Programs on a Budget: The 10 Best Free Workout Apps (2024)

Looking for the best workout apps can be tough, especially if you’re looking for a free app. One of the most frustrating things about browsing an app store on your Android device or iPhone is that almost every workout app says they’re free, but with in-app purchases. Once you install the app, however, you realize that the in-app purchase is to unlock full use of the workout app. 

Other times, the free version is so limited that it almost forces you to pay for the premium deal. It may make you think that there aren’t any truly free workout apps available. But, I’m here to say that’s not the case. 

The Garage Gym Reviews team of expert testers and reviewers has tested over 50 of the best online personal trainers and other fitness apps, and we’ve determined the ones that have a dedicated free version that can still bring value to the table. Ranging in modes of training and fitness levels, read on for our picks of the best free workout apps.

The 10 Best Free Workout Apps  

• Best Free Workout App Overall: Caliber
• Best Free Workout App for Variety: Nike Training Club
• Best Free Workout App for Runners: Map My Fitness
• Best Free Workout App for Gym-Goers: Jefit
• Best Free Workout App for Guided Workouts: ClassPass
• Best Free Workout App for CrossFit: SmartWOD
• Best Free Workout App for Cyclists: Strava
• Best Free Workout App for Beginners: FitOn
• Best Free Workout App for Community: Hevy
• Best Free Outdoor Workout App: AllTrails

Best Free Workout App Overall: Caliber

Good for: Anyone wanting a robust workout library for free, with the option to upgrade

Best Overall

Caliber Strength Training

GGR Score: 4.68

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Product Highlights

• Strength training and nutrition app
• Personalized, data-driven workout programs
• Expert habit coaching
• Free and paid versions
• Private 1:1 coaching available
• Weekly lessons, metric tracking, nutrition syncing

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Scientifically-based training plans
• Individualized coaching for both fitness and nutrition with paid subscriptions is reported to be very thorough
• Free version offers a library of curated workout plans
• Reportedly easy-to-use

Cons

• Personalized macronutrient goals only available with paid versions

Bottom Line

Caliber Strength Training is a fitness coaching program grounded in scientific principles designed to increase strength and improve body composition. The app offers both group and individual training plans which are written and modified by a certified coach based on progress.

In making our list of the best workout apps, Caliber topped our list for its expansive features for group training and one-on-one training; however, its free version is still quite extensive and backed by research, making it our top pick for best free workout app as well.

With the free version, you can log your own workouts, or let the Caliber algorithm create a custom workout program for you, based on a quick assessment while setting up the app. The app is free of ads and contains a library of over 500 exercises. Caliber also records and charts strength progress and body metrics—body weight, waist size, and body fat percentage.

RELATED: Best Online Workout Programs

Each exercise has an extensive overview of the movement, including a video, complete step-by-step instructions, a muscle map displaying the body parts most involved, and even key points and takeaways on form. That’s a lot of information for each exercise, leading us to rate the instruction a 5 out of 5.

The free version also has good supportive features, as Caliber has groups you can join for common interests. Our tester, GGR writer Amanda Capritto says about the groups, “I joined groups for mountain biking, camping and hiking, cycling, running, and swimming. Each group has its own little social feed where you can post things and interact with others.” Amanda gave the interactive features a 5 out of 5, although she adds, “There’s not a ton of engagement in these groups, but maybe they will grow as Caliber grows.”

One callout that Amanda has is that Caliber lacks integration with common fitness trackers. “I wish the app integrated with Garmin or other fitness trackers instead of only Apple Watch. I have to manually input my walks and  runs into the app after I’ve already logged them on my watch.” The rest of the app works well enough, so Amanda rated the ease of use a 4 out of 5. 

For more, check out our full Caliber App review.

Best Free Workout App for Variety: Nike Training Club

Good for: Fitness lovers with a variety of goals wanting expert instructors

Best for Variety

Nike Training Club

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Completely free
• Massive library of on-demand workouts and live classes
• More than 10 workout categories
• App is easy to use
• No individualized programming

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Completely free to use
• Previously premium/paid content is available for free
• More than 10 workout categories
• Most workouts taught my certified trainers and instructors

Cons

• Audio controls can be finicky
• Sometimes hard to see on-screen metrics like reps and time

Bottom Line

Nike Training Club is a free fitness app with a robust workout library that includes one-off workouts as well as periodized programs led by certified instructors.

