Working out on your own can be a struggle.
For those of us who can't (or don't want to) go to a gym or exercise class in person, apps can nudge you to get moving.
What do you need to get you going?
Finding the mental wherewithal to get into workout mode can take some serious effort, especially when all your activities happen at home.
It can be done, but you have to find an activity or commitment that speaks to you.
True story: I've been working remotely from a home office for more than five years.
During that time, the gym became one of only a few places where I went regularly that was outside of my home.
When COVID-19 struck and I could no longer go to a gym, I just couldn't face the idea of working out at home—the same place where I work, eat, sleep, and live.
For a few weeks, I ran and jogged outside.
Then it got too hot.
My body craved more movement, but I still resisted working out at home.
Eventually, I found a series of online yoga videos packaged into a 30-day challenge.
The instructor had a great vibe, and I decided to make a commitment.
I pulled out a mat, and I'm now on day 17.
What will click and stick for you? Some people like having accountability, and thus can look for a workout app that involves letting an instructor see them via video stream.
Some people prefer privacy and might be better off with an offline video or an audio coach in their earbuds.
Some people actually enjoy exercising at home; they can certainly use workout apps to find new routines or techniques.
Whether you're looking for a new HIIT program, marathon training schedule, or 30-day yoga challenge, there are plenty of apps and websites to help you along.
Let's look at what some of the best have to offer.
(If you're interested in more than just apps, take a look at our ultimate fitness tech guide.)
Short Workouts
When time is tight, an app with short workouts is the best pick.
Dedicating just five, six, or seven minutes to your health can make a difference, especially if you're new to working out.
The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout is by far the best app we've found for short workouts.
It's a totally free app with a classic seven-minute routine that you can do anywhere.
It has other options, too.
Some workouts are longer than seven minutes, some are more intense, some less intense, and so forth.
Another app with short workouts is Onyx.
You can commit to as little as five minutes, or more if you like.
With a compatible iPhone, the app uses the camera to track your reps and watch your form.
Workouts on Demand
Apps that give you workouts on demand are a dime a dozen, but not all are equal in quality or price.
Those that made the list here have high-quality instruction and are priced appropriately (or are free).
Their styles vary, as not everyone is looking for the same thing in workout instructions.
You might want a high-intensity workout one day and an intermediate yoga lesson the next; or body weight exercises followed by a general stretching session.
Some on-demand workout apps coach you through pre-recorded videos while others connect you to live classes or coaches via video stream.
A few that made the list below are Shred, FitOn, Forte.fit, Keelo, and Nike Training Club.
Read more about each one below, including their costs.
Some are free or have a free level.
In addition to standalone apps for workouts on demand, you can buy at-home exercise equipment that have their own apps and workouts to go with them.
These products are usually quite expensive.
For example, the Peloton Bike will set you back $2,245 plus $39 per month for the workouts, and the Tonal mirror/weight-pulley system goes for $2,995 plus $49 per month for the workouts.
Because this at-home equipment is so different from a workout app that you can easily download, we didn't include them here.
But you can learn more in our roundup of the best smart exercise equipment.
Activity Tracking, From Running to Lawn Mowing
Activity-tracking apps keep a record of all the activities you do.
They can be for a specific activity, such as running, but often you can choose which activity you're going to do from a list.
These apps create a log of all your activities and the stats associated with them, such as how many calories you burned or whether your bicycle ride today was as long as yesterday's.
Many activity tracking apps connect with fitness trackers to make it easier to record your activities.
Some support heart rate monitors, too.
The heart rate monitor, be it a chest strap or one built into a watch, records your heart rate as you move and creates a graph of your heart rate when you finish.
Having this data is very useful if you're coordinating with a healthcare professional to improve your fitness because they can look at your data to determine whether your activities are at an appropriate intensity.
Our top recommendation for people just getting started with exercise is Map My Fitness.
It has hundreds of activities you can track, from vacuuming to rock climbing.
For people just getting started with fitness, it's rewarding to be able to count your gardening or dog-walking as an activity and to see how even daily activities can add up to a fitter lifestyle.
Another great app is Charity Miles.
It motivates you by donating money to charity for every mile you run, walk, or bicycle.
Workout Music Apps
A couple of fitness apps specialize in finding music for you that's designed to power your workouts, whatever it is.
The two that made this list are Fit Radio and RockMyRun.
With these apps, you can get professional DJ quality mixing, songs that match your running tempo, or tracks made for your activity of choice, such as elliptical training or yoga.
Find Your Motivation
No matter what kind of motivation or daily prodding you need to meet your fitness goals, there's an app that can push you in the right direction.
If you're looking for other ways to get healthy or change your lifestyle, consider our roundups of apps for weight loss, great meditation apps, and online therapy apps.
8fit
Android, iOS
Free; Pro plan $80 per year; $60 for 6 months; $25 per month
8fit brings together on-demand workouts and meal planning.
The app creates a personalized program for your diet and exercise based on the results you want to see.
It's for people who like a lot of guidance, suggestions, reminders, and instructions.
You choose a goal, whether it be to lose weight, get fitter, or gain muscle.
Then you make your goal more specific, such as decrease body fat to 20 percent in three months.
