Aaptiv Review

Monday, May 19th

2025 Online Fitness Program Reviews

Aaptiv

• Cost: Yearly plan $99.99 after 7-day free trial, monthly subscription costs $14.99
• Library of audio workouts spanning everything from treadmill sessions to strength training
• SmartCoach AI creates personalized workout plans based on goals, preferences, and fitness levels; plans adapt based on progress tracking
• Available on iOS and Android
• Users can compete in monthly fitness challenges and share "sweaty selfies" in the team feed
• New gym access partnership offering entry to 19,500+ national and boutique gyms, but only available through employer/health plan benefits, not for individual subscribers

Aaptiv began as a groundbreaking audio-first fitness platform that solved a common workout problem: the need to stare at screens while exercising. It's clear, well-produced audio workouts let you focus on form and movement while expert trainers guide you through each session.

Original features were remarkable

Aaptiv's initial strength lay in its extensive library of audio workouts, spanning everything from treadmill sessions to strength training. Integration with fitness trackers and health apps provided detailed metrics and progress tracking, while thoughtfully-structured programs helped users build consistent workout habits.

You can now get gym access through your employer benefits

Recently, Aaptiv has restructured its business model to include employer health benefits and gym access partnerships. This sounds exciting at first - you can potentially access over 19,500 national and boutique gyms and studios, with the flexibility to visit multiple locations per day (if you're into that) and no long-term contracts. However, this feature isn't available to regular Aaptiv subscribers. You can only access the gym network if it's offered through your employer or health plan benefits (and even then, some locations might limit how many times you can visit per month).

Individuals have been left behind

It's pretty obvious that the average individual is no longer Aaptiv's focus in how they've redesigned their website. When you visit their site now, you won't find clear pricing information where you'd expect it - even on the "Individuals" page, they're more interested in showing you gym locations (which you wouldn't even qualify for). You'll need to create an account just to see how much a subscription costs, which is frustrating since this information used to be readily available. (We looked into it for you: a yearly plan is $99.99 after a 7-day free trial, while a monthly subscription costs $14.99.) The website now seems laser-focused on promoting their employer benefits to the point of removing most of the helpful content that used to show you what the app can do. All that remains are a few screenshots of the app's interface and some audio workout previews. Corporate partnerships are the cool kids at the table now, while individual subscribers are left eating lunch alone.

The app might not even work well anymore

This expansion also seems to have come at the cost of maintaining and improving the app's core functionality. The app maintains above-average ratings in both the Google Play and iOS stores (for now), but there's been an influx of complaints about technical issues, from disconnected health app integrations to workout downloads failing to function. Basic features that once worked just fine now malfunction regularly. Heart rate tracking and calorie counting features have become unreliable, and the app frequently defaults to offline mode without explanation.

Your chosen gym may drop out of network without warning

If you're considering an Aaptiv membership through your employer benefits, you may still want to think twice about the value proposition. Here's a real customer's cautionary tale: They switched from a Lifetime gym membership to Aaptiv to save money, only to face a shocking 35% price increase just a week after signing up. To make matters worse, they discovered that Lifetime was no longer even available in Aaptiv's network as of November 1st of that year - information that wasn't disclosed upfront. (And if you're thinking this might be a one-off experience, another new member reported the exact same 35% price hike just days into their membership). The situation left this customer unable to return to their original gym due to waitlists, essentially trapped between higher prices and fewer benefits than they originally signed up for.

Not recommended anymore

While Aaptiv still maintains its extensive library of audio workouts (as far as we can tell), the technical issues and shift in focus suggest a company that's lost sight of what made it special. The addition of employer benefits and gym access might be great news for some, but the neglect of core features that longtime users depended on means we can no longer recommend Aaptiv as an online fitness tool.