How to Develop a Health and Fitness App [Detailed Guide + Cost]

The global health and fitness app business market is expanding rapidly. You must surely be planning to build a health and fitness app and are looking for the right strategies. You’re in the right place! 

Let’s look at numbers – the global health fitness market is expected to offer an absolute dollar opportunity of US$302.0 Billion by 2034.

Investing in health and fitness app development company offers a plethora of opportunities in this digital world.  Also, you might be wondering about the cost to build a fitness app. 

In today’s guide, we’ve discussed all aspects of custom fitness app development and provided realistic cost estimates for development to avoid any surprises or shocks later. 

Make sure to read till the end to understand every aspect of starting your own fitness or health app is easier than ever! Let’s get started. 

3 Reasons Why You Should Invest in Health and Fitness App Development 

Investing in health and fitness app development would definitely be worth your time and money. Here are the following 3 reasons that would convince you to go for custom fitness app development services:

1. The Digital Era

The global number of smartphone users is projected to increase by 1.5 billion between 2024 and 2029.

If we talk about health fitness app downloads –  there were almost 14 million downloads of leading mobile fitness and workout apps worldwide in 2024. 

Undoubtedly, its definitely the era of smartphones where you can target a large user base with your health and fitness application. 

2. Huge Profits & Revenue

The revenue from health and fitness apps is projected to reach USD 4.80 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7% from 2024 to 2030.

Also, apps in the fitness sector are anticipated to bring in up to 1.8 million dollars in revenue in the United States alone in 2024.

So, there’s no doubt that investing in mobile fitness apps could be highly rewarding and profitable for your business.

3. User Behavior

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have changed many aspects of their lives. Be it working from home, doing workout at home, socializing online, and so on. Although the pandemic is over now many of us found ourselves immersed in that zone. 

Speaking of workout, people are now more likely to use health and fitness applications. Exercising at home or in the park on your own time appears more convenient and better than paying a lot of money to go to the gym at fixed times.

Overall, it signifies the growing demand for fitness apps among people. If you plan to invest in healthcare app development, then it is the right time to implement that plan. 

Get in touch with our top health and fitness app developers to kickstart your business. 

Different Types of Health & Fitness App

Below, we’ve listed different types of fitness apps. Let’s learn:

1. Workout & Training Apps

Workout and training apps are designed to guide users through structured exercise routines tailored to their fitness levels and goals. These fitness app builder often include video demonstrations, audio coaching, progress tracking, and personalized workout plans. Some also integrate AI-driven recommendations and real-time performance tracking to optimize workouts.

Key Features:

• Pre-designed and customizable workout plans
• Video tutorials from professional trainers
• AI-based personal coaching
• Progress tracking and performance analytics

Example: Nike Training Club, Freeletics

2. Diet & Nutrition Apps

These apps focus on tracking daily calorie intake, monitoring macronutrients, and meal planning to support weight loss, muscle gain, or general well-being. Many mobile health app offers barcode scanners for food tracking, AI-driven diet recommendations, and integration with fitness wearables. Some apps even offer personalized meal plans tailored to individual dietary preferences and restrictions.

Key Features:

• Calorie and nutrient tracking
• Meal planning and diet recommendations
• Barcode scanner for easy food logging
• Integration with wearable devices

Example: MyFitnessPal, Yazio

Bonus Read: Top 26 Innovative Healthcare Startup Ideas to Launch!

3. Meditation & Mindfulness Apps

Meditation and mindfulness apps help users manage stress, improve focus, and enhance mental well-being through guided meditations, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques. Many include sleep stories, mood tracking, and stress-relief exercises to create a holistic mental wellness experience.

Key Features:

• Guided meditation sessions
• Breathing exercises for relaxation
• Sleep improvement programs
• Mood and stress tracking

Example: Headspace, Calm

4. Yoga Apps

Yoga apps cater to all skill levels, offering a vast library of yoga poses, guided sessions, and personalized routines. Some apps integrate AI-powered posture correction, live classes, and goal-oriented programs to enhance flexibility, strength, or mindfulness.

Key Features:

• Video tutorials with step-by-step guidance
• Pose libraries with difficulty levels
• AI-based posture correction (in advanced apps)
• Personalized yoga routines

Example: Daily Yoga, Yoga for Beginners

5. Sleep Tracking Apps

Sleep tracking apps analyze sleep patterns, monitor sleep quality, and offer personalized tips for better sleep hygiene. They often integrate with smartwatches and wearable devices to provide insights into sleep cycles, disturbances, and recovery patterns.

