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Developing a fitness application is currently at the peak of its popularity. With an increasing number of people focusing on their health, fitness apps have become a standard feature on nearly every smartphone. COVID-19 has only pushed this trend further, strengthening it. With practically no open gyms and in-person fitness halls available, people turn to virtual classes to keep fit and stay active. Consider a mobile fitness app like MyFitnessPal. In 2021, their product gained over $2.5 million while staying on track to become the highest-grossing fitness app of all time. Subsequently, lots of people will ask: “How to develop a fitness app like that?” or, more precisely, “How to make a fitness app that everyone will love?”
To answer all of these questions and cast all of the doubts away, we prepare this article. A small but concise guide on how to make a fitness app of your dream.
What are the core functions of a fitness app?
Just as every single application has a particular set of functionalities and features. The main goal of which is to benefit both the client and the owner. To do this, you need to comply with the application features for fitness centers. Here is what is recommended to consider:
- Registration and authorization – Every user should register his profile, while authorization should be simple and straightforward. Registration allows users to access personal data, statistics, and personal workouts. It is a direct opportunity for a fitness app to keep a database of clients, understand their needs, and establish communication.
- Personal cabinet – Includes personal data, access to the application functionality, and its features. A personal cabinet can reflect individual workouts, indicators, statistics, and other personal data.
- Third-party Devices – Fitness apps should connect to third-party devices, such as smartwatches or fitness bracelets. Such a feature will provide comfort and enjoyment to users, benefit owners by increasing loyalty, customer interest, and retention through enhanced features.
- Tracking user activity – An important addition that provides tracking and monitoring of physical exercise or results. This is one of the primary app motivators that convinces the client to use the app and continue exercising.
- Geolocation – An essential function for fitness apps, as the app can show you what kind of routine you have traveled through while making users feel as if they have gained a new achievement.
- Notifications and reminders – Another important motivator is daily physical sessions, meals, and other tasks. Notifications significantly increase engagement and increase the time spent in the app.
- Set of Goals – Every mobile fitness app should be able to set goals. Proper visual design with an additional motivation quote or a video will make the app more exciting and attractive.
- Monetization model – Of course, every fitness app should generate a generous amount of income for its owner. Depending on the chosen monetization model, developers offer options for implementation. The most popular choices are the one-time paid version and subscription model.
Types of Fitness Applications
There are several types of apps, each filled with purpose, value, usage, and meaning. To stress out and highlight the most popular ones that became significant trends in recent years, we summarized all core fitness apps.
Workouts and Exercise Apps
This type of app includes workout plans, workout techniques, sets of pre-made workouts, and so on. The primary purpose of such a fitness application is to show users how to do correct exercises and keep track of the progress of all their workouts.
Nutrition and dieting Apps
Suitable for an audience that wants to lose weight, gain mass, and change body shapes. A good nutrition control app should be able to “adjust” to the users’ needs, identify achievements and statistics of results while having lots of other tools. Among them are a calorie counter, recipes, nutrition tips, and interaction among other app users (social media sharing).
Personal Trainer Apps
An excellent solution for pandemic times, when fitness centers are currently closed. You get a fitness application with a personal online coach. Interaction with clients increases, attracting new users to online gyms. You can publish streams or video workouts, seminars, and other content in the app, providing the opportunity to pay for classes. You can also sell the services of a personal trainer who will monitor the results online.
Multifunctional Apps
The application combines several fitness and workout functions, from practical workout techniques to a personalized online coach for your flexible time. But the cost of development is higher due to the volume of extensive functionalities involved. For the customers, however, the advantage here is that every single function from different fitness app types is combined in one digital product. They can control their workouts, nutrition, trackers, personal achievements, and lots of other features. FBusinesswners will get a flexible monetization system, implement paid functions, and increase audience due to versatility.
Tracking Apps
Relatively simple applications whose task is to count the user’s actions. Calories, speed, distance, time – it doesn’t matter. The app uses the cell phone’s accelerometer or connects to third-party devices, like a heart rate monitor, fitness bracelet, and so on, to execute its purpose.
Wellness Apps
This is a category of apps designed for unconventional fitness styles. Yoga, meditation, Oriental practices, and other methods of exercise are included here. Such applications implement the function of demonstrating audio and video content, motivational content, and timers for unique fitness techniques.
What are the steps in making a fitness application?
When you are trying to make a fitness app, there are lots of factors that are taken into account. Here is a breakdown of these complex steps consisting of several stages.
Evaluation
Here, the primary goals and objectives are defined. Will it be an iPhone app only or an android app? Can it be a cross-platform app for both operating systems? The market is assessed, the details are studied, and the cost of the application is determined. The main task is to understand what the result should be and how it should look like.
