Whether or not you are making an attempt to hit New 12 months’s resolutions or simply want a great exercise or eating regimen tracker, the very best well being and health apps might help you get there. And for those who’re feeling overwhelmed (or underwhelmed) by the alternatives out there, I am right here to share personally-tested exercise and planning apps to get you began.
Some individuals thrive with customized, AI-made exercise or eating regimen plans. Others profit from social apps like Strava the place challenges and “kudos” from buddies preserve you motivated. And you would be shocked how a great spreadsheet or primary exercise log would possibly work higher than an costly app with movies and plans.
Damaged down into particular classes — common well being/ health apps, exercise apps, companion apps for smartwatches, and weight/ eating regimen apps — these are the very best apps that will help you hit your objectives for 2026, with information on key options, pricing, and why they’ve helped our workers succeed with their objectives.
Normal well being & health apps
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Key Well being Options: Sleep Rating, Each day Readiness Rating, Stress Administration Rating, Menstrual Well being, Meal & Water logging, Mindfulness classes, Pattern “Insights”
Key Health Options: Energetic Zone Minutes, Cardio/ Goal Load, Gemini-made customized exercise plans, video exercises, Fitbit/ Pixel Watch integration
Subscription: $10/month or $80/12 months (AI plans/ evaluation, video exercises, long-term studies)
Why Fitbit will assist together with your objectives: Recommending Fitbit Premium turned simpler as soon as Google employed Gemini to make the Fitbit Private Well being Coach. It permits you to “communicate” to an AI coach and create a complete exercise plan inside minutes, incorporating dozens of various indoor or outside exercise sorts. So whether or not your health aim is to drop some pounds, enhance at a selected sport, improve muscle mass, stroll extra, or anything, Gemini can provide you weeks of customized exercises for that aim. No different app is as complete or customizable.
AI apart, Fitbit advantages from syncing with low-cost Fitbit trackers, so the app can observe stats like resting coronary heart price, blood oxygen, pores and skin temperature, sleep zones, and HRV. The brand new app reveals “Perception” playing cards with pattern knowledge for these stats, so you possibly can see how your well being is bettering as you attempt to get fitter or drop some pounds.
Why we depend on Fitbit: “Fitbit is straightforward and accessible for anybody simply beginning out with severe exercises.” — Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
“I really like the brand new interface and the way easy it’s to get necessary knowledge at a look. I have been impressed with the AI coach and its suggestions. I feel it is top-of-the-line life-style health apps with a holistic strategy.” — Tshaka Armstrong, Contributor
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Why a spreadsheet will assist together with your objectives: Apps may be motivational and auto-track your knowledge and progress over time, with fancy graphs and AI evaluation. However they’re normally (A) paid, (B) mobile-only, and (C) specialised to 1 exercise.
That is why, in terms of New 12 months’s resolutions or making a exercise calendar, a easy doc or spreadsheet works higher than looking for the right, all-in-one app! Use different apps to trace particular objectives like miles/ steps/ weight reduction/ books learn, however consolidate all of them into one doc you possibly can verify in your telephone or laptop, utilizing tables and drop-down menus to label your progress (as I did above).
Or, use a spreadsheet to put out your long-term exercise plans, then a selected operating or power app to place these plans into motion. I used that technique to plan my months-long marathon coaching (see above), paired with my Garmin watch, and it was extremely efficient.
Why we depend on Google Docs/ Sheets: “Yeah, it sounds foolish, however I really discovered a use for spreadsheets. I want higher physique power, so lifting weights is the way in which I attempt to preserve it. I can preserve report of my present routine in addition to any objectives, and there’s loads of room for additional notes. Better of all, I can verify off every day’s exercise from my telephone or my desktop and have entry to all my long-term progress, so I really feel like I am carrying out one thing.” — Jerry Hildenbrand, Senior Editor
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Key Health Options: Exercise recording, native routes with 3D maps, Heatmap, Section leaderboards, Golf equipment, Challenges, long-term exercise evaluation, Athlete Intelligence summaries, race predictions, Prompt Exercises
Subscription: $12/month or $80/12 months (Saved routes, full knowledge evaluation with AI summaries, Prompt Exercises
Why Strava will assist together with your objectives: Most individuals attempt more durable when cheered on or competing with others. Strava permits you to join with buddies to supply and obtain “kudos,” motivating you to maintain getting on the market. You even have “Challenges” the place hitting sure thresholds nets you badges and awards from associate firms, and leaderboards the place you possibly can compete to be quickest on native routes and trails. And it helps you discover native Golf equipment with like-minded athletes, for those who want in-person motivation.
