How Much Does it Cost to Make a Fitness App: Cost Factors and Expert Estimates

When estimating how much to create a fitness app, you’ll need to consider that multiple factors influence the total budget. Below, we break down each element affecting the cost to develop fitness app solutions and provide real-world insights into their price impact.

The feature set is one of the biggest determinants of your fitness app cost. Basic features like registration, goal setting, and activity tracking are relatively affordable to implement, while advanced ones, such as AI-driven workout recommendations, integration with wearables, or real-time video coaching, significantly increase costs.

For example, integrating Apple HealthKit or Google Fit APIs for activity synchronization can add $3,000-$5,000, while AI-based personalization may raise the cost to develop a fitness app by $10,000-$20,000 depending on the algorithm complexity.

Below, you can see the approximate estimation of the fitness app cost by mid-level functionality.

The app platform directly affects how much is the fitness app in terms of development expenses. Building a native app for iOS or Android typically costs less initially but requires separate codebases for each platform, effectively doubling the cost. A cross-platform solution (e.g., Flutter or React Native) reduces expenses by sharing much of the code.

Developing for one platform only may cost $30,000-$50,000, while creating for both iOS and Android can reach $60,000-$100,000+. However, based on our past experience of delivering fitness-related solutions, a Flutter app development for cross-platform solutions might cut that total by up to 40%.

Geography heavily affects the cost to develop a fitness app. Developers from North America and Western Europe usually charge higher rates, while teams in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in countries like Estonia, offer comparable quality at a lower cost.

Here’s a brief overview of fitness app development rates in different regions:

Your cooperation model also impacts how much to create a fitness app. There are typically three options:

• In-house development: Hiring in-house means that you hire software experts form your one country. Provides maximum control over the project, direct oversight of workflows, and seamless communication between team members. However, it comes with higher operational costs, including salaries, infrastructure, and long-term overhead.
• IT staff augmentation: Offers a cost-effective and scalable way to start development compared to maintaining a full in-house team. With IT staff augmentation, you can extend your team with qualified fitness app developers on demand while maintaining full control over the project. This model ensures higher accountability and consistent delivery quality.
• Outsourcing: Here an external team handles development independently while you oversee high-level goals, offering skilled support without in-house management overhead. The model combines affordability with professional expertise, providing a scalable team aligned with your project goals. This allows for predictable pricing, faster delivery, and access to niche skills.

Design plays a critical role in user engagement and also in defining the cost to develop fitness solutions. The more interactive, animated, and visually polished the interface, the higher the cost. Minimalist designs using standard UI kits are cheaper, while custom illustrations, motion effects, and branded elements increase design hours and cost.

• Simple, template-based design: $5,000-$8,000
• Custom interface with animations and dark mode: $15,000-$25,000
• Advanced motion and 3D visuals: $30,000+

Who builds your app determines both the quality and the cost of developing a fitness app. A typical team for fitness app creation includes:

• Solution Architect
• Business Analyst
• Project Manager
• UI/UX designer
• Mobile developers
• Backend developer
• QA engineer

The expertise level of each team member directly influences the cost to develop a fitness app. The more skilled and experienced the team, the higher the rates. For example, hiring senior developers with proven experience in fitness tracking and AI-driven features will increase the budget but ensures better scalability, maintainability, and overall app quality.

For example, a junior-level developer team might charge $25-$40/h, while top-tier specialists from an established software house may bill $60-$120/h. For complex AI-driven fitness apps, investing in expertise saves money in the long run.

One of the key factors that determine both the functionality and the cost of developing a fitness app is its type. Different types of fitness apps require varying feature sets, technologies, and integrations, which directly influence the overall development budget. Below, we created a brief breakdown of the main types of fitness apps, explored their key features, and estimated how much it costs to develop a fitness app of each kind.

Fitness coaching apps provide personalized workout plans, real-time exercise guidance, and adaptive progress tracking to help users achieve their fitness goals effectively. These apps often use AI-driven analytics and motion detection technologies to correct exercise techniques, recommend workouts, and even synchronize with wearables for more accurate performance insights. Advanced versions may include video consultations with professional trainers, progress dashboards, and integration with diet plans to support a holistic fitness approach.

