When I was looking for a kettlebell app to use myself, I realized just how many apps there are on the market for kettlebell training, which made it overwhelming to try and choose the best one for my needs/preferences.
To make the most educated decision, I did my research to find out exactly what features to look for in a kettlebell app, and what made some kettlebell apps better than others on the market.
So, Which Kettlebell App Is The Best Overall? The best kettlebell app overall is the Fitify Kettlebell App because it has a great exercise selection for pre-made workouts for the muscle groups of our choice, it allows us to design custom workouts based on our preferences, it’s affordable, it gives good visual demonstrations of the exercises, and it’s very easy to use.
Before we decide which app to use for kettlebell training, it’s important to know what features we can get with a kettlebell app; otherwise, we won’t know if we’re getting the most out of an app or not.
In this article, I’ll discuss:
- The 3 most important factors to consider when choosing a kettlebell app
- The 7 best kettlebell apps on the market for our needs/preferences
- What features make certain kettlebell apps better than others on the market
Table of Contents
The 3 Biggest Factors To Consider When Choosing A Kettlebell App
The 3 biggest factors we should consider before choosing a kettlebell app are:
- Intended Use
- Price
- Skill Level
1. Intended Use
Our intended use for the app is important because it will determine what features we want the app to be capable of to suit our needs.
We need to decide if we want the app to generate workouts for us, if we want the ability to customize our own workouts, or if we want to be able to do both of these.
We also need to determine if we want the app to take us through the workout and serve as a rep counter/ timer, or if we want to do the workout on our own.
2. Price
The price of the app is an important feature to consider when choosing an app because some apps are completely free to use, some have free content but require a payment for full-access to the apps capabilities, and some apps cannot be downloaded with a payment.
We need to consider if we’re going to settle for a free app that may have less features, or if it’s worth paying for a premium version to rid ourselves of advertisements and get access to all that kettlebell apps have to offer.
3. Skill Level
Our skill level is important to consider when choosing a kettlebell app to use, because if we’re a beginner then we’re going to want an app that has beginner-level exercises and excellent instruction on how to do the exercises properly.
If we’re at an intermediate or advanced level, we’re likely going to want a wider variety of exercises to challenge us, and perhaps the ability to customize our own workouts.
Top 7 Kettlebell Apps On The Market
The top 7 kettlebell apps are:
- Fitify Kettlebell App – Best Overall Kettlebell App
- BeStronger Kettlebell App – Best Free Kettlebell App
- Kettlebell Workout Wizard – Best Kettlebell App For Beginners
- Stark Kettlebell Training – Best Kettlebell App For Advanced Lifters
- PerfectFit Kettlebell App- Best Kettlebell App For General Fitness Programs
- 7 Minute Kettlebell Workout App – Best Kettlebell App For Quick Workouts
- Kettlebell Workout Generator – Best Kettlebell App For At-Home Workouts
Fitify Kettlebell App – Best Overall Kettlebell App
The Fitify Kettlebell App is the best kettlebell app overall because it offers different workouts for different muscle groups which we can provide feedback on for adjustments in difficulty of these workouts in the future. It also allows us to create our own workouts that we can customize to suit our preferences.
The Fitify app offers full body, core strength, shoulder and back workouts, and upper body workouts as a part of their free content which gives us a great understanding of what the app has to offer and and ultimately if we feel like the app is what we’re looking for in a kettlebell app.
To get full access to the app's features, we must pay for the premium version which costs $3.89. The premium version allows us to use the app without ads, to unlock all workout types, to get full access to the exercise library, and the ability to build up to 30 custom workouts. I think the premium version is worth the price because it is a one-time fee and we get access to so many features for this price.
The Fitify Kettlebell App allows us to choose what type of workout we want to do (full body, upper body, core, shoulder & back, or lower body), and the amount of time we want to workout for ranging from 5 minutes to 60 minutes. Based on these selections the app gives us a preview of what exercises will be included in the workout.
The difference between the free version and the premium is that with premium, we are able to change more variables of our workout by selecting the exercises, how long we want each exercise to last, how often we get rest periods (after every exercise, every 2 exercises,3 exercises..,6,9 or no rest) and how long we want rest periods to be.
I think it’s important for apps to have both pre-made or customizable workouts because it caters to a larger audience. If we’re a beginner, then we are really going to enjoy the pre-made workouts as we are still learning the ropes and do not know how to put together a good workout; but if we’re more advanced, we’re likely going to want more control over certain aspects of the workout.