The planning stage
The market, competitors, and target audience are thoroughly studied. Information about the analog products is gathered, the proof of concept is developed. During the planning stage, analytical work is carried out, up to the promotion methods. The main task is to understand the target audience and attract customers so that your business model can function.
Development and testing
A designer works out the design layout, fulfilling the first part of the question “how to make a fitness app”, taking into account the user experience and interface (UX/UI design). Then a prototype is created, and after its approval, the developers start writing code. The application is developed with your chosen tech stack, after which it is necessarily tested and checked for any errors or software bugs. As a result, a stylish and practical product is created. The main task here is to follow the previously outlined plan and make a fitness app that fully meets customers’ needs.
Release and post-release support
After the development and testing phase, an app release is conducted. The app is then uploaded to digital marketplaces. For Android, it is Play Market. For iPhone, it is App Store. The marketing plan, which was created during a planning stage, is then implemented. Along with that, further support includes creating updates, fixing bugs, handling customer feedback, and improving the fitness app versions. The main point here is to improve the user experience by considering various behavioral factors of the target audience. In other words, doing everything to make customers want to use the fitness app and constantly promote it.
Monetization Models
There is no doubt that building a fitness app is just one side of your startup. While building a real fitness business with a high adoption rate is a more significant part of both the technological and business sides. And one of the things that require attention from both angles is a fitness monetization model. Let’s review the most popular ones and see how exactly you can improve your business model.
Pay-to-Use
Users pay to install the app under. This revenue model generates an immediate profit, but it does not cause a large amount of revenue than other monetization models. Given the expense of maintaining a team of developers that develops new updates and fix bugs, the app price should be sufficiently high to cover these costs. In this case, users may choose not to purchase the unknown app, which is quite expensive.
This strategy makes sense only if you have a simple fitness app with no serious plans. You can set a low price to cover development costs while still attracting an audience. Later on, you can incorporate additional revenue streams into this project.
In-App Purchases
You create a fitness application and distribute it for free using this strategy. The free app version includes a basic set of more than sufficient features to ensure a seamless experience. However, the app consists of some premium features for a fee. Users are not required to purchase them, but in most cases, if they genuinely enjoy the concept of your app, they will buy features that enhance its core functionality. Almost all fitness applications include in-app purchases. MyFitnessPal and LifeSum both offer an optional subscription that unlocks additional features.
Ads
If you choose this strategy, you will display advertisements from your partners within the app. There are numerous types of ads. You can integrate advertisements promoting products into the app’s various menus. Another option is to use video advertisements in response to specific actions (after a successful workout, for example). It is critical to avoid the overuse of ads, as users dislike them. Consider the ad layout in advance of your app development. In-app advertisements are popular among the fitness industry’s major players.
Combo
You can combine multiple models to maximize your revenue. For instance, if your app displays advertisements, users can get rid of them through a paid subscription. As a result, you’ll profit from both unsubscribed and premium users. Ichallengingcult to find an application that does not make use of the combined model. The primary benefit of a paid subscription is that users are free of advertisements. Almost every business understands it and employs it to its advantage.
What is the cost of developing a fitness app?
The cost of a fitness app depends on many factors. Functionality, type of platform, additional or backlog features. The price is mainly calculated based on the required time for the mobile app development process. Based on our experience, project preparations take around 1 to 2 weeks, design and concept – from 150 to 190 hours, development – from 800 hours or more. To make a much more definite estimate, we invite you to go ahead with our technological flow and take the Design and Discovery Phase. This is an essential preparation step for any startup or a company to identify all of your core mobile app features and avoid common and critical mistakes. If you’re interested, leave your project description, and we will contact you within 24 hours to make a more definite estimation, according to your requirements.
An excellent mobile fitness app is an investment in your clients’ health. A satisfied and healthy client is a monetization model for the app. If a person sees precise results, he is willing to pay for further promotion, motivation, and support. The target audience for such apps is highly energetic and motivational active people from 25 to 40.
In conclusion
All in all, the development process of a fitness application is either not an easy one or complicated too. The thing is you need to carefully examine what kind of fitness application you want to develop and to whom you want to sell it eventually.
However, what if you have searched all along, but you haven’t found the right technical specialist to implement your app? And now you’re too afraid to choose which one might be suitable for you? Then JetRuby might have just what you need. We have developed a technological flow that most of our clients undergo during the past 10 years of constant collaboration and cooperation with various startups. The first one of which is called a Product Development Strategy. It is an accessible business consulting service where our experts will produce a general plan covering the future product development and the action plan with high-level features. Already got interested? Leave your project details below, and we will contact you in under 24 hours!
