Aaptiv is an amazing fitness app for people who want to feel like they have a personal trainer in their pocket. Here is my experience after using it for a few years. You can also learn how to get 10% off your subscription PLUS a 30 day free trial with Aaptiv.
Aaptiv App
A few months ago, I discovered an app called “Aaptiv” and decided to try out the 30-day free trial.
I’ve used a lot of exercise apps in the past, and for the most part, they end up deleted within a couple of days.
However, this one seemed different and really piqued my interest. I was in North Carolina at the time, feeling a little overloaded from the days preceding (Thanksgiving – I’m sure you know the feeling!), and I decided to get on my in-law’s treadmill.
I wasn’t even sure what to do with the app. However, as soon as I finally decided to open it and select a workout, I was hooked.
Table of contents
It has literally changed the way I workout. It is an app I have used for about three years now, and I sing its praises everywhere I go!
So I’m excited to share a little bit more about why I like Aaptiv – along with the pros and cons – so you can decide if it’s right for you!
CLICK HERE FOR A 30 DAY FREE TRIAL! AND USE CODE FIT10 for 10% off (You can use both!)
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My Aaptiv Review
Pros to Aaptiv
Feels like you’re working out with a friend
So the main issue I have with “exercise voices” on different apps is that they usually have these very robotic voices that really aren’t that fun.
Or they don’t have any voices at all and you have to be constantly looking down at your phone trying to figure out what to do, which can really get in the way when you are working out.
With Aaptiv, every workout has an actual person guiding you through it. They try to make it fun, and it really takes your mind off the workout. They also are very encouraging and always seem to have their “don’t give up, don’t put your hands on the handrails!” timed at the exact right spot.
It really feels like you are working out with a friend – or at least with an actual personal trainer.
You can click on the workout section to find the strengths of different trainers. I personally like the ones that are fun and supportive (positive affirmation, right?!).
I have connected with a few on Instagram in the past, and they usually respond, which makes it even more fun.
Keep in mind that these are still recordings – they are talking to you, but it’s not a live person who knows who you are.
Upbeat music timed with workout
I love working out to music, though I don’t always pick the best options. I usually will turn on Pandora, and it works…but sometimes it’s just a really slow song, and I don’t want to waste my precious
With Aaptiv, they have a variety of music styles and most of the songs aren’t ones that I would have chosen on my own. However, they are very good to work out to. The trainer typically has it set up to have music that’s similar to the cadence of the workout.
It’s Mindless
I like that I don’t have to put any prep or thought into doing it beyond selecting which workout I want to do. I always see people talking about these great exercise routines or courses, but they often require you to piece together the workout yourself. I love that I can just put my headphones in, listen to what the trainers say, and be good to go!
Easy to find what you want
The filtering feature is very helpful – you can filter by length of time, level, max/minimum speed, etc. The other day I was wanting to transition from walking workouts to
Workouts that make you sweat
One thing I love about Aaptiv is that I know I will get a good workout. I keep track of my calories burnt on my Apple Watch, and it also shows my heart rate – both of which show that I’m getting a pretty good workout. I always feel a little stronger and sweatier when I’m done – which seems pretty good to me!
I’ve also noticed that my endurance has been built a lot as well as I’ve progressed to different levels. That’s been really cool to experience!
Tons of different equipment
Whether you like the treadmill or elliptical, the stair stepper or the rower, there’s a program for you. Aaptiv has workouts for a bunch of different machines, as well as yoga, strength exercises, and stretching. There’s really something for everyone – whether you are working out at the gym, in home, or even outside.
Training programs
In addition to having tons of individual workouts, they offer different workout programs – so there are ones to help you train for various races (5k, 10k, etc.), weight loss, and even a maternity program.
I was especially excited to hear about the maternity program since I work with so many pregnant moms through our blog – I wrote more about that here – The BEST Exercise App for Pregnancy and Beyond From First Trimester to Postpartum.
They have also added challenges to help keep you motivated, which I think is awesome. I love how easy their programs are setup and how simple they are to do (well, to access. They can be rather challenging!)
Varying lengths
I love how they have workouts in all different time ranges. They have ones that are under 10 minutes and others that are over an hour. I usually try and find one between 20-30 minutes, which seems to the perfect amount of time (especially if you end up doing one of the stretching workouts they usually recommend at the end of every workout!).
