How Much Does It Cost to Build a Fitness App

The fitness industry has been rapidly growing for the past ten years and shows no sign of slowing down. More and more people are visiting gyms, doing yoga, or adopting healthier eating habits. This growth is driven not only by the increase in the number of fitness centers and health clubs but also by technological advancements such as apps, which have skyrocketed in popularity, especially during the recent pandemic. These apps offer online fitness and diet programs, help users stay motivated, and provide valuable information about their progress. And even after the pandemic, almost every gym-goer or fitness enthusiast at some point will likely start using an app because of its convenience and accessibility. 

So, nowadays many entrepreneurs are developing their own fitness apps to meet the needs of this booming industry. If you are thinking about doing the same, the first question you might have is: How much does it cost to create a fitness app? Below we explore different types of fitness apps and provide rough estimates on the costs of developing them. ⠀⠀

What is a Fitness App? 

A fitness app is software designed to help users manage and improve their physical health. These apps offer various features and tools to support users in achieving their fitness goals, whether losing weight, building muscle, improving endurance, or maintaining overall wellness.  

Here are the main types of possible fitness apps.

Workout apps: offer users pre-designed workout programs for different fitness levels and goals. They can range from beginner to advanced levels and focus on specific areas such as cardio, yoga, or high-intensity interval training. Usually, the workout plans are not individualized but offer useful information about each exercise, such as which muscle group is activated and how many calories are burned. It helps users select the appropriate exercises to include in their program. These apps can be accompanied by step-by-step video tutorials demonstrating how to perform the exercises correctly, helping users avoid injury and maximize their workouts effectiveness.

Fitness coaching: AI-driven coaching apps use data analytics and machine learning to offer personalized recommendations. These apps can create customized workout plans, control exercise techniques, and monitor progress by analyzing data from various sources, including wearable devices, user input, and self-reported health metrics. They also consider the person's medical history and current health status. Some apps offer virtual personal trainers that provide guidance, motivation, and support through the app.

Nutrition and diet apps: allow users to monitor the food they consume throughout the day and calorie intake to ensure they are meeting their nutrition goals. Such apps can also offer personalized meal plans based on the user's dietary preferences and fitness goals (e.g., weight loss, muscle building, etc.), adapting to the person's current eating habits - vegan, vegetarian, interval fasting, etc. Some apps even offer recipes and grocery lists.

Activity tracking apps: track physical activities, such as the number of daily steps, running and cycling distances, and speed. These apps often connect to wearable devices that measure blood pressure, heart rate, and other health parameters.

Meditation and yoga apps: emphasize holistic health and can also be referred to as mental health apps. They include features for meditation, sleep tracking, and stress management. They may contain yoga training, guided meditation practices,  and lessons on how to do different meditation and yoga poses correctly.

Which factors impact the cost of fitness app development?

App development costs, in general, depend on many factors that we have already discussed in a whole series of previous articles relating to creating apps for various industries. These factors are equally applicable to fitness apps. For example, apart from app type and complexity, the cost will significantly depend on whether you want to go with native or cross-platform development, where your development team will be located, etc.

So, the main factors influencing a fitness app development cost will be:

The location of the development team and method of development:  Among the most significant factors affecting the cost of an app development is how you will develop an app and who will do it. For instance, you can try developing an app yourself or with freelancers' help using any available no-code app builders. We have analyzed some of the best no-code app builders in one of our previous articles, which is available here. The cost will be associated with using these app builders mentioned in our article and the costs offered by freelancers if you opt to attract their help. This option is fast and affordable for startups and small companies. However, it has limited customization and features, and the user experience may suffer, revealing that the app is builder-made. 

To increase your chances of getting a successful app, you can opt for attracting professional software developers. You can choose between building an in-house team or outsourcing the development to a dedicated group of professionals.

An in-house development team allows for reliable communication and better control over the project. However, this option is more expensive as you are responsible for hiring staff which is not an easy task. Outsourcing the development process is an alternative where you only pay for completed work. You no longer have to worry about rentals, interviews, last-minute replacements, and other administrative tasks. However, talent costs vary greatly based on geographical location. Some regions have higher salary expectations than others. For example, hiring a US-based developer can cost almost three times as much as hiring a professional located in Ukraine.  In 2024, the approximate hourly charges for software development across different regions are as follows:

• North America (USA, Canada): $75-$125 per hour

• Western Europe (Poland): $45-$100 per hour

• Eastern Europe (Ukraine): $25-$55 per hour

• Asia (India, China): $20-$60 per hour

• Latin America (Argentina, Brazil): $20-$60 per hour. 

When outsourcing from a different country, communication and cultural issues may arise, so you should consider them when deciding on the country. Check one of our previous blogs to learn why outsourcing is one of the best options for developing your software and the best countries to outsource from. 

App Type and Functionality: 

The type of fitness app you intend to develop may require different features and functionalities. Besides, when you incorporate more features, your app not only becomes more valuable but also requires additional time and investment. There are some standard basic features each fitness app has to incorporate. For instance,  one of them is user registration via email, social media, or phone number, with further creation of a user's profile with personal information and fitness goals. Tracking of workout progress or nutrition is also among some basic features. Besides, almost any fitness app usually offers notifications and reminders about when to start exercising, switch to another exercise, or when it is your meal time or time for water intake. The settings feature enables customizing the app's appearance and functionality to add a personal touch. And finally, in-app purchases and subscriptions for premium content, such as exclusive workouts or personalized coaching, are must-have features for any fitness app to generate revenue.

