What works before the paywall
Fitness apps make money in a predictable way: the tracking is free and the plan is paid, or the plan is free and the analysis is paid. Neither is unreasonable, but it means the right app depends entirely on which half you need. Somebody who knows what they are doing needs recording. Somebody starting out needs a plan.
Where each kind of app puts the wall
| Kind of app | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Run and ride tracking | Recording, distance, pace, history | Analysis, routes, segments |
| Guided workouts | A handful of sessions | The programme that progresses |
| Gym logging | Logging and history | Charts and plate maths |
| Calorie counting | The database and the log | Macros and export |
| Sleep tracking | Recording and the alarm | Long term trends |
The apps worth having
The strongest free tier for recording runs and rides, and the social side is the actual reason people keep going. Segments and analysis are paid.
The alternative, with audio coaching in the free tier that the previous app charges for.
Guided workouts with no equipment and no subscription at all, which makes it the obvious first install for anyone starting from nothing.
Progressive bodyweight routines with a clear free path. Advertising supported rather than subscription led.
Short circuits for days when a full session will not happen. Consistency beats intensity and this is the app that protects consistency.
Proper gym logging with exercise demonstrations. The free tier covers logging, which is the part that matters.
The largest food database there is. The free tier has narrowed over the years, so check what is still included before relying on it.
A reminder to drink water. Trivial, and the single most effective health app on this list for most desk workers.
Step and activity tracking with no account beyond the one already on the phone, and no subscription anywhere.
Not an app you use daily. It is the layer that lets the others share data, so a workout recorded in one shows up in another.
Sleep tracking that works without a wearable, with an alarm that wakes you at a light point in the cycle.
For walking and hiking rather than the gym. Compass, altitude, sun times and no network needed at all.
Offline maps with contour lines and paths, which is what you want for a route that leaves the road.
The lighter offline map, better for a quick check of where a trail goes.
Included deliberately. The thing that gets most people out of the door is something to listen to, not a training plan.
What the phone can and cannot measure
A phone in a pocket counts steps well, estimates distance reasonably on a run, and measures pace badly on intervals. It cannot measure heart rate without a chest strap or a watch, and apps claiming to do it with the camera are measuring something, but not reliably enough to train from.
Take the numbers as trends rather than measurements. A run that reads five per cent short every week is still telling you whether you are getting faster.
- Step counts and general activity
- Distance on roads over a kilometre
- Elevation, if the phone has a barometer
- Consistency week to week
- Heart rate from a camera
- Calories burned, by any method
- Pace during short intervals
- Distance under trees or between buildings
Recording is free almost everywhere. Pay for a plan only once the habit exists, and check the export before you do.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a watch?
Not to start. A phone covers everything except heart rate and swimming. Buy the watch when you know which metric you are missing.
Are the calorie numbers real?
No. Every method is an estimate with a wide margin. Use them to compare one week against another, never as an absolute.
Which app should a complete beginner install?
One guided workout app and a water reminder. Tracking apps are for people who already train; they demotivate people who do not yet.
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