Key Features:

• Sleep tracking and cycle analysis
• Smart alarms that wake users at the optimal time
• White noise and calming sounds for better sleep
• Integration with smartwatches and wearable devices

Example: Sleep Cycle, Pillow

6. Step Counter & Activity Tracker Apps

These apps encourage users to stay active by tracking steps, distance walked, calories burned, and active minutes. Many apps utilize gamification to enhance activity tracking by incorporating challenges, leaderboards, and rewards, thereby boosting motivation.

Key Features:

• Step counting and distance tracking
• Activity reminders and goal setting
• Integration with fitness bands and smartwatches
• Social features like leaderboards and challenges

Example: Google Fit, Pacer

7. Women’s Health & Period Tracking Apps

Women’s health apps help users track menstrual cycles, predict ovulation, and monitor hormonal changes. Advanced apps offer fertility tracking, pregnancy monitoring, and symptom analysis for a comprehensive reproductive health solution.

Key Features:

• Period and ovulation tracking
• Fertility and pregnancy monitoring
• Symptom and mood tracking
• Educational content on reproductive health

Example: Flo, Clue

8. Chronic Disease Management Apps

These apps help individuals manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, or asthma, by tracking vital health data, medication schedules, and symptoms. Some apps connect users with doctors and support groups for real-time guidance.

Key Features:

• Health data logging and tracking
• Medication reminders
• Doctor consultations and emergency alerts
• Integration with wearable medical devices

Example: Glucose Buddy, MySugr

9. Water Intake Tracker Apps

Proper hydration is crucial for overall health, and water tracker apps help users set daily water intake goals, track consumption, and receive reminders throughout the day. Some apps personalize hydration recommendations based on body weight, activity levels, and climate.

Key Features:

• Personalized water intake goals
• Smart reminders and notifications
• Hydration analytics and progress tracking
• Integration with health and fitness apps

Example: WaterMinder, Hydro Coach

10. Health Monitoring & Medical Apps

These apps help users track vital health stats such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and BMI. Many are compatible with wearable health devices and smartwatches, providing real-time insights into overall health.

Key Features:

• Heart rate, BP, and oxygen level tracking
• AI-based health risk assessments
• Integration with medical devices
• Electronic health record (EHR) storage

Example: Apple Health, Samsung Health

Read More: Wearable App Development Guide 2025: Cost & Development Process

8 Must-Have Features in Health and Fitness Apps

Following, we’ve listed important fitness app must-have features that you should incorporate into your app. Here’s the list:

1. User Profile

Here, users personalize their information by adding their details such as name, weight, age, height, and fitness goal. With those details, the fitness app provides a personalized plan for workout and meals. Users can either follow it or customize their workout and dietary preferences to suit their needs.  

2. Workouts

Workout planner is the core base of any health and fitness app. People download the app to lose or gain weight – eventually, the purpose is to stay fit. 

There are various types of tutorials available on fitness apps, including video streams and image-based tutorials with voice commands. Certain levels of fitness will encourage users to workout extra hard every passing day. It comes with calendars and a proper schedule. 

3. Meal and Nutrition Plan

This is an important feature in the health and fitness application. To be in the top category of fitness apps, you must include a wealth of information on ingredients and suggest meals that follow the user’s eating patterns, preferences, and goals.

With the help of this feature, customers can track their water intake, adjust recommended meals, and extract nutrition data. 

4. Push Notifications

The push notifications for fitness app remind users to take water on time, schedule workouts, and log their meals. If users are not using the app for a long time, it also sends motivational notifications encouraging them to restart their workout routine.

5. Payments

Users will have access to both free and paid versions of workouts and diet plans. To have a paid version of workout, users have to buy subscription plans or make in-app purchases. 

Therefore, it is important to incorporate a secure payment portal in the app. Fitness app developers can utilize PayPal, Stripe, and other payment methods to offer safe and secure payment options. 

6. Audio Streaming Integration

Incorporating audio streaming into fitness apps enables users to work out without wasting time switching between players. 

