The Best Group Fitness App Options in 2024

Are you looking to improve your health this year but have a hard time sticking to a workout routine by yourself? This is a problem for many people, but using some group fitness apps may be the solution you’ve been looking for. 

The biggest issues people face when exercising are either getting motivated or having a good routine. So, how can a group workout app help you achieve your fitness goals? Exercising in a group setting can create healthy competition while also providing support and connection. However, it can also cause self-consciousness. 

As the best of both worlds, group fitness apps will create healthy competition without insecurities. A community of like-minded individuals, leaderboards, and score tracking will help you stay motivated while trying to beat the competition.

Benefits of Using Social Fitness Apps

Social fitness apps can push you to reach personal goals while helping you stick to a regular routine. Completing these goals will give you a sense of accomplishment. Another huge advantage of fitness apps for groups is that they help users be a part of a community and stay connected. This can offer encouragement and motivation. 

Group fitness apps add an element of fun as well, which is often crucial for establishing a good exercise routine and sticking to it. With that in mind, here are some unique apps that will make your workout routine fun but provide that competitive and motivational element as well.

Top-Notch Group Fitness Apps to Try

Strava

Strava describes itself as “the social network for athletes,” and rightfully so. This app takes the data from your smartwatch, mobile phone, fitness tracker, or other device and puts it into your “Strava Feed.” It offers both healthy competition and encouragement. 

You can share photos and see what others are up to regarding their fitness journey, making Strava the perfect workout with friends app. Now, you and your friends can compete or cheer each other on.

Whether you are a total beginner or a well-seasoned athlete, this app is a great choice. It’s already a favorite in the running and cycling community. Strava tracks your speed, distance, routes, and more. It also helps you find new areas to explore and see the routes others are taking. Whether you’re a social butterfly or a serious exercise fitness aficionado, this app is for you.

Peloton

Peloton is a perfect choice for all those looking for live group workout classes or sessions with fitness instructors. With an abundance of great coaches and sessions filmed in professional studios, you will learn the proper way to do each exercise while getting personalized tips and motivation from your trainer.

Have a specific type of exercise you prefer? No worries, Peloton offers a variety of classes including cycling, running, strength training, yoga, meditation, stretching, cardio, and more. Overall, it’s a fantastic exercise accountability app that caters to your fitness level while also helping you stay consistent and reach your fitness goals. 

Nike Training Club

Nike is famous for its fitness clothing, shoes, and equipment. However, it has also successfully ventured into the world of group fitness apps. Nike Training Club is the perfect app for those looking to start a personalized workout plan but want the flexibility of training anytime, anywhere. 

Once you sign up, you will need to enter some information about yourself and your skill level. This will help the app personalize the exercises, including the timings. There are many exercise types to choose from, including strength training, HIIT, endurance, yoga, and more.

One thing is for sure: Nike knows how to help you get into shape and stay in shape, so give this app a go and try pairing it with some other products like Nike Fuel or Nike Run Club.

Jefit

Primarily tailored for strength training, Jefit offers versatility when it comes to tracking and planning your workouts. The app allows users to create and customize a wide range of training routines or select exercises that target a specific muscle group.

It has a built-in calendar to track your upcoming workouts and rest days as well as tools to help you log reps. Jefit is a great choice for those looking for a supportive community of fitness enthusiasts to interact with, share workouts, and provide encouragement and feedback to.

Charity Miles

Charity Miles is a workout app perfect for those who want to achieve their fitness goals while helping others. With many options, including running, cycling, walk-dancing, and more, everyone in your company or team can get active. 

And the best thing is that you earn money for charity every mile your team tracks. It’s a very selfless way to have healthy competition. Friends can also sponsor you during the challenge. 

The app has leaderboards so you can easily track your progress and see the funds you’ve raised. Overall, it is a great way to feel good physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Shred

Shred is a great at-home fitness accountability app. It gives you daily workout routines with a variety of exercise types. With its nutrition tracking tools and guidance, keeping fit at home has never been easier.

The app has many great features to help you track your progress daily and motivate you to reach your goals. With its wide range of exercises offered, you will definitely find something suitable for you, no matter if you are a complete beginner or not. The supportive community of users who can easily connect, share achievements, and motivate each other is also a big plus.

Fitbit

Fitbit is a fitness app that gained popularity due to the Fitbit bracelet tracker. These trackers collect various data, including step count, distance traveled, activity levels, flights climbed, etc. Once this data is collected, it’s automatically logged into the app. While most people use both the gadget and the app together, that’s not always necessary. You can just use your mobile phone, which will collect and log all the same data.

