Best indoor training apps for cycling: virtual riding platforms and training apps
Whether it’s virtual racing and riding or training tracking, planning and analysis, there are plenty of options to choose from
With the summer months now behind us, riding indoors helps you to supplement the hours lost on the road due to challenging weather conditions and fading light. The best indoor training apps offer plenty of options to keep you fit over the winter months, from virtual routes to live racing, as well as dedicated training plans and data analysis.
This vast choice however does make it a little more challenging to find the best indoor training app for your needs. Feature-heavy, it’s quite the task to trial every app, and given that some require a subscription, it’s also something of a risk to sign-up for a platform that may not fit the bill.
With that in mind we’ve tested all the major virtual riding and training apps, evaluating them for not just their features but also ease of use and our take on who they are best suited to. To help you out we’ve also placed them into ‘virtual riding’ and ‘virtual training’ sections.
If this is your first winter training indoors we have a comprehensive beginner's guide to indoor cycling full of tips and advice on how to get started. And if you’re looking for a turbo we also have a dedicated guide to the best smart trainers,and if price is a factor, we also have a breakdown of the best budget-friendly smart trainers.
For seasoned indoor riders seeking an upgrade to their current kit, our guide to the best turbo trainers will point you toward the proper setup for your needs.
Zwift was the original virtual riding platform, and still holds the top spot
Still regarded as the industry leader, Zwift is famed for its strong sense of community participation that motivates riders of all fitness and ability levels. There are plenty of Zwift-organised races and group rides on offer, such as the Tour of Watopia and the Zwift World Series.
Some of the headline features include an extensive garage of bikes and wheels, with customisation options that allow for an impressive level of personalisation.With over 100 routes, 24-7 robopacers, and an extensive library of structured workouts and cycling training plans, there are features for every rider type.
Having used the app for many months, one of the best features is the large number of other users on the platform that creates a genuine sense of community and competitiveness. You can have conversations with other riders as part of a robopacer group, or start dedicated meet-up rides with friends. And racing isn’t the only option thanks to numerous routes available, enabling you to try and set a personal best on the Alpe du Zwift or Ven-Top (Ventoux), for example.
In short, Zwift is still the go-to platform for indoor training and virtual riding, with a massive user base present most hours of the day. For me, the standout feature of the app is that its events and virtual worlds allow for uninterrupted training. I also find it great for motivation; completing long rides of three or four hours is entirely feasible on Zwift, thanks in part to the community and the app's game-like nature, which brings elements of outdoor riding right into your living room.
Cost: £17.99/$19.99 per month, or £179.99/$199.99 annually
The app boasts high quality graphics, a diverse and engaging array of courses and dozens of routes, as well as user-friendly interface and efficient calendar functionality. For those who like to compete it’s also home to plenty of cycling esports events, such as the weekly Sunday Race Club series, which features a monthly prize purse and attracts the sport's top talent and competitive amateurs; this allows you to compete at en elite level if required without requiring a monthly subscription payment. Like Zwift it has a high level of user customisation both for your avatar, and also the bikes and wheels you can unlock and use in events.
MyWhoosh is also the official indoor cycling platform for the WorldTour UAE Team Emirates and its star rider, Tadej Pogačar. The platform collaborates closely with the team's coaches and includes in-game training content developed by the UAE Team Emirates performance group. I was impressed with the innovative live coaching and video-on-demand training features, as well as the workout builder that proved to be an effective tool for creating customised workouts, in a similar fashion to TrainingPeaks. Indeed, I prefer its workout screen to Zwift’s equivalent.
In summary, the graphics are solid, it’s a breeze to use and the workout builder and screens impress. The racing, training plans and workout offerings cater to all users, including professionals.
Cost: Free
As an online platform TrainingPeaks has made a name for itself among the discerning competitive crowd. Designed from the ground up with an esports racing focus, it does a good job of replicating the dynamic aspects of real-life riding by incorporating elements such as wind, braking, and cornering, while also offering built-in dual power recording and customisable event creation. Unsurprisingly it now boasts a growing community of like-minded online racers who are happy to sacrifice graphics for an authentic, no-cost racing and training option.
One of my favourite features is the capacity to import your own GPX files. You can either create one yourself using a route maker, upload your own from one of your rides, or you can upload one from a ride you may have seen someone else do. Want to replicate the final stage of the Tour de France or perhaps get familiarised with an upcoming event course? You can do that on TrainingPeaks Virtual.
There is also the option to customise your training experience. Focus mode allows for just the data, no virtual world and full focus on the session at hand. Meanwhile Zen mode places you in the virtual world but removes others, making it your own personal world to explore. Heart rate can also be used for training rather than power, which reduces the cost of entry into indoor training somewhat for users.
In short, I found the user interface to be simple and intuitive, while the ride feel is lifelike, immersive, and engaging.
