Aaptiv: #1 Audio Fitness App Reviews

by Kate Corny

Perfect app when you have no time to plan, pick a workout and go.....until they remove a ton of good content and replace it with all entry level workouts, remove challenging race training programs, remove rowing and boxing programs, and seem to be moving away from where their initial value was established.

I recently changed my subscription from monthly to annual due to my excitement and high satisfaction with this app. Shortly after doing this, Aaptiv started to crash when I was searching for workouts and after starting a running program in addition to establishing my own schedule with boxing, rowing, indoor cycle, and strength / core- most of the great workouts disappeared. I was told an email was sent to me, which I have not been able to locate. When I followed the link in response to my inquiry, I received a very vague response commenting on how they were striving for high quality and had to remove content in order to meet their customer feedback. All of the feedback I sent to until this occurred had been great.

When reading most recent reviews, it appears what occurred to me occurred to several users. As a loyal user who is strongly considering ending my membership and switching over to a competitor, I would consider alternatives and read additional reviews before proceeding.

by Hawc929

I am a long time runner (over 40 yrs) and Ironman Triathlete. I train a LOT at swimming, biking and running. And I get bored when I have to train so much. I also work full time and then some and I live in the Northwest where it snows, rains and ices up a lot, so a lot of my workouts are indoors before I go to work. Aaptiv has breathed new life and motivation in to me. The trainers are amazing, the sound tracks are amazing and the convenience is amazing. Not to mention I am working harder than if I had to do these workouts on my own. The treadmill and strength combined workouts allow me to be more efficient as I not only get is speed work, but some serious muscle work. I have used several other apps to include Peloton (video based) and love this one so much more. The variety for different types of workouts is fantastic. And now that I can get it on my Apple Watch too, possibilities are endless. Many thanks to all the trainers for keeping me strong and motivated and for sounding so dedicated to the audience. Love the encouragement and the pushing to the next level. I actually want to even get up earlier so I can have Ben in my ear while I pound the pedals on my Triathlon bike on the trainer. Keep up the great work!

by EditorKatie

Update to my review: I hate what they’ve done. While in theory it sounds nice to be able to pick our own music, my favorite workouts were the ones the trainers timed to the music—particularly Jon’s runs. He timed the sprints and other challenges to the drops and to the beat. Now the songs don’t line up at all, and it is much less enjoyable. Disappointed.
Original review: I have been using this app for almost a year now. I tried a month of one peloton also, and I decided to stick with this app because of the variety and number of workouts and the trainers (my favorites are Jon, Kenta, Aakim, and Casey). I use outdoor running, treadmill, and strength workouts. Also, Peloton had a lot more explicit music, which I didn’t want and had no way of turning off (if I remember correctly). this app has some video workouts, but I rarely use them and find that the audio cues are very well done. I rarely look at the video moves during an audio workout, but if I did it WOULD be nice if the video moves would cycle through during the workout to match the audio.
REQUEST for developers: I’d like to be able to sort and filter through my saved, categorized workouts. For instance, I have 30+ workouts saved in my personal Running category, and I’d like to be able to sort by length of workout, intensity, trainer—but especially by length of workout. Thanks!

by Seasick Sailor

First off, I’d like to say that I love Aaptiv and the encouragement that the trainers provide. The music is spot on as well. And the range of difficulty seems to be appropriate also. However; I am a complete neophyte when it comes to workout routines so maybe it’s just me: I don’t understand many of the positions and exercises that the trainers want us to do. They do make an effort to describe the positions but the descriptions go by too fast and, frequently, they are given names that we are somehow supposed to already know. Now I could live with this by doing some other exercises that might be close to the one described by the trainer but I’d prefer to do them as described. This brings up my second issue with Aaptiv . There is no easy way to provide feedback to the trainers that gets a response. Sure, at the end of each workout one can rate it and provide feedback, which I frequently do. But after a month I’ve never received any response to my questions and concerns. Given that, there is no easy way to contact the trainers to ask questions, etc. There’s not even a link to contact customer support. I did get an email address for customer support from an email that they sent me asking me to rate Aaptiv. I’ve asked numerous times for them to include some sort of graphic or pictures in the specific workouts, especially those for beginners, to guide us. No response.....

by Aj738

BEWARE: Before purchasing Aaptiv make sure you read the user agreement and know what you are signing up for. Having seen so many ads for a free trial period I was under the impression this was automatic. IT IS NOT. If you want a free trial period make sure you explicitly pick a free trial period membership.

