their website is unclear.
If you’re looking for a more traditional yoga experience that doesn’t incorporate elements of HIIT training, Down Dog is a great app that offers a variety of yoga styles within the app.
Frieda was also our tester for Down Dog and loved it so much that she said it may be the best yoga app she’s ever used.
Rather than using continuous classes, the Down Dog classes are assembled using pre-recorded instructional clips for each pose. The clips will show the instructor demonstrating the movement with plenty of coaching cues, and it’s easy to rewind the clip if you want to review the movement.
Because the classes in Down Dog are made from pre-recorded clips, the app allows you to customize your own class experience. You can choose your skill level, music preferences, which teacher you want to use, and which body parts you wish to focus on, and Down Dog will create custom classes for you.
Overall, Asana Rebel’s workouts are best for those looking for fast, challenging yoga classes, while Down Dog is best for beginners or anyone looking for traditional and customizable yoga classes.
For more, be sure to read our complete Down Dog App review.
| Asana Rebel | Down Dog | |
| Pricing | Pricing may range from $19.99 – $35.00 per month | $9.99/month or $59.99/year |
| Trial period | No, but a discounted first month is available | No |
| Subscription options | Monthly or annually | Monthly or annually |
| Type of training | Bodyweight yoga classes | Yoga, barre, pilates, HIIT, mediation |
| Equipment demands | Yoga mat | Yoga mat; optional to have yoga accessories like blocks, straps, etc… |
| Available on | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
Customer Experience
When it comes to the customer experience, Frieda gave Asana Rebel a 2.5-out-of-5-star rating.
Her biggest issue was canceling her membership, which was surprisingly difficult.
“It was a bit of a pain to figure out how to cancel, but not impossible,” Frieda said.
“Once I found the right place in the settings, I had to fill out a form explaining why I was canceling. Once I submitted that, it said that it would be reviewed, which implies that they might not let you cancel if they don’t like your reason?! Luckily, I got an email that same day saying that my account had successfully been canceled.”
Frieda isn’t the only one who experienced this, as several other customer reviews mention that Asana Rebel makes it very difficult to cancel your plan. If you need to contact the company, you can use the contact form on asanarebel.com.
RELATED: Best Workout App for Women
Customer Reviews
Despite our criticisms, Asana Rebel is a popular app, and most users seem to be happy. At the time of writing, the app has a 4.7 out of 5 score on the App Store, with over 72,000 reviews, and a 4.4 out of 5 rating on the Google Play Store, with over 77,000 reviews.
Many are happy and love the classes, though several recent reviews mention that canceling the Asana Rebel subscription is very difficult.
Final Verdict of Our Asana Rebel Review
Overall, Asana Rebel is a great choice for those who already know most of the yoga poses and want a fast-paced, challenging home workout based on yoga poses.
Beginners may find the pacing too fast, and anyone looking to cancel their membership should do it well ahead of their renewal, as the cancellation process can be difficult. Those looking for a traditional yoga experience will want to look elsewhere, but anyone who wants to spice up their routine with challenging yoga sessions will enjoy Asana Rebel.
Full Rating
Asana Rebel
Asana Rebel is a yoga and wellness app designed to help you reach your fitness goals. It offers yoga-inspired workouts that require minimal equipment, healthy recipes, and sleep and meditation information. However, the app does not offer a free trial or free version and is more expensive than competitors. Customers also shared in reviews that it was difficult to cancel the subscription.
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 19.99
Product In-Stock: InStock
2.4
Asana Rebel: FAQs
Does Asana Rebel actually work?
Yes. Asana Rebel provides a wide variety of workout classes for different fitness levels, and all of them are based around traditional yoga poses.
Is there a free version of Asana Rebel?
No. Asana Rebel is a paid app that doesn’t offer a free trial, though new users may be able to take advantage of a discounted cost for their first month.
Is Asana Rebel good for weight loss?
Asana Rebel can undoubtedly be a part of a weight loss plan, but proper nutrition should also play a major role in weight loss goals. The app includes a variety of healthy recipes that can be used as part of a balanced nutritional plan.