Cost: Free with TrainingPeaks Premium subscription, which is $19.95 per month or $134.99 annually. All prices are in USD so users outside of the US will be subject to exchange rates.
While Rouvy is now owned by Zwift, the app has retained its own distinct character, which is largely a product of its dedication to using real-world videos, making its database of courses and climbs as realistic as it currently gets. These augmented reality routes number in the thousands and support the platform’s official races and group rides that take place every month.
Each week, Rouvy introduces a new Spotlight. A curated collection centred around a specific theme, it includes new routes, challenges and events. For example, as a partner of both the Lidl-Trek and Team Visma Lease a Bike WorldTour teams, users can enjoy related features such as Winter Training Camp Spotlight with routes from familiar European training camp hotspots such as Andorra and Girona.
I was impressed with the Route Creator tool that allowed me to create and personalise my own routes. Once uploaded it’s converted into a virtual route that can be shared with the Rouvy community, helping to grow the already extensive database of routes.
If you want to train indoors on ‘real roads’, then Rouvy is likely a great match. Being able to enjoy some of cycling’s most storied climbs and famous vistas in such detail is what sets this app apart from its rivals.
Cost: Rouvy offers various subscription options, including single, duo, and group plans, which are available on both a monthly and yearly basis. The price for a single user is $19.99 / £17.99 per month or £159.96 per year.
TrainerRoad caters indoor cyclists who prefer a more analytical and structured training approach. A standout feature of the app is its automated Training Plan Builder. Upon signing up, the app prompts you to input key information, such as your target races for the season and available training time. Based on this information, the app generates a customised training program tailored to your needs.
From here the app uses a data-driven method to analyze a vast amount of data to track changes in your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) without requiring exhaustive tests, with the focus on helping you to achieve your specific training and racing objectives.
While I feel it's best suited to riders looking to add structure to their training sessions without having to pay for a coach, I did find the plans to be rather intense. There was a high proportion of hard interval sessions compared to the other training apps here. I also felt there was a lack of attention paid to how I was feeling, with the app not adapting to my changes in mood in the same way a real coach might.
To sum it up, if you are a focused rider who thrives on structure and prefers having someone else handle the details then TrainerRoad is likely an excellent fit for you. It certainly offers a cheaper entry point into the world of coaching that may lack some personalisation and nuance, but is great value and perfect for beginners. However, if you’re motivated by the social aspect of cycling and enjoy measuring your fitness against others, then an app like Zwift or MyWhoosh will give you greater satisfaction.
Cost: $21.99 per month or $209.99 yearly. All prices are in USD so users outside of the US are subject to exchange rates.
This app is a good fit if your training extends beyond just cycling and you want to do more than just increase your FTP. As well as immersive cycling workouts the app also delivers off-bike options such as strength training and yoga.
All of the sessions utilise what Wahoo calls your 4DP. This is a number taken from your peak performances across sprints, short duration 1 minute efforts, VO2/MAP efforts, and more sustained FTP efforts to give a broader power profile - and it’s this performance profile that’s used to tailor your training sessions accordingly.
As for the workouts, they can vary greatly. Many of the main workouts are derived from old Sufferfest videos, which have now been integrated into the SYSTM app. There are also opportunities to train virtually with Wahooligan ambassadors as well as enjoy inspiration rides, designed to keep you engaged during your training. I particularly like the use of race footage video that matches your workouts, proving great motivation for those really high capacity efforts; chasing down the break or attacking to the finish line adds that little extra incentive to really push hard in efforts.
If you’re serious about your training then moving beyond FTP could pay dividends but currently the platform can feel slightly less developed than its competitors. That said, the off-bike workout and mental training features do add another dimension.
Cost: $17.99 / £14.99 per month or $179.99 / £149.90 annually.
TrainingPeaks leans on its vast library of plans and workouts as well as its accompanying educational content to help guide your training. If you’re a coached athlete or just like to have a database of your training history to hand, then it's a likely a good fit for you.
I have used TrainingPeaks since 2017. It hasn’t changed much in that time, with minimal new features added. TrainingPeaks is essentially a glorified spreadsheet. The app has a reasonable amount of analysis, and many graphs are available, but its beauty is in its simplicity. The app is easy to understand, integrates well with almost all devices, and allows you to view the most relevant information. Many coaches use Training Peaks to manage their coached athletes.
Ultimately it serves as a solid starting point for managing your training load. There’s a reason Training Peaks is the market leader: it offers user-friendly data analysis features and an excellent training session-building tool that allows users to create sessions based on various metrics tailored to their preferences.
Cost: $19.95 / ~£16.50 per month, or $134.99 a year for the Premium subscription.