I also really like that the app allows us to preview the workout before starting (for free & premium versions) because then we know what to expect, and if there’s any exercises we don’t know how to do we can look into them further before starting the workout.
When we’re in workout mode in the app we get a visual demonstration of the movement and audio cues for the amount of time we have to exercise and when to rest. We’re also able to skip any exercise that we don’t like, but it’s unclear if this will decrease the amount of time we’re exercising or if the app will add an extra movement to keep the total time consistent.
At the end of our workout we can see how long we exercised and get an estimation for the amount of calories we burned – which is not very accurate because they don’t ask for any metrics that make the estimation specific to the user. So honestly, I could care less about this feature.
But what I do really enjoy about this post-workout summary is that we have the ability to rate how hard we found the workout, and based on our answer the app will increase the difficulty or decrease the difficulty next time to tailor the workout to our needs.
This is one of the only apps that I’ve seen that has the ability to share our workout summary to social media. I know this is a popular feature for some to share their results and get feedback from others to keep them motivated.
Pros
- Lots Of Free Workouts
- Custom Workouts (For A Fee)
- Easy To Use
- Has A Workout Mode
Cons
- Need To Pay For Certain Features
- Does Not Track Progress
BeStronger Kettlebell App – Best Free Kettlebell App
The BeStronger Kettlebell App is the best free kettlebell app because it offers many pre-made workouts based on the muscle group we want to target, it has a large exercise library, and it allows us to create custom workouts free of charge.
The best part of the BeStronger app is that the app’s content is completely free content, the only feature could decide to pay for is for ad-free usage, which costs $1.29 but I really didn’t feel like there were many advertisements and so I don’t even feel the need to pay for this.
The app stands out over other free apps on the market because it offers both pre-made workouts and custom workouts; whereas other free apps usually only offer pre-made workouts.
The BeStronger Kettlebell App’s pre-made workouts are categorized as “total workout, workouts for the hands, workouts for the legs, chest workout, and back workout. The names of these workouts did have me questioning whether they were going to be worth it because it refers to all upper body movements that are not for the chest and power movements (clean, swings) as “workouts for the hands”, which I found strange because although they require us to hold onto the kettlebell, they are usually not being performed specifically for grip strength.
The variety of the movements in their pre-made workouts are not ideal, as there doesn’t seem to be many movements included in the workouts despite the massive exercise library that the app has. For example, the pre-made chest workout only includes 1 exercise. For this reason, I don’t recommend the pre-made workouts as much as I do the custom workouts.
The custom workouts are the way to go because we get to pick the exercises we want, the number of reps per exercise, the amount of rest between exercises, the number of rounds we want to perform, and the rest between rounds. In addition, once we set our preferences for these we can see how long the workout will take us and it gives us an estimation of the calories we may burn (although it won’t be accurate).
The quality of instruction is decent and we get visual demonstrations of the exercises when we’re in “workout mode” along with audio cues to help keep us on time with the work and rest intervals – so I feel confident that it would be easy enough to follow along with the workout.
All in all, although I’m not a big fan of the app’s graphics, layout, and pre-made workouts, I do really like that we are able to create custom workouts with an impressive exercise library, and quality instruction for free.
Pros
- Free Custom Workouts
- Big Exercise Library
- Good Quality Instruction
Cons
- Not A Great Design/Layout
- Pre-Made Workouts Are Not Great
The Kettlebell Workout Wizard – Best Kettlebell App For Beginners
The Kettlebell Workout Wizard is the best kettlebell app for beginners because it provides the opportunity to learn different exercises with visual and written cues for technique mastery, it teaches us how to put together a workout, and it categorizes exercises by their difficulty so the progressions are clear.
The Kettlebell Wizard app is a free app that I think is the perfect app for beginners because it emphasizes the importance of technique by giving great explanations of how to do each exercise correctly. I also love that it has links to informative content for those who want more elaboration on a certain movement or kettlebell topic.
In addition, the app is laid out really well by categorizing the exercises by difficulty (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) so users know the proper progression of movements. I think that the app can be used to progress from beginner to advanced by first mastering the beginners exercises, then progressing to intermediate exercises, with the goal of eventually becoming competent enough to add in advanced exercises.
The Kettlebell Workout Wizard does not give us the option to choose whether we want an upper body, lower body, or core focused workout; instead, everything is a full body workout. Personally I think this is just another reason this app is great for beginners because I think it’s better for beginners to stick to full body workouts when they’re first starting, as it exposes them to a wider variety of movements to create a strong foundation of movements.
