There are hundreds of workout apps. Most of them are built for people who already know what they are doing. If you are new to the gym and just want something to tell you what to do, the list gets much shorter.
I tested seven apps that claim to work for beginners. This is not a ranking. Different apps suit different people. I am going to tell you what each one actually does and where it falls short so you can pick the one that fits.
What a beginner actually needs
A plan for today. Not a library of 500 exercises to browse. Not an interface that assumes you know what "3x10 RDLs at RPE 8" means. And ideally something that responds to what you actually do, so when you skip a day or swap an exercise, the next workout still makes sense.
That is the bar. Here is how each app measures up.
The apps
Fitbod
Fitbod creates a new workout for you each session based on what muscle groups need work, what equipment you have, and how recovered you are. The interface is clean. Exercise videos are high quality and shot from multiple angles. It tracks your history and increases weight gradually over time.
The free tier gives you three workouts before you hit the paywall. At roughly 13 dollars a month, it is one of the more expensive options. The AI makes good choices most of the time, but it does not explain why it chose what it chose. You trust the plan or you do not. That can feel like a black box when you are new and trying to understand why you are doing what you are doing.
Good fit if you want variety in every session and have equipment access. Around $13/month or $80/year.
StrongLifts 5x5
Dead simple. Three exercises per workout, three workouts per week, always barbell compounds. Squat, bench, row, overhead press, deadlift. The app tells you exactly what weight to use and adds 2.5 kg every session. There is almost nothing to think about.
The program is rigid though. If you miss a day or stall on a lift, the only option is a built-in deload, not an actual adaptation. It is also barbell-only. If you have never touched a barbell, that can be a barrier. No exercise variety at all. You will bench, squat, and row for months.
Absolute simplest starting point if you have a barbell rack. Free tier available, premium around $10/month.
Ray
Ray talks you through your workout like a trainer standing next to you. Voice-guided coaching. You put your phone down and it calls out the exercises, counts your reps using the camera, and keeps you moving. The tone is encouraging without being over the top, and it explicitly targets people who feel intimidated by the gym.
At $20/month it is premium-priced. You need headphones in a busy gym. The rep counting is impressive but not always accurate, especially for less standard movements. Workout programming is less detailed than dedicated strength apps, so it is more of a coaching experience than a precise training system. 7-day free trial.
Hevy
Hevy is a workout logger, and a good one. Clean interface, fast to use mid-set, generous free tier. It recently added an AI workout generator, but the core product is the tracking. Social features let you follow friends and share workouts.
It does not tell you what to do out of the box though. You need to find or build a program yourself, then log it in Hevy. The AI features feel bolted on rather than central to the experience. If you already have a plan from somewhere, a friend, a blog post, a coach, Hevy is a great place to track it. If you want the app to hand you a plan, look elsewhere.
Free tier covers most of what you need. Premium around $3/month.
Nike Training Club
Free. Fully free. That is the main thing. The workout library covers strength, HIIT, yoga, and mobility, with video walkthroughs led by real trainers. Beginner-specific programs exist and are easy to find.
No adaptation though. The app gives you a schedule and you follow it. It does not know what weight you used or whether the workout was too easy. It also leans more toward bodyweight and general fitness than structured strength training. If you are unsure whether you even like working out yet, this is a zero-risk way to find out before paying for something more specialized.
FitnessAI
Adapts weight, sets, and reps based on your logged history. Claims to draw from over 100 million data points. The app is opinionated and tells you exactly what to lift.
The interface feels cluttered. It throws a lot of data at you early on, which can overwhelm someone who does not know what any of it means yet. The tone is aggressive and data-heavy, more "STOP GUESSING. START PROGRESSING." than "here is your plan." Not everyone responds to that. Roughly $10-15/month via app stores.
maatriks
You answer a few setup questions about how often you can train, how long your sessions are, and what you want to focus on. The app builds your first week. After each workout you log what you actually did, including exercises you swapped or sets you skipped. Then the app writes a short summary explaining what it will change next time and why.
That feedback loop is the central idea. Every session informs the next one, and you can see the reasoning instead of just trusting a new workout that appeared.
It is newer than the others on this list, so the exercise library and community are smaller. No voice guidance. No social features. If you want a large community or content beyond the workouts themselves, it is not there yet. Details on maatriks.ai.
Quick comparison
| App | Gives you a plan | Adapts to you | Beginner-friendly | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitbod | Yes | Yes | Mostly | ~$13/mo |
| StrongLifts | Yes | No (rule-based) | Yes (if you have a barbell) | Free / $10/mo |
| Ray | Yes | Yes (voice) | Yes | $20/mo |
| Hevy | No (tracker) | No | Yes | Free / $3/mo |
| Nike Training Club | Yes | No | Yes | Free |
| FitnessAI | Yes | Yes | Somewhat | ~$10-15/mo |
| maatriks | Yes | Yes (with explanations) | Yes | See site |
So which one
If you have never worked out and want to spend nothing, Nike Training Club is the obvious start. Free, guided programs, zero commitment. Good for figuring out what you even like before paying for anything.
If you know you want to lift, StrongLifts is the simplest path. Barbell only, three days a week, nothing to think about. Hevy is the pick if you already have a plan from somewhere and just need a clean way to track it.
For an app that builds your plan and adjusts it over time, Fitbod and maatriks both do that. Fitbod has been around longer and has a bigger exercise library. maatriks is newer but explains why your plan changed after each session, which helps you learn what is actually working as you go.
None of these are wrong. Try the one that sounds closest to what you need and give it a few weeks. You will know pretty fast whether it fits.