I’ve been working out in my living room since I was a teen, doing Winsor Pilates and Kathy Smith VHS tapes. I love a gym routine or a fitness studio, but as a full-time working mom, I am much more consistent with my workouts if I can just press play without any commute time to and from a gym.
READ: Guide to Fitness & Health in Jacksonville
That said, there are endless options these days — both free and paid options, workout apps, influencers, etc. It’s impossible to try them all, but I have tried a lot! There are a lot of free YouTube workouts, but I can’t stand being halfway through a set of pushups and having an ad for deodorant start, so I almost always opt for the app. I also tend to support individual trainers over a big workout company, so I don’t mind paying a little more for their app — it’s usually still cheaper than it would be for a studio membership, and I tend to use my apps 5–6 days a week.
These are my personal, non-sponsored reviews! I paid for each workout app myself, so if it wasn’t working for me, I cancelled ASAP.
The Glow Method by Kaylie Daniels App Review
This is actually my current program — Kaylie utilizes Pilates, Barre, and Yoga with strength and cardio. She cues the workouts well and soothingly. I love that her classes are 20–75 minutes, so you can go with what you need. She has tons of free classes on YouTube that are well worth your time, but I am an app subscriber, and I think it’s next level. She has a daily workout calendar, posts three new workouts a week, and actively engages with users. She even offers sound baths and lets you search for workouts by the stage of your menstrual cycle. Also, I love that you can link your Spotify in the app and either use her carefully curated playlist or your own tunes.
Price: Free on YouTube; app is $35/month
YouTube: youtube.com/@theglowmethod
Website: theglowmethod.co
Workout Style: Yoga, barre, Pilates, strength
Perfect For: Longer, lower-impact workouts and variety
Overall Rating: 10/10
Busy Mom Rating: 7/10 (There are shorter workouts, but most are 30–60 minutes.)
Danielle Pascente / DPFIT App Review
If you are looking to improve strength and conditioning, Danielle is the workout for you. She is all about lifting heavy! Her weekly workouts typically have a lower body/upperbody split, then two HIIT days. Her workouts are usually 20–35 minutes, and you easily see results in just the recommended four days a week. I was lifting heavier than I ever have in her workouts.
Danielle has her own app which includes numerous programs, a weekly calendar, community chat, and challenges. She also has free workouts on the FitOn app if you want to get a feel for her style and energy. Danielle is also a mom and appreciates a quick workout. I’ve followed her on Instagram for years, and she shows her day-to-day life. These are the workouts that she actually does to maintain her training, so you know they are legit!
Price: Free on FitOn; app is $39.99/month
Website: daniellepascente.com
Instagram: @daniellepascente
Workout Style: Strength, conditioning
Perfect For: Lifting heavy and if you enjoy burpees
Overall Rating: 10/10
Busy Mom Rating: 10/10 (You can get SO strong and fit in four 20–30 minute workouts a week.)
Studio KSL App Review
If you were working out on Instagram in the 2012–2016 heyday, you may have run across Tone It Up — workouts on the beach, pink and teal, K&K (for Karena and Katrina). Well, Katrina is back with her own app, Studio KSL. It has all the things I loved about TIU (which is still around but not what it once was). Studio KSL has VIBES (I did the Hot Springs series, where all the workouts were filmed at the very aesthetic pool). It has an all-encompassing plan — workouts are part of it, but there’s also visioning, journaling, meditations, and a full meal plan and recipes.
A mom of three, Katrina offers workouts that are prenatal, postnatal, and busy-mom-friendly, including strength, cardio, and yoga. They are fairly quick, about 15–30 minutes. If you are pre- or postnatal, newer to working out, or looking for something quick but with a full lifestyle program, I think you would really enjoy KSL. I found the guided meditations to be incredible, and I really liked that she included walking meditations.
Price: App only is $27/month; annual membership is $13/month
Website: studioksl.com
Instagram: @katrinascott
Workout Style: Strength, Cardio, Conditioning
Perfect For: Prenatal, postnatal, someone with not much time, anyone looking for a full lifestyle program, and not just workouts
Overall Rating: 8/10
Busy Mom Rating: 10/10 (Busy moms are the target audience!)
FitOn App Review
Another app, FitOn, is a free (I still am shocked by this) workout app. The library is extensive, featuring well-known and celebrity trainers, including Halle Berry, Julianne Hough, and Lindsey Vonn. Any style of workout you want is there — Zumba, Pilates, yoga, strength, boxing, you name it. You can search by length, intensity, and workout style. I have only ever done the free workouts, but they have a pro version that includes a personalized meal plan, the ability to stream your own music, and cast workouts. I used this consistently for a few months (I really enjoyed the variety of workouts!) and still go back to it when I want to try something new.
