The 10 Best Personal Training Apps of 2024 (Personally Tested)

In the last decade, nothing has revolutionized exercise quite as much as the advent of personal training and fitness apps. Whether you’re training at home and want a follow-along bodyweight workout, sweating in the gym with a comprehensive lifting program, running a fartlek with a coach cueing intervals in your headphones, or replicating a studio-style cycling class on your own, there’s a fitness app to get it done.

“Fitness apps are a dime a dozen these days,” says BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC. “It seems like the options are endless, even if you limit your search to free options. That said, as someone who has used nearly three dozen fitness apps myself, I can tell you they are not all built the same.” We’ve spent a lot of time combing through the offerings to find the best fitness apps, including those that can be used for customized programming and personal training. If you’re looking for the latter, we’ve got you covered here. Keep scrolling to see our picks for the best personal training apps in 2024, all tested and reviewed by our team. 

The 10 Best Personal Training Apps of 2024

• Best Personal Training App Overall: Future
• Best Personal Training App for Beginners: Aaptiv
• Best Personal Training App for Accountability: Caliber
• Best Personal Training App for Cardio: Strava
• Best Personal Training App for Weightlifting: Juggernaut AI
• Best Personal Training App for Meal Plans: Centr
• Best Personal Training App for HIIT: Sweat
• Best Personal Training App for Variety: FlexIt
• Best Personal Training App for Live Classes: Peloton
• Best Personal Training App for Yoga: Down Dog

How We Tested and Chose the Best Personal Training Apps

Our team of avid gymgoers and fitness experts (including certified personal trainers) tested more than 55 different personal training apps to find the best of the best. We evaluated each one on a range of criteria, including ease of use, instruction, pricing, interactive features, and workout variety, ranking each one on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best possible score. The resulting list of 10 personal training apps includes options for every price point and workout style. Here are some criteria we took special care in evaluating to arrive at our final picks.  

Personalization

Personal training in a gym setting generally means one thing: working out one-on-one with a trainer. However, when it comes to doing so with an app, there are many available formats. “Now, personal training can mean a number of things, from an actual online personal trainer who is a real person and works with individuals, to AI-driven programs that use motion sensors to capture your exercise technique and provide personalized feedback,” explains BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC. 

When evaluating all these apps, one of our main considerations was just how personalized they can get. Every single one is customizable for your needs, level, and progress, though to what degree and how the changes are made (whether via a human trainer on the other side or AI) will differ from app to app.

Workout Variety

Even if you’re committed to one workout type and one workout type only, you probably don’t want to do the same exact workout every single day. After all, variety is the spice of life, and is key for continuing to reap the benefits of a workout routine. (1) We ranked these personal training apps on their workout variety, including types of programming, available options for difficulty level, length, and type of workout, and usefulness for all different types of fitness goals.

User Experience

The best apps (fitness or otherwise) don’t require any real “how to”: You can open them up and intuitively navigate through the content and settings to find what you want. That ease of use is a big part of user experience, which played a significant role in our rankings. User experience also includes things like pleasing design, experience with any bugs, and speed. (If you’ve ever been stuck with a buffering screen mid-workout, you know how important this is.)

Best Personal Training App Overall: Future

If you’re looking for an app that offers an innovative personal training experience, consider our top overall pick, the Future app. It offers the same personalized programming you’d get from working with a trainer IRL, but with the flexibility of workouts you can access anywhere, anytime online.

Here’s how it works: You’re paired up with a coach who creates a personalized training plan for you based on your level, goals, injury history, equipment available, and preferred coaching style. They arm you with a new workout plan each week and are available for check-ins via messages or video chat. You can record moves so they can check your form, or send workout data from your smartwatch to get even more specific training feedback. It’s pretty seamless: Our expert tester, BarBend lead video reviewer Jake Herod, NASM-CNC, gave the app 5 out of 5 ratings for both setup and ease of use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAeuivQVVhI

The workouts themselves are presented with both audio cueing from your trainer plus video demonstrations of each move, with allotted amounts of time for the reps and rest. At times, it can feel rushed (especially if you’re familiarizing yourself with a new move), which is why our tester gave the app a 4 out of 5 for instruction. 

After the workout, you can leave feedback about how it went, so your trainer can make adjustments for next week. “Your coach contacts you regularly to see how your workout went or ask why you missed a session … This level of support is helpful when you have a bad workout or aren’t progressing as fast as you’d like,” Herod says. He gave the app a 5 out of 5 for both accountability and interactivity. “We all struggle with motivation and consistency at times, so this extra communication can be a big help,” he adds.

One of the downsides of Future is the price: It costs $199 a month, though you’ll pay less if you commit to three months ($179 per month), six months ($169), or 12 months ($149). “That’s a sizable chunk of change, but I would rate its value a 4 out of 5 — between the instruction, personalization, flexibility, and accountability, you really do get your money’s worth,” Herod says. Keep in mind, it’s likely still cheaper than working with a trainer in person, which can cost up to $100 per session. (2)

Read our full Future App Review.

Best Personal Training App for Beginners: Aaptiv

If you’re a beginner or making a return to exercise, you likely don’t want to shell out big bucks for an app or workout style you aren’t yet sold on. Aaptiv, which costs less than $15 per month after a free week-long trial and offers tons of beginner-friendly programming, could be just the thing to try. “Of all the apps I’ve tried, Aaptiv is easily the best value,” says our tester, who scored it a 4.5 out of 5 for value and 4 out of 5 for price.

The app’s claim to fame is its audio-led workouts, which cover a huge range of modalities, including strength training, running, walking, stretching, Pilates, yoga, indoor cycling, boxing, and even meditation. Using its AI Smartcoach, the app can create a personalized workout program and then adapts your plan after each completed workout. “There are decent programs that run about four to six weeks and are pretty basic, which could help beginners see results,” our tester said. 

They gave the app a 4 out of 5 for workout variety and 5 out of 5 for both setup and ease of use. It takes just seconds to get started working out: You filter for workouts by type, length, muscle group, fitness level, or equipment, and then can tackle them in the gym, at home, or even outside. There are plenty of equipment-free options, as well as outdoor runs and walks where a trainer will guide you through intervals or help you find your ideal pace.

Aaptiv offers some video workouts, but most are audio-only, so you won’t need to worry about looking down at your phone or propping it up somewhere in view. If you don’t yet have solid form, however, the lack of visual demonstrations could be a downside. Occasionally, you’ll have a trainer demoing the moves for you, or an animated figure, which may be less helpful, our tester notes.

As for accountability, our tester scored the app a 4 out of 5. “If you start a program, you can add the workouts to your calendar as ‘appointments’ and receive push notifications, which I found really helpful,” our tester said. There’s also a community feed and group challenges where you can interact with other users, which can help boost a sense of camaraderie and encourage you to keep coming back.

Best Personal Training App for Accountability: Caliber

If you want to see strength gains and are looking for a coach to keep you accountable, Caliber may be the personal training app for you. 

The platform matches you with a trainer who suits your needs and goals, and after an initial assessment, they craft an individualized program to help you achieve them. You have weekly check-ins with your coach, but there’s an option to chat anytime and send videos, so they can correct your form. Our tester said their coach was available nearly 24/7 and was always quick to respond to questions (within five hours, max). “My coach took the time to connect with me, follow up multiple times per week, and adjusted my workout based on my feedback,” our tester said. “They also held me accountable for any workouts I missed, and always addressed it in a professional, positive way.”

Caliber shines in terms of accountability and also in its strength programming — in fact, it’s not really that friendly to those with cardio goals. It hinges on the principle of progressive overload (i.e. consistently and continually increasing the difficulty of your workout), which has demonstrated benefits for muscle growth and avoiding plateaus. (3) In addition to providing an easy-to-use rep/set counter (along the lines of a traditional training journal), Caliber also uses includes two algorithmic measurements — strength score and strength balance — that help you track your progress. 