Looking for a bit of competition? On the Fitbit app, you can also connect with friends and family. This will allow you to compete with them in total step count or some other exercise.

Additionally, there are many motivating fitness challenges you can complete on your own or make into a competition.

Activity

Activity is a great fitness competition app for Apple Watch users. Many people use the Health app on their iPhones, but if you want a fitness tracker app with even better workout analysis, we recommend downloading the Activity app. It will notify you when you reach certain goals, and you can easily add your friends and family so you can compete and earn achievements.

The only downside is that the app is not available for Android users or those who don’t use an  Apple Watch 

Stacked

Unlike some of the other fitness apps listed, this workout tracker app is focused on training. To be more precise, it is a strength training app. It allows you to set goals for yourself and track your progress. You can create and save custom workout plans or choose from the plethora of strength exercises.

Stacked is a very interactive and user-friendly app that integrates with wearable devices. Many describe it as one of the best fitness apps for strength training, so you should definitely give it a go if that’s your preferred exercise type.

8Fit

If you’re looking to have a regular exercise routine that doesn’t disrupt your busy life, this is the best fitness app for you. 8Fit provides customized equipment-free workouts. They’re also short, with most of the exercises being 15-20 minutes long. In addition, you can get healthy eating tips and nutritional tools to help you feel your best.

Similar to many other apps we mentioned, you need to provide information about yourself and your fitness goals so the app can customize workouts and tips that meet your needs. 

8Fit also helps you understand the proper form for each exercise move, ensuring you get the most out of your workout.

PumpUp

Group fitness apps like PumpUp are made for people who like to share their workouts on social media and other platforms. Even though it’s designed primarily for women, lots of men also use the app. This social fitness app will track your exercise and allow you to post photos with captions or descriptions. Kind of like Instagram, just for fitness enthusiasts, so you can easily share your workouts with your friends, family, and others.

You can also take a look at others’ activities and posts, whether you follow them or not. Many of the things shared have to do with the progress one has made or health tips such as food inspirations. 

PEAR Fitness Coach

The PEAR Personal Fitness Coach app revolves around audio coaching. This app allows the user to exercise hand-free using only audio recordings. There are an abundance of different guided levels and intensities that are custom to you. The app is also compatible with a wide variety of fitness trackers. You can choose from many workout plans and coaches. With this group fitness app, you can easily share your fitness data.

However, PEAR is limited if you’re not willing to pay for the premium version. If you do pay for the premium, there are numerous extra benefits. The good news is that there is a free trial version, so you can see if this is worth investing in.

Aaptiv

Aaptiv is an audio-based fitness app for those who want a hands-free exercise session. You can choose and download each workout. The process starts with the user selecting a type of exercise, from boxing and weight lifting to yoga. Then, choose a soundtrack and how long you would like to exercise.

Every week, there are new workouts to choose from. You’ll need to sign up for a monthly subscription to get all the added features. This exercise app also provides a variety of tips if you are looking to improve your outdoor run or increase your flexibility.

Map My Run

Map My Run is a marvelous group fitness app for your entire company. You can set custom challenges for the whole team and see what everyone is capable of. It’s the largest mobile fitness community, but it’s suitable for smaller groups too. Anyone can join a challenge either with or without the party. Map My Run is a great app if you are looking to have a healthy competitive aspect with friends, family, strangers, or workmates.

You can set custom challenges for almost anything: swimming, walking, yoga, cycling, or gym workouts. Then, you can set a goal, whether it is “most workout time,” “most distance,” or something else. Map My Run is one of those free group fitness challenge trackers that can make your exercises both intense and exciting.

Runkeeper

Looking for an app designed specifically for running or jogging? Well, look no further than Runkeeper. This app is created to help you meet all your running goals. Track your runs, set specific targets, challenge yourself, and review your statistics. 

As it is a group fitness app, you can also join online running groups. Besides that, there are many other in-app challenges to help you stay motivated. The big advantage is that the app is free, and although there are some in-app purchases to enhance your experience, they’re not necessary.

Centr

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, known mostly for his role as the god Thor in many Avengers movies, has created this all-in-one fitness app. Centr helps you plan your training sessions, perform your workouts, and encourage healthy eating. The app can be used to lose weight, build muscle, stay fit, or get fit. When signing up, you will specify your goal so the app can provide a more tailored experience for your needs.

