Fitness App Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Exercise & Weight Loss, Diet & Nutrition, Activity Tracking), By Platform (Android, iOS), By Device, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

The global fitness app market size was valued at USD 1.1 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.6% from 2022 to 2030. The spreading COVID-19 pandemic led to nationwide lockdowns followed by social distancing norms, thereby aiding the transition from traditional studios and gyms to virtual fitness. It, in turn, has led to increased downloads and subscriptions of fitness apps. As per a report published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), it has been stated that fitness apps were ranked at number 13 in accordance with the 2019 fitness trends.

Tough competition has been witnessed between brick-and-mortar gyms against in-app fitness. Information technology has transformed the way the fitness industry works. According to an article published by World Economic Forum in September 2020, it is stated that downloads of fitness and health apps increased globally by 46.0% due to the growing trend of online fitness training, which is driving the market globally. The growing awareness regarding fitness and mental well-being is also driving the market.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in awareness concerning health and hygiene. As per a World Economic Forum article published in September 2020, the Daily Active Users (DAUs) of fitness apps have increased by 24.0% in quarter 2 over quarter 1 in 2020. Moreover, the expanding network of fitness studios and gyms through online platforms is further aiding the adoption of these apps. Owing to this, several consumers are significantly investing in in-home fitness equipment, thus boosting revenue growth. For instance, revenue generated by Peloton, a U.S.-based exercise equipment company, has been estimated to double in 2020.

COVID-19 fitness app market impact: an increase of 48.8% between 2019 and 2020

These apps are utilizing machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other technologies to offer personalized fitness plans to their customers. They also offer personalized diet charts, no equipment workout routines, track footsteps, monitor diet, and also provide personalized health and fitness coaches. Such offerings and advantages over brick and mortars are expected to increase the growth potential of the market. For instance, MyFitnessPal offers personalized diet and activity tracking to its users, generating a revenue of USD 6.7 million in June 2020. In addition, wearable technology has remained the leading fitness trend for 2019. Health and fitness apps show the highest retention rates across all categories with 96.0% of users using only one of these apps.

Another major factor aiding the market growth is the increasing penetration of smartphones worldwide. As per the Mobile Economy Survey 2018, smartphone penetration is projected to increase from 57.0% in 2017 to 77.0% by 2025. In addition, as per the Mobile Economy 2018 survey, unique mobile subscribers are anticipated to reach 5.9 billion by 2025. Moreover, the growing adoption of wearable devices including Fitbit and Apple Watch will further aid the market growth.

Key players operating in the market are introducing innovative fitness apps to meet the growing consumer demand, thereby projected to drive the market globally. Moreover, new functions and advanced features are further added to upgrade the consumer experience. For instance, in June 2020, HealthifyMe - a health and nutrition app launched HealthifyMe Studio, which provides live streaming interactive workouts. Moreover, the entry of new market players was comparatively easy 5 years ago, owing to the gap in demand and supply in terms of functionality. Simple Design and Leap Fitness Group held approximately 19.17% and 10.44% share, respectively, of five hundred best-performing apps in Apple Store and Google Play. Running apps have also witnessed significant growth. This can be attributed to the growing mergers & acquisitions in the market. For instance, five fitness apps including Runtastic and Runkeeper were acquired by sports apparel brands in 2015-2016.

Several investment firms and capital ventures are investing in the fitness app industry. The effectiveness and adoption of these apps have led to increased investments in the fitness app sector. In May 2019, Future Fitness announced that it has received USD 8.5 million in Series A funding led by Kleiner Perkins, an American venture capital firm. Other investors in the company include Khosla Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Founders Fund, and Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger. In addition, Fittr raised USD 2.0 million in April 2020. It, in turn, is expected to positively impact the market growth.

Type Insights

The exercise and weight loss segment held the largest revenue share of over 50.0% in 2021. Exercise and weight loss apps encourage users to exercise often with the help of scheduled notifications. These workout apps are usually equipped with audio cues, video demos, and fitness tracking tools, which can help in maintaining an exercise routine. A few examples of such apps include Nike Training Club, Daily Workouts Fitness Trainer, Aaptiv, 7 Minute Workout, Garmin Connect, SworkIt, Daily Yoga, FitOn, 8fit Workouts, and Adidas Training by Runtastic.

The growing adoption of exercise and weight loss apps among a large consumer group is fueling the segment growth. In addition, exercise and weight loss apps ease/modify the step/process of tracking/monitoring calorie intake (daily) to a macronutrient level, such as fats and carbohydrates, as well as provide a customized lifestyle plan based on user feed data. Hence, owing to the ease of use and user-friendliness, these apps have been witnessing high demand over the past few years.

The activity tracking segment is anticipated to register a significant CAGR over the forecast period. The fitness activity monitoring market is led by key brands, including Jawbone, Fitbit, and Nike. These activity monitoring apps are followed by LG, Pebble, Samsung, and other companies that integrate activity tracking features in their wearable devices. As per a new IDC report, the demand for smartwatches is anticipated to surpass consumer interest in fitness trackers. However, as per Fitbit, fitness trackers have been still witnessing high demand over the last few years and are expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period. Features such as comparing an individual’s performance with other app users, sharing highlights of daily activity on social media via Instagram stories, etc., and having friendly competition in the workout regime to encourage an active lifestyle are factors driving the segment.