These metrics attempt to quantify progress by muscle group and also help you see if you’re training unevenly. It can be a little tricky to navigate at first — our tester gave it a 4 out of 5 for ease of use — but said their coach was always willing to explain how things worked. The workout plans are delivered using detailed video tutorials from Caliber’s exercise library of over 500 moves, which is why our tester gave the app a 5 out of 5 for instruction. 

If you’re looking for a personal training app to keep you accountable, Caliber’s Premium membership is a stellar option; however, if the price feels too high, you can access their more affordable plans for less. The Pro subscription is $19 per month, and there’s even a free version of the app that allows you to create and track your own workout plan; however, neither of those options include coaching with a Caliber trainer.

Read our full Caliber Fitness App Review. 

Best Personal Training App for Cardio: Strava

Strava supports tracking of 30 vastly different activity types, including running, cycling, HIIT, weight training, trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking, and pickleball. (Our tester gave it a 5 out of 5 for workout variety and equipment demands.) However, tracking outdoor cardio workouts is Strava’s claim to fame. If you know an avid runner or cyclist, they probably use Strava.

For outdoor activities, Strava uses GPS to track your route, pace, and elevation. If you use a smartwatch like Apple Watch or Garmin, you can seamlessly upload your workouts to the app, too. Our tester has used Strava for about a decade, giving it a 4 out of 5 for ease of use.  Every activity is uploaded to your personal feed with a map of your route, with options to include a name for the activity and photos and videos. It’s like Instagram, but for workouts.

That’s the gist. Strava offers some running training plans for common distances like a marathon, but overall, doesn’t have guided workouts of any type. If you want a strength plan or to work with a trainer, this isn’t the app for you. However, if you want cardio workout tracking and training inspiration, it could be a fit. 

Strava can be really motivating for athletes with a competitive side; sections of popular routes are labeled as “segments” and you compete on a virtual leaderboard against your previous performances and other athletes to log the fastest time. Whoever tops the leaderboard gets the King/Queen of the Mountain (KOM/QOM) title until someone faster comes along. “Some segments are fiercely competitive. People will literally structure their training around winning them. This aspect of Strava can be really fun and encourage healthy competition,” our tester said. “Sometimes trying for a QOM is the only thing that’s gotten me out on my bike.”

Worth noting: There is a dark side. “There’ve been times when I felt like I couldn’t take a break because I was constantly chasing segments and worried about uploading my workouts for everyone to see,” our tester says. You do have the option to keep your workouts private, and if you want a non-competitive motivation boost, you can join challenges to, for example, cover 100 miles or accumulate 25K feet of elevation gain in a month.

There’s a free version of the app available, though certain features only come with the Pro subscription for $11.99/month.

Best Personal Training App for Weightlifting: Juggernaut AI

Serious strength athletes, your search is over. If you’re looking for a personal training app to help you with powerlifting or powerbuilding (a hybrid between bodybuilding and powerlifting), it doesn’t get any better than this one. “One of my favorite apps for advanced lifters is JuggernautAI, which offers somewhat personalized programming suited to individuals who are comfortable and confident lifting weights,” says BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC. 

Using AI technology, the app creates an individualized and responsive weightlifting plan for you, starting at four weeks long. Our tester gave it a 5 out of 5 for initial setup; you enter details like your current training load, frequency, and goals, and then you immediately have a personalized workout plan. 

That’s just the beginning of what the AI can do: It’s responsive, so you can leave feedback as you progress through the plan, and it’ll make automatic adjustments. “It’s insanely impressive,” our tester says. “It feels very personal compared to apps that just have on-demand workouts with no individualization.” 

Before you start a workout, you’ll even tell the app how ready you are to train (for example, factoring in how you slept, if you’ve eaten enough, if you’re sore), and it’ll adjust that day’s workout for you instantly so you’re not pushing beyond your means. “It continues to adapt over time, so the longer you use the app and the more diligently you input data, the smarter and more personalized your program will become,” our tester says.

