The decision
There is no best app in absolute terms. For free guided video workouts, Nike Training Club or Decathlon Coach. For detailed gym planning, Fitbod. For HIIT, running and strength in one coach, Freeletics. To log your own programme, Hevy or Strong. To open the app and find today’s home strength workout ready, matched to your equipment and to what you actually did, with no programme to follow and no subscription, La Bonne Séance at €49 once. Prices were checked on the French App Store and publishers’ pages in September 2026; they vary by country, so the price shown before purchase is the reference.
A practical sequence
Three steps that keep the decision honest
- Decide what the app should decide: nothing (a logbook like Hevy or Strong), which video to follow (Nike Training Club, Decathlon Coach, FizzUp), your weekly programme (Fitbod, Freeletics, GYMDONE) or today’s workout with no programme (La Bonne Séance).
- Check where you really train: gym apps know machines; at home, the workout must respect your real equipment, even a single pair of dumbbells or nothing at all.
- Compare the cost over two years: a free app stays free; a yearly plan of €70 to €100 costs €140 to €200; a one-time purchase such as La Bonne Séance (€49) costs nothing more.
Check platforms: all the apps above run on iPhone and Android, except La Bonne Séance, which runs on iPhone and in the browser on Android or a computer. Pain, rehabilitation, pregnancy or postpartum: ask a professional first. For machine-based gym training or advanced specialisation, choose Fitbod or a logbook. If you want a native Android app, La Bonne Séance is not the right fit. We have not yet checked Boostcamp, FitOn or Dumbbell Home Workout, and we did not run user tests. Conflict of interest: La Bonne Séance publishes this guide and sells one of the apps presented.