The fitness app market is a rough sea to sail, because it's full of big fish and stormy competition. Every day, countless new fitness apps struggle to gain traction and fade away, while more successful apps are vying for users' attention and loyalty. Not to mention that today's customers have high expectations for digital fitness experiences. They want hyper-personalized workout plans, the smartest virtual coaches, and seamless digital experiences to make their living room double as a high-tech gym.
This high bar is not optional for your fitness brand. If you want to build a successful fitness app that will become a daily habit, you need to get your target users, nail the killer features, and develop with security and compliance in mind.
Orangesoft has been in fitness mobile app development since 2011, so we've seen what works and what doesn't. Here’s how to navigate the rough waters of the fitness app market.
Key takeaways
- When building a fitness app, businesses can either leverage a platform-based solution or opt for custom app development — the latter option is most suitable for growth-ready products.
- The costs of developing a fitness app may range from $60K to $150K+, depending on the app complexity, its features, and integrations.
- Artificial intelligence, wearable integration, gamification, and social features are no longer optional for digital fitness experiences; they are a baseline consumer expectation.
The state of the fitness app market in 2025
The fitness and wellness industry is advancing faster than most of its peers thanks to a very enabling environment. Consumers are more health-conscious than ever, AI and wearable devices bolster advanced functionality, and connected technologies are breaking down barriers. All these are translating into dollars spent:
- The global fitness app market size is projected to grow by $101.6 billion between 2024 and 2029, at a CAGR of 24.2% during the forecast period.
- 345 million people used fitness apps in 2024.
- The in-app purchase revenue of the health and fitness category has been consistently growing since 2022. In 2024, it reached almost $5 billion.
- Gen Zers are locked in: 56% of Gen Z consumers in the US think of fitness as a high priority.
- Remote personal training saw a 414% increase in interest year-over-year in 2024.
- 72% of regular exercisers are doing both gym and out-of-gym workouts.
However, traditional gyms and health clubs remain unrivaled due to the cultural and social benefits that apps alone cannot offer. That's why the industry's focus is also on the hybrid fitness model — the apps that bridge the gap between in-gym workouts and at-home routines.
Leading types of fitness apps
Whether it's a personal training app or a meditation platform, each custom fitness app has its differentiators and a set of signature features.
Activity tracking apps
These mobile apps promote a healthier and more active life by tracking users' daily activity. Activity tracking apps track and calculate users' daily steps, exercise information, calories burned, sleep data, and more. These apps can log user activity by leveraging:
- Geolocation — measures the distance, speed, and pace, as well as monitors routes.
- Accelerometer — counts the number of steps and tracks the rhythm of your steps as you walk or run.
- Gyroscope — tracks orientation and body movement, a go-to for yoga, HIIT, and posture tracking.
- Integration with wearables — most activity tracking apps link with wearable devices, such as the Apple Watch or Android Wear, or connected equipment to capture activity data.
ASICS RunKeeper is a popular example in this category. Created for runners, the RunKeeper app can track running, walking, swimming, and more. The app uses a combination of GPS and motion sensors to capture distance, speed, and pace, while the device's accelerometer gives insights into steps and movement patterns. The RunKeeper app also integrates with wearables for collecting heart rate data and other advanced metrics.
Workout apps
Workout apps deliver personalized workouts, video tutorials, and other on-demand training sessions. Today, this app category is shifting from the workout-only approach to a more holistic ecosystem that incorporates exercise, recovery, motivation, and community. The set of core features of a textbook workout app reflects this shift:
- AI-powered coaching — more advanced workout apps power training plans, form analysis, or on-the-go corrections with AI, while mid-tier solutions manage with moderate personalization mainly informed by user input.
- Video streaming — real-time or on-demand fitness content that users can access anytime, anywhere.
- Community mechanics — many workout apps allow users to share their daily fitness progress, engage in discussions, or compete with friends.
- Recovery and mindfulness tips — with guided meditations, breathwork exercises, and stretching tips baked in, workout apps support users beyond physical training.
- Nutrition integration — some workout apps track calorie and water intake.
- Hybrid fitness — to give a full training picture, some apps aggregate in-gym session data and at-home workouts.
- Integration with wearables — workout apps fetch data from trackers, smartwatches, smart scales, and other smart devices to have a full picture of the user's progress and generate personalized routines.
