How to Build a Fitness App? Detailed Guide

In 2022, the revenue of Paired, the most successful health and fitness app in the Google Play store, reached $2.3 million. Such apps have disrupted the industry, and their usage is expected to grow in the coming years.

Fitness apps are designed for those who want to lead a healthy lifestyle. They help people analyze and improve their workout patterns and eating habits. The global fitness app market will grow to $30.6 billion by 2030. So it makes sense to learn how to go digital now to leverage this trend. Do you want to get a top-level app? Order app development services from Devox Software. Our company can build a custom fitness app from scratch or improve the functionality of an existing product.

In this article, we have analyzed the most popular types of fitness apps and their must-have features. After reading it, you will know how much you should spend on your app. Besides, here, you will find useful tips on increasing the number of downloads of your app by promoting it across multiple channels.

Types of Fitness Applications

To create a fitness app that meets the needs of your target audience, you should start by deciding on the app type. There are workout, gym and fitness, diet and nutrition, wellness, and all-in-one apps available today. Let’s take a closer look at their distinct features.

Workout Apps

It’s a perfect solution for those who want to improve their bodies by exercising regularly. Such an app might offer personalized training plans, helpful videos, and detailed workout guides to help users to get started and establish their workout routine. A workout application should allow users to set goals and monitor their activities.

Centr is one of the most popular apps on the market, offering personalized workout programs.

Fitness Clubs Apps

Such apps typically include convenient scheduling tools and interactive features to boost user engagement. They have progress tracking tools and support integration with popular payment gateways. To enhance the functionality of your app even further, you can also add video streaming features and provide users with access to their stats. These apps also should include up-selling tools.

Nike Training Club app offers a variety of classes and a free video library with training materials.

Diet and Nutrition Apps

If a person needs to change their eating habits, you can provide them with tips from nutrition experts. These apps assist people with losing weight and changing their lifestyles for the best. Make sure to include a visualized diet chart, in-built progress, and calorie intake tracker, as well as cooking recipes. If your company provides consulting services, add messaging tools for contacting your experts.

MyPlate Calorie Counter provides various tools that allow users to keep track of their meals and progress.

Wellness Apps

If you are wondering how to create a fitness app promoting a healthy way of life, build a solution that provides users with motivational content. Such apps include descriptions of yoga and meditation practices. Besides photos, they might contain videos and relaxing music.

Headspace is a perfect example of a wellness app that helps people use meditation techniques to improve their physical and mental health.

All-in-One Solutions

In case your target audience is interested in a multi-functional fitness app that includes features from different categories, you can build a product based on their wishes. Such apps might include video lessons teaching exercise techniques as well as information on well-balanced diets. Keep in mind that such apps are typically more expensive to build and maintain.

BunkerFit is one of the best-known apps of this kind, as it offers a range of wellness solutions.

Must-Have Features for Fitness Apps

When making a fitness app, focus on building the features that suit your monetization model. The most popular apps are focused on solving one major issue a user may have; however, you can also add some extra features to increase user engagement. 

Convenient Sign-Up Options

To increase your subscribers base, encourage people to sign up using their email or social media accounts.

Personalized Data

During the sign-up procedure, you need to get as much information about your users as possible. It will allow you to provide them with personalized services and recommendations tailored to their needs. Ask them about their age, gender, weight, height, and other parameters to help you provide customized workout and nutrition plans.

Visualized Metrics

Fitness app users want detailed information about the time spent on workouts and the number of calories, kilometers, and kilograms. By providing your users with this data, you can make it easier for them to track their progress and become more motivated.

Tools for Setting Clear Goals

Fitness apps help people improve their life by training their bodies and changing their eating habits. By setting achievable goals, users can reach the desired results more quickly, improving their overall experience.

Progress Evaluation Tools

Such options allow users to analyze their activities during a specific period and adjust their long-term goals depending on their current progress and the results that they want to achieve. You should also add an option that allows users to get detailed reports via email. 

Integration With Gadgets

To track their activities, users should be able to use data from their fitness trackers, smartwatches, and smartphones. Some apps also integrate with third-party fitness and health apps and platforms to provide users with tailored recommendations. In addition, your app should be accessed from different devices. User data should be securely stored in the cloud.

Notifications

To help users maintain a workout routine or follow a diet, you need to allow them to turn on notifications. Notifications and reminders will help you increase engagement and user retention rates. However, remember that too many messages may distract users from using your fitness app.

Geolocation

Fitness apps should allow users to visualize their walking, cycling, or running routes. It will help them track their activities and drive them to share the maps of their routes online.

Gamification Features

Most developers of modern fitness apps leverage this trend and add gamification elements to increase the user engagement rate. By providing users with rewards, you can incentivize them to continue using your app. You can also add progress bars, badges, and contests.

Social Sharing Buttons

This feature will help you promote your app online. Users enjoy sharing their results and achievements on social networks, so ensure they have the tools to do it. Such features will help them connect with other users who are also interested in a healthy lifestyle.

Different Payment Options

Users should be able to choose the most suitable payment gateway for their needs. It will encourage them to spend money on in-app purchases.