As for Aaptiv itself, the workouts and concepts are really good, engaging, and motivating. That being said I recently started one of the progression series but part of the way through the series reset and completely changed what workouts were a part of it. After reading some other reviews this appears to have happened to several other people when this app went through a major change, however this just happened to me and I’ve only had Aaptiv for about a week (after these changed supposedly occurred). I’m now concerned this will be a reoccurring theme and cancel out one of the main reasons I decided to try it out. With the progressions, I also wish there was an option to add the whole thing to your calendar/coach rather than individual workouts. It would make it much easier to follow and stay on top of. Overall though, the concept is great and the workouts individually are great.

by Louis9333

So I’ve been a loyal this app member for 4 years now and experienced what many other years stated in their reviews three years ago with the massive data wipe. I was in the midst of their half marathon training program and one morning I woke up to do another workout and everything was gone. To say I was furious was an understatement. Since then they’ve revamped Aaptiv and brought back the half marathon training program among many others. The music choices for workouts feature is nice but I find that the songs don’t align with the workouts anymore and sometimes either the music is too loud or the trainer is too loud making me pause the workout and play with the finicky volume adjustments for both only to then have to pause again to re-adjust it with the next song. Further, not every workout is compatible with the Apple Watch due to licensing agreements…..somewhat of another let down. The trainers are phenomenal but Aaptiv quality seems to be decreasing the longer I’m a subscriber. I would opt to pay more for better/more refined features and to have the ability of every workout available on my Apple Watch. Can’t say I enjoy taking my phone on 8+ mile runs….

by Pony Zamboni

Aaptiv was recommended to me so I tried it and paid for it. The trial period is only 7 days so I’m surprised they get new users at all. I would not have tried it post trial except my workout buddy uses it. The exercises are audio only with short videos to teach you the moves. HOWEVER the videos don’t match the workouts. I did side lunges to match the video instructions but then heard a cue to start the next move: side lunges! I discovered the next round that it was side squats but as a beginner didn’t know exactly how that should work. Some videos are missing and some don’t match. Example: video instructions were for standard sit-up but the audio prompted lay flat, sit up, fold to touch toes.
THE MUSIC does not match the reps. This bothers me immensely and the beat is the reason to work out to music. I expect a paid app to have the music synced to the workout and transitions between songs to only happen between moves.
I liked these last two workouts by “Kenta“ but wouldn’t actually recommend Aaptiv. I’m not motivated to continue especially with the music issue and guessing how to do each exercise.

by Atakahashi

When I initially tried Aaptiv , I was pleasantly surprised. Having just audio to rely on for your training...I was skeptical since I wasn’t sure how you could vocalize transitions during training but found it was easy to follow. They had great trainers as well. HOWEVER, 3 days ago, Aaptiv suddenly deleted a whole slew of content without any notice (this app says they sent out a member wide email weeks ago, but I never received this) In addition, I was in the midst of a training program - so I open Aaptiv this week to find that my progression is also gone. this app should have found a workaround for existing subscribers currently doing a training program. In addition, member communication should have been done within Aaptiv prior to deletion. this app definitely messed up with this content “update”. I wrote in to explain the situation and the only response after saying how they botched this was “We are sorry to see you go but wish you luck”. They are missing the entire point of this exercise. this app has an active member base; I saw that quite a few members were complaining about the same thing - this app should learn how to better communicate and FIX this type of situation where CONTENT is paramount. I’m disappointed they don’t seem to care about soliciting feedback. I will be cancelling my subscription and trying out the GO audio fitness app instead from now on. I see their ratings are good...I wish this app “well”

by TRBerkeley

Update: it looks like this app is working to replace some content. But the best trainers are gone, there is little variety now and i have so much negative emotion towards this company that I get angry using Aaptiv . This was my go to on a daily basis. I told everyone about it. Now i am using some other apps and realizing they are better, more about actually improving my workout quality rather than being “all levels” and with terrible music. Even more upsetting is NO updates from the company and when i tried to sign up for FB page, NOTHING, no response. I have used Aaptiv for three years! Nice way to treat a loyal customer.

