From Alo Moves to Zwift, we've found fitness app subscriptions that offer a lot for the price.
If getting fit is on your to-do list for 2024, you’ve probably been deltoids-deep in research on all the best fitness apps out there right now. Virtual fitness classes – both on-demand and via livestream – have become extremely popular in recent years. Hitting the busy and crowded gym in person might not sound so appealing these days. But thanks to the wide variety of fitness app subscriptions, you don’t need to sign up for a gym membership to jumpstart your fitness journey this year.
If you're comfortable attending some in-person workout classes but don't want to commit to just one class or location, ClassPass gives you access to a wide range of wellness activities, from at-home, on-demand classes to in-person massages -- ideal after an extra-hard workout.
If you’d rather work out exclusively at home, obé Fitness has one of the largest selections of pre-recorded fitness classes to choose from, with several live-streamed classes every day. If you need an extra push to start your own fitness journey, Future Fitness will provide you with a trainer to create a custom weekly workout plan that suits both your fitness goals and your schedule.
However you’d prefer to break a sweat, there’s a fitness subscription that will help you get started. ET has compared nine of the best fitness subscriptions from A to Z, including Alo Moves and Zwift, so you won’t need to waste any energy trying to find the right one.
BODi
Beachbody and Myxfitness joined forces to create BODi. Beachbody, known for their extensive nutrition programs and coaches that offer one-on-one support and Myxfitness, which offers heart-pumping workouts and exercise equipment, now come together to offer the best of both worlds in health and wellness.
Along with over 100 fitness programs and thousands of on-demand workouts, BODi delivers nutrition plans and personal support for members. The streaming platform offers a wide range of fitness programs, like fun dance and pilates videos for beginners, weight lifting videos to get shredded and 10-minute workouts for those short on time.
BODi also has a wide range of nutrition programs for those needing to get their diet in check, including the 2B plan, which helps users have a healthy relationship with food, plans that focus on gut health and pregnancy-specific diets. Many of these plans also come with their own workout routines. Not sure which diet to try? BODi offers a quiz to see what would be the best fit for you.
Currently, BODi is offering a New Year Bogo Event where members can get two years for the price of one. They’ll get the second year free and save $179 instantly! This limited-time deal ends on January 31. You can also opt for a monthly membership, which is $35 monthly with a 30-day money-back guarantee for the initial sign-up.
Pros: Numerous workout programs and nutrition plans all in one spot
Cons: A higher price compared to some fitness programs and no in-person options
Alo Moves
This subscription-based fitness app comes from — you may have guessed it — Alo Yoga. The maker of popular yoga-friendly clothing and workout gear, Alo Yoga also has a fitness app that is focused on yoga, offering vinyasa, hatha, ashtanga and restorative classes. Alo Moves also boasts a range of other on-demand workouts, such as HIIT (high-intensity interval training), barre and pilates, as well as mindfulness sessions that include breath training and sound baths.
When you first sign up with Alo Moves, you can take a short quiz to help the app make workout recommendations based on your fitness level and goals. You can also search for classes yourself and filter by instructor, style, difficulty, intensity and duration. Classes can last anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes and are taught by one of more than 70 Alo-apparel-clad instructors, often in picturesque locations.
Beyond beautiful backdrops and a wide range of class options, Alo Moves isn't doing anything groundbreaking in the world of fitness apps. But if you're an aspiring yogi or already love the brand's apparel and workout gear, then this app is definitely worth trying out.
Right now, Alo Moves is offering a 30-day free trial to try out their classes without the price tag. After your free month, memberships are $13/month.
Pros: Alo Moves is affordable, with scenic class settings. It's good for yoga lovers and has options for every fitness level.
Cons: A yoga mat is needed, and live classes are not accessible via the app.
Apple Fitness Plus
Apple enthusiasts and people who strive to close their daily rings will appreciate the limited yet still solid workout offerings of Apple Fitness+. This app works with your Apple Watch and streams workout classes to iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs, so if you're already outfitted with Apple's latest tech, incorporating Apple Fitness into your life should be no sweat.
The fitness subscription offers nearly 2000 studio-style workouts and guided meditations across 11 exercise categories, including HIIT, yoga, core, strength, treadmill, cycling, rowing, dance, pilates, meditation and mindful cool down. As you participate in classes, your Apple Watch will track your progress with metrics such as heart rate, calories burned and time elapsed, as well as close your activity rings accordingly.