Despite the emphasis on powerlifting, it’s pretty flexible on equipment, too; our tester gave it a 4 out of 5 on equipment demands. “The JuggernautAI app allows for pretty much unlimited exercise selection and even offers suggested options,” Capritto explains. “If you usually do back squats, but are in a hotel gym and there’s no barbell, you can substitute for front-rack dumbbell squats, for example, and the app will automatically adjust the suggested rep and weight range.”

As for instruction and accountability, both scored a 3.5 out of 5. “They don’t match up to what a live trainer offers, but in terms of value, Juggernaut AI is simply phenomenal for $35/month,” our tester says, giving it a 5 out of 5 on that metric: “It’s like getting the insights of a real coach for next to nothing.”

Best Personal Training App for Meal Plans: Centr

Centr, the fitness app created by Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, combines workout, mental health, and nutrition programming for a truly holistic experience. If you’re looking for guidance on both your training sessions and nutrition, Centr could be a solid bet.

For the meal plans, you can choose between regular, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan — all are gluten-free friendly. In the app’s Planer tab, you’ll start each day with a recommended workout and four meal recipes: breakfast, lunch, a post-workout snack, and dinner. If there’s a recipe you’re not into, you can swap the meal for something else. And all the recipes are nutritionally balanced, even if you swap them, so you’ll stay within your recommended calorie intake and a reasonable macro count. 

You can add the recipe ingredients from all your meals directly to your shopping list to make prep easy. “This is one of the better recipe sections I’ve seen in a fitness app,” our tester said. “They taste good, the macros are on point, and the shopping list feature is really handy.” 

Even though there’s a lot going on — including meditation, weeks-long workout programs, and complete meal plans — “the app is surprisingly easy to use and well-organized,” our tester says, giving it a 5 out of 5 for ease of use. 

There are 40 different workout programs suited to every combination of fitness level and equipment needs (scoring a 5 out of 5 with our tester on the latter), and the built-in weight tracker allows you to note how heavy you’re lifting so you keep challenging yourself using progressive overload. Once you’ve committed to a program, you’ll get push notifications to keep you accountable; our tester gave it a 4 out of 5 on that metric.

It’s not that customizable (you can’t really change the workout program or meal plan from the outset according to your personal needs), and you’re not working with real coach, but you’re getting all this for a pretty decent price: $29.99 for one month, $59.99 for three months ($20/month), or $119 for a year ($10/month). “I’d like to see more interactive features like messaging or check-in features,” our tester says, “but it has great tracking abilities, countless workouts, and the best recipe section I’ve seen in a fitness app.”  

Best Personal Training App for HIIT: Sweat

Those who prefer at-home workouts, HIIT, barre, Pilates, or who are looking for a mix of these training styles should turn their attention toward the Sweat app. Created by Australian trainer Kayla Itsines, the app offers nearly 60 different programs ranging from two to 24+ weeks. They’re guided by Itsines and other trainers who specialize in different modalities, including yoga, strength, and pre- and post-natal work. It’s an admittedly huge selection; our tester gave it a 4.8 out of 5 for workout variety. 

This app is designed to be even more than a workout service; it also has a daily goal tracker for water and steps; weekly trackers to mark your resistance training, cardio, and recovery days; and a community section built into the app for motivation and accountability. Once you choose a program, you can connect it to a digital calendar to stay on track. The workouts are self-guided with GIF demos, written instructions, and built-in timers, and it’s easy to pause or swap moves if needed. For all these reasons, our tester gave it a 4.3 out of 5 for interactive features and a 4.5 out of 5 for ease of use.

One of the main criticisms of the Sweat app is that not all of the programs offer true progressions or coach you through progressive overload; this could lead to plateaus, boredom or burnout. Our tester gave it a 2.8 out of 5 for progressive overload. “In the longer programs, I don’t see any mention of starting weight or what to aim for in terms of progression or how you should be leveling up,” our tester explains. “You’re more or less on your own, which may not work for beginners.”