My earlier post (before finding ClassPass GO, with awesome rowing and cycling workouts): I went to gym today and just rowed on my own, missing the rowing workouts like mad. I looked for a kelly ride and saw you deleted ALL but 1 of her bike rides. What is going on??? We paid for a year in advance to have you just delete content. The best trainers, the best workouts. Why??? There is so much competition that will get my money when subscription comes back around. We members were your best advertisers and you screwed us

by Bizzecka

I love Aaptiv, I love the idea of a trainer in my ear pushing me because that’s what I need when I work out so Aaptiv is great in that respect and with all the intensity levels etc. I never get bored or tired or feel like I am doing the same old thing every time I work out. What would make Aaptiv a 5 star is on some of the workouts, especially the core workouts even though they explain the exercise in as much detail as possible, sometimes I still don’t feel like I am doing it correctly so I have to pause the workout look it up online or go back 30 seconds to really listen to how to perform the exercise. If there was a way to have a slide showing how to do the exercise where the trainers picture is at, that would be helpful for us visual learners. SWORKIT shows you how to do the exercise but lacks what Aaptiv brings to the table in terms of different types and number of workouts coupled with a personal trainer pushing you and giving motivation. If that was added to this I don’t even think it could be any better. I hope that is something that is added in the future so that way at the end of each workout you can feel like you did it right and got the most out of it! All in all I really like this and feel it is worth the purchase!💪🏽

by Cfinndean

I have always loathed cardio, and now all of a sudden I’m two months into running outside all the time—even waking up at 5:30 to get it in, yoga mornings, doing HIITs....constantly thinking about when I can fit in an this app class in my day....
Like who even am I? Haha.
Turns out I just needed that pusher, that teacher, that motivation and inspiration in my ear. And the trainers at this app are that for me and I’m so grateful they share their awesomeness with me!
And it takes the hard work out of working out....I used to stress all the time about what workout I should do, which moves, how long, interval timing, then also the playlist....and this app takes care of all that. I pick a session based on what I want, and I don’t have to pick moves, I don’t have to set a interval timer, don’t have to watch the clock, don’t have to pick out a play list that matches my tempo or mood, etc etc...I just put my headphones in, chose a program, and go! this app literally takes care of the rest, so I can focus on giving my best to the workout.
Aaptiv has seriously been life changing for me. And I never write reviews unless smitten with something!! this app I LOVE YOU!

by StacyRuns

I can’t say enough good things about this app. I used to just search for workouts online or simply make it up as I went at the gym. Once I got this app, my workouts were so much more focused and effective. I love the diversity of types of workouts (treadmill, outdoor running, elliptical, strength, stretching, and so much more!!) so I can have plenty of options for my mood or my training plan.
My FAVORITE thing about this app is the style of having a coach/trainer that fully planned and recorded a workout guide for you. Having someone in my ear giving my advice and motivation feels awesome. Some workout apps I’ve used in the past just have an exercise and a timer and maybe halfway through would say “keep going!” But having a real human coaching you through the whole thing is so helpful. It’s like the experience of a group fitness class or personal trainer but on your own time and having it to yourself.
this app has made me a much better runner and helped me increase my fitness goals over time. I’ve been using it for years and love it just as much now as I did at the start.
Thank you this app!!

by Louster89

I’ve had an this app subscription for about month now and I absolutely love it. I can’t afford a personal trainer and all Aaptiv subscriptions I was looking at were videos. I don’t know about anyone else, but trying to watch videos on my phone in a Planet Fitness just wasn’t practical for me. This was definitely the best solution. I took a leap of faith and paid for the whole year, planning on asking for a refund if I needed too, but I have no regrets! I’ve lost a few pounds and can feel myself getting stronger with every workout. And I feel like it’s helping me utilize the equipment to it’s full potential and I’m learning so much!! Two thumbs way up.