The app’s graphics are really nice, but it does not have as many features as other apps on the market may have. This could be viewed as a positive or as a negative depending on what we’re looking for in an app.
This Kettlebell Workout Wizard App’s main function is to make workouts for us by pairing exercises together, but it does not have the ability to go into a typical “workout mode” with a timer, rest times,or a post-workout summary.
The app is very straightforward by creating a workout for us, showing us the exercises with visual and written cues to help us master the technique, telling us the number of repetitions to perform, and then moving onto the next exercise in the workout when we indicate that we’ve completed the current movement.
I actually like how straightforward the app is and I don’t miss the “workout mode” feature, because it allows me to go at my own pace and focus on the quality of my movements rather than just moving as fast as I can. However, I understand that not everyone will feel this way.
Pros
- Beginner-Friendly
- Great Exercise Explanations
- Easy To Use
Cons
- No Custom Workouts
- Does Not Have A “Workout Mode”
Stark Kettlebell – Best Kettlebell App For Advanced Lifters
The Stark Kettlebell App is the best kettlebell app for advanced lifters because it gives us the most options for customization than any other kettlebell app on the market, but also provides pre-made workouts for when we want a worry-free workout.
The Stark kettlebell app is a paid app and it does not provide any free content, which I’m not a fan of because it’s hard to tell if the app is going to be what we’re looking for, and ultimately if the app is worth the $4.39 it costs to download and use the app. Although, in this case I definitely think the app is worth the money.
The app stands out because it has the most customization I've ever seen in an app with an exercise library of 51 exercises that we can drag and drop to create a custom workout. We also have the ability to sort the exercises by the muscle group that we want to target. Although the feature that I like the most are that we have the option to select what style of workouts we want between a standard workout (sets/reps or time), a tabata-style workout (rounds), a HIIT-style workout (work:rest), or a circuit-style workout (work:rest).
If we don’t want to make a custom workout, we can use the app's pre-made tabata-style full body workout that is pre-made so we don’t have to worry about exercise selections, reps schemes, and rest periods. I like that they included this in the app because sometimes we don’t want to plan our workout in advance, we just want to have a workout ready and to get it done.
Regardless of whether we do a pre-made or custom workout, the “workout mode” provides audio cues to keep us on track with work and rest times, and there is a person on the screen doing the movements with us. This may be attractive to some users because many people enjoy the “workout mode” feature to keep them paced throughout a workout, and motivated to continue.
The Stark Kettlebell App does provide a post workout summary that tells us how long we were active for, and approximately how many calories we burned (but the app doesn’t take any info on your height, weight, and age so there’s no way this is even remotely accurate).
The only thing I don’t like about the app is that it doesn’t track our progress with weights, sets, or reps. Especially since it is a paid app, and it is designed with more advanced kettlebell users in mind – most advanced lifters are going to want to track their progress
I feel like the Stark Kettlebell App is the best app on the market for those who are more advanced because it gives us the most opportunities to create the workouts that we want, with a good size exercise library to choose from.
Pros
- A Ton Of Customization Options
- A Good Size Exercise Library
- Pre-Made Exercises
Cons
- No Free Content
- Does Not Track Progression
PerfectFit Kettlebell App – Best Kettlebell App For General Fitness
The PerfectFit Kettlebell App is the best kettlebell app for those interested in general fitness because it creates a program for us based on our skill level, our primary goal, the equipment that we have access to, and the days per week that we want to train.
The PerfectFit Kettlebell App takes personalization to another level because it asks about our skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced), our primary fitness goal (strength, muscle mass, endurance), a secondary goal (posture, stability, mobility), what muscle groups are our main focus (full body, chest, back, core, legs), and what equipment we have access to (dumbbells, kettlebells, mini bands, resistance bands, ankle weights, stability ball, pull up bar).
The app goes the extra mile to get all the information it needs to ensure that the workouts that it provides are tailored to us. It also makes recommendations based on the data we’ve provided for the number of days we should workout, the exercises we should incorporate, and the set and rep schemes.
I love that the PerfectFit Kettlebell App creates a program for us based on our skill and preferences, but what’s even more appealing is that the app is constantly tracking our progress so that we can clearly tell if the program is working or not.
Each exercise we open will tell us our records for the most weight we’ve lifted, and the most reps we’ve completed at this weight. In addition, we get information on what muscles the movement works, and it even provides alternatives for the exercise (easier and harder options).The app has good instructional capabilities as it provides detailed information on how to perform each exercise with visual demonstrations and written instructions.