Choosing an app isn’t a zero-sum game in the ever-evolving world of virtual cycling and esports. There are several options, each with its unique and standout qualities. Here’s a few key factors to consider:
Priorities
All of the virtual apps featured in this guide excel in certain areas and less so in others. Marrying the app with your training preferences should help ensure that you get the most from its features. It’s likely that the best app for you will differ if you want to focus on competitive racing rather than say structured training. Similarly if becoming a part of an online cycling community is important to you then there are some apps that place this front and centre of the experience.
Pricing
The majority of the apps featured in this guide require a subscription to enjoy the full suite of features. The prices do vary and if budget is a concern then it might be best to start with a free app, such as MyWhoosh before committing to a subscription, or taking advantage of the free trial periods that many apps offer - typically this is for a week. Subscriptions are generally available on a month to month basis or annually.
Switching platforms
The flexibility of the pricing structures mentioned above, as well as the free trials, provides the option of being able to switch platforms with relative ease. If you are unsure of which app is right for you, then testing out a few makes plenty of sense.
Compatibility
To ensure that you get the best user experience you should make sure that the app is compatible with your indoor training set-up. Your check list here should factor in compatibility with your phone, and a tablet if required, as well as the smart trainer itself and any other additional devices such as power meters.
Our team of testers evaluate the apps across a broad range of considerations including ease of set-up and use, functionality, features and value for money.
All of the apps have been tested thoroughly and for long periods of time, some for many years. The reviewers are all dedicated indoor trainers and well-placed to analyse the merits of each of the featured apps. Typically the testing took place as part of the reviewer’s normal training programme, which allows them to best evaluate how it stacks up in a ‘real-world’ application.
Tom Epton is a freelance writer and data scientist, covering areas from sport science to cycling technology. Tom’s been a long-term user of cycling apps to help add structure and enjoyment to his indoor training programme - he’s been using TrainingPeaks for nine years!
Andy is a Sport & Exercise Scientist, fully qualified and experienced Cycling Coach, Sports Director, Freelance Writer, and Performance Consultant. He spent 3 years riding for a UCI cycling team and 7 years as a BC Elite rider, competing in prestigious events such as the Tour of Britain and the Volta a Portugal. Naturally, indoor training has long been a part of his training schedule and he’s spent plenty of hours racing and riding in the virtual world.
Indoor cycling in it's purest form needs very little. The price of power meters and indoor trainers has dropped significantly over the last few years, with entry price models starting at under £/$300.
Beyond the smart trainer, you can use your bike frame that you would use outside, while some accessories such as a mat for under your bike and a towel for mopping up sweat are key essentials. A fan is a useful investment, and while smart fans are an option, desk fans or standing ones will do the job well.
As for using indoor training apps, you can use just your phone screen for most of these. If you want a more immersive experience then a larger screened tablet or desktop will enhance the experience. While the biggest screens can be used in conjunction with the likes of AppleTV units and a connected flat screen to bring the virtual world right into your training room.
But as for what's needed, a direct drive trainer, your bike, phone, and ideally a mat, towel, and fan, should be enough to make your indoor training experience effective and enjoyable.
It was well documented by Matthew Hayman that before we went on to win Paris-Roubaix in 2016, he had to spend extended periods of time training indoors due to breaking his arm. This meant not riding out on the roads, and to maintain World Tour fitness he needed to get the hours in on the turbo.
We've also experimented with this at Cycling Weekly, although with not quite as high stakes, and the results were similar in that indoor training improved performance outdoors.
There are several key elements to indoor riding that is applicable when riding outside. Firstly, you never stop pedalling indoors, and descents are not a place where you ease off the power. Stop-start riding in cities is also no longer a problem, and you don't have to wait to find a safe stretch of road to conduct efforts. Combined this makes it far easier to control training indoors and ensure that you are getting in quality training sessions that are targeted and specific to your goals. Essentially, you can be far more time efficient.
Another element is one that is far more looked into nowadays, and that is heat training. Riding indoors often results in an increased temperatures as we produce a lot of work with often far more limited airflow. This can create a more humid environment and act as a means of heat adaptations training.
Not just useful for hot events, heat training can have somewhat of an altitude-lite effect whereby blood plasma and total blood volume increases to improve aerobic performance. The saying train hot race cool applies here, and indoor training can add this added stimulus for aerobic improvements. But be wary that too much heat stress in addition to training stress can accelerate the instances of burnout.
Cycling indoors might not be the most enjoyable for some people, but during the winter, it can be the optimal way to complete rides without needing all of the winter kit and a winter bike to match.
Another option is to use a turbo at home to follow a routine without bothering with an app, though it might not be the most interesting. Some indoor cycling converts would rather watch paint dry than drone away in that sensory deprivation when so many virtual cycling options are available.
Group cycling classes are another option—either at home with a Peloton indoor exercise bike or a more social gym class.