Zwift: Indoor Cycling Fitness Reviews

by N1Sp

I had been using Rouvy or TrainerRoad with my Smart Trainer, but thought I’d give this app a try since our daughter and son in law are now using it. I’m not a big fan of the Virtual World, but was willing to give it a go.
I should first point out that the firmware was up to date on my Hammer H3 and I ALWAYS run a calibration before riding any routes as part of my warmup routine.
Right off I noticed absolutely NO synchronization between negative and positive grade changes. It was actually HARDER to pedal DOWNHILL than up hill. I have NEVER had such a blatant issue with either Rouvy or TrainerRoad.
50% of the time this app simply stopped in the middle of a ride leaving me scrambling to keep my workout going. Seems it lost contact with the trainer and my HR monitor, something that has never happened with the other Apps. Another peeve is this app only shows the grade changes in graph form as you progress, not of what’s ahead whereas Rouvy and TrainerRoad display the grade/resistance profile of the entire route so you can more accurately pace yourself. Unlike Rouvy, where you can ride REAL roads from all over the world, I found the choice of routes limited and repetitive. I also found simply TOO much going on visually with this app for my taste.
If you are looking for a App that functions properly and gives you the impression you’re riding outside on a road forget this app, go with Rouvy instead!

by K_Stritz

I tried the free trial of Zwift and canceled it a day before Zwift said my trial expired but was charged anyway. I sent a message to customer service and never got a reply. I wanted to like Zwift and bought wahoo sensors for my spin bike so I can watch but even though my wahoo app instantly recognizes the sensors, the wahoo and companion app almost never does and when it does easily disconnects. I was only able to get it to work 2-3 times in the entire week of the free trial. I spent 40-50 min trying to connect it every time I tried to ride, which is longer than a workout would have been. Very disappointed both in Zwift and the service. It’s extremely clumsy using this and now I’ve paid $15 for an app that doesn’t work- trying to “wake up” the sensors doesn’t work and there should be a way to control the main app while sitting on your bike by using the companion app. Seems like this works well for people with smart trainers but people relying on separate speed and cadence sensors will probably not be able to use it consistently enough.

by Zoltamatron

Sorry, I’ve given Zwift enough chances to work and I’m just done with it. The —basic functionality— is just not there. I have a $1k saris h3 trainer and it refuses to work properly with it. Sometimes it works great. And then when you’re just in the mood to get in a workout, it will just refuse to connect to the trainer in ERG mode which is the whole reason I have the thing.

Seriously this app....I do not care how many virtual worlds you have. Make the thing work and work reliably. You’ve lost a customer here and I just can’t possibly ever not steer people away from Zwift. It is just too frustrating. Why do I have to “bridge” my BT connection for trainer, HR monitor, and cadence sensor across the this app companion? Is three BT connections -really- that difficult to manage on the Apple TV? My guess is not, but you just want to have a reason to make us install another app.

Again. Stay away from Zwift, at least if you have a saris h3. For whatever reason they just can’t make it work right with it.

by Top1391

I have ridden two separate rides, rode further than the required distance to earn a badge for completing each ride, and the game does not update to reflect the completion of each ride. As many other users have complained about this game, customer service was contacted, and they told me the same - that it was my equipments fault for not accurately tracking each ride. I did everything that this app recommended; delete Zwift , reinstall Zwift , logged back into Zwift / game, reset the trainer, did a spin down to ensure there were no issues, and the game still does not show the completion of a ride.

this app customer support said that I lost connection to the internet, the game stopped functioning, or something else to pass the blame on for ZWIFTs failure. However, each time I rode, when I quit the ride, the map shows a complete ride on the course - if i would have lost internet, then there should have been something missing on the map.

Complete failure on ZWIFTs part and totally unsat for them to blame failures on the end user.

by Hiphood

Version 4.6 has a number of known bugs that are list in the support section on Zwifts website (you have to search a little “Game Update Known Issues - July 19”). They look pretty severe (activities not saving, log in not possible etc.) and each section has a headline “Workaround” where the following paragraph reads “While there’s currently no workaround….” - it’s almost comical because it’s the same for all bugs. Why even having a “Workaround” section?

The one that is effecting me is that it won’t allow pairing a smart trainer and a separate power meter at the same time anymore. Might be an edge case for many but my situation is that I’m running smart rollers whose power meter is wildly inaccurate and therefore the bug renders my setup basically useless.