Security Options

To ensure your users that their data is safe, add extra protection features, such as password protection and multi-factor authentication.

Fitness App Monetization Strategies

To grow your business, you need to select a monetization strategy that will help you maximize your profits. You can monetize your fitness app in different ways, but your final choice should depend on the preferences of your target clients and the features available in your app.

Paid Subscription

If your app requires signing up and collecting personalized information about your users, you have enough information to encourage them to subscribe to your services. It is one of the most cost-efficient solutions for the long-term development of your app. 

You can offer your users to pay for a monthly or annual subscription to get access to an extensive set of features, including detailed reports and advanced tracking tools.

Free Basic Version

Even if you promote your app as a freemium solution, you can still make some features available through in-app purchases. For instance, a premium version might be free of ads or allow users to access training plans tailored to their needs and goals. 

Alternatively, you can offer users to download a trial version of your fitness app and then pay for the subscription to get full access.

In-App Purchases and Store

Besides offering in-app purchases, you can set up an in-app store to sell nutrition products, sports gadgets and equipment, sportswear, and other products that might be of interest to your users.

In-App Ads

This type of advertising is one of the most widely-used monetization strategies. You can either integrate your app with popular ad networks or sign a contract with a company.

Affiliate marketing 

When providing your users with personalized recommendations tailored to their needs, you can include referral links to online stores. It will allow you to receive a percentage of every purchase made via your app.

How Much Does It Cost to Build a Fitness App?

Before building a fitness app, you need to estimate its cost. It depends on various factors, including the fitness app type, its UX/UI design complexity, and more. As a rule, the more features a fitness app has, the more expensive it will be. First, it’s recommended to build an MVP version of your future app and then improve it based on user feedback.

The price of a fitness app developed by Devox Software ranges from $20,000 to $53,400, depending on the complexity of the task. Look at the table below to learn how much you should spend developing an MVP fitness app, a standard fitness app, and a complex fitness app with advanced features. 

Devox Software provides a range of app development services for those who value their time and are looking for a team with extensive experience in back-end and front-end development. The company creates advanced iOS or Android apps as well as takes care of project management tasks.

The Devox Software team developed ActivePlace, a wellness social network with features of an online marketplace. The platform connects regular users, mentors, and businesses while providing personalized features tailored to the needs of each group of users. 

Due to its versatile functionality, the platform provides an enjoyable user experience. It stands out for many features, including a newsfeed, convenient navigation system, achievement board, informative articles, and content customization tools.

If you want to build a custom fitness app, contact the Devox Software team to get a price quote! We will get back in touch within the shortest time possible to provide you with a cost estimate based on your requirements.

How to Grow a Fitness App

It is not enough to learn how to develop a fitness app to succeed. You need to promote it as well. Develop your marketing strategy before your product gets to the market. You can use influencer marketing techniques to engage a wider audience, create high-quality content explaining how to use your fitness app, as well as use a blog to promote your fitness app online and increase the search engine ranking of your site. 

By leveraging social media marketing techniques, you can expand your user base. You can also allocate a budget to pay for online ads and video tutorials explaining how to use your fitness app.

One of the first things you should do is to list your app on App Store or Play Store. It will increase your online visibility. In addition, you can establish a partnership with popular fitness blogs in your business niche and ask them to promote your app. By engaging your audience through different marketing channels, you can expand your base of subscribers and increase your profits.

Influencer Marketing

While this technique might seem overused, it is quite effective in promoting niche products. It is suitable for those who have just launched their apps and don’t have much money to spend on marketing campaigns. The most important thing is to find the right influencers interested in promoting your fitness app.

Paid Ads

Launch an advertising campaign on social media platforms preferred by your audience. You might also need to pay for the services an ad network provides that can display your ads on multiple platforms.

Use Content Marketing Techniques

To promote your app, create a website with a blog. It will allow people to get timely updates on new features and releases, learn more about your app and its tools, and read reviews left by your clients. 

You can publish SEO-optimized articles explaining tips your readers can use to establish a workout routine and become healthier. It will allow you to improve your brand’s visibility, boost the engagement rate, and establish long-term relationships with your clients.

App Store Optimization

Instead of focusing solely on fitness app development, you should also learn how to make the page of your product in the App Store rank higher. Using relevant keywords, you can improve the digital presence of your brand.

Incentivize Your Clients

By offering bonuses and discounts to your clients for sharing links to your fitness app online, you can promote it on social networks and expand your user base.

Summing Up

Building a top-level fitness app requires strong technical skills, years of experience, and an ability to use innovative technologies to improve user experience. Devox Software creates turnkey solutions for those who want to increase the revenue of their businesses by establishing a strong online presence. 

Our team of experts will help your company to go digital by creating a future-proof solution tailored to your needs. We provide continuous support and tirelessly work on improving our projects to ensure that our clients are delighted with the result.

Whether you want to build a custom fitness app or improve the functionality of an existing one, contact our team to learn more about our web app development services and get a price quote. Our professionals will help you bring your ideas to life and create a top-level fitness app for developing your business.