A few minor things I wish could be added to Aaptiv :

- I have problems doing the stretches because sometimes I don’t understand the trainer descriptions. I’m pretty sure I do a lot of the stretches wrong and it would be nice if they had the little demos that the strength training does.

- I REALLY wish all my favorite workouts could be easily accessible somehow so I don’t have to search for them every time. Which brings me to...

- it would be nice if there was a way to search through the workouts with key words. The filters are awesome, but sometimes I’m looking for a specific workout and searching for it specifically would be nice.

Other than that I have no complaints! I’ve been telling all my friends about this and recommend it to everyone!

by Kate12317

I've been using this app every day for the last 7 weeks (!!!) so obviously I love it. The core and treadmill runs are especially great, I went from running a slow mile as a warm up to now doing different sprint interval workouts each day. Really keeps my workouts interesting, and I love having someone tell me what exercises to do and for how long when I'm doing core.

As someone who lifts everyday I think there could be some improvements - I focus on different muscle groups each day and a lot of the workouts are just full upper-body. Would love to see more just chest or just triceps etc. Also would be great to be able to edit my daily coach so that I could get suggestions for just back and shoulder workouts on Mondays etc. Finally I really like the scheduling classes feature, but I'd like an option to have it only show in Aaptiv , not on my apple calendar.

All in all awesome app- is pushing me to be in the best shape of my life so THANK YOU!!

by Getinfuzzy

I’ve been using this app for a little under a year now, and as the renewal date for the annual membership approaches, I thought I’d put in my two cents on Aaptiv . I’m not a huge fitness person, but I always found gyms intimidating with the various equipment and typically prefer at home workouts. Something to keep in mind if you’ll be using headphones, they definitely need to be cordless or I’d imagine they’d get in the way. I use Aaptiv maybe 1-2x/week in addition to going to my yoga studio. It’s great for quick (or long if you want), customized workouts and the music selection is pretty good (definitely better than any other fitness app out there). The “Body and Mind” yoga & meditation program with Kenta was one of my favorites. There’s so much room to play around on Aaptiv , as they have hundreds of workouts no matter the activity you’re on looking for & your fitness level. I’ll be renewing my subscription with this app for the coming year, best fitness app I’ve been able to find!

by MbChau

I bought an indoor bike a few months ago. I tried to do two "classes" on my own based on what I knew from taking indoor cycling classes for years in NYC. It just didn't work... SO when I discovered this app (by seeing billboards all over NYC) I decided it would be the perfect time to try it. I still have to get up or get home to do my workouts, but this app makes it so easy! I love that I can pick a workout based on time. When I wake up and only have 25 mins until I need to be in the shower the 20-22 min workouts make feel great! I really do love this app. I have also tried the yoga class which was great! Try it out. I highly recommend! Also, their design and whole experience is great. I started an 18 min class and then realized I'd only be getting about 15 mins of actual workout so I ended the class and it immediately popped up options that were the same level just in the 20 min range - it was perfect! And allowed me not to have to search further in an early morning fog!

by $AMBER$

So first off, I’m the person that balks at dropping $1.99 on an app, so I put a LOT of thought into spending the money for this. I took advantage of the free month trial and decided that I wanted to continue. I really love using this. I am not huge in classes, and most definitely can not afford a trainer. I love going to the gym as opposed to working out at home, so being able to just put on headphones and listen to someone talk you through everything is so great. I love the variety of exercises, levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) and the different amounts of time for each one. It’s highly customizable to fit your schedule and life. It pushes me much better than I can push myself. And it keeps you going. When I would do things on my own, I’d take longer pauses, take time to determine what to do next, or have to look up a plan. Here, it’s all audio, so you just do what they tell you. There’s even a fairly broad range of music. I’ve only been using it for about a month following the trial period, but I’m very glad I made the investment.