Unlike most apps on this list, Nike Training Club doesn’t have a free and premium version; it’s just free. During the pandemic in 2020, Nike decided to make their app completely free, including specialist tips on nutrition, recovery, and weight loss, providing huge value in a free app for all people on their fitness journey. 

Our product tester, GGR writer and certified personal trainer Amanda Capritto, rates the value a 5 out of 5, saying, “Nike Training Club has on-demand and live classes as well as periodized programming for a variety of goals and workout types, and all of the instructors are certified, most are specialists.” She adds, “You don’t see this kind of value in a free app almost ever.”

The app features a variety of workouts—hundreds in different formats, from written workouts to perform at your own pace, to on-demand and live fitness classes with excellent instruction that Amanda rates a 4 out of 5. Workouts cover different modalities, from strength training. HIIT, and cardio, to yoga, pilates, and mobility work. Equipment is needed for most workouts, but Amanda says you can filter your search for workouts by the type of gym equipment needed.

If you’re looking for accountability, however, this may not be the best app for you. Amanda rates the accountability a 3.5 out of 5, as the shoe and apparel company’s app provides basic notifications and challenges. She adds, “In terms of accountability, this is your basic fitness app. You can download it on your phone, but no one is gonna make you use it.”

RELATED: Best Cross-Training Shoes

Best Free Workout App for Runners: Map My Fitness

Good for: Runners wanting a streamlined running experience with a great interface and instruction

Best for Runners

Map My Fitness by Under Armour

GGR Score: 4.2

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Product Highlights

• Fitness platform that integrated GPS to track routes, distances, pace, and more
• Customizable training plans with personalized coaching tips available with MVP version
• Claims to have the largest selection of activities (over 600) including running, cycling, walking, gym workouts, cross training, and yoga
• Large community of athletes
• Premium features enables live tracking, personalized training plan, and audio coaching

Pros & Cons

Pros

• GPS integration
• Great community aspect
• MVP version is affordable
• Lots of options with free version
• Integrates with most trackers and wearable
• Plan and track your own routes

Cons

• Requires MVP subscription to unlock some features

Bottom Line

Map My Fitness is a well-established and widely-used fitness tool that allows you to choose from a huge variety of workouts with some really notable features. Whether you're working out in a gym or looking for a route to run, Map My Fitness has got you covered.

Also known as Map My Run, the best free workout app for runners goes to Map My Fitness, with its expansive GPS tracking and other free features. And while we’re here talking about free features, our tester, Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, says the monthly subscription can be worth it, with analyses for heart rate, power output, running cadence, and more—all for under $6 a month. “You’re really getting a lot for the price,” Amanda says, rating the level of instruction a 5 out of 5.

Provided by Under Armour, Map My Fitness is easy to set up and sync with other apps and devices, like Garmin, Apple Health, UA connected footwear, MyFitnessPal, and others. The interface is clean and easy to navigate as well, leading Amanda to rate both the setup and ease of use a 5 out of 5.

As for accountability and interactive features, there aren’t a lot in this running app. Push notifications are present, and you can create and join plans to help with holding yourself accountable—but that’s only present in the premium version. There is basic community interaction through a community feed, but if you’re looking for a lot of support in your fitness journey, you may want to look for a different running app.

The GPS support seems to work well enough, as Amanda tested its accuracy with other GPS trackers she uses, and it was comparable to those apps and trackers. She gave it a 3-out-of-5 rating, as it still wasn’t always accurate, getting within about a tenth of a mile for accuracy.

