The 12 Best Personal Training Apps of 2025 (Personally Tested)

Why We Like It

If you’re looking for the best personal trainer app filled with customized workouts, detailed instructions, and defined metrics for progress tracking, we think Caliber is worth your time. The app offers free and group training membership levels, but for those in search of personal training programs, you’ll need to subscribe to the Premium membership that pairs you to a fitness professional based on your goals and aspirations.

Our tester, a certified personal trainer, enjoyed the experience they had with their paired instructor, rating both the instruction and accountability at 5 out of 5. “My coach took the time to connect with me, follow up multiple times per week, and adjusted my workout based on my feedback,” they note. “I also appreciate the fact that I could reach them at any point through the in-app messaging service if I had a question regarding my outlined training plan.”

Caliber’s focus is primarily on strength training and using progressive overload to propel your muscle growth and performance. Studies report that progressive overload can be a beneficial training style for increased strength and overcoming in-gym plateaus, too. (3) The app, available for iPhone and Android users, also offers nutrition coaching from certified nutrition coaches.

This can be helpful for structuring your diet for specific goals like weight loss or weight gain, but we do point out that specific nutrition plans are not within the scope of the fitness professionals. “For personal diet plans, you’ll need to seek advice from a registered dietitian or other properly accredited experts,” says our tester.

Given its focus on strength training, we rate the equipment demands at 4 out of 5 since you’ll need access to resistance training tools like the best barbells and cable machines — we’ve found that commercial gyms or well-rounded home gyms are ideal. Our tester adds, too, that this isn’t the best app for cardio enthusiasts. For running or cycling, we recommend downloading the Strava app in place of Caliber.

Finally, the Premium membership’s pricing is hard to ignore, so we rate the price at 3.5 out of 5. Still, though, if you’re looking for a convenient personal training tool that’s always in the palm of your hand, Caliber is tough to beat.

Good For: Strength training athletes wanting personalized training plans and detailed instruction for boosted workout performance.

Read our full Caliber Fitness App Review. 

Why We Like It

Struggling to understand how to build muscle? In need of a personal training app to guide your strength workouts? Shred uses the power of artificial intelligence to craft detailed training programs based on your goals, experience level, and available equipment. According to our tester, a certified personal trainer, “It’s a great tool for keeping variety in each session, and I love the detailed instructions that come with each prescribed movement.”

Our tester states that setup earns a 5-out-of-5 rating for getting you established in the app. “You run through a quick assessment to outline your goals and available equipment, and the algorithm gets churning to deliver a detailed plan filled with different workouts,” they add. Since your workouts are tailored to match your available equipment, we also rate the equipment demands at 5 out of 5 — if you don’t have a specific machine, the app won’t program exercises that require such gear.

We do recommend taking your workouts in less-than-crowded areas, though. “There’s some emphasis on interval training workouts,” notes our tester, “So, getting from one station to the next can be a challenge if you’re lifting in a crowded commercial gym.”

While we appreciate the AI-powered guidance, we do score the accountability at 3 out of 5. The app doesn’t have that personal touch you’d get with a human coach, and the only motivation-forward feature is the embedded community feed where you can talk to fellow Shred users and sign up for rotating challenges. For training with human guidance, we recommend apps like Caliber or Future.

Finally, Shred does offer a free version of the platform, but we strongly recommend opting for a Premium membership costing $19.99 monthly or, for a discounted monthly fee, $119.99 yearly. This subscription will eliminate any potential paywalls that hide progress tracking tools or other features and gives you the best landscape the app has to offer. “When compared to other personal training apps like Caliber and Future, the price isn’t too unrealistic, either,” notes our tester, who scores the value at 4 out of 5.

Good For: Individuals wanting a detailed strength training workout plan crafted to their personal goals and available equipment.

Why We Like It

The nature of the personal training business can be difficult to navigate. You need to find the right coach, align your schedule to their availability, and hope that traffic or other life situations don’t impede your ability to get to their training session. Future eliminates the strain of meeting up with an in-person trainer by pairing you with a real-life fitness professional that digitally tracks and plans your workouts.

BarBend expert reviewer Jake Herod, NASM-CNC rates Future’s ease of use at 5 out of 5, stating, “I appreciate how hands-on my chosen instructor is with my programming. They provide excellent instruction and audio cues for each exercise. I also give the accountability a 5-out-of-5 score, since there are regular check-ins and reminders to get my workouts in each week.”

In terms of the actual workouts, each session is outlined with clear instructions for the listed movements along with allotted breaks between sets. While this provides ample structure for each workout, we do admit that it can feel rushed at times, especially when trying to master a new movement or if you’re particularly tired.

We rate the app’s ease of use at 4.5 out of 5, too, thanks to its simple layout and level of detail in each feature. “I also like that Future is compatible with smartwatches like the Apple Watch and Google Pixel Watch,” notes Herod. “Personally, I prefer to track my workouts on my wearable rather than carrying my phone with me through the gym.”