After a seven-day free trial, you’ll pay $20 a month for access, which our tester scored as a 4 out of 5 for value. “It’s a pretty solid app for $20 per month, especially for low-key lifters or people who prefer to do HIIT or home workouts,” our tester says.

Best Personal Training App for Variety: FlexIt

FlexIt provides perhaps the most authentic virtual personal training experience an app can offer; live, personalized sessions with a trainer for 30-60 minutes, as often as you’d like. You can buy-as-you-go or commit to a monthly plan with four, eight, or 12+ sessions, with each session costing between $36-$80 each.

Overall, our testers were quite impressed with their experience, giving the app a 4 out of 5 overall score. “I’ve used an in-person personal trainer in the past, and I was a little apprehensive about how a virtual session would go,” one tester said. “In the end, I was pleasantly surprised. The trainer was personable and encouraging, and he tailored our sessions to meet my personal needs.” Depending on what you want, you can also add nutrition or health coaching, pre- and post-natal guidance, and physical therapy into your program through FlexIt; the app will match you with a trainer who can do whatever you need, or give you the option to book additional sessions.

The real human element of the app earned it a 4 out of 5 for accountability from our testers. “After our session, my trainer sent me a message to check in. For me, having someone giving me individualized attention keeps me accountable because I don’t want to disappoint them or myself when it comes to meeting my goals,” one tester said.

One downside, our testers noted, was that when you’re doing one of the virtual personal training plans, you don’t necessarily get a 4- or 12-week program to follow on your own when you’re not working out with your trainer. If that’s more up your alley, FlexIt does have an alternative offering called “Connected Training” for $75, where a trainer creates a custom four-week workout plan for you to follow on your own. It also includes a 30-minute virtual chat and anytime messaging with your coach.

Best Personal Training App for Live Classes: Peloton

“Peloton is all about community,” our tester said. One of the best ways to tap in is by taking live classes — of which Peloton offers up to 25 per day across workout types. During live workouts, there’s a leaderboard with all other users who are in the class. You can interact with them, see if they’re hitting a milestone (like their 100th class) and throw them a high five. The instructors will also shout out users in class, wishing happy birthday, congratulating on milestones, or saying hi. “The instructors find a way to push you, even while coaching virtually,” our tester said, scoring the app on accountability with a 4.5 out of 5.

If you like to sweat on your own schedule, you can work out with any of the app’s 39,000+ on-demand, pre-recorded classes, which span cycling, running, yoga, strength training, rowing, meditations and audio-only guided outdoor walks or runs. Peloton’s classes are industry best in terms of instructors, production quality, and programming — but they’re not a substitute for a personal trainer, nor individualized. 

“You can’t ask the instructors questions or get training feedback or custom programming, but as a beginner to working out, I haven’t had any issues working out using the app,” our tester said, giving it a 5 out of 5 for instruction. “If you want something more personalized, this app might not be for you.”

To stay accountable, a feature allows you to set a goal for number of workouts per week. “The goal-setting feature on the app really helps me show up,” said our tester. “There are also challenges, and if you complete them, you earn a badge. This is another huge motivator for me; I love having a collection of the little badges to show all my hard work.”

There’s no emphasis on results, otherwise; Peloton is about showing up, enjoying your workout, and coming back for more. You can track progress with more detail by syncing an Apple Watch; the app will pull in live metrics and give you a Strive score, which reflects your level of exertion during a workout. If you’d like more training guidance, there’s a selection of programs available, such as Intro to Meditation or Total Strength that run up to six weeks long. It’s not a fitness app to rival a personal training experience, but Peloton could help you find workouts you love and stick with them.

Best Personal Training App for Yoga: Down Dog

Imagine walking into a yoga class, and the instructor bases the entire session around what you want, down to the type of music and the tone of their voice. That’s more or less what Down Dog offers as a personal training app. To begin a session, you select your preferences for class length, level, body part focus, voice, and music, and the app creates a unique, personalized yoga practice every single time. 