Best Free Workout App for Gym-Goers: Jefit

Good for: Those wanting a variety of strength and high-intensity workouts with nice instruction

Best for Gym-Goers

Jefit

GGR Score: 3.9

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Product Highlights

• Free workout tracking platform consisting of over 1400 exercises
• Includes pro-designed workout plans, and a workout planning tool that logs workouts
• Monitor progress (including body measurements) and set target muscles to work
• Elite membership option opens up premium workout plans and eliminates ads

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Extensive free version
• Workouts made by professional coaches
• Monitoring progress
• Syncs with Apple watch

Cons

• Free version has a lot of ads
• Not many cardio options

Bottom Line

JeFit is a free workout tracking platform with professionally designed workout routines plans and progress monitoring tools. There is an elite membership for those looking for an ad-free experience.

For the gym-goer—or home gym user—who’s looking for a workout tracker with a comprehensive library of exercises, there’s Jefit. Jefit’s free version allows you to log and track your workouts, as well as gives you access to some workout routines, although many are locked behind the elite subscription.

RELATED: Home Gym vs Gym Membership

GGR head of content and certified personal trainer Kate Meier tried out Jefit and was impressed with the library of exercises, saying, “there is a huge library of exercises with all kinds of equipment: free weights, cable machines, bodyweight, and more.” However, she rates the total instruction as a 4 out of 5, adding, “There isn’t any exercise cuing unless you upgrade to Elite, and then there are some ‘audio tip’ workouts, but there aren’t many.”

Although the library of exercises is expansive, just be aware that the functionality is limited in the free version. Kate explains, “I entered all the movements for a weightlifting workout, but the app ordered them alphabetically instead of in the order I wanted. To move them, I would have had to upgrade to the Elite plan.” She also found it easier to navigate through the desktop version for workout plans, and then locate them on the app afterwards.

While many of their workout plans are locked behind the subscription plan, the app still provides some free gym workouts, like the 3-Day Core Superset Routine, which Kate did and enjoyed. Navigating through workout plans is pretty easy as well, leading Kate to rate the ease of use a 4 out of 5.

Best Free Workout App for Guided Workouts: ClassPass

Good for: Users wanting audio- or video-led workouts, and the ability to try out local studios

Best for Guided Workouts

ClassPass

GGR Score: 4.25

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Product Highlights

• Monthly membership app that provides access to thousands of studios, gyms, spas, salons, and more located across the world
• Memberships vary and work off credits used to book classes or appointments
• Reservations have varying credit rates based on appointment time, business, location, popularity, booking time, and your visit frequency to that business
• One month free trial followed by automatic enrollment into 28 credits/month

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Well-suited for those who travel
• Available worldwide
• Variety of wellness activities to choose from to keep routine fresh

Cons

• There seems to be a lot of negative feedback regarding the cancellation policy, late-fees, and unclear policies overall
• May not be ideal for small town/rural areas as there are not as many options to choose from

Bottom Line

This monthly membership app is well-suited for those who like variety in their wellness routine as it provides access to thousands of wellness spots worldwide, using credits for bookings. Overall, the feedback from users is negative highlighting potential issues with their cancellation policies and limited options in less populated areas.

If you’re looking for guided workouts, ClassPass can be used in two ways. The first, and more well-known aspect of ClassPass, is that you can search for and participate in local fitness classes—HIIT, boot camp, kettlebell classes, plus salon appointments. This requires a paid subscription plan, where you get a monthly amount of credits to use towards dropping into a class. You get  28 free credits for your first month of ClassPass for anyone looking for deals.

RELATED: The Benefits of Group Exercise

However, ClassPass also has a database of workout videos that are completely free to users; you don’t even need to be on a subscription plan. Just like their local class options, these trainer-led workout videos vary from strength training to high-intensity workouts and everything in between.

Our tester, Megan Capritto (GGR senior staff writer Amanda Capritto’s sister) tried out ClassPass and found the setup and ease of use both quick and simple, rating both a 5 out of 5. “After setup, the user experience was very simple,” Megan says. “All the icons are listed at the bottom and they are super easy to navigate.” To search local classes, you just use the search icon, and the videos are in another section.

Videos are guided by experts, and provide tips and tutorials of each exercise during the video. Still, within the app there aren’t any interactive features to have support from any community. Megan rates the interactive features a 2 out of 5, saying, “There is no community board to post your workouts or see other people’s workouts. The most interaction you can do is invite and refer friends through the app.”