Extra not too long ago, Strava has doubled down on Athlete Intelligence, a software that makes use of your exercise historical past to evaluate the standard of a particular exercise and supply context in your enchancment over time. This 12 months, Strava launched “Prompt Exercises,” with customized actions throughout 40 sports activities sorts and 4 sorts (‘Keep’, ‘Construct’, ‘Discover’, or ‘Get well’), together with customized routes out of your beginning location utilizing a Heatmap of different customers’ exercises. Primarily, Strava presents customized, tailor-made exercises, with out committing to a long-term plan.
Why we depend on Strava: “I discovered my native operating group by way of Strava final 12 months; I respect when Strava tells me a sure exercise was my quickest within the final month; and I am motivated to turn into the ‘Native Legend’ for sure segments like my close by observe.” — Michael Hicks, Wearables Editor
“Strava is a superb app to attach with others who’re into health and preserve your self accountable. Many health apps sync with it, so you possibly can publish your watch’s exercises and preserve your self energetic and motivated.” — Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
Exercise apps
Key Health options: Exercise monitoring, media playback controls, 5K/10K/13.1/26.2 coaching plans, audio-guided runs, challenges, streaks, real-time location sharing
Subscription: None
Why Nike Run Membership will assist together with your objectives: NRC is in style with veteran runners as a running-focused various to Strava with related gamification (i.e., badges, challenges, and likes) and long-term stat monitoring.
Why I like to recommend it for newbie couch-to-5K runners, except for the shortage of subscription, is Coach Bennett’s audio-based guided runs. As you run, the professional operating coach will provide you with pointers and motivation as you are struggling to maintain tempo and keep shifting.
Why we depend on Nike Run Membership: “I’ve used Nike Run Membership to run over 1,500 miles throughout a decade and numerous units. NRC handles the fundamentals excellently, with the brilliant and daring Nike font making your tempo, period, coronary heart price, and extra seen at a look. It helps media playback controls, and its post-run breakdowns are each data-rich and straightforward to grasp. The app prioritizes pleasant competitors with different customers (with weekly challenges) and your self (with awards and milestones) whereas reminding you to relaxation.” — Brady Snyder, Contributor
“Nike Run Membership helps me get into extremely productive steady-state runs and brainless interval coaching. I simply open it, select a run that matches my intention, and transfer my ft.” —Tshaka Armstrong, Contributor
Different possibility: Attempt Zombies, Run!, which has dozens of hours of audio tales designed to maintain you motivated as you run, together with some Marvel adventures.
Key Health options: Customizable exercises with customized units, full train record, exercise graphs, macronutrient monitoring
Subscription: $5/month or $30/12 months (Limitless exercise templates, analytics like muscle maps and macros)
Why Sturdy will assist together with your objectives: Whether or not you are understanding at dwelling or the health club, you do not want an app distracting you. You want simplicity, a streamlined exercise log the place you possibly can verify off one train or set, then transfer on to the subsequent, with out giving your self an opportunity to slack off.
Sturdy fulfills that area of interest! You possibly can construct out exercises utilizing its complete train library, together with Heat-ups and Drop/ Failure units, after which comply with that exercise to completion. The PRO subscription provides you extra knowledge, however the free model is greater than ok to get you began.
Why we depend on Sturdy: “Sturdy is the health club diary the place I totally flesh issues out. I constructed out my exercises and observe not solely my progressive overload however my physique half beneficial properties (i.e., biceps, calves, quads, and many others.).” — Tshaka Armstrong, Contributor
Options: Attempt Hevy for a exercise log with extra neighborhood options, or Fitbod for those who want AI assist constructing your exercises.
