New members often give gyms only a short window of time before calling it quits and canceling their memberships. According to the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) 2025 Fitness Industry Benchmarking Report, the average churn rate is about 33 to 34 percent. However, for new members, it is much higher, with 50 percent stopping attending regularly by the three-month mark and then canceling within the first six months altogether. 

One of the easiest ways to combat this high churn rate is to promote high-quality solo fitness apps. Independent apps that people can download straight to their phone and won’t cost your gym a thing.

Members Want to See the Improvements

Nothing motivates new members as much as noticing an improvement in their fitness progress. But most gym-goers don’t have a reliable way of seeing if they are actually improving. Without data, whether their workouts are created by a trainer or not, training can feel random. These people will leave the gym unsure if they are lifting more than last week or if their cardio is getting better. Solo fitness apps will compile the data and turn every workout into measurable information for them to analyze in between workouts.

Which Apps to Recommend

With all the fitness apps available, it could take years to try them all out. Plus, you don’t want to recommend apps to new members that are frustrating and will only provide them another reason to never come back to the gym. Instead, I have saved you countless hours of trial and error experimenting and simplified it for you and your members. Here are the top fitness apps by rankings and reviews that your members can download and start today. The best part is that all of them have strong free tiers, but for people wanting more as they advance, there are also “Pro” options as well for a small fee.

Strong and Hevy

The Strong app and the Hevy app allow people to quickly log their progress as they complete each exercise in the gym. They are not complicated and their minimalist style will be appreciated by most. By providing new members with fast tutorial videos on how to operate Strong and Hevy, you are eliminating the fear of the unknown that many people are facing during their first few months in the gym. 

There is also a social aspect involved with some of these apps if you want to compare your workouts and lifts to what your friends are currently doing. On Hevy, I have friends who are constantly trying to one-up one another and share their data with the group. (I must admit, even as someone who avoids doing a one-rep max, it is fun to see who is lifting the most or the least weight.)

Boostcamp

Many new members have no idea how to put together a workout routine. (I’ve seen guys doing bicep curls in the squat rack during every workout for months. Double whammy!) Boostcamp has plenty of free programs from beginner to advanced that will take out the guesswork or fear of doing something wrong.

Jefit

Unsure of what the names of certain exercises are or even how to perform the lift? Jefit has you covered. Not only will it provide an amazing amount of workouts and lifts, but it will show visual demos on how to perform everything. Furthermore, after documenting your progress week after week, it will push you to excel by recommending more weight or reps.

Other App Options

As I mentioned earlier, there are thousands of fitness apps available. Here are a few more favorites that could be recommended to new members who are thinking of walking out the door. 

• Nike Training Club: Free guided workouts and perfect for beginners. 
• Fitnotes: Not an iPhone user? This Android-focused fitness app has you covered. 
• Apple Fitness: Already available for free on iPhones.

Higher Engagement Improves Retention

The more often a person visits the gym, the more likely they will remain a member. These apps provide higher engagement for members and will improve retention rates. When people train with a purpose, such as trying to improve on their last few workouts, they are more committed to attending regularly. 

Research across the fitness industry consistently shows that members who actively track their workouts stay longer and attend more often than those who do not. By promoting these apps, gym owners essentially hand members a free retention tool. The gym does not need to build or maintain the technology. It simply points members toward proven solutions that already exist.

Upsell Trainer Advice and Recommendations

You may be concerned that these apps could cut into your personal training profits. Don’t be. Just approach it a different way. Have trainers analyze the data and make recommendations for the members. For instance, maybe someone’s bench press has plateaued for months, and the person wants to increase their max? A trainer could offer solutions to help achieve this goal. Personal training will evolve differently with apps recording the data, but it will not be the end of people needing trainers.

No Risk/Only High Reward

Recommending readily available and highly rated fitness apps to new members should be a no-brainer. The worst that can happen is they ignore your recommendation. The best that can happen is they appreciate your advice, use the apps, and are now a member for life. Besides, it won’t cost you anything extra as a gym owner to offer up free technology that will assist people in becoming healthier. You might want to take it a step further and offer free short workshops for members who are less than tech-savvy. There is no downside. Only upside.

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