The fitness app development cost for a coaching solution typically ranges between $40,000 and $120,000+, depending on the complexity of features such as AI personalization, live video sessions, and integration with third-party devices or APIs. The more advanced your in-app analytics and customization logic, the higher the final price.

Real-world examples:

• FitCoach
• Freeletics
• Nike Training Club
• Centr
• Future

Workout apps allow users to build or follow pre-made exercise routines, log sets and repetitions, and monitor performance metrics such as calories burned, muscle groups targeted, and workout duration. Unlike coaching apps, workout apps typically offer on-demand sessions or custom exercise libraries, making them great for users who prefer autonomy in their fitness journey. Integration with wearables like smartwatches and chest straps enhances tracking precision and user motivation through gamified challenges and performance analytics.

Wondering how much does it cost to develop a fitness app like this? A basic workout app may cost around $25,000-$60,000, while apps featuring real-time tracking, personalized dashboards, or device integration can reach $80,000 or more. Including video tutorials, social features, or AI workout recommendations adds to the total cost.

Real-world examples:

• JEFIT
• Strong
• Fitbod
• Adidas Training
• Gymshark Training

Diet and nutrition apps help users monitor daily calorie intake, track macros and micronutrients, and develop meal plans tailored to their goals. Many integrate barcode scanners, AI-based meal recognition, or recipe databases for convenience. Some advanced versions connect users to nutritionists for professional guidance or synchronize data with fitness apps to align workout and meal planning.

The fitness app development cost for nutrition-focused apps varies from $30,000 to $100,000+. Simpler calorie-tracking apps require less investment, while those with AI-based recommendations, wearable integrations, or meal-delivery APIs fall on the higher end of the spectrum.

Real-world examples:

• MyFitnessPal
• Lifesum
• Yazio
• Noom
• Cronometer

Activity tracking apps focus on monitoring users’ physical activity throughout the day, capturing data like steps taken, distance covered, calories burned, and heart rate zones. When integrated with smart devices such as Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Garmin, these apps provide valuable insights into users’ fitness habits and overall well-being. Some advanced tracking systems even use GPS and AI to map routes, analyze performance trends, and offer real-time feedback during running or cycling.

If you’re asking how much does it cost to develop a fitness app for activity tracking, expect a range between $35,000 and $90,000+. The price depends on the scope of sensor integrations, data analytics complexity, and whether features like geolocation tracking or predictive insights are implemented.

Real-world examples:

• Google Fit
• Strava
• Fitbit
• Apple Fitness
• Map My Run

After understanding the main factors that influence the cost of developing a fitness app, it’s time to move on to the actual development process. Below, we outline the key steps involved in building a fitness app and explain how each stage can impact the overall budget, helping you plan and manage development costs effectively.

The first step is to clarify what kind of fitness app you want to create. Will it be a workout tracker, nutrition planner, personal trainer app, or all-in-one solution? This stage sets the foundation for future design, functionality, and monetization strategies.

At this initial stage, explore what kind of fitness app you want to create. This involves researching competitors, defining potential features and functionality, considering your target audience, and thinking about ways your app could stand out in the market. This step is entirely free and focused on clarifying your vision; no cost estimation is provided yet. It helps you lay the groundwork for your project, ensuring that once you move to the next stage, all key decisions about the app’s purpose, users, and core features are clear.

Selecting a reliable development partner directly impacts your project timeline and cost to develop a fitness app. Here are the key factors you should assess while searching for a proficient fitness app development vendor:

• Industry experience: Check if the vendor has prior experience with fitness apps. Proven experience ensures familiarity with fitness tracking, wearable integration, etc.
• Technical expertise: Ensure the team can handle cross-platform development, AI integration, and complex backend systems.
• Portfolio and references: Review previous projects and client feedback to assess quality and reliability. A diverse portfolio proves the vendor can create different types of fitness apps.
• Post-launch support: Confirm the vendor provides maintenance and analytics support. Proper support ensures your app can vary with market needs and user feedback over time.

Cleveroad is a full-cycle software development company with 15+ years of experience. We provide dedicated development teams that cover the entire app lifecycle, from ideation and design to maintenance and scaling. Our clients benefit from transparent communication and predictable pricing, helping them control the cost of developing a fitness app without sacrificing quality.

