This Is the Workout App That Actually Got Me Excited to Exercise at Home

As a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, I’m a big fan of IRL classes, but the best workout apps can be a great substitute. They provide smart, science-backed programming and motivational coaching that help you reach your wellness goals—without maxing out your credit card. They also offer the advantage of squeezing in sweat sessions when it jives with your schedule, which can make all the difference in your overall adherence to a program.

After having a baby last year, I finally embraced the convenience of workout apps myself. And I’ve been surprised (in a great way!) by the results. (The BODi app is my personal fave at the moment, as it helped me finally develop a consistent strength training workout routine.) To help you find your at-home fitness flow, I tapped my network for the best fitness apps–the ones that are actually effective, led by qualified instructors, and above all enjoyable, and Glamour reviewers also put some of the most popular options to the test. So whether you’re total beginner, wanting to gain muscle, or simply looking to incorporate some low-key exercises into your day, here are the best workout apps worth a download. All of them work whether you have an iPhone or Android and all offer a free trial period so you can test before you buy.

The best workout apps, at a glance:

Brie Schwartz, Glamour’s commerce director, discovered Obe during the pandemic and found the cardio dance videos to be “such a daily bright spot.” All the workouts are tailored for women specifically, with features including cycle tracking, pelvic floor exercises, pre/postnatal workouts, and more.

But the app’s “true beauty,” Schwartz says, is its community. “You truly feel like you’re getting to know the instructors, even though they’re just in a little white box (it helps that during the live workouts they’ll say your name, if you’re lucky, which is always a rush),” she says. With pretty much any workout type you can think of—from kickboxing to strength training, barre, Pilates, and cycling, in increments ranging from 5 to 60 minutes—”each class is a jolt of joy,” Schwartz says. “The whole little ecosystem feels like a party and makes me dread going to the gym a little bit less. And yes, I did lose weight at the time, and gain muscle. Now I use it for sculpting and weight training. (Shout-out to the delightful Spencer—his classes go so quickly and always leave me sore and smiling, and Alex’s boxing classes are great stress relief).”

• Pros: Tons of options for every type of workout; upbeat community vibes; live streaming
• Cons: Not ideal if you’re looking for more structure; your favorite instructors might release classes infrequently

Most of us don’t have the budget for a fitness coach or personal training. But this app makes that service more attainable to the masses–a feature that strongly resonated with Glamour contributor and mother of four Brigitt Earley. “After taking a short quiz about your lifestyle and your fitness goals, the app matches you with a selection of trainers (real people, not AI!) that they think would be most compatible with you,” Earley says. “You can then read about each person and their own interests and specialties, plus watch a short video before choosing who you want to be your trainer.”