Our tester was impressed, giving it a 5 out of 5 for app setup and ease of use. “I love how highly customizable it is based on what you want on any given day. The yoga sessions I’ve done have been challenging but doable for my experience level and I’ve really enjoyed each one.” You’re coached through the class via audio instructions and a video demonstration of the poses.

There isn’t too much else you can do besides cue up a yoga workout; there’s a Journey page that tracks how often you practice and a History tab that shows you the sessions you’ve done as well as a pose breakdown. There aren’t many bells and whistles (they gave it a 1 out of 5 for interactive features and accountability, since those aren’t really part of the service), but if you’re looking for a simple way to do a personalized yoga practice, it’s not a bad option — especially considering it’s only $10 per month. “I think it’s a good price for what you get: all those custom yoga workouts plus the company’s other HIIT, barre, prenatal yoga, and meditation apps,” our tester said.

Benefits of Personal Training Apps

The truth is, anyone from workout newbies to advanced exercisers can benefit from using a personal training app. It can help keep you accountable, offer guidance for reaching your fitness goals, or add some variety to your routine. 

“Anyone who has an interest in reaching a fitness goal or simply improving their overall fitness will benefit from an online workout program,” says BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC. “Those who find success with external accountability and motivation will also benefit.” Here are some of the specific benefits you stand to reap from working out with a personal training app.

Motivation

When you don’t have a workout plan, you may be less likely to stick with consistent workouts, and, when you do make it to the gym, you may not use your time as wisely. Using a personal training app can offer a dose of motivation and ensure a more efficient workout, since you’ll have a plan to follow and instructions to keep you on track. “People who struggle with the mental load of exercising can greatly benefit from using a fitness app, too,” Capritto says. “With a fitness app, you don’t have to think about what you’re going to do each day: You just show up, open the app, and do it. This can eliminate a lot of stress about working out.”

Accountability

Having someone or something to hold you accountable is one of the biggest keys to success in sticking with a workout program. (4) “The level of accountability you get from a personal trainer is unmatched, as is the specificity of programming,” Capritto says. 

“That said, even non-traditional online personal training options can keep you on track and help you reach your goals simply by presenting you with a clear plan,” she continues. “Even if it’s just for four or six weeks, a clear plan from point A to point B is a great way to 1) get consistent in your habits, 2) motivate you to keep going, and 3) put you on a path that more efficiently gets you to your end goal.”

Accessibility

Virtual personal training is significantly more accessible than training with someone IRL. For one, it’s generally more affordable; the personal training apps here cost as little as $10 per month, compared to in-person sessions which can cost up to $100 per hour. (2) 

Because you can use a personal training app anywhere, anytime, it’s also more accessible for people who are traveling, don’t have time to physically go to the gym, or who need to stay at home to care for kids, pets, or family members. For people who aren’t comfortable in a gym environment, training with an app at home can also be significantly less intimidating and more enjoyable.

How Much Do Personal Training Apps Cost?

Just like pretty much anything in the fitness space — exercise bikes, treadmills, even dumbbells — personal training apps come with a wide range of costs. The personal training app options here range from $10 to $200 a month, and some apps even offer limited versions that are completely free. That means your yearly personal training costs can range from $0 to $120 to $2,400, depending on your wants and needs. Here’s a breakdown of the cost per month for each of the 10 personal training apps on our list.

Best Personal Training App Overall	Future	$199
Best Personal Training App for Beginners	Aaptiv	$14.99
Best Personal Training App for Accountability	Caliber	$200
Best Personal Training App for Cardio	Strava	Free or $11.99
Best Personal Training App for Weightlifting	Juggernaut AI	$35
Best Personal Training App for Meal Plans	Centr	$30
Best Personal Training App for HIIT	Sweat	$20
Best Personal Training App for Variety	FlexIt	$159+
Best Personal Training App for Live Classes	Peloton	$12.99-$44
Best Personal Training App for Yoga	Down Dog	$10

In general, paying less will get you access to non-individualized plans and/or workouts, basic workout tracking for accountability, and some sort of community interaction. Paying for a mid-range app will get you access to AI-generated personalized plans that are designed specifically for you and your goals. Leveling up to the highest price tier will get you a bespoke training plan, the ability to chat with or call a human trainer, and adjustments to your plan over time based on progress and feedback.