Therefore, it is essential to integrate Apple Music, Spotify, and other music streaming in the fitness app. The following points are crucial for the development process:

• Provide ready playlists where users can share with others as well
• Highlight tracks that users would love to play
• Select songs that would go with the user’s pace and heartbeat

7. Tracking Maps and Routes

Displaying maps and routes in the app would allow tracking, monitoring, and saving of the data. It would help users check their entire week or month’s routine in their fitness app. It will also showcase their routine data and the times when they missed their sessions. 

Developers must include map markers to highlight their achievements. Additionally, it should provide a map that indicates where users need to improve, along with key statistics such as pace and speed. 

8. Educational Content

Most of the time, we work out incorrectly, which can cause muscle sprains. Using the right technique is crucial for staying fit and avoiding injuries. 

For that, health fitness developers must include educational content in the app where – users can easily watch videos, read informational articles, and more. 

Also, developers must integrate a CMS during fitness app development to keep updating the medium with new fitness articles and blogs. 

Read More: How to Develop a mHealth App in 2025?

Health and Fitness App Development: Step-by-Step Guide 

The step-by-step guide listed below will help you understand the overall development process. Let’s take a look:

Step 1: Choose a Platform

One aspect of the cost of health and fitness app development would depend on the platform you’ve chosen. You must decide whether you want to build a fitness app for Android, iOS, or a cross-platform solution. 

If you want to build for both platforms, then the cost will increase. This is because both Android and iOS use different programming languages. 

Building a health and fitness app requires strategic planning and technical expertise. If you’re planning to build a health & fitness app within your budget, you must get in touch with our top fitness app developer experts.  

Step 2: Integrating Features and Functionality

The features and functionalities of a health & fitness app play a crucial role in its success. You must integrate user-friendly and engaging features that align with your audience’s needs. Basic features, such as activity tracking, workout plans, calorie counters, and push notifications, are essential.

If you aim for a more advanced app, consider adding AI-driven personalized recommendations, wearable device integration, live workout sessions, and real-time health monitoring. These features enhance user experience but also increase the overall development cost.

A balance between essential and advanced features ensures a cost-effective yet competitive fitness app.

Step 3: Choosing the Right Tech Stack

Having the right tech stack in your app will create a strong foundation for your fitness app. We’ve listed some of the common tech stacks. Take a look:

• Native: Swift, Objective C, Kotlin
• Hybrid: Flutter, React Native
• Frontend: React JS, Angular
• Backend: Node JS, .NET, Python, Java, PHP, TypeScript 

Implementing an advanced tech stack for an Android health app or an iOS health & fitness app is highly crucial by choosing the right fitness app development company. While this undoubtedly increases the development cost, it ensures superior performance and functionality, delivering a high-quality user experience.

Step 4: Design and Development

Next comes the design and development phase. You must have an enticing UI/UX design to attract and engage users with your app. 

Your app must have a user-friendly design, an engaging user interface, and be accessible. A superior user experience will be provided by having all these components coupled with deployed servers and third-party APIs. 

Depending on its complexity, you can begin creating your health and fitness app. Your backend development must be scalable and dependable to manage users and safeguard transactions. 

Create a secure server architecture that supports encryption, data storage, communication between internal and external services, and other applications. 

You can keep ahead of the competition in the fitness app industry by hiring skilled fitness app developers. 

Step 5: Testing and Launching

To properly evaluate the security, usability, and functionality of your fitness app, use both manual and automated tests. Identifying any faults or issues as soon as possible will be beneficial. 

You can launch your app when you’ve tested it. However, even after it has been released, supporting and maintaining the system by addressing bugs, errors, and other issues is crucial. 

Top Monetization Model Strategies for Your Health & Fitness App

Let’s now discuss the most important question — “How to make money from a health & fitness app?”

The answer to this question lies in the top monetization strategies implemented in health & fitness applications to boost revenue growth. 

Below, we’ve listed ways to make money from health & fitness applications. Let’s learn:

1. In-app Purchases

In-app purchases are another monetization strategy for health and fitness apps. Here, users can purchase premium features, subscriptions, or content from the application. Generate revenue through in-app features by offering advanced workout plans, equipment, merchandise, and nutritional guides. 

2. Subscription-based Model

It is the most popular choice for health and fitness apps to generate recurring revenue. Customers pay weekly, monthly, or annual fees to leverage your app’s services or products. 