Key Health options: Prebuilt packages, on-demand exercises, professional trainers, train type guides, wholesome recipes
Subscription: $20/month or ~$120/12 months (obligatory)
Why Sweat will assist together with your objectives: Tailor-made to girls, Sweat has long-term power packages tailor-made to any talent stage, with a clear UI that makes it straightforward to navigate by way of exercises and see (A) the right type for each train and (B) the muscle map of the way it’ll impression your physique. It is on the costly facet however presents quite a lot of worth as an alternative choice to a (costlier) private coach.
Why we depend on Sweat: “I subscribe to Sweat as a result of it gives an ideal stability of cardio and power coaching exercises, with out requiring me to plan my total week. As a postpartum mother with little or no time, understanding precisely which exercise I am because of do every day is extremely useful and actually eases my thoughts.” — Nandika Iyer Ravi, Information Editor
Options: Peloton or Apple Health+ are the apparent huge hitters for common teaching, whereas Centr is a extra hardcore possibility.
Smartwatch/ good ring companion apps
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Key Health options: Garmin Run/ Biking/ Power/Triathlon Coach, each day steered exercises, power/ yoga exercises, Coaching Standing, Coaching Load, long-term metric graphs, Garmin Golf, Garmin Trails, LiveTrack, downloadable/ customized programs, Challenges & Badges, gear monitoring, race predictions, and extra
Key Well being options: Physique Battery, HRV Standing, Sleep Rating/ Coach, menstrual monitoring, meals logging with AI picture recognition and barcode scanning, Life-style Logging, Well being Standing
Subscription: $7/month or $70/12 months (AI summaries, Vitamin logging, Trails, Efficiency Dashboard, teaching movies, and different small options, not required)
Why Garmin Join will assist together with your objectives: Garmin watches primarily get reward for the long-lived {hardware} and post-workout evaluation in your wrist. Garmin Join is a bloated, labyrinthian app that takes time to regulate to, but it surely’s crammed to bursting with options you will not discover elsewhere (particularly at no cost), most notably customized coaching plans and each day steered runs, rides, walks, or power exercises.
The Actions tab permits you to see how your efforts examine week-to-week or month-to-month, whereas the Efficiency Dashboard (above, subscribers solely) makes your knowledge much more colourful and dynamic. Garmin additionally added meals logging, Life-style Logging, and well being outlier warnings to the app not too long ago, making it apparent that it needs Hook up with attraction to extra “mainstream” athletes, not simply the professionals.
Why we depend on Garmin Join: “Garmin feels extra complete and superb for severe gym-goers than Fitbit.” — Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
“Garmin has helped me hit marathon and half-marathon PRs, enhance my VO2 Max, and run extra miles than I ever have earlier than. It motivated me with dynamic run solutions based mostly on my coaching load and operating tolerance, so I all the time knew how laborious to push with out overdoing it.” — Michael Hicks, Wearables Editor
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Key options: Readiness, Sleep Rating/ Debt, Well being Panels, Meal logging, Cycle/ Being pregnant/ Premenopause insights, Cardiovascular Age, Daytime Stress, Resilience, Oura Advisor, Automated Exercise Detection
Subscription: $6/month or $70/12 months (obligatory)
Why Oura will assist together with your objectives: The attraction of a wise ring is to get a laundry record of information, day and night time, for many who discover smartwatches too cumbersome, distracting, or uncomfortable for sleep monitoring. And the Oura Ring tops our greatest good ring record on the power of its app.
Over the previous couple of years, Oura has packed its app with a complete record of well being metrics, with the AI Oura Advisor because the flashy topper to make every little thing extra accessible. Except for the apparent nightly stats about sleep high quality or coronary heart well being, Oura tries to research long-term tendencies and supply extra context in your physique’s means to deal with stress. And it presents some rudimentary health instruments.