by PotakuCat

I’m usually skeptical of instagram ads, but after trying this app out I’m seriously hooked. I’m a runner and used to be an avid, amateur weight lifter but I’d been going to the barbell less and less due to the knee and back injuries it gave me. Since I’m trying to gain back strength, I appreciate the simplicity and emphasis on proper form in this app workouts, sans-equipment. I started out with a sub-10 min workout to test waters but after crushing that, what I thought would be 10-minutes quickly became a 40-minute workout because the workouts are so addicting. Switching instructors, music-tastes, and exercises made the long workout exciting, and crushing them one by one felt rewarding. It is also easier for me to remember which moves worked and which didn’t so if I ever don’t have this app, I can still pull together a tough workout for myself. I like how it’s audio and not video so I can focus on what I’m feeling— rather than a screen to copy the moves of (and a distracting attractive teacher). Plus, it’s way way way cheaper than a gym membership + gas money.

by Prixbix

By far the best fitness app I've ever encountered and with each update it just gets better and better. I literally can't shut up about Aaptiv and at least 5 friends and family members have downloaded it because of my fervent endorsement! Trust me when I say that I cannot be bothered to leave reviews (this is actually the first ever review I've ever left for an app) but this app definitely deserves it. I also never stick to a fitness app for longer than a month and I have been using this for 2 years now. Great workouts with great music and amazing trainers! I work out at a gym and a personal trainer has literally been chasing me to be his client for months but little does he know I have 10+ personal trainers telling me what to do through my headphones as I'm telling him I'm not interested! I absolutely loved the last update where you can search for a workout and I'm also loving the filters, it has greatly improved the usability of Aaptiv . Whoever is in charge of app development there should be given a raise and Christmas bonus because he/she is nailing it! Shout out to my favourite trainers: Kelly, Meghan and Rochelle your workouts rock!

by Alaskhah

I decided to start working out when my youngest was 1 1/2. Then I decided to try running. I hated running, but I wanted to conquer it. But here’s the thing: I had NO clue what I was doing. Enter this app. I told it I was a beginner, I wanted to try running and get stronger, and boom, a list of recommendations. Audio workouts with knowledgeable, motivating trainers who at the beginner level walk you through the workouts, AND help you make sure you’re building proper form. You can do individual workouts, or they have longer programs with training schedules (like 4-12 weeks) for those who like to have everything laid out. They have everything from treadmill to boxing to yoga (and so much more!). And so many lengths, styles of music, and trainers. There’s really something for just about anyone who’s interested in fitness.

Bonus: once you download Aaptiv , you have access to the Facebook community, with an amazing supportive community, and the trainers are pretty much all there, and you can ask them questions (or curse them out after a really hard workout 😆).

by Disaaptiv

I loved Aaptiv. You can sort exercises by trainer, type, length, and difficulty level. Super user friendly. I would look at a whole week in advance and plan my workouts. Recently, they pulled ALL my favorite classes and my two favorite trainers. They did not give notice. I finally found out by going out to their FB page. I made sure every workout I left a review about the class and what I thought about the trainer. If they were truly meeting the needs of their clientele, then they would have seen that some of us primarily only used what they pulled. The sad thing is they have no other similar classes or the type of trainers I learned to love. Also, their customer service is lacking. They say you can email for help. I emailed due to technical issues. That was yesterday and I am still waiting to hear back and it was “during hours”. When you are working out, most people have only so much time. If you can’t use Aaptiv due to technical issues and have to wait days to resolve, that pretty much squelches that workout plan. I would hope this app would be more responsive to their users technical issues as well as notify them regarding changes to the program. I signed up for the old this app. I feel I should be able to get my money back as this is not the program I signed up for.

by Enj.h_

This is obviously the best workout trainer app, and I think it might be the best app overall. Not only are the workouts fun, inspiring, exciting, encouraging, and addicting, but Aaptiv itself is easy to use and visually beautiful. The team feature is a fun accountability tool that makes it exciting to share how you’re feeling after exercising and sometimes get feedback from trainers! The coach helps stay on track and remember to take care of yourself holistically with all kinds of physical and mental health goals. I haven’t used the training schedules but I love that they are there for anyone who wants to use them. I accidentally paid for a years subscription and was annoyed that I dropped $100 on it by mistake but honestly I would do it again in a heartbeat and will definitely be continuing my subscription next year! Thank you so much to all the this app trainers and developers, you make it feel good to move around and push myself to do what’s good for me!!! ❤️🥵💪