We scoured the web for 4-5 hours to find the mobile applications that are the most popular among cyclists. We read reviews from people who tried the app for themselves and downloaded some of them ourselves. The list we came up with includes 15 cycling apps we believe to be the most useful.
The functionalities of the apps included in this list range from tracking your rides and performance to planning your routes, from visualizing your ride in 3D to getting accurate weather forecasts. The complete list includes:
#1 – Strava
#2 – Zwift
#3 – Cyclemeter
#4 – Migo
#5 – Rouvy
#6 – Map My Ride
#7 – Wahoo Fitness
#8 – Google Maps
#9 – Komoot
#10 – Relive
#11 – Viewranger
#12 – Training Peaks
#13 – Trainerroad
#14 – First Aid: American Red Cross
#15 – Dark Sky Weather
Keep reading if you want to learn what these apps can do to improve your cycling experience. We also included the rating of these apps on the Apple App Store and their prices in our review. And for those of you who cycle indoors, don’t think this article isn’t relevant for you. There’s some goodies in this list to take your indoor cycling game to the next level too.
#1 – Strava
- Track your ride and interact with other cyclists
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5, 158K Ratings, Editor’s Choice, #28 in Health & Fitness
- Price: free with in-app purchases available (Premium version costs $5.00/month when billed annually)
Strava is not exclusive to cycling but can be used to track a variety of fitness activities such as running, swimming, crossfit and gym training. The app gives you key stats for your workout such as distance, pace, elevation & how many calories you burned.
There is a social element to it too. As you track your progress and rides on Strava, you can compete with other users of the app. If you upload your ride on popular trails to Strava, you will also be ranked against other riders who uploaded stats for the same trail. Strava reportedly has 76 million users in 2021 . That’s plenty of competition.
You can also keep up with your cyclist friends on Strava, see where they rode and their time, comment on their rides and upload photos of your own.
More importantly, Strava includes the world’s largest trail network. This is good news if you are looking to discover new trails.
There’s also a club function where you can interact with smaller groups of teammates or friends. This function allows you to track each other’s training and organize group rides as well as post announcements. Brands and groups who use the Club function in Strava include Lululemon, Team Belkin (a pro cycling team), Campagnolo and the Central Park Track Club. Clubs are part of the free version so there is no need to worry about having to get the Premium subscription to access them. (https://blog.strava.com/organize-a-group-ride-or-run-with-your-club-8258/)
Unfortunately not every function in the Strava app is free with the app. Visit Strava’s website to see what’s included in the free version and the additional benefits that come with the Premium Subscription.
#2 – Zwift
- Take your indoor ride virtual
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.6/5, 5.9K Ratings
- Price: $14.99/month
If indoor cycling is becoming a little boring for you, Zwift can be the app you’re looking for. Zwift essentially turns your indoor ride into a video game.
You need to pair a supported device, namely a turbo trainer, to the app before immersing yourself in a virtual central London or futuristic New York City. The app additionally offers training plans and gives you the option to create your own.
If you are looking to get a structured training out of it, the app features a workout mode to help you push yourself.
Similar to Strava, there’s a social component to Zwift. You can compete in virtual races and go on group rides with other users.
There’s also an option on the Zwift dashboard to upload your rides to Strava if that’s where you want to track your cycling progress.
#3 – Cyclemeter
- Use your phone as a cycling computer
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.6/5, 3.1K Ratings
- Price: Free with in-app purchases available
Cyclemeter brings the functionalities of a cycling computer into your phone. It can track not only cycling but also cycling, running, hiking, walking and more. The app comes with various training plans but also allows you to create your own.
Cyclemeter tracks your route and generates statistics such as ride time, speed, distance covered, calories burned etc. You can also get measures of ascent and descent through Cyclemeter, which utilizes iPhone’s barometric altimeter. You can then use these stats to analyze your split, interval and zone performance through the app.
We also want to talk about an important safety feature that comes free with Cyclemeter. The app offers the option of live tracking with friends you invite. This way your trusted contact can view where you are during your ride.