An example of a workout app is Planet Fitness, a top-downloaded application in the US, with 1.4 million active users. The app is mainly focused on Planet Fitness gym members, blending in-gym guidance with at-home on-demand workouts. Gym-goers can also use the app to read codes on gym equipment and access quick tutorials on how to use the equipment.
Smart coach apps
Smart coach apps leverage AI-powered computer vision, data analytics, and wearable integration to act like a virtual personal trainer and make exercising safe and injury-free. Relying on real-time pose tracking and estimation, smart coach solutions analyze users' movements and give feedback on their exercise technique in real time. Some smart fitness applications can even detect the equipment the individual is using, like dumbbells and barbells, and recommend the optimal weight.
Tempo is a poster child for personal trainer app development. This AI-based fitness app is paired with a smart home gym system and leverages 3D sensors and machine learning to monitor users’ form, count reps, and correct form. Tempo also features a library of 2,000+ guided workouts and adaptive training plans.
Diet and nutrition apps
The weight loss segment is among the most commercially viable fitness app types. This is because nutrition apps help people live healthier lifestyles by providing insights into a balanced diet.
They allow users to log consumed calories, track weight, and provide free recipe ideas. Diet and nutrition apps track eating habits with the help of the following app features:
- Food database – allows users to log food intake easily.
- Barcode scanning – provides information about a particular product's nutritional makeup.
- Food logger – tracks meals and food intake.
- Meal plans – help decide meals in advance, often with the help of AI.
- Calorie calculator – estimates the number of calories.
- Water consumption – tracks water intake per day.
- Shopping list organizer – helps plan the items to shop for.
- Recommended recipes and others.
More advanced nutrition apps may also feature live nutritionist consultations and healthy meal subscription offerings.
Currently, MyFitnessPal is the leading nutrition and diet app worldwide in terms of in-app revenue. Packed with food analysis, calorie goals, and macros by meal, this diet app assists users in their journey toward a healthier lifestyle. The app syncs with Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Health, and over 50 fitness devices and apps. It also has built-in AI image recognition functionality that allows users to log meals by taking a picture. Cherry on top, MyFitnessPal helps users stick to their healthy routines through community-based engagement features.
Meditation apps
The global meditation apps market was valued at $5.72 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $7.41 billion by 2029. This app category owes some of its popularity to growing stress worldwide. In 2024, 43% of U.S. adults reported feeling more anxious compared to 2023, with many of them attributing this anxiety to increased stress.
Meditation app solutions help users find peace of mind through guided meditations, focused deep breathing, and other techniques. Such apps are a great supplement to mindfulness exercises and help users combat anxiety and sleep problems through mood trackers, meditation timers, and sleep stories.
Mindfulness app features may include, but are not limited to:
- Breathing and relaxation tools — meditation apps usually offer relaxation soundscapes and guided breathing exercises with visual or haptic feedback for daytime decompression.
- Sleep-focused features — this app category may also rely on scientifically backed sleep programs, sleep cycle tracking, and bedtime meditations to help users achieve restful sleep.
- Multi-format content delivery — audio, video, text-based lessons - live, on-demand, or offline - to match different contexts and learning styles.
- Personalization — meditation apps leverage AI to tailor meditation plans, provide mood-based recommendations, and track progress for each user.
The mobile meditation and mental wellness app Calm tops the meditation app niche. The app with over 4.5 million paid subscribers, Calm revolves around the meditainment approach and packs mindfulness sessions into scrollable content. Calm enhances relaxation with sleep stories narrated by celebrities, helping users unwind through calming music and nature soundscapes.
Yoga apps
These mobile solutions offer on-demand yoga sessions and practices to beginners and longtime yogis. Yoga apps usually include audio-guided yoga sessions, structured yoga training programs, and pose reference guides.
The typical feature set of yoga apps comprises:
- Audio-/video-guided sessions — the pillar of yoga apps, offering a library of step-by-step instructions for poses, sequences, or full classes, allowing users to create unique flows for every practice. When supplemented with AI-powered pose analysis, such apps adapt sequences to the user's flexibility level.
- On-demand content and/or live streaming classes — depending on their immediate needs, users can either turn to pre-recorded sessions or join real-time group sessions.
- Personalized workout plans — users can get a tailored yoga training program, adjusted to their skill level, goals, and schedule.
- Pose libraries — yoga apps also come with a compilation of visual or 3D demonstrations of individual poses.