Took me a while to figure this out (running on my phone) and then I grabbed my iPad which has auto update turned off. I was able to pair but this app would refuse to start the game until I update to the latest version. Force update to a - for me - useless version.

by Bgame222

I quit riding to day mid ride. The metrics are a total joke! I picked a ride that was 7 miles long with 232 feet of elevation. They put the 232 hill challenge right at the start. I put in 7 miles on my Bowflex and only went 1.2 miles on this app and never saw the top of the hill. Total crap!!! I ride irl and have hills around me of 850 feet and it takes me about 10 minuets to get up them. I spent 25 minutes on this app and never got to the top of a 232 foot hill. 🤮🤮🤮🤮 there’s no way their metrics are even close to real life. I don’t need Zwift to ride!! I can do it on my own!! There also the fact they limit your choices of rides everyday. I PAY for all content. I should be able to access any ride any time any day I flipping want!!! It’s mine I paid for it!!! But nope. this app gives you limited choices of rides and only certain days you can access certain rides. What if I don’t train those days??? I won’t ever be able to ride half the routes I’m paying for then. Good bye this app. Enjoy the $$ you ripped out of me. You won’t get any more ever!!

by Ben 5000

So, I think most people can agree that this is not a reliable app. First off, any spin-down people might do has a high probability of freezing or being completely inaccurate. Second off, I can be doing a normal ride and I make sure I have turned off ERG so theres no extra resistance than needed. Third off! Every time I ride something disconnects either because I have two smart trainers, theres an update, or something just all around not working. I randomly get resistance on a 0- hill and even in the negatives. My app constantly freezes and has bluetooth disconnections and I can’t stress it enough. It’s highly un-reliable and can’t even comprehend simple physics. The fact that it’s powered off of watts is inaccurate and not precise. Consider physics. Also incorporating fun and working out is like going to a business meeting with kids. They don’t blend! If your trying to be “serious” then maybe consider reading some reviews.

by KDH140

I bought a Wahoo trainer a month and a half ago and was super excited to try this app. I did about 3 great rides, and then did a calibration and it completely changed my experience. My avatar would barely move, and as someone else shared in a review, going up a 5 & 6 degree hill I couldn’t get past 4mph and got passed by a runner. In the “real world” I am actually quite good at hills. The trainer started to read the landscape incorrectly and all the pedaling could not let me advance…very different from my first experience. I’ve contacted customer service who have been responsive, but also not solution based. They’ve suggested doing a Wahoo calibration (I did 3/4 to no avail), deleting and downloading Zwift again, and logging in from a different device. I deleted my account and canceled my registration. Ideally, I’d like to try again, but have a strong feeling it will “remember” my trainer and the internal error that it (this app) created. I’ve done a TON of research the last few days, but I guess just had to read the reviews, as this app developers should too, to fix these inopportune and unfortunate experiences.

by TimSWMo

I love this app. But the this app app on iOS, not so much. I’m sure it’s wonderful on an iPad, but on and iPhone it’s too small a screen to be useful. I use it to check my route/badge status when planning my next ride, because the only way to see completed routes, as of June 2021, is in this app itself. (Not in this app Companion as one would hope). The danger of using Zwift in that manner is that, if you accidentally stay logged into this app here, then go ride in this app on your PC, MacBook, Apple TV or whatever, is that your Drops and Route Badges may not post to your account. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. this app Support says it’s my fault for not logging out of one device before starting a session on another device, and they are right. Except that there is no way to actually log out on iOS this app; you must kill Zwift by swiping up, specifically. For this, and because this app on a mobile device isn’t a great experience anyway, I am giving Zwift one star because it allows you to corrupt your data, when this app is very aware that there is an issue.

by Sorry, Zwift.

When I started on this app, I absolutely loved it! Finally a workout video game; what a concept. But then after my trial period ended and I became a paid subscriber, I found that some of the features and functions began to wean. It first started when I was riding a race and got a message that I was riding at “superhuman” and “professional” speeds before wiping my results from the leaderboards. I was super annoyed with the first couple, but became enraged with the third and fourth after I recalibrated my equipment. Then came the running problems. First of all, this app should not advertise itself as a “running” app, because it has very little that runners can do compared to the cycling events. Aside from that, it quit syncing up with my Garmin Forerunner 945 all of a sudden. Even after several “uninstalls” and reinstalls of both this app and resetting my Garmin, it does not sync up still. So Zwift is completely useless when that happens.

