5 Of The Best Workout Apps Worth Trying For Your New Year's Fitness Goals

With so many of us being glued to our desk jobs throughout the day, only to come back home to enjoy Netflix or scroll through Instagram, it's no surprise that sedentary lifestyles have become a growing concern. However, it is also thanks to modern technology that access to comprehensive workout routines has become easier than ever. You no longer need to shell out a monthly or yearly gym membership and take out dedicated time from your day to stay in shape.

Just launch the Play Store or App Store on your phone and a fitness-oriented app is guaranteed to appear within a few swipes. There are apps geared towards calorie counting, strength training, cardio, yoga — and some of the best health and fitness apps even bundle all of these into a single package. You can find apps that can accompany you as a virtual trainer at the gym, or provide you with an expansive list of home-based workouts that don't require any equipment.

The beginning of a new year is a great time to start working on your resolutions, and heightened motivation only makes this easier. Based on popularity and reviews, we have gathered some of the best workout apps available on Android and iOS that you should check out. You can read more about our methodology at the end of this article. 

If you own an iPhone, the Apple Fitness+ service ought to be at the top of your list. It's baked right into the ecosystem, and is part of the Fitness app that comes preinstalled on iOS devices. Having being developed and maintained by Apple itself, you can expect the app to work seamlessly with your iPhone and collect accurate fitness data from your Apple Watch.

The app has several workout types to choose from, including yoga and meditation. You get a curated selection of workouts, and the option to create a custom plan. Although you only need an iPhone to get started, owning an Apple Watch will help gather metrics like your heart rate and the number of calories burned.

What's better is, you can avail a three-month free trial if you've recently purchased an eligible Apple product, like an iPhone, Apple Watch, or iPad. You can also start with a one-month free trial if you've never subscribed to Apple Fitness+ before. Pricing starts at $9.99 per month, or $79.99 when billed annually. Furthermore, if you're subscribed to the highest tier of the Apple One subscription, you get access to Apple Fitness+ at no additional cost.

Unfortunately, if you don't own an iPhone, you're out of luck — since Apple Fitness+ is not available on Android. Thankfully, if you look elsewhere, there is no shortage of top-rated health and fitness apps for Android.

In the sea of apps that claim to do everything, there is Strava and its reputation of being one of the best apps specifically for runners and bikers, as highlighted by TechRadar. It isn't the first app that comes to mind when you think about working out, but for those who enjoy running, cycling, or swimming, there is nothing quite like Strava. The app uses your phone's GPS to track your location, and syncs with most of the major smartwatch brands available.

The app is available for both Android and iOS and has a user-friendly design that's easy to navigate. You don't need to jump through several menus just to start recording your activities. You can view useful statistics on the app during an active workout, like distance travelled, elevation, and your heart rate. Over time, the app can help you glance over your progress and compare it with previous workouts. 

Strava's social component is one of its key features. You can share your progress with friends, or an extended community. There are clubs you can join, and challenges you can take part in. If you prefer keeping your statistics to yourself, Strava allows for that, too.

Beginners will find the free version of Strava to be more than enough — but you unlock a great deal of other features such as route planning, advanced metrics, goal setting, and the aforementioned training log with the premium version that costs $11.99 a month, or $79.99 per year.

The Nike Training Club app available on Android and iOS contains over 300 gym and home workouts, spanning across categories such as high-intensity training, mindfulness, strength training and yoga. It earned a score of four out of five stars in a detailed review carried out by Tom's Guide, and has over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store alone. The app has different workout plans you can use, even if you don't have access to gym equipment. 

If you're an iPhone user and own an Apple Watch, you can control workouts directly from your wrist. On the Android side, the app syncs its data with Google Fit. As far as the user interface goes, the app is beginner-friendly and lays out all of its contents in neatly separated tabs. There are on-demand videos to watch and articles you can read to gain further insights about your health and fitness journey.

Easily, one of the biggest reasons to grab this app is the fact that it is completely free. Pretty much every other workout app you can download offers a premium tier that locks prominent features behind a paywall, but with the Nike Training Club app, you don't need to worry about spending a dime. It might not have the most comprehensive selection of workouts or other health tracking features, but it remains a great option to get started on your fitness journey.

With a relatively high rating on both Android and iOS, Fiit brings the convenience of studio-style fitness classes to your home. You will find several activities for cardio, such as HIIT, and a wide selection of bodyweight exercises and resistance training workouts. Fiit lays a huge emphasis on daily group sessions carried out by fitness professionals. You can view the leaderboards and compete with any friends you make along the way. 

Fiit works and syncs with several wearable devices, including Wear OS-based smartwatches. It is also available for the Apple Watch — so any iPhone users are covered too. You can view and follow your workout sessions on your phone, tablet, or on the big screen in your living room.

The app may look minimal, but it's packing one of the biggest libraries of workouts, especially with the premium version. While Fiit offers a 14-day free trial, and comes with a regular free tier that lets you join group classes at no cost, you will feel the need to upgrade to premium if you prefer private sessions and all the features that the app advertises. Fiit Unlimited is priced at $19.99 per month or $119.99 for an annual subscription. TechRadar gave it a score of 4.5 out of five stars and recommends it if you follow a hybrid exercise regimen.

With over a 100 million downloads on Android alone, it is a miracle that the Home Workout app by Leap Fitness Group maintains a 4.9-star rating for both Android and iOS. The overwhelmingly positive reviews started making sense after installing and using the app for a bit. It has a simple, no-nonsense approach when it comes to fitness training. The app has different levels of exercises curated for people who may just be starting out, or are already well-versed in the world of fitness. 

You can filter workouts based on the focus area, such as chest, arms, leg, or full body. Each day, you will begin with a few seconds to a minute of warm up and stretching, followed by a set duration of exercises. None of the workouts that the app features require a gym or equipment, which could explain its popularity. New users get to avail a week-long free trial, and while you can continue using the free version, it has its limitations. 

You can unlock the premium version of this app by paying an annual subscription fee of $39.99 — which is extremely competitive. Other features include video guides, progress tracking, and the ability to track your runs. The app also has an intuitive design with animations that come in handy during your workout sessions. 

There is an abundance of workout apps on the Google Play Store for Android devices and the App Store for iPhones and iPads. Many of these services offer a comprehensive selection of workouts of different types, some that require equipment, and many that constitute as bodyweight training. For this list, we referred to reviews by trustworthy sources like TechRadar and Tom's Guide, in addition to the overall rating of these apps given by customers.

This list is by no means definitive, and there are plenty of solid options you can try. A healthy lifestyle doesn't need to be solely defined by physical fitness — there are many wellness apps for stress and anxiety that you can use for an overall improvement in mental health.