To represent our expertise, we’d like to share our recent case – JustPlay – a mobile platform connecting enthusiasts of team sports.

Our customer, an Australian company, wanted to connect sports enthusiasts who couldn’t find leagues or like-minded players nearby. The goal was to build two mobile apps (iOS and Android) that would unite these users under one brand and allow them to join games, register for leagues, and pay for participation.

We developed native mobile platforms localized for Australia, enabling players to discover nearby games, join leagues, and book fields seamlessly.

As a result, the clients received a system that increased user engagement, diversified revenue streams, and created a strong digital community for sports lovers. During the project, he helped the client to successfully manage timelines and keep the whole development within a strict budget.

Here’s what our client David Argyle, CEO & Co-Founder of Just Play says about collaboration:

Once your vendor is chosen, the Solution Design Team steps in to translate your idea into a structured project blueprint, which is a crucial step that influences both delivery time and how much the fitness app will cost.

At Cleveroad, this stage involves a collaboration between business analysts, solution architects, and designers who help define:

• The project scope and technical stack
• Business and functional goals
• Basic quality attributes
• High-level architecture

We conduct workshops to clarify all requirements, validate assumptions, and produce a preliminary estimate of how much it costs to build a fitness app, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned before development begins.

Note: Cleveroad’s Solution Workshop is completely free of charge, giving you the opportunity to clarify your app vision, explore features, and align on priorities before starting development.

The discovery phase helps eliminate risks and finalize the project’s structure before active development starts. It also provides you with a detailed answer to how much to create a fitness app with your specific functionality and goals.

During the Discovery Phase, Cleveroad’s team works closely with you to:

• Analyze requirements and determine technical feasibility
• Prepare detailed specifications describing app logic, features, and dependencies
• Create wireframes that visualize the user flow and interface
• Perform quality assurance reviews to eliminate logical gaps
• Develop a detailed estimate of time and cost

This structured approach ensures that when development starts, there are no surprises, only clear goals, accurate budgets, and confidence in the cost to develop a fitness app.

Cleveroad’s estimate: $7,000-$10,000 (approx. 3-4 weeks)

At the development stage, your fitness application comes to life. Cleveroad follows Agile methodology, dividing the process into two-week sprints to maintain transparency and flexibility.

During this phase, our team handles:

• UI/UX design: building all app screens, and animations based on previously crafted mockups
• Backend and frontend development: integrating APIs, databases, and wearables
• QA testing: verifying functionality and performance after every sprint

You’ll receive regular updates and demos after each sprint, ensuring you stay in control of your product’s evolution and the cost of developing a fitness app.

Cleveroad’s estimate: $40,000-$90,000+ (depending on complexity and features, 3-6+ months)

Once testing is complete and the app is stable, Cleveroad assists with releasing it to the App Store and Google Play or deploying it to production servers for web solutions.

Upon release, we hand over all project materials, including:

• UI/UX designs (InVision/Zeplin)
• Source code and technical documentation
• App store credentials and links
• QA reports and risk registers

We also provide ongoing maintenance and feature enhancement services. Based on user feedback, our engineers can introduce new functionalities, improve app performance, and ensure your solution remains competitive and aligned with evolving user needs. Continuous improvement allows you to optimize the cost to develop a fitness app over time by enhancing existing functionality instead of rebuilding from scratch.

Cleveroad’s estimate: $3,000-$8,000/month (depending on support intensity).

The cost to develop a fitness app consists of several aspects – features, UI/UX design, quality assurance services, DevOps services, and project management. Taking all these aspects into account, the approximate cost of developing a fitness app is going to vary from $50,000-$150,000+.

It’s common to launch an MVP version of the fitness app and get first user feedback before investing more money in the idea. Minimum Valuable Product stands for the app with basic features that satisfy the users’ needs. Then, you can gradually add advanced features to attract more users.

MVP is also a good sign for investors whose emails are flooded with startup founders that don't have much to show. In other words, you have more chances to get investments with an MVP.