Future’s coaching potential is also worthwhile given that your fitness preferences aren’t limited to one discipline or another. Your personal coach can tailor your workouts to suit your cardio workouts or resistance training goals. If you are in search of a more specific app, we recommend Strava for cardio training and Caliber for strength training.

Lastly, the cost of this impressive personal training app earns a 3.75-out-of-5 rating due to its $199 monthly subscription fee. This may be too expensive for some athletes. That said, though, research suggests that the cost may still be more appropriate than an in-person trainer, which can cost upwards of $100 per session. (2)

Good For: Those seeking a personal training experience without the complications that come from in-person instruction.

Read our full Future App Review.

Why We Like It

If you’re looking for an app that unlocks the benefits of Pilates, BetterMe can be a worthwhile download. The service has workout programs dedicated to Pilates, bodyweight training, and dumbbell-specific sessions, as well as wellness-oriented features like diet tracking and step counting capabilities.

Speaking specifically to the available workouts, our tester, a certified personal trainer, scores the available instruction at 4 out of 5. “Rather than on-demand workouts like you’d find with iFIT or Peloton, this BetterMe app provides listed training programs with each prescribed exercise paired with visual step-by-step instructions,” they note. “Plus, the platform provides available workouts that can be filtered by category such as yoga, sofa yoga, wall Pilates, Pilates, and ‘busy mom.’”

While BetterMe is, inherently, a “Choose Your Own Adventure” fitness app, you do have the option of purchasing sessions to speak with a personal trainer. “While other apps like Future and Caliber have these one-on-one capabilities baked into their subscription, I do appreciate that BetterMe at least offers such tools,” adds our tester in reference to their 4-out-of-5 accountability rating.

BetterMe’s available programs can be suitable for a number of athletes, but we do score the workout variety at a conservative 3 out of 5 since there are limited workouts available for strength training or cardio. If you want to lift weights or focus on improving your running performance, you’ll need to look for a different service.

Our tester also mentions that the app has had negative customer reviews in relation to the cancellation process. “While I had no issues with cancelling my membership, some customer reviews do refer to extra charges after they’ve ended their subscription.” As always, we recommend downloading apps you feel comfortable with and always fully read the terms and conditions before passing along any financial information.

Good For: Athletes interested in Pilates workouts.

Why We Like It

HIIT workouts can be a fun way to go through your training, but trying to stay on top of your circuits can be challenging without some assistance. The Sweat app offers 58 different training programs led by Australian trainer Kayla Itsines and other fitness professionals. We also appreciate that this app serves as an all-in-one wellness tool with included water trackers, step counters, and a built-in community feature for extra motivation and social connections.

Our tester rates the ease of use at 4.5 out of 5, stating, “I find the digital calendar to be an effective way to keep track of completed workouts and upcoming sessions. To me, it’s a nice way to plan ahead and see how far you’ve come along your journey.”

Our tester also rates the features at 4.3 out of 5 thanks to the aforementioned wellness trackers and convenient food tab with healthy recipes and grocery lists for preparing your dishes. For athletes wanting a dedicated nutrition-coaching app, though, it may be best to opt for a service like Centr or Caliber that connect you with the appropriate experts.

Equipment-wise, the Sweat app can be varied in terms of required gear. It all depends on which program you choose to follow — some may only call for your best exercise mat where others require free weights, resistance bands, and more. While this does help the app cater to a wide range of users, we do feel it limits your program options if you don’t have the right tools. Accordingly, we score the equipment demands at 3.8 out of 5.

When it comes to programming, you don’t get live or on-demand workouts to follow along to, but, rather, an outlined regimen that can be completed at your pace. “This style of programming works for me, but I do think others may prefer a trainer-led model, especially if they’re brand-new to circuit training,” notes our tester. Additionally, we’ve found that some of the programs can feel repetitive with certain movements. If you’re wanting a new workout each day, it may be best to download a different HIIT-compatible app like Shred or Future.

Good For: Athletes interested in HIIT workout programming and those looking to track other wellness aspects like daily steps and water intake.

Why We Like It

When it comes to strength training, Juggernaut AI can be an excellent beginner’s guide to Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, powerbuilding, and more thanks to its AI-driven instruction catering to free weight enthusiasts. Our tester, a certified personal trainer, notes, “The AI-powered algorithm is great for catering to my specific strength goals, and the program is quick to adjust when I’m working around an injury or need to change out an exercise due to equipment availability.”

The app’s setup earns a 5-out-of-5 rating thanks to its detailed initial assessment. You’re asked to provide general body measurements along with your goals, equipment access, and current training load, among other details. From there, the artificial intelligence works to craft a personalized training schedule filled with engaging exercises designed to help you get stronger. “It’s a really streamlined process,” our tester adds.