Best Free Workout App for CrossFit: SmartWOD

Good for: Crossfitters looking for a variety of functional fitness workouts

Best for CrossFit

SmartWOD

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• SmartWOD generator is a high-intensity workout generator customized to available equipment 
• SmartWOD timer is free and Includes timers for AMRAP, For Time, EMOMs, and TABATAs
• Features a workout log to track progress, round counter, exercise demos, warm-up recommendations, workout filters, and the opioid to create your own WOD
• Collection of over 5,000 WODs including benchmark, partner, bodyweight, travel-friendly, and chipper workouts

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Scaled down options for suggested weights on the generator
• Variety of workouts
• Some users find the generator fun
• Free (Timer)

Cons

• Filtering options could be better on generator
• Lots of ads on SmartWOD Timer

Bottom Line

SmartWOD offers both a free timer and workout generator which creates high-intensity workouts customized to available equipment. The generator does cost $54.99 but it is a lifetime purchase.

Any functional fitness lover will appreciate the variety of CrossFit exercises available on SmartWOD. This app is a WOD generator as well as a WOD creator, so you can search for workouts or make your own custom workout, using the app’s integrated timer and marking off reps and rounds. If you’re looking for a quick, new workout to do, SmartWOD can provide it.

Amanda tested the app and says, “This is a fun app—very fun if you like CrossFit. You select what equipment you have access to and then press a little spinner button and it generates a random workout.” This can be great for traveling with access to limited equipment, or to just find a workout when you don’t have one ready to go.

You filter out the workouts by the equipment you have as well as skills. “For instance,” Amanda explains, “you could select a pull-up bar for equipment but then deselect muscle-ups for skills and it won’t serve you any workouts with muscle-ups.” The app also lets you know the amount of workouts you still have available to choose from. The app is very easy to use, and Amanda rates it a 5 out of 5 in its ease of use.

Like many free workout apps, there are limited interactive features and accountability—none, to be exact, earning a 1 out of 5 in both of these aspects. Still, if you’re looking for a fun way to get a quick workout in, SmartWOD provides countless workouts that can be catered to your skillset and equipment available.

Best Free Workout App for Cyclists: Strava

Good for: Cyclists wanting an app with a community presence and integration with top fitness trackers

Best for Cyclists

Strava App

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Activity tracking app: track over 30 sports 
• Turns phone into a running/cycling computer 
• Free and subscription options 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Tracks variety of workouts
• Beacon live tracking available on free tier
• Provides lots of data
• Compatible with thousands of devices

Cons

• Many fan-favorite features behind paywall
• Some users wished the auto-pause feature was more sensitive
• Have to visit website on desktop to use some features like adding a new pair of shoes

Bottom Line

Strava’s tracking app allows you to track 30 different sports and, with a subscription, provides a wide variety of statistics to analyze your workouts.

If you’re a cyclist, or any endurance athlete, a great app for tracking your bike routes is Strava. Not only is the GPS tracking pretty accurate, but there is a social element that separates it from most other free cycling apps.

“I think the social network-esque aspect of it is what really differentiates it from other free cycling GPS apps,” our tester and long-time Strava user Amanda Capritto says. “You can follow people on Strava just like on Instagram or Twitter.” Along with that, Strava encourages group challenges and interaction  with other athletes through clubs. Strava gets a 5 out of 5 for its interactive features.

Strava also integrates and syncs automatically to major fitness tracker brands popular among cyclists and runners—Garmin, Polar, Wahoo, and FitBit, for example. You can connect your Zwift account and indoor bike to Strava as well, so indoor rides populate the app as well. 

Amanda also finds the GPS to be very accurate. She gives the accuracy a 4.5 out of 5, saying, “I sometimes run into problems when cycling through the downtown area of Miami where buildings can impede the GPS signal. But other than that, it does a great job.”

The free app will analyze basic workout stats, but for a deeper dive into statistics, the premium subscription is needed. Also, GPS apps like Strava aren’t incredibly private and can reveal a lot about your location and other information. This may be something to consider before jumping into an app like this. You can read all of our thoughts on this app in our Strava fitness app review.