I am so disappointed, because I thought I found an app that would keep me working out basically for the rest of my days. However, I have canceled my membership and hope that another developer will come up with something that far exceeds that of this app.

Goodbye, this app!

by Edsel6

So I am rating Zwift 3 since we can’t rate half a star otherwise it would be 2 1/2. Been using this for 2 months so I’ve given it enough time. The good is that this is really the only app with avatars that ride or run alongside you that are the most realistic. What I don’t get is the differences in riders. I’m not sure what equipment or settings others have but when you are pedaling to the point you are going to fall off the bike and only generating 135 watts tops at 95 rpm and 20 mph tops and the rider next to you blows by you at the same or higher speed with a 250 watts and 50 rpm something is wrong. Going up hills with a 3-4 grade I slow to 3-4 mph. What’s demoralizing is someone will jog by you while your struggling to get up the hill. That is not realistic. Again I don’t know what equipment or settings others have but the disparity for me is too great. I just wish there was similar competitive app I could switch to.

by Matt Bisceglia121

As far as when this app works, I would always give it a 5 star rating. However, getting this app to work is always such a struggle. I have refrained from complaining for a long time, but I can’t hold back anymore as it is hard for me to be able to use Zwift every single time I try. The calibration freezes on the spin down, and sometimes I have to restart Zwift up to 10 times before it will complete to 0 MPH to complete (it usually freezes and stops at either 2 or 4 MPH, and will not complete) . Also, after the new update when I FINALLY did complete the spin down, I got on the map (Watopia) and started pedaling. When I started pedaling, all the sudden I was going 35 MPH, and it said my power output was 490 WATTS. I was barely spinning at a warmup pace, and no matter how many times I restarted/recalibrated it wouldn’t fix the power output error. this app has been such an amazing training tool, but it still feels like it’s in a test phase as far as development. Maybe instead of keeping on trying to give us new maps (we all want 24/7 watopia) try fixing all of the bugs Zwift has.
Regardless of the issues I still LOVE Zwift and the program! I just want to be able to hop on and spin with ease!

by ELB5898

I used this app last winter with a runpod and Apple Watch and that worked OK. Sometimes, the run pod would lose its Bluetooth connection to the iPhone and my avatar would stop running. So this year, I started using the watch for calories, HR and cadence. Oddly, this app will report my time, calories, HR just fine. But my distance is reported in the Apple Fitness+ app as 0 ft. Also, the speed reported to this app by my apple watch while I am on the treadmill keeps fluctuating, so my avatar will slow or stop for a few seconds, then run real fast, then stop again; over and over. Maybe there could be a way in the this app app to average out my speed so the avatar moves at a steady pace, as I am? Lastly, I suspect this is an Apple issue, but the speed reported is consistently slightly slower than that reported by my treadmill (6.2 mi/hr vs. 6.5), which is no showstopper but is really annoying.

by Spiegs27

I have a modestly priced Schwinn stationary bike that hooks up via bluetooth, and have never once had issues. I am not a fan of the spinning, motivational-style of Peloton, nor the price, and this is a far better option for me.
I also am not looking to “kill it” or be on a bike forever, so having a bunch of rides that take in the 30-50 minute range is great. If I feel like it I can do a race, but even that is not real competition unless I want it to be.
There is, however, something motivating about seeing progress in the routes you take and points compiled. And just like real life, seeing others makes you want to keep pedaling.
I do wish I could cross some of the longer rides off my list by riding them in chunks, but otherwise have no intention of ditching Zwift after (as of now) almost 2 years of use.

by JBC!

I have read a lot of the reviews and I honestly have not had any of the connection problems. At first, I attempted to stream from my phone to the TV but it was significantly delayed so I bought the Apple 4K and downloaded Zwift directly on the TV and no problems ever since. I use a Wahoo Kickr core trainer and a Wahoo armband HR monitor and I have never had connection issues. I love Zwift so much so that I get accused of having agoraphobia!

