Indoor Cycling Apps

Indoor Cycling Apps: What’s Worth Your Money

Indoor training app options have gotten complicated with all the platforms and pricing changes flying around. As someone who used to hate the trainer — staring at a wall while minutes crawled by — I learned everything there is to know about how these apps changed indoor training after trying Zwift and finding it almost fun. Today, I’ll share the honest breakdown.

Zwift: The 800-Pound Gorilla

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Zwift gamified indoor cycling and it works. Ride through virtual worlds, racing or riding with thousands online. Your avatar levels up, unlocks gear, competes for jerseys.

Best for: People motivated by social riding and competition. Group rides and races happen constantly.

Downsides: Most expensive at around $15/month. Cartoony graphics. Can be distracting if you just want to train.

Verdict: Default choice for most indoor cyclists. Start here unless you have specific reasons not to.

TrainerRoad: The Serious Training App

No games, no virtual worlds. Just structured workouts and training plans. AI-driven adaptive training adjusts based on performance.

Best for: Goal-oriented cyclists wanting to get faster. Triathletes, racers, structured plan followers.

Downsides: Boring to look at. No social features. Requires self-motivation.

Verdict: If performance is your goal and you don’t need entertainment, probably delivers better results per hour than Zwift.

Rouvy: Real Roads, Virtual Riding

That’s what makes Rouvy endearing to us realism seekers — video of actual roads with augmented reality overlays. Want to “ride” Alpe d’Huez before going there? Rouvy shows the real thing.

Best for: People finding Zwift graphics unimmersive.

Downsides: Video quality varies. Smaller community. Requires more bandwidth.

Verdict: Great if realism matters more than social features.

Peloton: Instructor-Led Experience

Live and on-demand classes with charismatic instructors, pumping music, leaderboards. More like spin class than simulation cycling.

Best for: People thriving on instructor motivation and class energy.

Downsides: App-only (without hardware) is limited. Less about cycling training, more about fitness classes.

Wahoo SYSTM (Formerly Sufferfest)

Intense structured workouts with entertainment — videos, music, storylines. Also yoga, strength, mental training.

Best for: People wanting variety beyond cycling.

Downsides: Less social than Zwift. Workouts can be intimidatingly hard.

Free Options

Zwift free routes give a taste. YouTube has tons of free indoor cycling videos. RGT Cycling has a free tier with decent features.

What You Need

All work best with smart trainers adjusting resistance automatically. “Dumb” trainers with speed sensors work but lose immersive simulation.

Any decent tablet, laptop, or Apple TV runs these apps. Big screen is better.

My Recommendation

Try Zwift’s free trial first. If you want more structure, try TrainerRoad. If Zwift’s graphics bother you, try Rouvy.

These apps make indoor training tolerable. Some people look forward to it. That alone justifies subscription cost if you have real winter.