Active community
I’ll admit I don’t really participate in this, but they have an active community where you can interact with other Aaptiv users – as well as the coaches themselves.
I actually joined their Facebook group, which is really helpful and supportive. Sometimes fitness communities can be a little offputting, but I haven’t found that with the Aaptiv one.
Guest Pass
You are given ten “guest passes” that you can give to friends for one month of full access for free! I thought that was kind of cool.
Cons to Aaptiv
As much as I really love this app, there are a few things I would change.
Some of the music
Sometimes I don’t love all the music. They don’t edit out any swear words and some of the content is a bit questionable. I don’t find this the case with all the music by any means, but there have been a few times I’ve thought, “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not listening to this with my kids around!”
I also sometimes wish I could choose to not have the music playing and just get prompts on my phone if I am wanting to watch a show while working out 🙂
I’m not sure the levels are correct for a lot of them
Some of the beginner level workouts definitely are really simple, while others seem really hard. I would like to see more walking workouts as well and to have them more easy to separate out.
You do need equipment (for the most part)
While there are some workouts you can do without any equipment, most of them are equipment dependent. The ones that aren’t are:
- Yoga
- Some of the strength
- Outdoor running and walking
Overall, I LOVE this app. Since I’ve started using it, I’ve deleted or disabled my other exercise apps because none of them compare. I love being able to workout and actually feel/see a difference.
Aaptiv Cost
Aaptiv has two pricing tiers:
- A monthly subscription is $14.99
- A yearly subscription is $99.99
If you pay for the yearly subscription, you save 45% from the monthly one. If you are sure that you are committed to using it for a year, then I would definitely go with the yearly subscription.
However, if you are unsure, you definitely want to try out their free trial and maybe use it for a little bit longer to make sure it’s what want.
Be aware that both of these subscriptions auto-renew.
Aaptiv Cost – Is it worth it?
I think Aaptiv has a lot of great features. While it’s changed over the years, and I don’t use it nearly as much as I used to, at it’s core, it’s a fantastic fitness app.
I really do love that I have someone talking the whole time and feeling like there is a personal trainer there with me. I’ve found that my workouts – regardless of how they are being done – go by so much faster when I have someone talking to me!
Obviously, it’s a monthly cost and you need to keep that in mind. If you already have an expensive gym membership, adding Aaptiv on top of that might not be great. I have an inexpensive gym membership, though, so the additional cost is worth it.
If you have a home gym or you do a lot of outdoor runs or yoga, I definitely think Aaptiv is a great way to amp up your fitness routine.
Aaptiv App Coupon Code
You can use the code FIT10 to get 10% off your yearly subscription. This is in addition to your 30-day free trial that you can get here.
If you are a student, you can get an Aaptiv student discount for 50% off, which is really nice – you can check out the details for that here.
Aaptiv Free 30 Day Trial
Aaptiv does offer a free trial, which is great. It’s varied in length in the past, but for the time being, if you go through this link, you should be able to get 30 days free!
Lynn Guzzardo says
Are there weight training programs?
Katie says
Yes there are!
Rich says
Katie,
Will I need to bring my phone to use the full workout experience or can I do it using my Apple Watch?
Katie says
Hi, Rich! You will definitely need to be able to connect to the app 🙂
Neil says
if I buy the year membership … can i get a refund if I choose to cancel on month 3?
the music off option would be good
is there a trainer speaking to you …. and how do you judge getting to the next level in my training?
can I train 24/7? if so how is there a ‘live’ person always with me as suggested in this article?
Katie says
Here is their refund policy:
https://aaptivsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/206590088-Billing-Cancellations
Music off option doesn’t exist at this time. The trainer speaks to you, but it’s not like they are actually talking to you (as in, it’s not live). I would move up in level when you feel like you aren’t getting as good of a workout. You can train 24/7 – I’m sorry you thought this review insinuated there is a live person talking to you. There definitely is not.
Izzy says
There are so many ads on this page that the article was almost impossible to read! I was disappointed because when I could get a good sized paragraph I liked the writing!
Katie says
Thanks for the feedback! We do have ads but they shouldn’t be showing up so frequently that you can’t read the post. We will definitely look into this to make sure there isn’t a bug!
Chelsea @Life With My Littles says
This looks awesome! I always just run on my own, but it would be fun to try a run with the app!