My son, the gamer, feels the graphics are rudimentary compared to his video games so perhaps that is an issue that can be addressed. Also, there are times that my avatar will literally ride right thru someone which is unsettling and obviously not realistic.

Overall, Zwift has changed the way I ride. You could never get me on a trainer for an hour prior to this app. Now, I often opt for the trainer rather than going outside!

by Cozmotone

If you want to call it that, I certainly do. Be prepared to sweat and have fun. I’ve been a road cyclist since my late teens, raced competitively and been on year-round training programs. This is the perfect app for that. At my age now, I don’t have the time or frankly the courage to ride at length on US roadways and this app imo is a fantastic substitute for that. I can tell you the responsiveness of the game as far as terrain, drafting, momentum etc is incredibly accurate. For me the experience is enhanced by having a large screen monitor (I used to use a projector!) and some floor LED lights for effect… makes it that much more fun. The in-game achievements are a nice reward to go after as well. Plus they always have so many organized events to take part in- or just explore on your own. Enjoy!

by Ceeliketheletter

I’ve never been into treadmill running until quarantine when I got one but still hated the feeling of running in place. While running in a virtual world is still different, I feel like I’m going somewhere, seeing new things, I like the gamification of distances unlocking rewards, and was surprised at how much I like the community element! Giving each other “ride ons” makes me feel like we’re really all out here supporting each other. And the training programs are actually really good! I’m working towards a half marathon and feel really strong already.

My request to developers is to have more routes that don’t involve running on streets— I want trail runs, not to be on the side of the road. My virtual knees hurt lol

by Smurfsky1994

this app is hands down the most addicting way to ride an indoor trainer. The way they’ve made it into a game makes every ride a competition against both yourself and hundreds of other riders. You can compare yourself instantly with riders from around the world to see how you stack up.

The only drawback is that if you lose internet connection for even a second during a ride, Zwift won’t upload your complete ride. I’ve heard from support that they’re working on a safeguard for this. But, I logged a ~16 mile ride with over 1000ft of climbing only to have it log the first 7 miles of the ride only. I hope this gets rectified in the future for all the zwifters who deal with spotty Wifi connections!

by Riverrunner2008

In northern climates, an indoor trainer is necessary in the winter. In southern climates, there are many summer days when riding outside is too miserable to enjoy. No matter where you live, scheduling conflicts, distracted drivers, dogs, and unpredictable weather can easily derail training progress.

this app — WITH A SMART TRAINER — keeps indoor training productive, engaging, entertaining, social .. and so much more. Whether you’re free riding in one of the many worlds, or following a structured workout provided by this app, or following a training program, riding with a friend or trying to advance in the game .. this app has something for everyone.

It’s helped me eliminate “excuses” during Ironman training .. having a bike I can hop on first thing or last thing, tired and yawning to start or whether it’s the highlight of my day .. I’ve been able to get stronger on hills, improve endurance, and see gains .. I ride a lot outside now too but it’s awesome to have something to engage me indoors.

If you only have a basic trainer, this app is just entertainment. Invest in a smart trainer and then come back to it. Because it’s really truly fun once you’re fully connected.

by Axis Help Me

this app has helped me come back from a horrible Tibia Plateau Fracture. I was an avid rider who thought riding was over. 2 years later I am in as good riding shape as I ever have been!

I used to ride 68 miles daily (34 & 34) to work and back, which helped put the miles in my legs but left my wife constantly worried for my safety. After being run off the road a few times and losing two friends to being hit by cars, I gave up the commute. I turned to mtn biking.

After my injury and a year of PT, I started to this app. I love it! The workouts are great! Group rides, racing & Tour de this app are awesome, but so is the fact that I can jump on anytime and just ride. I can be a loner or social anytime, day or night. My vO2 max is back up to 52 and I feel stronger everyday.

The best part of this app (if the above doesn’t seem to be enough) is that it is completely safe! I don’t miss riding outside on roads, at all! No rain, no dogs & most importantly, no texting drivers! No worries for my bride and family!

So, sprint, push it (if you like), dig deep or go for a fun base or recovery ride. this app offers endless rides, routes and workouts (or create your own). Do it all in the safety of your climate controlled environment. It is great training, great riding and great fun! Go this app!

by Wake777

Was working perfectly (with an occasional minor issue) for the last year + until the update. Both my wife and I have had countless WiFi drops, Wahoo Kickr stops responding to grade changes etc. Complete disaster for us. I have an iPhone X and she uses an iPhone 8. Both having a terrible user experience since update. Deleted and reinstalled app, checked WiFi connection, did a spin down etc. Nothing is helping. Been zwifting since almost the beginning of this app, never had such a horrible user experience.