Some of the workouts are coaching videos. You play the video while doing the exercise with the instructor. There are also self-guided workouts where you’ll get a timer and an example video of the exercises. The downside is that the app requires a subscription but allows for an initial seven-day free trial.

Trainiac

Trainiac is a very useful personalized group training and fitness app. Users may choose from one of the available personal trainers to help guide them through the exercise and motivate them. Here, a workout program is personally tailored to suit the user and their lifestyle. Utilizing an app like Trainiac can help you set your fitness goals and actually achieve them with the help of a professional.

Fitness sessions are in real-time with accredited professional personal trainers who provide workouts customized to your needs. Coaches will also give encouragement and motivation, via text, audio, and video messaging.

The best thing is that there are no extra costs, as the workouts are adjusted to whatever equipment you have and how much space is available. 

Ending Thoughts on Fitness Apps for Groups

A wide array of group fitness apps have made it much easier to fit an exercise and workout routine into your busy schedule. These social fitness apps combine the positive peer pressure of a group with the convenience of a mobile device. 

A measure of healthy competition will contribute to the motivation and progress of your exercise. Whether you are starting up a new workout routine or improving your old one, these apps are a great tool.

On the other hand, if you prefer a group workout setting, such as an in-person session or going to a fitness gym, many apps provide workouts to help you utilize gym equipment. A lot of gyms also offer a variety of workout classes such as yoga, running, swimming, boxing, weight lifting, and more. Exercising in a group can have many benefits, so consider signing up.

Want to see the progress you are making? Here’s our guide to different gym cameras to film training sessions with. Furthermore, here are some apps for personal trainers that can come in handy for scheduling those group sessions.

FAQs About Group Fitness Apps

1. What are some of the key features of a good group fitness app?

A good group fitness app should accommodate various fitness levels and interests and provide a selection of routines and exercises. Each exercise should include clear, simple-to-follow instructions, and ideally, it should offer adjustments for people with ailments or physical restrictions. For further motivation and accountability, the app should also provide progress tracking, tailored recommendations, and a way to engage with other users.

2. Can such an app really help me achieve my fitness goals?

Absolutely! A good fitness app for groups can help you reach your fitness goals while giving you handy and adaptable options to work out at home or in a gym. Many apps provide individualized training routines and progress tracking to keep users on the right path and help them achieve real progress toward their goals.

3. What kinds of exercises and workouts are typically included in these apps?

Group workout apps may offer a range of exercises, including yoga, Pilates, HIIT, cardio, and strength training. The exercises can be performed using only your body weight or tools like resistance bands or dumbbells. Furthermore, some apps provide specialized routines like dance workouts or pregnancy-safe workouts.

4. Are there any group fitness apps that offer personalized workout plans?

Yes! Many provide customized workout regimens based on the user’s goals, preferences, and level of fitness. These programs may contain a variety of workouts and activities that are designed to be challenging for the user while also considering their particular requirements and limits.

5. Can I connect with other users for accountability and support?

Many workout-with-friends apps include a social component enabling users to interact with others for accountability and support. This can include tools like comments, likes, exercise sharing, private chat, and team challenges.

6. How much do social fitness apps typically cost, and are they worth the investment?

These apps can range greatly in price, with some being fully free and others costing more than $30 per month. Whether they are valuable depends on each user’s needs and tastes, but many people think that the convenience and customized features make them a good investment.

7. Can I track my progress and see how I am improving over time?

Absolutely! The majority of exercise accountability apps allow users to track their progress over time. This can involve keeping track of stats like weight, body measurements, and workout frequency, in addition to commenting on specific exercises and programs.

8. Do group fitness apps offer any live or on-demand classes with instructors?

Several group exercise apps provide live and recorded lessons with qualified instructors. On-demand classes can be attended at any time and offer scheduling flexibility. In contrast, live sessions can be planned at certain times and allow for real-time interaction with the instructor and other users.

9. How do I know which fitness accountability app is right for me?

You can select the best app based on your personal requirements and interests. The sorts of workouts provided, the level of personalization offered, the social aspects, and the price are all important factors to take into account. Before signing up for a premium subscription, reading reviews and using a free trial could be beneficial.

10. Are there any privacy or security concerns I should be aware of when using fitness apps for groups?

When using a group workout app, users should be mindful of any potential privacy and security issues as with any other app. Studying the app’s privacy statement and terms of service is essential if you want to know what information is gathered and how it is used. It’s crucial to check the app’s reliability and security, as well as to take the essential security steps when using it, such as creating strong passwords and avoiding open Wi-Fi.