Price: Free; Pro is $39/year
Website: fitonapp.com
Workout Style: Everything!
Perfect For: Everyone!
Overall Rating: 8/10 (It’s solid! The free version doesn’t have as much programming, and I need someone to tell me what to do every day.)
Busy Mom Rating: 10/10 (You can filter the search by exactly as much time as you have.)
Haus of Phoenix Yoga Review
So this one isn’t actually an app, it’s a website that I *thought* was an app. After I paid the fee, I realized it was a website with a library of workouts. I was drawn to this one because I absolutely, unequivocally love doing yoga with Kathryn Budig. I’ve followed her for years from app to app and even flowed with her in person in Washington, D.C.! I was excited to find her again.
Haus of Phoenix has many tiers. I paid for just the yoga tier. You can scale up and add meditation, moon and mythology rituals, recipes, book club, etc. I absolutely loved the classes, enough that I could overlook the clunkiness of the website. Ultimately, I did unsubscribe since I was looking to do more workouts than just yoga, but I am happy to know where to go to flow with Kathryn!
Price: $20/month for the Practice Pass (5 yoga classes); $40/month for the Phoenix Flight Pass (just yoga); $30/month for the Coven Pass (no workouts, meditations/moon and mythology rituals); $99/month for “the Full Burrito” (everything)
Website: thehausofphoenix.com
Instagram: @thehausofphoenix
Workout Style: Yoga
Perfect For: Experienced yogis who want to mix it up, yogis interested in moon and mythology rituals
Overall Rating: Unsure (For the target audience, it is good, but I wish the website worked more smoothly.)
Busy Mom Rating:7/10 (You can filter by time, and there are lots of 30-minute classes.)
Peloton App Review
I do not own a spin bike or a treadmill, but I had heard that Peloton offers some great workouts. I tried it for about two months — I honestly could not tell you one workout I did. They have a lot of options and trainers, like FitOn, but unlike FitOn, it’s not free. I never really found my groove with it, so I unsubscribed and deleted the app. I know a lot of people love it!
Price: $12.99/month ($129/year, includes unlimited strength, yoga, meditation, running, and three cardio bike/tread sessions per month.)
Website: onepeloton.com
Workout Style: Everything
Perfect For: If you own a Peloton bike or treadmill, or want a lot of options.
Overall Rating: 6/10 (I wasn’t wowed, but I know others love it. Probably a 10/10 if you have a Peloton.)
Busy Mom Rating: 9/10 (You can filter by time, and there are lots of short classes. I did not give it a full 10 because I found it somewhat time-consuming to find a class to try.)
Honorable Mentions
Beachbody / Bodi App Review
Beachbody is a classic — at some point, I paid to do this on a computer. I have not done this within the past decade. Some people love it! It is apparently now rebranded as “Bodi” for the modern times. Maybe the “y” didn’t invoke the lightness and frivolity of “i.”
Price: $19/month
Website: beachbodyondemand.com
Workout Style: Getting fit
Perfect For: If you like workout programs/the classics
Tone It Up App Review
I mentioned Tone It Up above — for the longest time, TIU was That Girl. I got fit for my sister’s wedding with the app, I paid for the meal plan, I was buying their protein powder. I even went to local TIU meetups, and we had matching tank tops. But then they got bought out by private equity, the workouts got less effective, the trainers became a rotating cast of models, and the meal plans just a rehash of old ones. However, the other founder, Karena, just bought the brand back from private equity and is working to revive it. I can’t recommend it right now, but I am eager to see where it goes!
Price: $14.99/month
Website: my.tonitup.com
Workout Style: Cardio, strength, meditation
Glo App Review
Another one I did on the computer back in the day! I did daily yoga here back when it was “Yogaglo.” It was good! I’m not sure what it offers now — the website says Pilates and yoga. Worth a free trial!
Price: $19/month
Website: glo.com
Workout Style: Pilates, yoga
Perfect For: If you want at-home yoga and Pilates with a wide variety of choices
Centr Fit App Review
This is Chris Hemsworth’s app. I actually did a free trial for this one back when it first came out — ladies, Chris is not one of the instructors, nor does he appear in the videos. Yes, I did find this misleading. I cancelled after my free trial. Centr is more of a Peloton or FitOn competitor, with lots of instructors and styles to choose from.
I am intrigued by it again, as one of my favorite online trainers, Stef Corgel, just joined and now has a program. Her workouts are very Barry’s Bootcamp style HIIT and strength, and also worth checking out. I actually paid for her Instagram channel workouts for about a year, and they were great!
Price: $29/month
Website: centr.com
Workout Style: Everything
Perfect For: Those seeking a variety of strength workouts and nutrition
What workout apps do you swear by? Tell us in the comments!