- Mind-body integration — many yoga apps aim for a holistic wellness experience, which is why they incorporate meditation, breathing exercises, or mindfulness practices on top of low-intensity routines.
Yoga-Go is among the most popular yoga apps. This app delivers simple home-based yoga and pilates workouts that help users get toned and regulate their emotions. Trusted by over 16 million users, the app curates a vast library of over 2,000 exercises, developed by certified yoga and fitness professionals. Yoga-Go also allows users to create their own yoga flows and tailored practice plans based on their goals, fitness level, and available time.
Move-to-earn apps
Move-to-earn apps reward users for exercising with crypto, tokens, or their own digital currency. Users can spend their rewards within the app on in-app purchases, trade them on exchanges (if it's crypto), or redeem them for real-world goods and services.
Core features of move-to-earn apps include activity tracking, gamification elements, and blockchain integration. Some move-to-earn apps also rely on immersive technologies to add a digital experience.
Sweatcoin is one of the trailblazers among move-to-earn games, with a user base of over 197 million. The app tracks users' steps and rewards them with a digital currency called Sweatcoin. Users can then spend Sweatcoins on various goods and services offered through the app's marketplace.
DIY vs platform-based fitness app development
When companies create fitness apps, they choose one of two paths to get there: custom fitness app development or canned solutions like a no-code platform or white label app.
DIY development means building a fitness app from scratch, either by coding it yourself or by hiring a fitness app development company. With platform-based, app developers leverage tools like Flutterflow, Trainerize, and others, to either draw upon pre-built infrastructure for core fitness features or create custom applications using a drag-and-drop interface.
Each approach has its perks and downsides, which our developers have broken down below.
| Aspect | DIY development | Platform-based/no-code development |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Higher initial development costs + ongoing support. | Lower upfront; usually a subscription model based on the number of users, features, modules, and integrations. |
| Time to market | Longer, about 4 to 6 months depending on the app complexity. | Shorter, weeks to a few months. |
| Customization | Full control, advanced and unique features that give the app a competitive moat. | Limited to the platform's templates and integrations. |
| Scalability | Can be easily scaled as the user base grows. | Might require migration when the app gains traction. |
| Security and compliance | You own security; full compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and others. | Tied to the provider's standards and limits. |
| Maintenance | You control the release cycle; feature updates are driven by user feedback. | The release schedule is at the mercy of the provider; if a critical feature is missing or a bug isn’t prioritized, you’ll need to wait until the provider rolls out an update. |
| Integration options | Any API or wearable integration possible. | Limited to pre-built integrations. |
| Product growth | Easily scale from prototype to MVP to V1 and beyond. | Likely to be bogged down by tech debt; may require costly rebuilds. |
Summing up, fitness apps built with low-code/no-code solutions are ideal for creating a quick prototype to test your concept, gather user feedback, or pitch your idea to investors. However, when it comes to developing a future-proof app with a healthy and maintainable codebase that can scale from MVP to a full-fledged product, from-scratch development is the only way to go.
Custom development gives you full control over architecture, wearable device integration, and custom features. Dedicated ongoing support means that you can quickly adapt to new market trends and user preferences, without being shackled by a platform’s release schedule or feature set. More importantly, you will know exactly what security and compliance infrastructure is under the app's hood — a must for apps that care about user data security or handle sensitive data.
Step-by-step fitness app development process
Developing a fitness application isn't as tricky as it may sound...except you need just the right blend of sweat, product strategy, and innovative tech. Here's our blueprint for developing a successful fitness app, proven by 300+ custom software products.
Product discovery
You wouldn't lift weights without knowing your goals first, right? By the same token, you need a clear development roadmap to ensure you build the right product from the outset. Ideally, by the time you reach out to a tech partner, you should have your vision already defined in terms of your target audience, target platforms, and the fitness app idea overall.
Your product discovery team builds upon your vision, fleshing out user flows, direct and indirect competitors, and key app features. Next, these features are prioritized and validated, while your product vision gets transformed into a specific list of detailed product specifications. Compliance and data security requirements, such as GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, and others, are also determined during the product discovery stage.
At this stage, the team usually creates wireframes and prototypes to align the vision before the full product scoping begins.
Development planning
Once the project is scoped, your development team selects the optimal app architecture based on your performance, scalability, security, and maintenance requirements. They also choose a tech stack that reflects your choice of platforms and allows for easy integration with wearables, APIs, and third-party devices.