#4 – Migo
- Find your ride
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.7/5, 623 Ratings
- Price: Free
This bike-share app allows you to go cycling even if you don’t have your own bike with you, that is if you’re in a city with bike share systems. Migo consolidates the information you need from various bike share companies in one handy map so you can find the ones that are closest to you. You can also easily navigate to the specific bike share app of your choice by clicking on it and find out how long it will take you to get to the bike. It’s a great platform to see the different bike share systems’ offerings in one place so you don’t have to check multiple apps to find your ride. You can use Migo to compare rates of different bike share systems as well as taxis and public transport options for the destination you entered and decide on the most economic option. If scooters are more your thing, Migo allows you to locate the closest scooters too.
#5 – Rouvy
- Take your indoor ride virtual (and make it realistic too)
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.6/5, 3.2K Ratings
- Price: $11.99/month (family sharing included)
Similar to Zwift, Rouvy is an indoor cycling reality app. Rouvy features some of the most popular trails in the world and brings real bike routes to the comfort of your home. What Rouvy offers is an interactive experience thanks to real life recordings from these routes and elevation data.
You can also use Rouvy for structured workouts and even ‘build a career’ on the app. We find this feature to be very motivational and it offers rewards as you progress as well.
#6 – Map My Ride
- Track and plan your rides
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5, 181K Ratings
- Price: Free with in-app purchases available
Map My Ride is great for tracking your bike rides as well as over 600 other kinds of fitness activities. You can also use it to record your weight and nutrition and to map out the route to get you to your destination.
There’s also a premium version you can purchase, which offers personalized training plans, a live tracking feature and live audible feedback during your rides.
On Map My Ride, users can also view each other’s rides and pictures as well as create and share challenges.
#7 – Wahoo Fitness
- Generate and store data on your training
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.7/5, 28K Ratings
- Price: Free
This app is for those who want to keep track of their training and fitness in numbers. There are actually more than 30 different fitness activities you can track on Wahoo Fitness. You can pair the app with other devices such as Wahoo sensors to also display heart rate and stride rate data, speed, cycling power and much more.
You can also get personalized calorie burn info based on your age, weight and height.
You should essentially be using Wahoo to track your workout stats and progress. There’s no premium features you need to pay for and there is no social element to it.
However, Wahoo can be connected with various fitness apps such as Strava, RideWithGPS, TrainingPeaks, Cycling Analytics, Dropbox and many more. You can upload your stats from Wahoo and share them on these platforms. Another nice feature is the ability to export .fit files for upload from Wahoo.
#8 – Google Maps
- Navigate to your place of destination
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.7/5, 3.7M Ratings
- Price: Free
Cycling is not only an exercise but can also be a great way to commute. When you are trying to get your destination, Google Maps can be a great resource to show the best routes you can take by bike. It gives you the directions, maps the route you need to take and gives an estimate of how long it will take to get to your destination. You can use the website version of Google Maps as well but we find the app version to be more user-friendly.
#9 – Komoot
- Plan your ride
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5, 2.5K Ratings
- Price: Free with in-app purchases available
Komoot allows you to plan your route (be it for commute or exercise) using cycling-specific info such as surface, difficulty, distance and elevation profile. The app allows you to plan hikes as well. The great thing about Komoot is that you can plan out the exact kind of cycling experience you’d like to have. Komoot can also choose the most efficient path for you based on your fitness level and biker-friendliness of different routes.
Some other features of the app include turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to download your planned route. This means you can utilize the downloaded route even if you lose internet connection along the way. Komoot is also a social platform where you can contribute photos from your adventures, tips and highlights.
The first region in the app is free forever but if you would like to have access to multiple regions then you have to purchase those other regions within the app.
#10 – Relive
- Generate a 3D map of your ride
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.9/5, 45 K Ratings
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
Relive generates 3D stories of your bike rides, hikes, runs and other outdoor activities such as snowboarding and skiing. The app allows you to create video stories, see your route in 3D, share your photos with friends and see highlights such as your maximum speed and the elevation profile. You can also share the videos generated by Relive on other social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you are looking to customize your videos, you can get the premium subscription, Relive Plus. With Relive Plus, you can add music to your videos, generate videos in HD, edit your videos as many times as you want and control video speed.