Side note...I hear we are getting another crappy Richmond type course that nobody likes in exchange for a hefty price increase coming up for legacy users. For the record, the only reason people this app is for Watopia. Maybe we can get more worlds like that sometime instead of all these UCI course remakes?

by 11624

I really, really don’t want to leave this unfavorable review, but I’ve been trying to use the iPhone this app app all morning. It hangs up within 3 seconds of clicking RIDE. It won’t even WATCH for more than 3 seconds before hanging up. It becomes totally unresponsive. Tech support responded quickly, but said they can’t help me, they don’t know why I’m having the issue.
I have an iPhone X, but it’s supposed to be compatible, no problem. I’ve rebooted the phone, deleted and reinstalled Zwift ; same results. this app appears to work on the computer, but my computer doesn’t have Ant or Bluetooth.
So I’m stuck. And this app seems to have quit responding to my requests for help.
I’m at a loss, can’t use my new trainer with this app. If there’s ever a resolution, I’ll modify or leave a new review.

by XCountryFan

I’ve been Zwifting for a year and have reached Level 25 (highest in the package). When I first started the this app “worlds” offered routes that varied considerably in difficulty and that was ideal for those of us who don’t climb mountains on our bike club rides. The past two “worlds” that have been released now force everyone to do very high difficulty routes (much higher than I’d do in real life) regardless of the route selected. Watopia, London, and Richmond are very good, the new worlds—Innsbruck and New York are simply awful. Hope the developers can get their mojo back soon and understand that most of their subscribers are mere mortals who want to ride normal terrain. This doesn’t look like a tough fix to me—get busy folk!!

by Wrmatthews

Being a video gamer and an avid cyclist, my impressions is that this app wants to charge a premium price, like World of WarCraft, but fail to offer certain elements of online gaming that are commonplace. For example, a custom ride or game is not available to ride alone with your friends so you are stuck riding with everyone else in the virtual world and dealing with tracking them on the enormous list of riders nearby.

Riding with friends (side by side) is very challenging and this app has failed to add a tether mode so groups can more easily stick together in the massive world of riders.

They also need to add the ability for at least pc players to host worlds and rides for certain groups to ride together.

For $15 a month, this app offers too few places to ride. I have seen it all already after only a couple months of membership. Again, other games offer massive worlds which take many hours to explore.

In short this app is a novel idea and in some ways it is implemented in good ways (there wonder training regimens which a member can follow to improve) but the game is too one dimensional as a game. Some days I just want to ride (play)alone or with a buddy, if they can do that since Halo 1, why hasn’t it happened in this app yet?? As soon as I can start riding outside, I’ll save the $15 a month and cancel.

by ADK Walker

When this app works it’s great. The problem is that it works about 50% of the time, with most of the issues occurring during mass events.

Contact customer support you say? Expect a return message many days later blaming your equipment: turn your modem off, update Zwift (there is no auto update despite being updated on a near weekly basis), and there’s a problem with the Bluetooth. They never take credit for issues. The funny thing is this is the only app that has problems, so blaming my equipment solidifies the problem is with them.

this app should be pleased no competitor is out there. When it works Zwift is a lot of fun, but the anxiety of climbing on a bike and being unsure it will work makes me wish something dependable would come along. I’m writing this after the third app crash in two ride attempts. Surely that is not considered dependable.

by Boycesterous

As great of a workout it can be when it works, their app organization feels like some desktop UX that was ported (poor affordances, no size scaling, unclear navigation hierarchies). But, the real loose-poopie kicker is that whenever you Log Out on iPad OS 13.* you may not be able to log back in, like ever, at all. That means constant emails back and forth with this app support and asking for refunds, and lost workouts. The team seems to be prioritizing other work and not thinking this is a worthy bug to squash. Could be a 4 star product. Could be. But it ain’t. The competition in this space is heating up, I’m looking forward to that competition keeping teams on their toes.

by Mflanagan81

I am amazed with this app as a platform. Prior to this app an indoor workout of 60 minutes was a boring slog. Now 60 minutes goes by in a breeze.