Best Free Workout App for Beginners: FitOn

Good for: Beginning fitness enthusiasts wanting an easy-to-use app with good instructions

Best for Beginners

FitOn

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Comprehensive health and fitness app providing workouts, guided courses that target chronic health conditions, and health articles
• Variety of workouts including cardio, yoga, strength, HIIT, and Pilates
• Ability to invite friends to share progress, workouts, and more
• Free and Pro versions available

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free version gives access to all workouts
• All-inclusive and comprehensive health app
• Reported to be intuitive and easy-to-use
• Lots of variety in classes

Cons

• To unlock a lot of features you need the paid version
• Paid version is a six month or yearly commitment (no monthly option)
• May not be ideal for heavy lifting or strength training

Bottom Line

This is a comprehensive health and fitness app that offers a wide range of workouts, guided courses for chronic health conditions, health articles, and the option to share progress with friends. If you are looking for an app to specifically make massive strength gains, this may not be for you.

FitOn is a great service for people just dipping their toes into the fitness world, mainly because it’s free and gives you access to tons of guided workout videos, still all for free. While the premium option can give you special features like premium music options to spice up your playlist, personalized meal plans, and offline downloads to workouts, the bulk of the app is free.

When I think of an app for a beginner, I would want value, ease of use, and good instruction. You get all of those with FitOn. Megan Capritto, sister of GGR senior staff writer Amanda Capritto and our tester for FitOn, found the interface for the app very easy to use and intuitive, giving it 5 stars out of 5. There is also solid instruction for each of the trainer-led workout videos.

Megan says a motivated trainer is on screen for each workout and shows how to perform each movement, rating the level of instruction a 4 out of 5. She adds, “Most workouts have modifications shown, too. At my intermediate fitness level, the instructions were sufficient and I could follow along easily.”

If you’re looking for long-term workout plans, FitOn may not be ideal. There are workout programs available on FitOn, but they’re shorter ones—about 2 to 4 weeks long. Megan says, “the 4-week program has 10 workouts. 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.

Best Free Workout App for Community: Hevy

Good for: Lifters wanting a community presence with their workout tracker

Best for Community

Hevy

GGR Score: 3.9

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Product Highlights

• Free workout tracker that allows users to build routines and track progress
• Pro version available
• Monitors progress with exercise charts, personal records, calculated one-rep maxes, and a complete exercise history
• Create notes for exercises to track weight, level of fatigue, or whatever you find relevant
• Ability to connect with other users
• Access to a library of form videos

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Intuitive interface
• Free
• A lot of customization
• Reportedly good graphics to track progress
• Big social aspect and community

Cons

• Not much information available about the Pro version
• Reports that the free version is limited

Bottom Line

If you are on the hunt for a free workout tracker, Hevy enables users to create routines, monitor progress with exercise charts and personal records, make exercise-specific notes, and connect with other users.

If you’re looking for a simple workout tracker with an expansive community feed, look no further than Hevy, our pick for the best free app for community support. Along with a robust library of exercises to log your workouts, Heavy also has an entire community feed and social media aspect, where you can share your workouts, videos, and also like, comment, and follow other users and their workouts.

The workout tracker is basic but deep, allowing you to create your own workouts. If there is a workout that you frequent, you can create it as a workout routine to simplify logging it in. In addition, Heavy provides some basic strength training routines of their own, such as 5 x 5 back squats. You can look at Hevy’s and other user’s workouts for inspiration, if you’re not sure what to do that day.

RELATED: Proper Squat Form

When you log a workout, the app will give you neat little celebrations; for example, I was told my total tonnage after a squat workout was like lifting a car. It’s the little things, but that sort of interaction can help people through tough days.

Between the community feed and the app’s interaction, I rate the app’s interactive features a 4.5 out of 5, as there is plenty enough to keep you motivated and involved, but has no true coaching aspect, outside of instruction on exercises.

Each workout you log will add to a heat map, showing muscle groups used more frequently than others. This can be a good indicator of which muscles you should focus on next, and which muscles might be a little tired from previous workouts.

There are notifications for accountability, but they’re all focused on the social media aspect, getting likes or follows. Because there’s no real way to remind you to workout, I scored the accountability a 1 out of 5. If you’re able to stay on task, there is a deep social network behind this simple workout tracker.