Naturally, Juggernaut AI is going to require some equipment from the best cable machines and racks to free weights, benches, dumbbells, and more. You can alter your training based on your available equipment, but we do recommend having access to a proper home gym or commercial gym. We score the equipment demands at 4 out of 5.

Our tester also states that accountability can be underwhelming at times, rating Juggernaut AI at 3.5 out of 5 for the category. “I do feel that the outlined schedule gives me enough motivation to hit the gym, but it’s not as hands-on of a workout app as other services I’ve had such as Caliber or Future.”

As a final note, Juggernaut AI is primarily focused on resistance training, making it a less suitable platform for cardio athletes. Granted, conditioning for strength athletes is important, but these individuals may need a secondary service like Strava or Nike Run Club to track those discipline-specific metrics.

Good For: Strength athletes wanting detailed, customised training programs to support their weight training endeavors.

Why We Like It

OK, so maintaining a workout schedule can be tough, but devising a beginner workout plan with no experience to speak of can be an even bigger challenge. Aaptiv can be appealing to novice athletes thanks to its emphasis on clear instruction across multiple modalities like strength training, cardio, yoga, and more.

Certified personal trainer and BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CSNC, CPS rates Aaptiv’s workout variety at 4 out of 5. “I’m confident that most athletes can find a suitable program for their interests, and I appreciate that the app updates its library of available modules each week. This can help you keep your sessions fresh and invigorating,” she adds.

Rather than bogging down your phone’s bandwidth with onscreen video instruction, Aaptiv uses audio-based guidance to help you work through each prescribed exercise. Capritto states that the in-ear guidance is handy and helpful, noting, “The experts behind the instruction definitely know their stuff, and the details for each exercise are helpful.” However, we understand that some beginners are more visual learners, so we’ll score the instruction at a modest 4 out of 5. For more visual workout assistance, it may be best to sign up for a service like Shred or Future.

Aaptiv also earns praise as one of the best online workout programs given its affordable cost. The $14.99 monthly charge is well below some personal training apps that can cost upwards of $200 monthly. While we rate the value at 4.5 out of 5, we do score the free trial period at 3 out of 5 since this service is only available to athletes subscribed to an annual plan ($99.99 yearly). It would be nice to at least test run the platform if you’re not willing to sign up for a full year.

Good For: Novice athletes wanting helpful instruction without lengthy videos or expensive monthly subscription fees.

Why We Like It

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.

Our tester, a certified personal trainer, rates the nutritional information at 5 out of 5. “The service is great at catering to nutrition for athletes with plenty of recipes, grocery lists, and helpful articles dedicated to specific dietary needs.” Additionally, we love the fact that Centr uses registered dietitians and professional chefs to craft the subscribed nutrition plans, as the deliverables are more within the scope of practice for these experts than, say, a certified nutrition coach.

When it comes to the workouts, we score the available instructions at 5 out of 5, too. Each program comes with step-by-step details to complete each movement along with helpful photos illustrating how the exercises should be done. “Even despite the plethora of knowledgeable insight, the app remains easy to use with no real hiccups while navigating the platform,” adds our tester.

Admittedly, Centr is less of a “personal training app” and more of a well-rounded fitness service. Instead of personalized workouts, you’re given access to multiple workout programs that can be chosen based on your fitness level, goals, and available equipment. Once you’ve subscribed to a plan, you’ll receive regular notifications that it’s time to work out. These pop-up reminders can be helpful, but unfortunately, this is where the accountability ends. We rate the accountability at 4 out of 5 because while a notification is something, it’s far easier to scroll past than a text or call from a personal trainer.

If you need further motivation to regularly complete your workouts, we recommend opting for a dedicated personal trainer app like Caliber, Future, or Juggernaut AI. While these services aren’t particularly focused on nutritional goals, they do put you in contact with real (or AI, in the case of Juggernaut AI) personal trainers that can help you stay diligent in training.

Good For: Those wanting some digital assistance when it comes to training and nutrition goals.

Why We Like It

FlexIt provides perhaps the most authentic, versatile 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 $30-$80 each. Granted, this cost can sometimes be equivalent to in-person instruction, but the virtual aspect can be more accommodating depending on your schedule and access to a training space. (2)

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, a certified personal trainer, states. “In the end, I was pleasantly surprised. The trainer was personable and encouraging, and he tailored our sessions to meet my personal needs and fitness goals.”

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 earns FlexIt 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 notes.

One downside, though, is 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, we recommend a more traditional personal training app such as Future or Caliber.

Good For: Athletes wanting access to a range of professional fitness experts for one-on-one instruction.

