How To Develop a Fitness App: Tips and Tricks

Today’s fitness market is huge combining personal coaches, gym owners, sportswear manufacturers, and even Instagram fitness stars all over the globe. Maintaining fitness requires daily habits and lifestyle changes. Another development in recent years is mobile apps, which have become an integral part of the fitness industry. Everyone needs a little bit of help. The majority of gym lovers download fitness apps to pack on muscle or trim fat. Below, you will learn about the various features, discover the development costs and how to monetise your app. We will also provide you some important tips to create the perfect fitness app.

Consider the Fitness App Features

If you are willing to develop a fitness app, you should be very clear about the specific categories you are planning to incorporate. It is important to do a lot of research in order to prepare the draft of your fitness app. You should first make a list of the features which should be incorporated. 

There are mainly 5 types of fitness apps which are commonly found on the App Store and Google Play. Let's look at each of them: 

1. Basic features: They usually have a range of sessions which are classified according to a level of a user. They mainly incorporate short workout sessions. 

2. Activity Tracking: Such apps easily track users' movements with the help of GPS. They are also compatible with different fitness wearables.

3. Diet & Nutrition: They help users track the number of consumed calories. These apps demand a high level of personalisation.

4. Workout On Demand: These apps provide everything needed for gym sessions. Users can choose which part of the body they want to work out first. 

5. Social Block and Workout Music: These apps contain tools which help to enhance user engagement with music

Cost Involved & Monetisation 

When it comes to costs, it depends on the features, the number of hours and research involved to develop a fitness app. You may need a minimum of $13000 to create a basic fitness app. This cost is just an estimation and if there are complex features and more than 5 blocks or categories then it will cost you much more.

There are several ways to receive profit, you can choose among:

Ads. You can cooperate with other fitness-oriented businesses and allow them to run advertising campaigns in your app. You can charge a cost-per-click or a cost-per-mile commission.

Sponsored content. This business model includes partnering with fitness experts and gyms. Your partners can distribute valuable content to the app users and enrich your app with their expertise.

Paid apps. Before using your app, users should buy it. The price on the app may vary depending on the application type, mobile platform, and the content you offer  

In-app purchases. If you want to launch a free fitness app but make it profitable, you can encourage users to buy something in your app. There are many types of in-app purchases you can offer, from premium content to healthy diet recipes.

Freemium. Your users receive basic app features for free but should pay for the premium feature set. Such a business model is also known as a premium subscription model. It means that basic features are free, and advanced fitness plans or personal coaching services are paid.

Tips to Develop a Complete Fitness Apps

There are a plenty of tips available on how to make a fitness app. Let’s look into some of them:

A personal account is necessary for a fitness app. It provides users with an opportunity to switch between numerous devices and not be afraid that the data might get lost.

There is no need to make a direct connection between an app and hardware sensors for fetching health data as they are already present in smartphones. There are API’s and SDK’s in Apple Health Fit and Google Fit which help to get basic tracking stats such as steps taken, distance traveled, and even burned calories. 

It's very important for a fitness app to be compatible with as many trackers as possible. We also recommend to integrate the app with wearables by using SDKs and API’s Jawbone UP, Misfit, and Fitbit.

When it comes to building running features, Tomtom can be of great help, providing real-time navigation services and maps which significantly improve user experience. Make use of HealthGraph API to track users' health measurements and activities. 

An overpacked schedule is the most common barrier to fitness.