Best Free Outdoor Workout App: AllTrails

Good for: Runners looking to map their trail routes

Best for Outdoors

ALLTrails

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Over 400,000 trails available that have been verified by experts and reviewed by users
• Customized search options narrow down trails based on preferences (ie distances, waterfalls, landmarks)
• All trails come with a map, pictures, reviews, and descriptions
• Utilize the map while on a trail (if GPS is available) to track and navigate the hike

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free version has a lot to offer
• Tons of trails to search through
• Descriptions, pictures, and reviews are very helpful
• Reported to be a good option for beginners

Cons

• Even customized searches yields overwhelming results
• Not an intuitive interface
• Without GPS, you can not use the app on the trail

Bottom Line

This free app provides access to over 400,000 trails with customizable search options, maps, pictures, and reviews, making it helpful for beginners. There are several users who found that search results to be overwhelming and the interface confusing to navigate.

For the hiker who loves the outdoors and solid trails, AllTrails is an ideal app for you. While the premium version, AllTrails+, provides added features and details to your map, the free version has the basics needed for most trail hikes: access to guides, trail navigation, syncing with Garmin, and the ability to like and save trail routes.

The free version of AllTrails gives you access to hundreds of thousands of saved trails worldwide, making this a great tool for those who get the itch to travel. You can also save your favorite trails to an easy-to-access list, as well as create your own routes and trails. One thing to note is that you’ll have to make a free account to get full access to the free version—otherwise, your experience on the app and web version will be limited.

GGR writer and certified personal trainer Amanda Capritto uses the app for discovering new places for hiking, walking, backpacking, and mountain biking, and to navigate on those trails. “If I’m hiking, I use my Garmin watch to track the actual workout data and use AllTrails on my phone as a handheld GPS,” she explains. At the end of a hike, the app gives a summary similar to other route apps: distance, steps, a GPS map, and other data if synced with another tracking device.

RELATED: Best Walking Apps

The free version does have one major limitation if you’re trying to get off the beaten path, though. The app only works in areas with cell service; to be able to download a trail route for offline use, you’ll need the pro version of AllTrails. “This is helpful (and critical, I’d argue) if you’re in the backcountry with questionable cell service, especially if you don’t have any other navigational tools or are unfamiliar with the area,” Amanda argues.

While the free version is extensive, if you’re going on some deep country trails, it may be worth it to upgrade.

Other Free Workout Apps We Researched and Tested

We’ve tested over 50 fitness apps, personal training apps, and training programs, free and paid,. With that said, there are tons of great options available, but may not make our final list of the best free fitness apps. Here are some of the competitors worth mentioning:

• Sweat: This fitness app has plenty of ways to track metrics, including daily water and steps tracking. However, this app doesn’t have a free version; instead, you can try Sweat for a 7-day free trial.
• Zombies, Run!: This is a fun workout app to mention, as it takes cardio exercise and game-ifies the running experience. The free version has several missions available, while the subscription version unlocks more missions and challenges.
• Freeletics: While this app has workouts available for free, our tester Megan Capritto felt the instruction for workouts and exercises was lacking a bit. The app shows animations but has no explanation on proper form. “For me, this was a bit challenging because there was no one to tell me how to do the move or have the correct form,” Megan adds.
• Daily Yoga: This daily fitness app for yoga also has workouts in pilates, HIIT, and guided meditation. However, our tester, GGR editor Frieda Johnson, felt that the yoga app’s free version was very limited, and the user experience was terrible. She says, “You are forced to go through the ‘quiz’ every time you open the app, and they’re pushing the paid version constantly with pop-ups and ad banners.”
• Johnson & Johnson 7-Minute Workout: This free-forever workout app is great for short, quick full-body workouts for people constantly on the move. However, we haven’t tested this product as this app will be retired by the end of the year.

How We Picked and Tested the Best Free Workout Apps

Each workout app we’ve tested has been rated across 14 different aspects to determine the best fitness apps. To compile our list of the best free workout apps, we used the same methodology, except for the caveat that the app had to have a free version.