Setup: I use this app on Apple TV 4k. I ride on e-motion rollers from inside ride using a powertap with BLE for power and cadence. I never have connection issues between the powertap and Apple TV. For heart rate I use Apple Watch paired with the this app companion app. This works well most of the time. Occasionally there are pairing issues between the Apple watch and the companion app.

this app has enabled me to commit to fitness in a way that I have not been able to do in quite a few years. I'm losing weight, getting fit again, and I am having fun while doing it!

by Dmacmurray

I have always disliked video games but love this app. I did not like indoor trainers, in fact I gave my old one away as indoor training was boring for me. this app makes indoor training challenging and fun. Forget freezing days outside and all the pre-game getting ready. Forget the wet days, mucking up your bike and dangerous road conditions. Forget riding in work traffic and dodging crazy drivers. Save the good days for the bike and all the other mess avoid and jump on this app. Group rides are great, preset workouts and group workouts are aresome. The races are my favorite! I compared the peloton and this ...no comparison! On a scale of one to 10...this app 10, peloton -38.

by Ernodiqgehoicjoifuc

My husband and I liked the idea of him riding while I run, both of us using this app for working out together. While the idea of this app running is a good one, the execution is not living up to my expectations based on what I have seen with the bikes. I have tried the original Milestone and the Milestone-turned-this app foot pods and neither is able to stay connected. The drop outs are so frequent and aggravating that on most of my treadmill runs, I end up turning the iPad off and just watching the little graphs built into my treadmill. It’s become a question of which is less annoying, the hit-and-miss function of this app for Runners, or the boredom of that little blip on the treadmill marking my progress.

by Qpazm

this app has revolutionized my training and helped me increase my fitness even though I am in my 50s. My wife and I often ride together — it is a great way for us to spend time together and stay young yet ride the workouts which are appropriate for our different fitness levels and experience.

On those days I consider not riding because of weather or being sick of four wheeled death machines, this app ensures I will get that workout in. And it is super addictive as well as allowing for very precise training. I thought it was crazy to spend $1k or so on a smart trainer until I demoed this app. Then I did not hesitate to swipe my card.

by Dry Side 100

Been riding this app for a couple years now using various trainers and bikes. Always engaging. The addition of more courses, new bikes has been fantastic. One thing is this app requires a rock solid internet connection. Bluetooth seems to be the best way to connect to trainers and HR monitors. I have been using the Apple Watch with companion app for HR. The companion app is also excellent now with race results and other metrics.

My current trainer is a TacX NEO 2 and I run at 100% trainer difficulty. So impressed with how well it tracks with outdoor riding with power, HR and resistance.

Thank you this app for creating such a great training platform!

by K-Nize

I have been riding and racing for over thirty years and have been Zwifting since the beta days and I now can say I don’t ‘dread winter any longer. I now am retired in NC, for milder winters, yet still ride this app on the days when the weather or daylight is marginal. Now though I ride in the summer too when the real feel gets over 100 and it’s just too hot (I have gotten less tolerant to the extremes beyond 65-70 degrees as I have aged, 🤫) My feeling is why ride if it’s not a complete pleasure. Further I have meet people from all over the world on this app that I now count as friends and several of whom I have now met and ridden with IRL. Very cool.

by Bencolem

I really enjoy this app so does my husband and we wouldn’t be without it! Our son gets a free membership through ours and often asks to go on it. Yes it can after a while get a little dull, but that’s why it’s for using as well as getting outdoors. I’ve really enjoyed cycling with a colleague in another State and the women’s events. I’m doing a training plan at the moment, which Is keeping me interested. Yes it occasionally takes a little patience to connect sometimes and it has dropped out on me when riding. It’s not perfect but what is, it’s a great addition to my cycling routine.

by Monsieur Bobbydick

I have been cycling competitively for 40 years now. Never did I have so much fun training. I can cover all aspects of training and do it in a competitive environment if I want to. There is simply nothing better. Training is now independent of weather, time of day and traffic on the road. And it is at leadt as much fun as outdoors.
Zwift itself works perfectly for me as long as I have a stable internet connection. For me it is a true revolution in cycling training comparable to the invention of power meters. I am really enjoying this.