When trying to decide between personal training apps, it’s worth considering how much support you’re looking for, what type of workout style you prefer, and how much you’re willing to pay per month.

How to Choose a Personal Training App

There are a lot of fitness apps on the market, and our list barely scratches the surface; however, if you’re looking for a personal training app to meet your specific needs, you can narrow down your options by considering the following important criteria.

Fitness Level

When choosing between personal training apps, first and foremost, you should think honestly about your fitness level. “Some fitness apps aren’t suitable for beginners; I’ve tested some that would be outright dangerous for a beginner due to lack of clear instruction and proper introduction to movement,” says BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC. “On the other hand, there are plenty of thoughtfully designed, carefully built fitness apps that can help you reach any type of fitness goal.”

For example, “True beginners would benefit from an app that offers very clear instruction and guidance, including full written instructions for exercises, video demos, and a progressive overload plan. Beginners may want to consider a virtual personal training app, such as Caliber or Future, where they can connect with a certified professional and receive individualized feedback and programming,” Capritto continues. “Advanced exercisers can get away with just having a program, not necessarily needing video instructions or personalized programming.” 

Fitness Goals

Beyond considering your level of ability, you should also consider what sort of goals you want this app to help you achieve. Do you just want a source of fun, guided workouts you enjoy? Or are you looking for something to challenge you or help you reach a specific goal, like training for a 5K? 

“You must get clear on your goals, otherwise you might wind up paying for a subscription you won’t use because it doesn’t match up with your needs. Be honest about how much instruction and accountability you need,” Capritto says.

In general, a personal training app is a worthwhile purchase if you’re after something specific like building strength or losing weight. Take it from Capritto: “An online personal trainer, especially in the truest sense of the word, is probably the most expeditious way to reach your fitness goals.”

Equipment Requirements

The beauty of personal training virtually is that you can do it wherever you want, including at home or in a gym. However, some apps — like Sweat, Centr, or Peloton — are designed to be better at home, with limited equipment, whereas others expect you to have a gym’s worth of tools available. It’s worth noting what sort of equipment is needed for the workouts an app offers, as well as what’s realistically going to be necessary for your goals.

Final Word

When it comes to shopping for anything — personal training apps included — what’s considered the best on the market is just one factor to consider. It’s also important to evaluate what’s best for you based on your fitness level, preferences, budget, and goals. “The great thing about workout apps is that there are so many options at different price points and geared toward different goals that anyone can kind something they’ll benefit from,” says BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC. 

“Following a carefully crafted workout plan is never a bad thing and is, if you have goals other than simply staying active, always better than cherry-picking random workouts or writing your own workouts that don’t have any rhyme or reason,” Capritto continues. The 10 personal training apps listed here should help do exactly that: Give your workouts purpose and help you stay on track, whether your “thing” is yoga, running, or getting strong.

FAQs

References

1. Magat, Brian. The Importance of Variety in Creating Your Exercise Program. (2020). University Hospitals. https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2020/08/the-importance-of-variety-in-creating-your-exercise-program
2. Mahaffey, K. How much does a personal trainer cost & should you hire one?. (n.d.). National Academy of Sports Medicine. https://blog.nasm.org/how-much-does-a-personal-trainer-cost
3. Adams, A. Progressive overload explained: grow muscle & strength today. (n.d.). National Academy of Sports Medicine. https://blog.nasm.org/progressive-overload-explained
4. Hanc, John. Accountability: The Not-so-secret Key to Success. (2023). American Council on Exercise. https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/certified/october-2023/8470/accountability-the-not-so-secret-key-to-success/