How to calculate the cost to develop a fitness application? You need to add time required for all the development components like back-end, iOS or Android development, QA services, UI/UX design, DevOps, and project management. After that, you need to multiply the time by the team’s hourly rate.

Below you can find an approximate time and cost to develop a basic fitness app. To calculate an accurate price, we need to know the project requirements.

So, to create a fitness app, you need at least $95,000-$130,000 for one platform (iOS or Android) and $155,000-$200,000 for two platforms (based on $50/h rate).

Note: All the estimations above are approximate and may vary depending on your unique project concept and requirements. To get more clarity specifically for your case, feel free to contact us.

Developing a fitness app is a significant investment, but there are practical ways to optimize your budget without compromising quality. Our team will help you navigate these decisions to deliver efficient, scalable, and feature-rich apps while keeping an eye on the cost of developing a fitness app.

Launching an MVP enables you to test your fitness app concept with essential features, minimizing initial investment. If you primarily focus on core functionalities like workout tracking and user profiles, you can gather user feedback early and make informed decisions about further development. This approach allows for iterative improvements based on real user data, ensuring that subsequent investments are aligned with user needs and market demand.

Developing a fitness app with cross-platform frameworks like Flutter or React Native enables a single codebase to run on both iOS and Android devices. This approach significantly reduces development time and eliminates the need to maintain separate native applications. Forbes claims that cross-platform frameworks are increasingly popular among developers due to efficiency, with over 30% reduction in development time. By leveraging a unified framework, teams can streamline updates, reduce QA cycles, and achieve faster deployment.

For one of our clients, the Australian Rowing Association, we recommended using Flutter to develop their cross-platform fitness app, Row Nation, enabling deployment on both iOS and Android. This approach reduced development costs by around 50% while maintaining smooth performance and a native-like experience. The app integrates directly with rowing machines, allowing users to track their workouts in real time, monitor progress, and analyze fitness data seamlessly.

As a result, Row Nation received a fully functional solution with personalized training programs, workout analytics, and device integration.

Here’s what Georgia Neattie says about our collaboration:

Outsourcing app development to regions with lower labor costs can lead to significant savings without compromising quality. Hiring developers in regions like Central and Eastern Europe can reduce hourly rates compared to Western markets. According to Forbes, companies can save up to 70% on operational costs by outsourcing their IT.

Cleveroad is a custom software development company headquartered in Estonia, at the heart of the European IT outsourcing hub. We help startups and established businesses transform their concepts into fully functional solutions by providing expertise in reliable software development.

Cleveroad in Numbers:

• 15+ years in the market
• 280+ in-house engineers
• 200+ successful projects
• 8+ industries of expertise

Why choose Cleveroad:

• Comprehensive on-demand IT services: custom software development, UI/UX design, Discovery Phase, IT consulting, legacy software modernization, and more
• Cooperation with a certified IT partner, including ISO/IEC 27001:2013 for security management and ISO 9001:2015 for quality management
• Free Solution Workshop stage to align your project vision with development efforts and establish efficient fitness app development planning
• R&D centers in Estonia, Poland, and Ukraine, with representative offices in the US (Claymont) and Norway (Oslo), offering flexible cooperation

To represent our expertise in delivering eHealth and fitness solutions, we’d like to share our recent case – Health Habit Tracking App with Gamification Elements.

A healthcare startup partnered with us to develop a mobile app aimed at helping children form healthy habits through gamification. The primary objective was to deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) rapidly to the market, gaining a competitive edge while ensuring a strong return on investment.

Cleveroad’s team built a bespoke, cross-platform mobile app for iOS and Android, focusing on an engaging, gamified user experience. Key features included leaderboards, achievement badges, and animated avatars, designed to motivate children and differentiate the app from competitors in the health and education space.

Additionally, we developed a web-based admin panel, providing the client with full control over user accounts and in-app content such as exercises, rewards, and interactive challenges. This empowered the business to manage the platform efficiently and make data-driven decisions for future growth.

As a result, the client received a fully custom, habit-forming app with gamification functionalities that stand out in the market. The solution is available on both the App Store and Google Play, attracting new users and fostering brand loyalty, while the robust web admin panel ensures seamless management of all platform activities and content.