Apple Fitness+ costs $10 monthly or $80 annually. Right now, Apple offers up to three months of Fitness+ free when you purchase a new Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.
Pros: Works seamlessly with an Apple Watch and is affordable.
Cons: Apple Watch required, not user- or beginner-friendly and no live classes.
ClassPass
If in-person fitness classes are more your speed, ClassPass might be for you. A ClassPass membership has four tiers available at various price points, and each tier allots a certain number of monthly credits to redeem for fitness and wellness activities in your area. Credits can apply to a range of activities, from cycling classes to cryotherapy sessions. While in-person classes are clearly the focus of ClassPass, credits can also apply to virtual sessions, and a membership grants access to more than 4,000 free, on-demand online workouts.
The benefits of a ClassPass subscription include the flexibility and variety that comes with a credit system. Change your fitness routine every month if you like. Have a busy month planned? You can roll up to 10 credits into the next month and make up for lost time later. And if you travel frequently but don't want to skip your workout, ClassPass offers services in cities across the country (and even some internationally) so you can take your credits on the road.
The cost of a ClassPass membership can vary slightly based on your location, but costs for the lowest plan start at $19 monthly for eight credits and can go as high as $199 for 100 credits. In Los Angeles, the default monthly plan of 43 credits will run you $89 per month. Right now, you can try ClassPass free and receive 40 credits to use within one month.
Pros: Offers variety, in-person classes and access to other wellness activities such as spa treatments.
Cons: ClassPass has a relatively high cost, plus high cancellation fees for classes.
Future Fitness
Future Fitness is a wellness app that goes beyond on-demand fitness classes — although there are plenty of those included. When you sign up, you'll be matched with a fitness expert to serve as your digital personal trainer, who will work with you to create a custom fitness plan that fits your goals, needs and schedule.
Once you're matched with your trainer, you'll receive weekly workout plans, along with daily check-ins, motivation quotes and critiques or guidance based on the data your trainer observes from your workout. Future Fitness works with the Apple Watch and some Android smartwatches to collect your fitness data.
A subscription to Future Fitness will run you $199 monthly, but currently, you can try one month for half off.
Pros: Offers customizable and expert advice that's great for any fitness level.
Cons: The cost is high, plus virtual training can't entirely replace in-person instruction.
Hydrow
For a well-rounded fitness program, you should consider adding a rowing machine to the mix, which targets the upper and lower body.
Hydrow makes our favorite rowing machines designed to silently recreate the feeling of rowing on the water. Often referred to as "the Peloton of rowing," Hydrow's rowing machines allow you to participate in live or on-demand rowing classes led by world-class athletes and Olympians, all in the comfort of your living room.
While you'll need a rowing machine to utilize the impressive 5,000 on-demand rowing workouts, a Hydrow membership also offers mat yoga, pilates, strength training and mobility workouts. Hydrow claims that 90% of members are continuing their workouts one year later and they're currently offering $300 off both their best-selling rowing machines. They also offer a 30-day at-home trial, so there is no risk if you end up not loving the machine.
Those with a Hydrow will want to invest in the Live Outdoor Reality membership which costs $44 per month and lets users row and be immersed in the beautiful outdoors with the help of the rowers' built-in screen. For those that already own a rower, or are just interested in the other workouts, the Hydrow smartphone app is $20 monthly.
Pros: A variety of workouts and the ability to work on the go with a smartphone app
Cons: The membership is expensive and works best with a Hydrow rowing machine
Obé Fitness
Strive for five (workouts per week) with obé Fitness. As the company's mantra encourages, finding inspiration to work out is extra easy with obé's collection of more than 10,000 on-demand classes, plus daily classes available via livestream. The virtual fitness subscription service offers a wide range of workout sessions, from dance, yoga and pilates to equipment-based classes such as cycling, bounce (indoor trampoline) and foam rolling. Class lengths vary anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, making it easy to fit in a workout around your schedule.
The benefits to obé Fitness include the already existent bank of on-demand classes, the affordable monthly subscription cost, and the convenience of workout classes you can take in your living room. The overall neon-meets-pastel, '80s-inspired aesthetic of every class is an added bonus, alongside the reportedly peppy and optimistic workout instructors.
