A new report predicts that the fitness app market will grow from $10.6 billion in 2024 to $33.6 billion by 2033, as artificial intelligence, wearables, and social features move beyond simple tracking.
If you want to keep up with trends in the fitness and wellness industry, track how people train to their own devices. literally.
With most consumers having a mobile phone within reach, it’s no wonder that the global fitness app market, valued at $10.6 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $33.6 billion by 2033 at a compound annual growth rate of 13.5%, according to new data from ResearchAndMarkets.com.
The drivers are well known, but still accelerating. These include increased health consciousness, pandemic-related rewiring that has boosted hybrid fitness, the steady rise of wearable technology, and economic factors such as rising disposable incomes and rising healthcare costs.
According to Business of Apps, fitness apps reached 345 million users in 2024 and generated nearly $4 billion in revenue, an 11.1% increase from the previous year. With 850 million downloads last year, this data shows the shift in how people manage their training, sleep and nutrition, incorporating digital coaching and tracking.
Training moved to phone
What this report reveals is a clearer picture of where consumer habits are heading. Smartphones have become the command center for personal health, with apps integrated with wearables to monitor activity, nutrition, and overall health. The method is also gaining widespread adoption, with the National Institutes of Health saying nearly one-third of Americans will be monitoring their health this way by 2023, citing the report as evidence that real-time tracking has become routine.
This has made the wearable space feel like a land grab for whoever can connect everything first. Fountain Life, co-founded by motivational speaker Tony Robbins, has synced its AI-powered app with hundreds of companies, including Apple, Garmin, Oura, and Whoop, and used its AI assistant Zori to interpret everything from sleep to genomics in real-time. Meanwhile, Bevel, an “AI for human potential” app that has built a following on Reddit, just raised $10 million to tackle the same problem. The company’s platform already links data from Apple, Garmin, Dexcom, and Libre, and uses its AI engine, Bevel Intelligence, to combine sleep, training, blood sugar, and eating into a single behavioral map.
Specialized apps take the lead
The report also notes that user expectations are changing in an increasingly competitive space, and one way forward could be to focus on specialized categories such as running, which have a significant share of the market.
This is an area where AI-powered apps are becoming more popular. Acquired by Strava, Runna creates customized training plans for runners and has grown internationally, with operations in more than 180 countries. This year, Olympian Mo Farah teamed up with Adam Clarke and UK-based fittech company WithU to launch URunn, a digital coaching app designed for everyday runners. Meanwhile, a new candidate has joined the team. Kotcha, the AI-driven coaching platform co-founded by running legend Eliud Kipchoge, just raised $4.1 million for its next phase of growth.
Also, it doesn’t have to be activity specific. Zing Coach, an AI-powered platform backed by health tech company Palta, builds adaptive workout plans, provides live feedback and personalized motivation, and has grown to 2.5 million users. The company says this approach saves users more than $2,000 per year compared to personal training sessions, reflecting a shift toward tools that offer customized guidance without a special price tag.
For companies looking to compete, the takeaway is clear. Companies that can combine AI-powered personalization with wearable integration and user-friendly design are likely to succeed over the next decade.
Connection becomes a feature
As social connections become a bigger part of the health conversation, digital apps are beginning to blend physical activity with real-life meet-ups. The latest example is Dink Date, an AI-powered social and dating app created for the global pickleball community. The platform, which just launched on the Apple App Store and Google Play, matches players by style, skill level, and availability, and helps them find local games, clubs, and events.
Another attempt at offline connectivity is emerging with former Peloton instructor Kendall Toole’s Never Knocked Out (NKO) app. The app combines workouts, recipes, and mental health tools with a vision of real-world meetups and community events that pull users away from scrolling and into shared spaces. While both are small, they speak to where the category is headed as wellness technology shifts toward supporting connection, not just performance.
The report also highlights how global the market is becoming. Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America are all expected to grow as more consumers adopt digital fitness tools and seek accessible support in areas such as running, cycling, yoga and strength training. A large part of global growth comes down to language. Runna in particular is ready to go, recently expanding into seven new languages and giving millions of runners in Europe, Latin America, and Asia access to personalized training plans and coaching videos. Nutrition and activity tracking continues to grow as users seek platforms that manage multiple parts of their health.
