In our Fitbit Coach Review we have covered the best and worst features of the workout app, making it easy for you to decide if it is the right choice for you on your fitness journey. If you want to see other great options available, refer to our home workout app review. Otherwise read on!
Fitbit is widely known for their wearable devices, and it was inevitable that they would introduce a home workout app in the form of the Fitbit Coach. The app is very well presented and simple to use with a great selection and range of workouts. Beginners will find the routines achievable with plenty of guidance and advice given by the detailed narration.
The glaring omission in the Fitbit Coach is a lack of community features – there is no ability to follow and track friends. This makes the app a non-starter for those who get their motivation boost from social engagement.
Due to the numerous restrictions on the free account (locked features and limited selection of workouts, only one workout allowed per week), regular users will almost certainly need to upgrade to the paid subscription.
Fitbit Coach is great for those who already have a Fitbit and want to keep all their activity within the ecosystem, or for people who like to mix up their workouts with a range of cardio options (treadmill, indoor cycling, stair climbing workouts…). If you are not wed to Fitbit it might be worth exploring some alternative free options.
Pros
- Simple to use and nicely designed app
- Great cardio options available such as indoor cycling and stair climbing workouts
- Beginner friendly workouts with detailed narration to guide you through the routines
- Nice achievement feature where you earn badges for completing workout streaks and level up for different activities
- Integrates to existing Fitbit accounts to sync your workout data
Cons
- Realistically you need to upgrade to a paid subscription to use this app
- Lack of search filters makes it difficult to find workouts suitable for your ability
- No additional equipment workouts such as dumb bells or resistance bands
- Limited training plans with no engaging features
- No social or community features
Pricing, Reviews and Signup
- The app has a Freemium model. The majority of workout content is locked on the free plan, and all training plans and some features are locked. In addition only one workout is permitted per week on the free plan, therefore it is difficult to use the app on a regular basis without upgrading.
- At the time of writing there is a 90 day free trial to the paid subscription due to the Corona Virus
- The minimum subscription term is 1 month at a price of $9.99
- Apple App Store average rating of 3.6
- Google Play Store average rating of 4.2
- Signup is required
Workout Review
If you upgrade to a paid account you will find a fantastic selection of workouts available in the Fitbit Coach. There are many body weight exercises available to keep a keen fitness fanatic going for weeks. A strong advantage over competing apps is the range of cardio options available (there are workouts available for the treadmill, indoor cycling machine, and even stair climbing), as well as a few decent stretching exercises. The only surprising omission here is the lack of workouts using additional equipment such as dumb bells.
The workouts are nicely categorised into their various types, however that is the extent of the ability to search. There are no filter options available for length of workout, body area focus or ability level, making it slightly more difficult to find your most suitable workout.
The workouts all have great full screen video and detailed narration to guide you through the movements. There are generous rest periods and the sessions are not super intense, with each exercise performed for a long duration. Time based moves are combined with rep based moves in each workout, with each rep counted out with an audible tick to make sure you stay on track. All these features make the Fitbit Coach a very friendly option for beginners.
As well as locking the majority of the workouts and training plans, and only allowing you to workout once per week, the free plan also disables certain features such as saving a workout as a favourite. Altogether it would be too restrictive to use this app on a regular basis without upgrading to a paid subscription.
There is no Spotify integration, however there is an inbuilt Fitbit radio, with most of the sound tracks only available on a paid plan.
Training Plans
There are a limited number of training plans available, with the majority only available on a paid subscription. People who need a motivational push to get through a training plan will be disappointed by the lack of additional features built around the plans.
Progress Tracking and Achievements
Fitbit Coach has a nice reward feature where you earn badges for completing workouts. These are broken down into functional areas of fitness (we are a level 10 in cardio for example), however these numbers don’t mean much as you can’t compare directly against friends.
In addition to the achievement badges are some basic dashboard stats that keep track of your calories burnt and number of workouts completed.
Community Features
No notification feeds or ability to follow your friends.
Extras
Nothing to say 🙂