Platform Insights

The iOS segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 50.0% in 2021. High adoption of iOS devices has been fueling the segment growth over the past few years. For instance, active Apple device users increased from 1.4 billion in the first fiscal quarter of 2019 to 1.5 billion in the first fiscal quarter of 2020, according to Apple, Inc. The fitness apps designed for iOS devices are capable of providing fitness coaching, activity tracking, streaming workout classes, and inspiration & motivational videos for workouts, guided meditations, stretching, and others. Some of the major fitness apps designed for the iOS platform for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch include Centr, 7 Minute Workout, MyFitnessPal, Sworkit, Freeletics, Keelo, JEFIT, Strava, and PEAR.

The Android segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate of 18.6% over the forecast period. Tracking health and fitness through Android smartphones have become popular in the past years. Fitness apps can be downloaded on Android devices and various functions such as gathering workout ideas, setting fitness goals, tracking calorie intake, and other activities can be performed. Owing to the increasing adoption of smartphones globally and the rising number of Android users at a rapid rate, this segment is expected to grow fast during the forecast period. Fitness apps available on the Android platform include MyFitnessPal, Google Fit, Sworkit, Runstastic, and Leap Fitness Workout Apps.

Device Insights

Smartphones accounted for the largest revenue share of over 65.0% in 2021. An increase in the penetration of smartphones globally is a key factor contributing to the segment growth. In 2019, the worldwide adoption of smartphones was estimated at 65.0%, which is anticipated to increase to 75.0% by 2022. With the everchanging technology in the fitness industry, the majority of people are choosing to switch to their smartphones instead of going to gyms and fitness clubs to enhance their regular routine workout. Accessing fitness platforms through smartphones allows them to save personal training fees and expensive fitness clubs/gyms training, thereby supporting the segment growth.

The wearable devices segment is expected to grow at a significant rate over the forecast period. According to Pew Research Center, as of June 2019, around 21% of individuals in the U.S. use a wearable device. The adoption of wearable devices, similar to most digital technologies, varies according to socioeconomic factors such as income, education, and occupation. The same study showed that 31% of individuals from the household income group of USD 75,000 or above per year use wearable fitness devices, which significantly drops down to 12% of users from the household income group of USD 30,000 or less per year. High adoption of wearable devices by people in the U.S. is expected to drive the market over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

In 2021, North America accounted for the largest revenue share of over 35.0%. Various factors such as rapid growth in the usage of smartphones, growth in coverage networks, a rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases, an increase in the geriatric population, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are driving the adoption of fitness apps in North America. The U.S. is the leading market for fitness applications across the globe. One of the major factors contributing to the growth of the market is the high adoption of mHealth in North America. The fitness app usage has exaggerated during the COVID-19 pandemic as amid COVID-19 related lockdown, 74.0% of the Americans have been witnessed using at least one fitness app, according to a survey conducted by Freeletics. Moreover, 60.0% of these consumers have planned to cancel gym memberships.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the most lucrative regional market during the forecast period owing to the increasing penetration of smartphones and smart wearables and the growing adoption of mHealth services. According to the report The Mobile Economy 2017 by GSMA, smartphone connections in the Asia Pacific region reached 47% by the end of 2016 and are estimated to reach 62% by 2020. Increasing affordability is leading to a rise in the adoption of smartphones to access various applications for fitness. Factors such as rising healthcare expenditure, increasing incidence of obesity, and the growing number of athletes are motivating governments as well as private organizations to develop new models for fitness regimes. As per an article published by World Economic Forum, the health and fitness app downloads grew by 157% in India, equaling fifty-eight million new app users.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Key players are introducing fitness apps to cater to the growing consumer demand, which is projected to drive the market globally. Moreover, new functions and features are added to enhance the customer experience. For instance, in June 2020, HealthifyMe, a health and nutrition app, launched HealthifyMe Studio to provide live and interactive workouts. In addition, competitive rivalry in the market is high as this industry is highly fragmented, which leads to prolonged market competition, with innovations often used to influence buyers. Moreover, aggregated growth of the online/virtual fitness market worldwide is significantly high, leading to increased growth in the market for fitness apps; therefore, product differentiation is expected to be a primary objective in the marketplace. Moreover, fitness app developers are striving to increase their market shares through the introduction of innovative fitness and health-related platforms and digitally integrated medical devices. Some prominent players in the global fitness app market include:

• Adidas

• Appster

• FitnessKeeper

• Fitbit, Inc.

• Azumio, Inc.

• MyFitnessPal Inc.

• Noom

• Nike

• Under Armour, Inc.

• WillowTree, Inc.

• Polar Electro

• Kayla Itsines

• Google

• Fooducate

• ASICS America Corporation

Fitness App Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2030. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research, Inc. has segmented the global fitness app market report on the basis of type, platform, device, and region:

• Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2030)

  • Exercise & Weight Loss

  • Diet & Nutrition

  • Activity Tracking

• Platform Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2030)

  • Android

  • iOS

  • Others

• Device Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2030)

  • Smartphones

  • Tablets

  • Wearable Devices

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • U.K.

    • Germany

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

    • Australia

  • Latin America

    • Mexico

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa