About Peloton – Fitness & Workouts
I’ve been using this app for several months now, and I’ll be honest—I wasn’t expecting much. My old fitness app (I won’t name names) sold out, pushed too many ads, and generally became unusable. I needed something that could keep up with me, not just a few basic yoga flows. Peloton’s mobile app, without the expensive bike or tread, surprised me. You get access to thousands of classes: strength, running, cycling if you have a spin bike, yoga, meditation, even outdoor walking and hiking guided audio. The instructors actually talk to you like a person, not a robot. I’ve done more 45-minute strength sessions in the last few months than I did in the previous year. It’s not perfect—more on that later—but it’s the most consistent workout companion I’ve had since I started taking fitness seriously.
Features & Highlights
What sets this apart from every other app is the sheer variety. I’m talking over 50 different class types, from HIIT cardio to prenatal yoga to boxing. You can filter by music genre, instructor, duration, even whether you want to focus on a specific body part. There’s also the live class schedule—I’ve joined a 6:30 AM live run session on a Wednesday and actually felt like I was in a studio with other people. The leaderboard is there if you care about competition; I mostly ignore it. The app also tracks your total workout time, calories burned, and streaks. I’ve had a 14-week streak going now. It integrates with Apple Health, so all your data syncs without extra effort. For someone like me who hates setting up integrations, that’s a big win.
User Experience
The interface is clean but not perfect. I’ve had moments where the app crashes mid-workout—specifically during a 45-minute strength block last month, right when I was on my third set. That was frustrating. Audio can sometimes desync from video on older workouts, and the search function is oddly clunky; if you misspell an instructor’s name, it won’t suggest anything helpful. On the plus side, the offline download feature works well. I’ve pre-downloaded classes before heading to the gym where there’s no cell service, and they play smoothly. The community feature with high-fives is cute but not essential. I prefer to just focus on my own form. Overall, it’s a solid experience if you can forgive the occasional glitch.
Pricing
Here’s where opinions split. It’s free to download, but you need a subscription to access basically everything worthwhile. It’s around $12.99 a month or $129 a year for the app-only membership—that’s without owning their hardware. If you already have a Peloton bike or tread, you get the app bundled. For me, $12.99 a month is reasonable given how many classes you get. But I’ve seen some users complain that it’s too expensive compared to other fitness apps that offer similar content for less. I’d say if you use it 4-5 times a week, it’s worth it. If you’re sporadic, maybe not. There’s no free tier with ads, just a very limited free trial. That’s a bit of a bummer.
Updates & Support
I contacted support once because my Apple Watch wasn’t syncing heart rate data for three days straight. I submitted a ticket on a Friday morning and got a reply the following Monday afternoon—so about three and a half days. Not instant, but the person was helpful and walked me through unpairing and repairing my devices. It worked after that. The app gets updated roughly every two weeks, sometimes fixing bugs, sometimes adding new features like the recent “Strength+ Revamp” that improved the weight tracking interface. I still see occasional crashes, but they’re less frequent than when I first started using it. Developer responsiveness seems decent for an app this big.
Security & Privacy
Peloton asks for a decent amount of permissions: location services (for outdoor runs), health data, camera (if you want to do video calls or profile pictures), and notifications. I’m not thrilled about how much health data they collect, but they do have a clear privacy policy and they’re HIPAA compliant for health-related info. I haven’t heard of any major data breaches affecting Peloton recently, which counts for something. You can delete your account and all associated data easily from the settings menu. It’s not the most private fitness app out there, but it’s also not the worst. I’d give it a B-minus on privacy.
Can I use the Peloton app without owning a Peloton bike or treadmill?
Yes, absolutely. The app-only membership gives you access to thousands of classes including strength, running, yoga, meditation, and outdoor walking without needing any Peloton hardware. You just need a subscription at $12.99 per month.
How do I filter classes by music genre, instructor, or body focus?
In the app, use the search or browse section to apply filters like music genre, instructor name, class duration, or specific body part focus. This makes it easy to find exactly the workout you want from over 50 class types.
What should I do if the app crashes or audio desyncs during a workout?
If the app crashes mid-workout, try force-closing it and reopening, then resume your class. For audio desync issues on older workouts, try restarting the class or downloading it offline beforehand, as offline playback tends to be more stable.
Why does the search function not show results when I misspell an instructor's name?
The Peloton app's search is not very forgiving with typos and won't suggest corrections. To find a specific instructor, try typing their full name correctly or browse the instructor list directly from the class filter menu instead.
How does Peloton's app-only membership compare to other fitness apps like Apple Fitness+?
Peloton offers a much wider variety of class types—over 50, including boxing, prenatal yoga, and outdoor audio walks—compared to many competitors. At $12.99/month, it's slightly more expensive than some alternatives, but the instructor quality and live class schedule give it an edge for consistent users.
