As you’ve probably seen, fitness apps really took off in 2025. With the rise of busy lifestyles and high-demand jobs, fitness fanatics are finding it hard to find the time to head to the gym.
Fitness apps provide all the guidance you need without the annoying added travel time, so it’s no wonder that more and more people are choosing fitness apps over gyms. However, as fitness apps grow in popularity, more and more apps are being introduced to the market, with some being better than others.
Knowing what to look for in an online fitness app is crucial to getting the benefits of one. At POW8R, we have spent years curating our own app, and we like to think we know a thing or two about the features that will actually matter in 2025.
Keep reading to learn more about choosing the right fitness app in 2025.
Why Choosing The Right App Matters
Before we discuss the features to look for in an app, we should first explain why choosing the right app actually matters.
Apps Can Make or Break Motivation and Consistency
Consistency is essential for maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Discipline and motivation are crucial when striving for tangible improvements in your health and fitness. Using a reliable and effective fitness app can provide the support, tracking, and encouragement you need to stay committed and motivated throughout your journey.
Without the right motivation from your app to stay disciplined, it can be easy to just avoid using an app entirely. You want to use an app that leaves you feeling motivated and excited to log back in, not an app that leaves you muting its push notifications.
Making The Wrong Choice Only Means an Unused Subscription
Though there are free apps, quality apps that deliver a comprehensive experience usually come with a cost. If you choose a fitness app that caters to your needs, you will use it and get the most bang for your buck.
If a fitness app lacks useful features or fails to motivate you, it will just be an unused subscription and an ongoing deduction from your account. By researching and reviewing the app’s features beforehand, you can avoid wasting time and money on a subscription that doesn’t suit your needs.
A Good App Adapts to Your Lifestyle, Not the Other Way Around
An app that has a real impact and works well with your day-to-day life can seamlessly integrate into your lifestyle without feeling like an afterthought. Some fitness apps feel like a strenuous commitment, which isn’t how it should feel.
When you choose the right app, working out doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Checking your fitness app should feel as natural as scrolling through Instagram or checking your texts. If it doesn’t and you feel that sense of dread when loading it up, the app isn’t for you.
Key Features to Look For in a Fitness App in 2025
We get it. If you’ve never really looked into fitness apps in the past, it can be challenging to pinpoint what you should even be looking for, but don’t worry. As creators of our very own app, we like to think that we have the recipe for the perfect fitness app worked out.
Some features that you should look out for in a fitness app include;
Live and On-Demand Workouts
No two people have the same schedule or preferred workout style, and a good workout app has to reflect that. Whether you’re an early riser, a lunchtime crammer, or someone who likes to work out at your own pace, your app should be able to cater to this with live workouts and an archive of videos.
At POW8R, we are passionate about ensuring that we have a full catalogue of accessible videos and a schedule of live workouts so that you can choose from a range of workout options.
Structured Programs and Challenges
A big mistake many fitness and nutrition apps make is presuming that their clientele already knows precisely what to do to achieve their goals and which workouts will target the areas they want to improve.
A good app contains structured programs that outline precisely what they can help clients achieve and how they can help them do it. This not only makes working out feel more focused, but it also makes picking your workout much easier.
With everything structured and easy to find, you’ll discover how much you can enjoy working out.
Community and Coaching Support
There is nothing worse than downloading an app and finding that all the workouts are silent videos of fitness goddesses effortlessly completing full workouts, expecting you to follow along as if you’re already an expert.
A good fitness app will provide actual coach support, such as walkthroughs, detailed explanations of workouts, and the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
Community is also essential when it comes to sticking to a healthy schedule; having people there to hold you accountable is essential. Phone apps can feel really isolating, which we wanted to address with our app. We offer a private Instagram community page for our app users so that they can get in touch with other users and develop a support system that encourages them to do better.
Built-in Nutrition Guidance
Something that we always remind our clients of is that exercise is just one small piece of the bigger picture when it comes to living a healthier, happier lifestyle.
If you want to lose weight, gain muscle or just feel physically fitter, you need to eat well. Yes, that even means eating a healthy breakfast before you start your day, which we understand might seem impossible for anyone with a busy lifestyle, but with accessible recipes and nutritional guidance at your fingertips, it doesn’t need to be difficult.
So make sure that you’re only using apps with a list of delicious recipes readily available so that you can build some healthy habits around your exercise routine.
Tracking and Progress Monitoring
Not many people consider tracking and progress monitoring motivators. Progress isn’t always dependent on the numbers on the scale, so it’s important to be able to track other metrics of progress. Whatever fitness app you use should allow you to do that.
A good fitness app should track the difficulty of the workouts you complete while still allowing you to check your weight and muscle growth. Having all of that information in one place will allow you to develop a clear picture of how you are really doing in your fitness journey.
Flexibility With Equipment
Not everyone has a state-of-the-art gym set up at home, so we always find it odd when we see apps that expect their users to have a long list of equipment to be able to do the workouts. A good app shouldn’t have to depend on expensive equipment to see results.
Now, at POW8R, we do not try to hide our obsession with kettlebells for building strength and endurance. Because they are so accessible, they are one of the only pieces of equipment that we use in workouts, which highlights just how versatile equipment can be when you’re using an online gym that knows what it’s doing.
Adaptability for Different Life Stages
Life is a journey, and you need an app that you can use every step of that journey. For example, if you are a woman who experiences a pregnancy, the fitness app you use has to allow you to create a maternity fitness routine that works for you, without you having to get a whole new subscription to accommodate that stage of your life.
At POW8R, we ensure that our app provides resources to support a healthier lifestyle, regardless of your current life stage.
Unlock Your Physical Potential With POW8R
This guide should have provided you with all of the information you need to pick the right app for you. If we haven’t already been blatantly obvious, we think that the POW8R app has everything you need to help you achieve a happier and healthier life.
Are you looking to change your lifestyle for the better? Download the POW8R app today.