Best gym apps for beginners, compared
How Musclo stacks up against the most popular workout apps on price, AI coaching, live form check and how much they help someone who doesn't know what to do at the gym.
| Musclo | Fitbod | Hevy | Strong | Future | JEFIT | Ladder | Nike Training Club | Freeletics | Planet Fitness app | Gymshark Training | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per year (USD) | $39.99 | $95.99 | $23.99 | $29.99 | About $1,788 (12 months prepaid) | $69.99 | $179.99 | Free | About $74.99–79.99 | Free (gym membership needed) | Was free |
| Free version | Plan + 2 form checks/week | 7-day trial | Yes | Logging + 3 routines | No | Yes, with ads | 7-day trial | Yes | Yes, limited | Yes | Yes |
| Builds your workout for you | Yes | Yes | Rule-based (Hevy Trainer, Pro) | No | Human-written | Yes (Elite) | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| AI coach you can talk to | Yes | Announced, not confirmed live | No | No | No | unverified | No | No | unverified | No | No |
| Live camera form check | Yes | No | No | No | Recorded video reviewed by coach | No | Human review on higher tiers | No | No | No | No |
| Identifies gym machines from a photo | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Tutorials (no photo ID) | No |
| Human coach | No | No | No | No | Yes | unverified | Yes | No | No | In-club only | No |
| Apple Watch app | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | unverified | unverified |
| Android | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | unverified | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Removed |
Checked 13 November 2026. Prices USD.
Musclo vs FitbodFitbod generates good gym workouts but costs $95.99 a year and can't see your form.Musclo vs HevyHevy is a great cheap logbook, but a beginner still has to know what to do.Musclo vs StrongStrong is a fast, minimal logbook. It records what you did; it doesn't tell you what to do.Musclo vs FutureFuture gives you a real human coach, for about $199 a month.Musclo vs JEFITJEFIT has a huge exercise library and analytics, with ads on the free tier.Musclo vs LadderLadder's coach-led team programs are great, from $179.99 a year.Musclo vs Nike Training ClubNTC is free and polished, but mostly video classes, not gym machine guidance.Musclo vs FreeleticsFreeletics builds bodyweight-first AI plans; gym guidance is secondary.Musclo vs Planet Fitness appThe Planet Fitness app is free for members, with machine tutorials but no personal plan.Musclo vs Gymshark TrainingGymshark Training is no longer updated and isn't listed on the App Store as of November 2026.