Fitness apps may offer other advanced features that can significantly improve the user experience.  Integrating with wearable devices like smartwatches allows real-time data tracking and personalized recommendations. Incorporating AI and augmented reality can provide tailored workout suggestions and immersive experiences. Gamification adds elements like scores, progress levels, and rewards to make exercising more engaging. Social media integration enables users to share achievements and connect with others. By adding calendar functionality, it is possible to allow users to schedule and share workouts, while with online chatting and video streaming, it is possible to let them exercise together virtually. 

Development platform: 

Like other domains, fitness apps can be developed for web, iOS, and Android. Your platform choice should align with your target audience, their needs, the type of app you're creating, and the features you plan to include. The Android platform has more users, but it takes longer, and it is more expensive to develop such apps as they need to be tested on different Android phone models. Choosing to develop for one of mobile platforms will limit the app's potential users. At the same time, developing for both platforms can significantly increase costs. Cross-platform development using frameworks like Flutter and React Native has become a popular solution for creating an app with one code base suitable for both Android and iOS platforms without doubling the costs.

App Design:

App design plays one of the most important factors in the overall success of apps. Users prefer attractive and intuitive apps and creating such a design will require more time and experienced designers, which adds to the development cost. Colorful graphics, animations, interactivity, and compatibility with devices like tablets and smartwatches enhance the user experience in a fitness app. Incorporating augmented reality and other design elements can make the app more engaging but will also increase the overall cost.

It is worth mentioning that, just like with any other app, developing an app is just the beginning of the journey. It's equally important to consider maintenance and updates and not to overlook marketing expenses. The estimated cost of maintaining a fintech app is 20-30% of your initial investment.

So, how much will it cost to build a fitness app?

The cost of creating a fitness app ranges between $20,000 for simple apps to $150,000 for apps with advanced functionalities.

Based on the app's complexity, here are some rough estimates:

• Basic Fitness App: $20,000 - $50,000: These can be apps like a simple step counter, basic workout logger, basic diet tracker, or meditation and relaxation apps with basic features such as user registration, workout tracking, nutrition logging, and basic notifications and reminders.

• Moderate Fitness App: $50,000 - $70,000: These can be personal training apps, nutrition and meal planning apps, or social fitness apps with more advanced features like social sharing, personalized workout plans, integration with wearable devices, detailed progress analytics, and in-app purchases or subscription models.

• Complex Fitness App: $70,000 - $150,000+: These can be AI-driven coaching apps, Augmented Reality fitness apps, comprehensive Health and Wellness Platforms, or live streaming and virtual training apps that will include highly advanced features such as AI and machine learning, AR technology, gamification elements, real-time interaction, extensive integration with multiple wearable devices, and sophisticated data visualization and analysis.

Based on the type of the app, the average cost range is:

• Workout apps start from $20,000 for simple workout loggers with user registration, workout tracking, basic notifications, and a limited library of exercises to $100,000 for apps with personalized workout plans, video tutorials, integration with wearable devices, social sharing features, and detailed progress analytics.

• Diet apps may range from $20,000 for basic trackers with food logging, calorie counting, and nutrition information to $100,000 for more advanced apps that include meal planning, recipe suggestions, barcode scanning, integration with fitness trackers, and personalized dietary recommendations.

• Activity tracking apps can range from $20,000 for simple step counters and basic activity logging with user registration and basic notifications to $140,000 for advanced apps that include GPS tracking, detailed activity analysis, social sharing, integration with wearable devices, real-time feedback, integration with multiple devices, and support for various activities (running, cycling, swimming).

• Meditation or yoga apps can cost from $20,000 for guided meditation or yoga sessions with user registration and basic session frequency tracking to $100,000 for apps that include a library of sessions, personalized plans, video tutorials, integration with wearable devices, and community features.

• Fitness coaching and apps with other AI or AR capabilities can cost anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000. These can include AI-driven personalization, augmented reality workouts, gamification elements, live streaming for virtual training, extensive integration with wearable devices, sophisticated data visualization and analysis, and real-time interaction with virtual trainers.

Here is the breakdown of approximate possible costs based on functionality: 

Login/Signups/Registration + Profile Creation: $1,000 - $3,000

Workout Plans: $7,000 - $12,000

Push Notifications: $1,500 - $3,000

In-app Payments Integration: $2,500 - $4,000

Advanced Search and Filtering: $3,000 - $5,000

Calorie Nutrition Counter Feature: $2,000 - $5,000

Diet and Meal Planning: $10,000 - $20,000

User Dashboard and Analytics: $5,000 - $10,000

Social Sharing and Community Features: $5,000 - $10,000

Integration with Wearable Devices: $10,000 - $30,000

GPS API Integration: $2,500 - $6,000

Gamification Features: $10,000 - $15,000

On-Demand Video Submission: $15,000 - $30,000

Virtual Personal Trainer (AI-driven): $20,000 - $50,000

AR/VR Integration: $30,000 - $60,000

Live Streaming and Virtual Classes: $20,000 - $40,000

Bottom Line

Creating a basic to moderate fitness app usually costs $20,000 to $70,000, depending on the app type, features, platform, and design. If you want to implement custom animation and innovative technologies such as AI and AR, the costs will increase to $100,000 and even higher. The right development team will help you define a clear strategy for creating a successful fitness app that focuses on those essential features that satisfy and benefit users, promote engagement, and offer a seamless experience.