Why We Like It

If you’re looking for live classes to give your at-home training space the feel of a boutique studio, Peloton is our top app recommendation. The service has been known far and wide for its engaging trainer-led sessions that can be streamed across home gym essentials like the Peloton Bike, Tread, and Row.

According to our tester, the engaging instructors earn a 5-out-of-5 rating based on energy alone. “They’re always upbeat which does wonders for keeping me focused on my performance. I also think Peloton has some of the best music in the fitness streaming game thanks to their buy-in for licensing from some of today’s top artists.”

In addition to the classic cycling workouts, the Peloton app offers trainer-led programs for walking, stretching, bootcamp, running, meditation, yoga, Pilates, and more. Accordingly, we score the workout variety at 4.5 out of 5.

Naturally, the Peloton app works best with Peloton-branded equipment like the Peloton Tread, Row, and Bike. However, you can still access the live classes through the app itself and follow along on your equipment of choice. The only caveat is that non-Peloton equipment limits your ability to climb leaderboards and other program-synced metrics. Overall, we score the equipment demands at 4.5 out of 5.

While the live classes are sort of the calling card for Peloton, we do note that there are some struggles with this model. Like any live viewing, you’ll need to match your schedule to the set streaming time. Otherwise, you’re limited to the on-demand library (which, in our opinion, isn’t a horrible alternative).

We also note that Peloton is more of a workout streaming service than a dedicated personal training app. “You don’t get one-on-one instruction like you would with Future or Caliber, but I think most people understand that when signing up for the service,” says our tester. “That said, though, this does mean that tracking your performance over time can call for more involved record keeping on your part — there’s no trainer on the other side of your screen monitoring your metrics and improvement.”

Good For: Studio class fans that enjoy following along to live, on-screen workout instructors.

Why We Like It

OK, so we classify Strava as one of the best running apps outright, but the platform offers data tracking capabilities far beyond your daily walk or jog. Strava supports 48 different activities including cycling, water sports, winter sports, and more, making it a perfect companion for your favorite cardio workouts.

In terms of equipment demands, our tester, a certified personal trainer, rates the app at 5 out of 5. “You likely already own the sport-specific equipment you’re looking to track, so there shouldn’t be any extra purchases necessary outside of a fitness tracker (if you’re really into wearable tech).”

The ease of use is also noteworthy, according to our tester. “You just open the app, choose your sport or activity, and get going,” they note in reference to their 4-out-of-5 rating for the category. “The metrics can vary by activity, but I like the detailed stats this app can monitor.”

While Strava can support a range of activities from paddleboarding to trail running and (virtually) everything in-between, we do note that strength athletes may find the modules underwhelming. There are just a handful of in-gym resistance training activities to choose from, so for these needs, we recommend an alternative service such as Juggernaut AI or Shred.

Additionally, Strava is primarily a data tracking platform. Yes, there are some training plans to choose from if you’re preparing for an upcoming race, but there’s zero opportunity to connect with a personal trainer. “I rate the accountability at 3 out of 5, though, since there is an embedded community feature that offers up challenges and connections with fellow Strava users for extra motivation,” notes our tester.

Finally, the Strava app is technically free to download, although we recommend subscribing to the Premium services for $11.99 monthly. Per our tester, many of the best Strava features are hidden behind a paywall, so if you’re looking for the best cardio companion for your next run or cycling workout, you should just pay up.

Good For: Cardio lovers wanting detailed tracking capabilities for a variety of activities.

Read our full Strava App Review.

Why We Like It

Perhaps you’re looking for a personal training app with a calmer aesthetic. For those interested in modalities like yoga, Pilates, and Barre, we recommend Down Dog. Our tester, a certified nutrition coach, scores both the setup and ease of use at 5 out of 5 thanks to its intuitive interface and toggleable settings.

“After a brief assessment to determine my fitness level, you’re essentially in the app entirely,” says our tester. “I like that you can customize each yoga flow by time, music, and targeted muscle group.”

We appreciate that Down Dog includes both visual and audio instruction for each pose and flow. Naturally, it can be difficult to understand a yoga pose’s correct form from text, so having multiple guidance methods can be extremely helpful, particularly for novices trying to master the best yoga poses for beginners.

Down Dog, as you can expect, only requires a simple yoga mat for practices. “You can add yoga accessories like blocks and straps, but they’re not required,” adds our tester.

While we enjoy the available instruction and versatility with this app, which also supports HIIT workouts as well as Barre and Pilates sessions, we do rate the accountability at 1 out of 5. Outside of push notifications, there’s basically no motivating factor to keep you dedicated to daily practice.

Of course, too, this isn’t the best app for strength or cardio enthusiasts. For athletes wanting guidance in these disciplines, it may be best to forgo this subscription ($9.99 monthly) and sign up for a different app such as Caliber, Future, Shred, or another service that matches your training preferences.

Good For: Athletes interested in guided yoga flows with visual and audio cues.