An obé Fitness subscription starts at $25 a month, but if you prefer to pay annually, that price drops to just over $14 per month, billed annually at $170. Annual members receive exclusive access to premium classes and specials from brand partners.
Access classes via the obé Fitness app, or stream them through your Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, FireTV, Airplay or a simple HDMI and laptop set-up.
Pros: Offers variety and beginner-friendly workouts that are affordable. Minimal to no workout gear is required.
Cons: Few advanced classes are available, the free trial period is short, and no in-person classes are offered.
Peloton
Peloton may very well be the most prevalent app in the world of fitness subscriptions. The stationary bike is widely regarded as the go-to, luxury, at-home workout purchase. But the Peloton app goes beyond its pricey bike (and lesser-known but just as costly treadmill and rowing machines). A subscription to the app grants access to thousands of classes across 10 workout categories, many of which require little to no equipment.
Beyond Peloton's popular cycling classes, there's yoga, cardio, pilates, barre, meditation, treadmill running, stretching, boot camp classes and audio-only outdoor running guides. If you want to take part in spin classes, any stationary bike with a resting place up front for a smartphone or tablet will do the trick. The same goes for the treadmill classes. On-demand and live classes can be streamed via the Peloton app on a smartphone, tablet or smart TV.
Peloton is great with user engagement, bringing social elements into the app, with the option to follow friends, take part in classes together and even seek virtual achievement badges via workout class milestones. The app also boasts interesting collaboration series, such as an Artist Series, where workouts feature playlists from a specific artist such as Beyoncé or the Beatles.
A subscription to the app costs $13 monthly. If you already own a Peloton bike, the app is included with the $40 monthly Peloton subscription. Right now you can try the Peloton app free for 30 days. For the New Year, the Original Peloton Bike is also $300 off and comes with a two-month membership.
Shop the Original Peloton Bike
Pros: Offers user engagement, social elements and a wide variety of workouts.
Cons: Expensive gear is required if you want to take cycling or treadmill classes, and without the official Peloton bike, you won't have access to the app's leadership boards.
Pvolve
Jennifer Aniston's toned physique is one of her most enviable attributes. A sustainable, genuinely fun workout routine is Aniston's key to maintaining her killer bod, which is why the actress partnered with virtual fitness program Pvolve.
Pvolve offers a wide variety of low-impact yet effective workouts that you can sweat through in the comfort of your own home. A friend introduced Aniston to the Pvolve program after the actress suffered a back injury in 2021. The fitness brand's mission is to deliver workouts that help you look good and feel good. The founder, who struggled with high-intensity workouts due to her scoliosis, began the quest for high-quality, low-impact workouts which Pvolve delivers.
A Pvolve membership comes with a live virtual studio with two-way streaming, on-demand classes and trainer consultations. The virtual format allows users to work out at home and on the go. The brand also offers equipment to take your workouts to the next level.
New members are eligible for a free 7-day trial to Pvolve. They also offer a free month of streaming with some of their discounted equipment bundles. After the free trial, memberships are $15 monthly.
Pros: Effective workouts that are gentle on the body and access to trainers
Cons: Some classes require additional equipment and short trial period
Zwift
Do you enjoy the social element of a fitness class? Zwift allows you to ride your bike or run with friends in a virtual 3D world with fun cities and beautiful locations.
While you can use an outdoor bike or exercise bike you already own to participate in Zwift's workouts, you will need special equipment to attach to your bike so your movements can be translated onto the screen. However, each purchase comes with a one-year Zwift membership. If you prefer to run, many treadmills and smartwatches are compatible with Zwift.
Those riding their bike can join free ride, racing and pacer groups. Pacer groups are offered at nine different speeds, so whatever level you are at, there's a group for you.
A monthly membership costs $15, but new users can participate in a 14-day free trial. Members can save by opting for a yearly membership of $150. Those choosing a yearly membership can also feel peace of mind when starting out because Zwift offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros: Biking and running at home is more enjoyable
Con: Equipment can be expensive and limited types of workouts
For more ideas to set yourself up for success this year, check out our 2024 New Year, New You Guide for tools to help with fitness goals, meal planning, wardrobe updates, self-care goals and more.
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