3. Advertisements & Sponsorships

It is another effective strategy for generating revenue. Here, you can earn profits through advertisers who want to promote their products or services on your app. You can ask for a specific amount for ads displayed on your application. It helps businesses to promote their product or services to their users. On the other hand, it helps your business generate revenue. 

4. Freemium Model

Here, you can offer a free version with limited features and a paid version with advanced features available through a monthly subscription model. However, if users want to utilise advanced or premium features, they must pay a certain fee for it. 

Top 3 Health and Fitness Apps: Popular Examples

Here, we’ve listed some of the top health & fitness app players, for example:

1. MyFitnessPal App

MyFitnessPal is one of the leading mobile health and fitness applications. They offer the best fitness solutions for weight loss and dietary plans. With an amazing interface and features, including workout plans, a calorie tracker & counter, and more. 

2. Peloton App

Peloton would be the perfect app for you if you want to work out from the comfort of your home. Additionally, Peloton enables individuals to experience the benefits of a competitive gym atmosphere while exercising from home. 

Interestingly, it helps the company increase sales of running and cycling equipment, which, when paired with their subscription services, are anticipated to reach $1.8 billion in 2020. 

3. FitBit App

Fitbit is an all-in-one, personalized application that enables users to track their workouts, activity, goals, step count, sleep patterns, and more. Users can access meal planning, an activity planner, a community, and meditation sessions.

Compliances You Must Consider When Developing a Fitness Mobile App

It is crucial to follow compliances for health & fitness mobile app development, including: 

1. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

Suppose your fitness mobile app handles sensitive health data, such as heart rate, medical history, or personal health information. In that case, it must comply with HIPAA to protect user privacy and ensure data security, particularly in the United States.

2. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

For apps targeting European users, GDPR compliance is essential. It ensures that personal data is collected, stored, and processed transparently, with user consent and the option to delete data upon request.

3. PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

PCI DSS compliance is necessary to safeguard financial transactions and protect sensitive payment data if your app includes payment processing for subscriptions or in-app purchases.

4. COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act)

COPPA compliance is mandatory if your fitness app is designed for children under 13. It regulates how you collect, use, and share personal information from minors, requiring parental consent.

5. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Regulations

Suppose your fitness mobile app functions as a medical device (e.g., monitoring heart conditions or diagnosing health issues). In that case, it may require FDA approval to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and regulatory compliance of healthcare.

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Health and Fitness App?

The cost of building a health and fitness app depends on its complexity, UI/UX design, tech stack, and additional functionalities. If you’re looking for a specific number, it’s difficult to pinpoint as app development costs vary based on requirements.

Estimated Cost Breakdown for a Health & Fitness App:

• Simple/Basic App:
  • Features: Basic workout tracking, step counter, calorie calculator
  • Estimated Cost: $4,000 – $15,000
• Moderately Complex App:
  • Features: Custom workout plans, video tutorials, diet tracking, user profiles
  • Estimated Cost: $5,000 – $60,000
• Advanced App with AI & Wearable Integration:
  • Features: AI-driven recommendations, live coaching, wearable device sync, real-time analytics
  • Estimated Cost: $50,000+

Note:

• If you want to launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), it will be less expensive.
• An MVP includes essential features to test user engagement before investing in a full-scale application.
• Once the app gains traction, you can secure funding from investors and expand into a fully functional health & fitness application.

Final Thoughts

As we’ve almost reached the end of this guide, we believe that by now, you are better informed on how and why to build and finance fitness software. 

However, proper planning and research are crucial before building the app. Additionally, it’s crucial to thoroughly understand the industry when considering your business objectives to significantly increase your chances of developing a successful fitness app. 

This can be accomplished by contacting a reputable mobile app development company, such as Apptunix, to handle every aspect. Health and fitness development experts will guide you in taking your business to the next level. 

Partner With Apptunix to Build a Robust Health & Fitness App

Apptunix is a leading health and fitness mobile app development company, dedicated to creating exceptional fitness apps tailored to your unique needs. We offer robust fitness app development services featuring top-notch functionalities and cutting-edge features.

Our skilled team of fitness app developers, designers, and other professionals create a health app for iOS and Android and will transform your fitness app idea into reality. Utilizing advanced tech stacks, we specialize in developing apps for iOS, Android, and cross-platform solutions.

At Apptunix, we are committed to enhancing customer experience and streamlining operations through innovative and high-quality fitness app development. Let us help you build a top-tier fitness app that stands out.