At this stage, the software requirements are finalized and turned into a single source of truth for developers, QA teams, and designers.
Design and develop the MVP
Design is a huge part of the fitness app development process, because mobile fitness apps, more than any app category, rely on motivation and user engagement to keep users hooked. When creating the look and feel of the app, the design team focuses on habit-forming mechanics, rewarding experiences, and ensuring the app's accessibility to make sure the application is equally valuable for beginners and advanced users.
When the final design layouts are ready, the development team continues with building an MVP.
A minimum viable product (MVP) is a pared-back version of your fitness app. It is made of core app features only, allowing you to test your product hypothesis without spending time and effort on the whole feature set. During development, the team iteratively builds and refines features, making sure that security measures and compliance protocols are enforced at every step.
Test and release the MVP
During this stage, the QA team validates your MVP and ensures it meets the initial product requirements. Often, companies go with a soft launch before going big to double-check the product. A polished app is then rolled out to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Go from MVP to v1
Once your MVP has gained traction and collected enough user feedback, the development team transforms it into a full-fledged v1 of your exercise app by adding nice-to-have features.
To keep the bar high and ensure long-term app success, you should assign a dedicated team to handle ongoing app maintenance. Long-term application support will keep your solution in tune with new platform versions, evolving user needs, and high competition.
Basic features for fitness app development
Although all wellness apps are different, they share some basic app features like user login and payment gateways. You'll find the set of core features below:
Authorization features
Your applications should enable users to sign up or log in via multiple options, including social sign-up, email, and phone registration. The sign-up process can be followed by a quick onboarding that takes your user through the main functionalities of your application. The application can also send in-app prompts when users first sign up to the platform.
User profile
Profiles store user data on age, height, weight, fitness level, and other inputs. The app can then use this information to generate a personalized workout plan. Users can also track their progress via a profile and view a history of completed exercises.
Workout menu
The main methods of exercise demonstrations are via photos, 3D animated models, videos, and descriptions. Other menu sections differ by app type. For example, workout apps can show the number of calories burned, app duration, and intensity, while yoga applications are more focused on proper techniques and detailed descriptions.
Notifications and reminders
Positive and non-intrusive notifications motivate users to re-engage with your application, check out a new workout, or reap a reward. The app can gently remind users about upcoming training sessions and expert live streams, as well as update them if other community members react to their progress. You can also enable users to start a workout right from notifications.
Statistics
Tracking user progress adds more motivation and accountability to users’ fitness journeys.
Therefore, your application should visualize users’ fitness goals and achieve milestones through charts, diagrams, progress bars, animated statistics, and other visual elements.
User activity tracking
Your app can gather user activity data from multiple sources. Specifically, in-built smartphone sensors such as accelerometers and GPS can pull the number of steps and share the data with the app.
Wearables are another source of activity data that can measure sleep quality, heart rate, fat-burning duration, and daily activity intensity. However, you need to add third-party APIs to connect your app with a wearable.
Third-party device connectivity
You can also connect your solution to other devices. Connecting third-party devices helps the application better understand the user’s lifestyle, eating habits, and activity levels. Using third-party APIs, your application can connect to various trackers, smartwatches, smart scales, and other devices to gather different activity- or body-related data.
Fitness database
If your fitness app fails to provide diverse workout options, exercises, or food items, the user will quickly switch to another solution. Instead, let them choose the type of activity they want to engage in by embedding a comprehensive fitness database. A collection of exercises will help the user to train each muscle group, while a wide array of meal options provides a more varied diet.
Advanced features for your fitness application
Given today's competition, basic features are not going to cut it. That's why most MVPs of fitness apps also incorporate more complex functionality that adds more interactivity, engagement, and personalization options to the app. This may include:
AI-driven personalization
61% of consumers have used AI to track workouts, and 49% rely on it for nutrition. Also, nearly half of Gen Z and millennial users engage with AI-powered fitness and wellness apps daily, which makes AI a staple for this app category. LLM-based virtual trainers, adaptive workout/nutrition recommendations, form correction, and motion tracking — artificial intelligence may manifest differently in fitness applications.
Live streaming
Along with on-demand workouts, your application can stream live sessions hosted by fitness influencers, yoga gurus, or nutrition experts. In this case, you need to choose a reliable content delivery network, hosting option, and storage provider.
