When it comes to staying fit and healthy, having the right tools can make all the difference. That's why we've tested out some of the most popular fitness apps on the market to bring you our top picks for 2026.
Editors' Pick: The Best Fitness Apps
Top 6 Fitness Apps You Need to Try in 2026
While music streaming services may have taken over the past decade, it's clear that there are just as many great options when it comes to fitness apps. From tracking your workouts to offering personalized coaching, these six apps offer exclusive features you won't want to miss.
Spotify: The Default Option for a Reason
Spotify has become the go-to option for music streaming, and its free tier is well worth considering if you're deciding whether or not to buy into a fitness app. With access to 50 million songs, playlist features, and artist bios, it's no wonder why Spotify remains the most popular music streaming service by several orders of magnitude.
- Monthly Price: $5.99/month (Student Premium), $11.99/month (Individual Premium), $16.99/month (Duo Premium), $19.99/month (Family Premium)
- Pros: Free tier offers access to same 50 million song library, playlist features are fantastic, artist bios are a great addition
- Cons: No lossless audio available yet, ads on the free version are plentiful and obtrusive
Spotify recently reported it has 626 million monthly active users, which makes it the most popular music streaming service by several orders of magnitude. One of the reasons it's so appealing is that the company offers a totally free tier, which is a good deal if you've never tried a fitness app before.
Subscribers to Spotify's free tier get access to the same 50 million song library and an increasingly long list of podcasts – some of which are available exclusively through its service. Spotify has a lot going for it, but free subscribers will have to listen to an advertisement after streaming a few songs. You also can't download tracks to your device for offline listening, so you'll always need an active internet connection.
Those restrictions can be lifted by subscribing to Spotify Premium, which costs at least $12.99 per month (unless you qualify for their student discount). That being said, even while testing Premium, we did miss out on the ability to stream hi-res, lossless versions of our favorite albums – switching between Apple Music and Spotify, the difference in audio quality is palpable, even for those with not-so-keen ears. They're far behind the curve on this compared to other streamers at similar price points, and it's the one feature we hope they'll integrate sooner rather than later.
Spotify does offer a free three-month subscription to Premium if you've never checked the service out before. You've got nothing to lose, and always have the option of upgrading later on if you'd like.
Amazon Prime Music: An Excellent Streaming Service for Amazon Prime Members
Amazon Prime Music is an excellent streaming service to try if you've already got an Amazon Prime subscription, and want the benefits of a paid music streaming service without an additional monthly cost. With access to millions of tracks, hi-res and spatial audio from Sony 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos at no extra cost, free music stations for Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Amazon Tap – it's hard not to love.
- Monthly Price: "Free" with your Amazon Prime Subscription; upgrading to Amazon Music Unlimited is $9.99/month ($10.99/month without Prime)
- Pros: Cheaper if you're already an Amazon Prime member, hi-res and spatial audio from Sony 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos at no extra cost, free music stations for Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Amazon Tap
- Cons: Only free with a Prime subscription, artist profiles don't have biographies
If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, you get a lot more perks than just free two-day shipping – including a free subscription to Prime Music. With all of the major features mentioned above, one caveat is that its library "only" has a couple of million tracks. For reference, the company's paid music subscription service Amazon Music Unlimited gives you access to a library of 60 million songs.
With that restriction aside, Prime Music stacks up really well against other music streaming services. Although it's "free," Prime Music has no ads, offers offline listening with unlimited skips, and access to thousands of radio stations and curated playlists. Those first two features are typically only available for paid music subscription services.
If you have an Alexa-integrated speaker (we recommend the Sonos Era 100, Marshall's Stanmore III, and the Sony SRS-RA3000 360, which we used for testing), you can play tracks, albums, or playlists by using your voice. This feature is also available through Amazon's own smart speaker, the Amazon Echo Studio. If you don't have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to check out Prime Music for about a month to see if it's for you.
Apple Music: A Great Option for Audiophiles and Apple Users
Apple Music is another great option for music streaming – while it might lack some of the flashier features of Spotify (like robust social sharing options and stat-tracking add-ons), Apple users and audiophiles have plenty to enjoy here thanks to a wealth of discovery playlists and lossless streaming.
- Monthly Price: $5.99/month (Student), $10.99/month (Individual), $16.99/month (Family)
- Pros: Hi-res and spatial audio included, combines your existing iTunes library with your streaming library, discovery playlists hand-curated by music experts
- Cons: No free tier available, no offline listening for non-premium subscribers
Apple Music offers a lot of great features for users who want to listen to their favorite tunes in the highest quality possible. With hi-res and spatial audio included, you can get lost in your favorite albums like never before. Plus, the app combines your existing iTunes library with your streaming library – making it easy to find and play all of your favorite tracks.
In terms of discovery playlists, Apple Music has hand-curated options from music experts that are sure to introduce you to new artists and songs. While there may not be a free tier available for Apple Music, the app offers great value for those who want to upgrade from their existing iTunes library.