Why we depend on Oura: “I depend on Oura as my each day psychological well being monitor. It tracks once I’m careworn and gives customized suggestions for getting the remaining I want.” — Nandika Iyer Ravi, Information Editor
“The Oura app is a passive expertise for me. I take advantage of it to verify my sleep high quality and general each day well being and wellness, as I put on it extra persistently than my Garmin or Pixel watches.” — Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
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Key options: Readiness, Sleep Rating, Exertion Rating, PAI rating, Zepp Coach coaching, meals logging with AI picture recognition, tracked power exercises with rep counts and muscle maps
Subscription: $12/month or $70/12 months (Zepp Aura superior sleep studies, music, meditation, and AI coach)
Why Zepp Well being will assist together with your objectives: Amazfit watches are well-known for his or her funds worth, but it surely’d be more durable to suggest these funds watches if the companion Zepp Well being app weren’t so helpful.
You will discover the standard assortment of nightly well being knowledge, however packaged properly with simple scores. The Zepp Coach might help construct exercise plans tailor-made to your skills, whereas meals logging is extra simple than on different apps. And except for the optionally available Aura sub, every little thing is free.
Why we depend on Zepp Well being: “I just about use Amazfit completely lately. The Zepp app syncs completely with Strava, which I take advantage of to share with buddies and construct neighborhood. The Zepp app additionally makes it silly straightforward to log meals with its LLM-driven expertise. I’ve written about this a number of occasions now, however you should use pure language to enter your meals and snacks as a substitute of scrolling by way of a bunch of lists or scanning barcodes.” — Nick Sutrich, Senior Content material Producer
Weight & vitamin/ eating regimen apps
Key options: Vitamin monitoring, meals logging, AI recognition, AI chatbot for recipes, calls with nutritionists, linked CGM
Why Healthify will assist together with your objectives: Logging each single meal and snack is a serious time suck, particularly when you’ll want to calculate each ingredient to a meal. HealthifyMe’s entire premise is eradicating that delay by letting you merely {photograph} one thing and get the dietary stats in a flash. It additionally has AI teaching and solutions, or a technique to join with actual nutritionists for a price, however the streamlined meals logging is what made this app so in style.
Why we depend on Healthify: “HealthifyMe is my go-to for staying accountable to my calorie deficit.” — Nandika Iyer Ravi, Information Editor
Key options: Meals logging, calorie and macro counting, voice logging, AI meal scan, barcode scanning, intermittent fasting tracker, recipes, grocery record sharing,
Subscription: $25/month or $100/12 months (for many options in addition to primary guide meals logging and calorie depend)
Why MyFitnessPal will assist together with your objectives: It is the identical causes we listed for Healthify, besides MyFitnessPal has a barely longer characteristic record in trade for its subscription, like 1000’s of recipes, customized meal planning, voice logging, progress studies, and so forth. You will additionally discover Android and Apple Watch apps, making it straightforward to verify your each day stats or rapidly log a favourite meal.
Why we depend on MyFitnessPal: “MyFitnessPal helps me preserve observe of my life-style and habits. I log my meals and workout routines to watch my macros.” — Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
Key options: Connects with good scales for weight, physique composition, visceral fats, and extra
Subscription: $10/month or $100/12 months (Well being Enchancment Rating, Heart specialist overview, Well being Assistant, Sensible Traits, and many others.)
Why Withings will assist together with your objectives: You possibly can exchange Withings with different good scale manufacturers, however this app tends to be a workers favourite. The gist is which you can see greater than your weight, but in addition your physique fats/ muscle share and (with fancier scales) particular knowledge on how that fats is segmented all through your physique. Primarily, having a wise scale will show you how to observe how your well being and health objectives are straight impacting your physique.
Why we depend on Withings: “Withings is essential to me as a Kind 2 diabetic. It provides me a segmental evaluation of physique fats & muscle losses and beneficial properties. What’s most necessary is the visceral fats metrics, the way it tracks the fats round your inner organs that may actually imply life or early dying.” — Tshaka Armstrong, Contributor
“Withings reveals me my weight, physique fats, and muscle mass, in addition to how I am trending, which helps me know if I have to make adjustments.” — Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