#11 – Viewranger
- Discover new bike routes
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.5/5, 1.5K Ratings
- Price: Free with in-app purchases available
If you are a little tired of your usual trails, Viewranger can help you discover some new ones. You can use this app for cycling as well as hiking. This is essentially a network where cycling experts and enthusiasts can add new routes, which other users can then view and explore.
Viewranger is especially useful for the mountain bikers out there, who might want to dip their toes in off-road exploring. The in-app purchases allow you access to premium maps provided by the Ordnance Survey.
If you have not joined Viewranger yet, it is recommended on their appstore page that you download Outdooractive instead. Viewranger and Outdooractive have joined forces and new users are now encouraged to use Outdooractive. If you already have an account with Viewranger, you can connect it to Outdooractive via their website: https://my.viewranger.com/oa-welcome?connect=1&locale=en
#12 – Training Peaks
- Gain access to training plans curated by actual coaches
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5, 7.8K Ratings
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
If you are training towards a fitness goal, Training Peaks is a great app to keep track of your progress and plan out your activities. You can use this app not only for cycling but also for training to run a marathon or complete an IRONMAN (a triathlon consisting of swimming, cycling and running). Training Peaks is for those riders or runners out there who want to push themselves.
You can also use Training Peaks to have a more guided training plan. There are various training plans by actual coaches you can purchase on the app. Just a quick glance at the cycling training plans currently offered on Training Peaks shows sub categories such as MTB, Road, Indoor, Time Trialing, Base and more. Some of the training plans cater to other specific needs such as base training with lifting, Zwift compatible, base builder, over 50 etc. The good thing about Training Peaks is that you can filter by various factors such as price, number of days in the week you train, your experience level and more. So if you are looking to train toward your cycling goal, be it a marathon or your personal best, there is a good chance you will find a suitable training plan for yourself on Training Peaks.
#13 – Trainerroad
- Get your fitness on indoors
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.9/5, 11K Ratings
- Price: $19.99/month or $189.99/year
Indoor cycling has proven to be a valuable way to get or remain fit during Covid lockdowns and the cold winter months. Trainerroad gives structure to your indoor cycling sessions via science-backed training calibrated to your personal fitness level.
With Trainerroad, you get access to a library of structured power-based workouts, a career page where you can track your progress and riding metrics, live performance data and more. The membership is unfortunately not free but you do get a lot out of it if you are looking to get more serious about your cycling and increase your performance.
#14 – First Aid: American Red Cross
- Have access to easy-to-follow guides for first-aid practices at the touch of your finger
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.3/5, 244 Ratings
- Price: Free
A good biker is always prepared for the worst. That’s why First Aid: American Red Cross is included in this list for cycling enthusiasts. If there’s an emergency and somebody is hurt, the expert advice offered in this app will be very valuable. First Aid offers videos and step-by-step guides to make their content easily understandable and applicable.
It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the app before going on rides. But if you haven’t, there’s also an emergency section which offers tips and advice on a concise, need-to-know basis for various ailments such as Asthma Attack, Bleeding, Heart Attack, Stroke, Choking and more.
The app is also fully integrated with 9-1-1 so you can call EMS from within the app any time. The really important advantage to downloading this app is that, because it comes with preloaded content, you will have instant access to the first aid guides even when you don’t have internet connection or reception.
#15 – Dark Sky Weather
- Get weather forecasts
- Apple App Store Rating: 4.7/5, 225K Ratings
- Price: $3.99
If you like riding outdoors, checking the weather forecast must be a part of planning your ride. Even if you don’t mind going cycling in adverse weather conditions, you should still be prepared for them. That’s why we are including Dark Sky Weather in our list. This app offers weather forecasts down to the minute for precise locations. It has animations showing the path of a storm, including where it’s been and where it’s going next. You can also set up notifications for various weather factors, such as temperature, wind, precipitation, etc. and receive a daily summary of the day’s forecast overview so you know what to expect and plan accordingly.
Final Thoughts
We hope you found our list of best cycling apps to be useful and comprehensive. Ultimately, your own preferences as a biker will determine which cycling apps add most value to your experience. These are some of the apps that are popular among cyclists and received good feedback. Please feel free to comment down below if you have a favorite cycling app not included in this list as we are always eager to discover more.