We also made the distinction that free apps mean that there is a free version of the app available—not just a free trial. Each item that makes the list may have a premium version, but there is a free version that is robust and easy enough to use to be added onto this list.

Here are a few other factors we used in determining scores for our top free fitness apps:

• Setup and ease of use: Apps should have a quick setup, simply making an account or answering a quick assessment. After setup, the fitness app should still remain pretty intuitive to navigate.
• Accountability and interactive features: Apps that score high here have ways to keep you motivated and accountable, either through push notifications, a community of support on social media, or having a personal coach—although a personal coach is rare to see on a free workout app.
• Instruction: Even free fitness apps should have decent instruction, with guided workouts that at the very least describe and show exercises being done.
• Workout variety: Some apps specialize in one mode of training, but the best apps can accommodate for many different kinds of workouts and any level of fitness equipment available.

Benefits of Free Workout Apps

Getting a personalized training plan can be expensive. If you’re not looking for involved workout routines and the support of a one-on-one coach or certified personal trainer, then a free workout app will save you a lot of money and still provide you with solid workout plans and support through an online community.

RELATED: Best Personal Training Certifications

In addition, a workout app can be convenient in a couple of ways. It can help you keep all of your workout records in one place, without having to scour notebooks or fitness logs to check for your one-rep-max deadlift. Also, the app can allow you to train wherever—either at-home workouts or while traveling—cutting down on commutes to a commercial gym.

What to Look for in Free Workout Apps

Ready to find the right free workout app for you? Other than finding one at the low, low price of free, here are some things to consider for the right fitness app for you.

Type of Training

What are your fitness goals? You should know the type of training you should do to best achieve those goals. While many fitness apps have diverse options of daily workouts—HIIT, strength training, cardio, and barre—some apps may specialize in only one or two modes of training.

RELATED: Benefits of Strength Training

Basically, if you’re looking to strength train with a lot of different equipment, you should find a workout tracker that provides a pretty comprehensive list of strength exercises. If you’re working on your running, an app that can track your GPS location will be extremely helpful. And if you’re looking to do a mix of things, find the app that offers that level of variety.

Workout Tracking

Different workout apps will provide different levels of tracking for workouts. Most free ones allow you to record loads and times for daily workouts, but you might also be able to track basic metrics, like weight, water, and inches. Again, make sure the tracking and logging functions match the needs of your fitness goals.

Other Interactive Features

It’s important to know the type of person you are when looking for an ideal workout app for you. Do you need a bit of motivation? Try to find an app with a community that can push you. Furthermore, some apps reward badges for hitting new personal records which, just like a follow on social media, can feel very rewarding.

If you don’t feel the need for an online support system, there are still ways to stay on top of your workouts. Some apps will add calendar reminders or push notifications to help remind you of your workout schedule for the week.

Best Free Workout Apps: FAQs

Caine Wilkes, OLY, USAW-L1

Caine Wilkes is an Olympian, placing 9th in weightlifting at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A former gym owner, he also has more than 15 years of experience coaching other athletes in weightlifting, CrossFit, and functional fitness.

Further reading

Try This Cable Biceps Workout for Bigger, Stronger Arms

by Christopher Covello

Looking to target and shape your biceps? Try our cable biceps workout for bigger, badder biceps that would make Arnold himself jealous! Read more

What Is a Creatine Cycle? The 3 Phases Explained

by Destini Moody, RD, CSSD, LD

A creatine cycle is a method that’s commonly practiced in the fitness community, but does this supplementation technique actually work? An RD weighs in. Read more

How Much Protein Should I Eat to Lose Weight?

by Stephanie Wells, MS, RD, LD, ACSM-CPT

People often ask, "How much protein should I eat to lose weight?" Find out the answer here! Read more

REP Fitness FB-5000 Competition Flat Bench Review 2024: Best Bench for the Money

by Cooper Mitchell

The REP Fitness FB-5000 Flat Bench is by quite a large margin, the best value flat bench currently available to home gym owners. It features an intelligent design, great padding, grippy vinyl, and other standout features at an excellent price point. Whether your max bench press is 135 LB or 500 LB, you'll have a hard time finding a better value weight bench. Read more