Social sharing
Sharing workout progress with friends is the best way to stay accountable. Social media integration will enable users to share their fitness breakthroughs with the social media network of their choice. This feature can also provide additional coverage for your application, provided the app’s link is automatically inserted into a shared post.
Community and leaderboards
Leaderboards enhance engagement through social comparison. They rank users based on their fitness success, calories burned, and distance walked. To rank, users get points after completing an activity or reaching a specific milestone. You can also add gamification elements such as badges or rewards to make the competition even more motivating.
Barcode scanner
Nutrition and diet apps usually include barcode scanners. These allow the user to scan the barcodes of food items and see their nutritional value.
Scanners also help add the products to the daily diet with a smartphone’s camera. Sometimes, app creators also include machine learning recognition to identify fruits and veggies without barcodes.
Geolocation
Locating the user is one of the crucial features for activity monitoring fitness applications. Apps can display a map with a routing overlay or show the number of completed steps and distance.
Educational content
Wellness apps can also include dieting tips, exercise videos, or other tips on staying fit and healthy. Educational material can be personalized to the user's goals and achievements and can come in different forms like podcasts, videos, or blogs.
Goal setting
Apps that tackle physical activity often include goal setting to help users plan their workouts. Goals can be set by time frame, difficulty, weight loss, etc. Customized goal-setting will help adjust objectives based on the day of the week or nutrient ratio.
How much does it cost to create a fitness app?
Fitness app development costs vary based on the app's complexity, the number of features, and other cost drivers. Below, our team has prepared a ballpark MVP estimate of the cost for each activity, including a basic set of features and no add-ons. This estimate includes the time required for development, testing, and project management.
| Feature | Development time, hours | Backend development time, hours | Approx. cost, $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign in / Sign up | 42 | 32 | 3,700 |
| Adding personal info | 32 | 16 | 2,400 |
| Profile | 56 | 18 | 3,700 |
| Home screen | 72 | 32 | 5,200 |
| Workouts | 96 | 56 | 7,600 |
| Nutrition | 96 | 40 | 6,800 |
| Dashboards/reports | 96 | 72 | 8,400 |
| Notifications | 24 | 20 | 2,200 |
| Subscriptions | 56 | 56 | 5,600 |
| Architecture | 56 | 32 | 4,400 |
| Server interaction & API | 46 | – | 2,300 |
| Database | 24 | 16 | 2,000 |
| Admin panel | 156 | 110 | 13,300 |
| Total | 852 | 500 | 67,600 |
Monetizing fitness apps
Like any other mobile solution, fitness apps can generate revenue through multiple channels.
Paid apps
With this model, users pay to download and install your application. Paid apps charge a fixed download fee, starting at $0.99. The paid model is viable only when the cost is small and your brand already has a large following.
However, emerging brands and startups tend to avoid this monetization option. For instance, in 2024, only 3% of apps on the Google Play Store required an upfront payment to download their app.
In-app purchases
This model lets you generate revenue by selling physical or virtual goods within your app — like branded gym gear, sports nutrition, and other items. Users can also unlock additional training plans or nutrition tips for a one-time fee.
Ads
In this case, you earn revenue by displaying ads within your application. In-app ads can include banners, out-stream ads, and native ads that should be embedded into the user's experience seamlessly.
However, be cautious with video ads in meditation or yoga apps, as these may undermine the very experience users came after.
Freemium apps
The freemium model allows users to download and use your application for free. However, to access premium features, like advanced fitness plans or ad-free content, users are charged a recurring subscription fee.
Sponsored content
This monetization model means you’ve partnered with sports brands, nutrition brands, gyms, or influencers. In this case, the brand’s promotional media, offers, or deals are placed on your app. For this option, an advertiser pays for sponsored content, which you then share on the app.
The bottom line
With gyms becoming one-stop shops, consumers leaning more toward healthier lifestyles, and Gen Z and millennials jumping on the fitness bandwagon, fitness apps are becoming essentials. While the future of the fitness app market looks promising, developing a new fitness app and earning your share of user engagement is no small feat. The right set of innovative features, security, and scalable architecture is not easy to nail right from the start.
At Orangesoft, we’re here to turn your fitness app idea into a high-performing digital product. Reach out to secure an experienced app development team for your next fitness app idea.