8fit takes into consideration a lot of details about you when creating your fitness plan, such as what time of day you exercise and whether you're an ambitious cook or prefer simple meal prep.
You'll see a realistic assessment of how hard or easy it will be to reach your goals.
Once you embark on your fitness journey, you use the app to workout from videos, log what you eat, and create meal plans using recipes and shopping lists.
The Pro version unlocks all workouts, gives you custom meal plans, and provides a shopping list.
It's an all-in-one fitness plan that you can customize to your tastes.
Centr
Android, iOS, Web
$29.99 per month, $59.99 per quarter, $119.99 per year
Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, known for playing the swole hammer-wielding god Thor, brings you this all-in-one fitness app for planning your training, doing workouts, and eating healthy.
You can use it to build muscle, lose weight, or get fit generally speaking; you tell the app which of these goals you're interested in during the signup process.
Some workouts are coached, meaning you play a complete video of a trainer who does the workout with you.
Others are self-guided, meaning you get a timer and a sample video of each exercise instead.
You can get a free seven-day trial of this app before committing to a full subscription.
Charity Miles
Android, iOS
Free
Charity Miles donates money to the organization of your choice when you use the app to log miles running, walking, or bicycling.
Corporate sponsors agree to donate a few cents for every mile you complete, and in exchange, you see their branding and information about them in the app.
(Read more on how Charity Miles works).
You can also use the app to run pledge drives.
An included calculator shows you how much money you can raise if you meet different goals, such as getting 50 people to sponsor you at $0.30 per mile.
Charity Miles supports a variety of nonprofit organizations, such as ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, St.
Jude Children's Hospital, Unicef, Save the Children, and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Knowing that your activity supports charitable causes might just motivate you to move every day.
Find What Feels Good
Android, iOS, Web
$9.99 per month; $99.99 per year (some content free on related website)
If you've ever searched for a yoga video on YouTube, chances are you've probably at least glanced at a still image of Yoga with Adriene.
This same Adriene (Adriene Mishler) has launched an app for Android and iOS called Find What Feels Good, or FWFG, which comes from a line she uses when reminding fellow yoga practitioners to make adjustments to their postures according to their bodies.
The app has single session yoga, series of practices that you can do across many days, and a calendar for keeping track of your progress.
FWFG costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year with a seven-day free trial.
However, much of the same video-based yoga instruction is still available on YouTube or her other website, Yoga with Adriene, for free.
FWFG includes not just yoga instruction videos, but also meditations and vlog updates from Adriene.
FitOn: Fitness Workout Plans
Android, iOS, Web
Free; $69.99 per year for extra features
FitOn has workouts on demand that you can find based on how much time you have, the level of intensity that you want, or the type of workout you're hoping to do (yoga, butt and thighs, abs, stretching, etc.).
If you wear a connected heart rate monitor while working out, you can see your heart rate on the screen while you follow the video.
There's also a leaderboard where you can compete with other members or a group of friends.
You get a lot for free with FitOn, including all the video workouts.
If you want a little more, however, such as personalized meal plans and the ability to connect to Fitbit or Garmin, you can pay $69.99 per year for a Pro account.
Fit Radio
Android, iOS, Web
Free; $27.99 per quarter
Fit Radio is a music-streaming app that also has playlists for guided workouts.
Whether you want workout music selected by DJs or a voice in your ear telling you to pick up the pace on your treadmill, Fit Radio has options.
You can find music that matches your tempo or choose songs that fit the type of workout you have in mind, such as using an elliptical trainer or weight lifting.
The app also lets you choose music by genre.
Formerly, Fit Radio didn't offer a free version of the app, although it now does.
The free app has limited content, while a paid Premium account gives you all the training sessions and music your heart desires.
Fitbit Coach
Android, iOS, Web, Windows
Free; $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year for Premium
Whether you own a Fitbit tracker or not, you can use the Fitbit Coach app (formerly called Fitstar) to follow along with workout videos that you can do nearly anywhere.
There are all kinds of options, from stretching routines to stair workouts.
A free account gives you very limited workouts in each category, as the majority of content is reserved for Premium members.
It's worth pointing out that the annual price for Premium doubled recently.
Fitbit Coach is a good workout-on-demand app for people who want a real human in a video to talk them through their routine.
If you aren't able to go for the Premium account with this app, I recommend looking into a seven-minute workout app instead.
Many of the moves in the free version of Fitbit Coach are the same ones you'll find in the seven-minute workout apps.
The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App appears a little later in this list and is one I recommend.
Forte
Web
Free; $39 per month or $288 per year
Forte.fit is a website where you can stream live workout classes and join them from home, a remote gym, a hotel room, or any place you want to work out.
You see and hear the instructor teaching a real class, but no one sees or hears you.
When you browse available classes, you can see the date and time, how long the class will be, how intense, what equipment if any is needed, and other details.
Some classes call for nothing more than a mat, while others take advantage of free weights, stationary bicycles, and so forth.
There is a 30-day free trial available, as well as a free limited plan that's a little hard to find; look for a red link called Practice Squad on the page where you choose an account level.
The Practice Squad membership lets you access one class per month.
Jefit
Android, iOS,