The “workout mode” of the app is more interactive because the app tracks our progress, and therefore, once we’ve completed a set we can input the amount of weight we used, and the number of reps we did compared to the number of reps the app has recommended we aim for.
I also like that at the end of the workout it tells us the number of exercises we completed, the amount of total volume we achieved, and if we have set any personal records during the workout.
The downside to this app is that we only have access to 3 free workouts, and then to continue using the app we need to pay monthly ($9.99) payments or a year payment ($95.99).
The monthly payments are unusual because most other kettlebell apps on the market that are paid apps are typically a one-time fee, but the PerfectFit app does go the extra mile by providing programming, a workout mode, daily reminders, and all the bells and whistles. Ultimately we need to decide if these features are worth it, or if we’d be happy with a cheaper app that has less features.
Pros
- Provides A Program Tailored To You
- Tracks Progress For Each Exercise
- An Interactive Workout Mode
Cons
- The Most Expensive
7 Minute Kettlebell Workout App – Best Kettlebell App For Quick Workouts
The 7 Minute Kettlebell Workout App is the best kettlebell app for those who prefer quick workouts because it's designed for 7 minute workouts (or longer if we have time), it allows us to customize our workouts, and has a large exercise library that gives video explanations for each movement.
The 7 Minute Kettlebell Workout has a free version and a premium version, with the main difference being that the free version only has pre-made workouts which consist of their beginner, advanced, and double kettlebell workouts; while the premium version allows us to create our own workouts but we must pay a one-time fee of $2.99.
The pre-made workouts are a great idea because if we’re really in a rush and want to get the workout done as fast as possible, we may not want to take the time to customize a workout.
One thing that I found strange about the app is that even if we buy the premium version and unlock the custom workouts, we still have to pay an additional fee of $1.19 to remove advertisements. This seems strange because if I'm paying for the “premium version”, then I should have all the premium features that the app is capable of and in my mind that includes ad-free usage.
An important thing to mention is that even though this app is marketed as a 7 minute workout, we can adjust the settings for a longer workout depending on the amount of time we have available to exercise that day. There are five time options ranging from 7 minutes and 50 seconds to 39 minutes and 50 seconds.
I like that they’ve designed the app in this way because often we are short on time and want to get a workout in as quickly as possible, but if we have more time then we have the option to put in some extra work without having to do multiple 7 minute workouts.
The premium version of the 7 Minute Workout App allows us to choose which exercises we want to do, the amount of time that each exercise in our circuit lasts, and how long we want to rest in between exercises. If we don’t adjust these settings then the default settings are set to 30 seconds of exercise with 10 seconds of rest between exercises.
What I appreciate about these workouts are that they are a mix of kettlebell movements and bodyweight movements, because it gives us a wider variety of exercises to include in our programming and they are exercises that we can do anywhere.
While we’re in “workout mode” a picture of the exercise we are currently doing will appear on the screen to give us a visual reminder of what the movement looks like, but if we want a full explanation we will have to visit the exercise library provided on the app which has full video explanations for how to perform each exercise.
I will say that the exercise videos are clearly not professionally done, but I actually think the guy in the videos does a great job explaining each exercise.
Pros
- Quick Workouts
- Pre-Made & Custom Workouts
- Good Exercise Demos
Cons
- Additional Fee For Ad Removal
- Does Not Track Progress
Kettlebell Workout Generator- Best Kettlebell App For At-Home Workouts
The Kettlebell Workout Generator is the best kettlebell app for at-home workouts because it allows us to input what kettlebell weights we have access to, input how light or heavy these kettlebells are for us, and creates a workout for us based on these inputs.
The Kettlebell Workout Generator is a free app that is designed to generate full body kettlebell workouts for us based on the number of exercises we want in a workout.
The best part of this app is that we can input the weights for all of the kettlebells we have access to, but the coolest thing about this is that we can also adjust what they call their “modifier”, which gives the app an idea of how light or how heavy the kettlebells we have are for us. If we only have kettlebells that are really light, or really heavy for us – the workout will adjust to make the workouts more suitable for these weights.
For this reason, I think this app is by far the best kettlebell app for at-home workouts because when we train at home we’re often limited by the number of kettlebells we have access to; but this app takes this into consideration, and creates workouts that are going to challenge us appropriately based on the modifier we select.
When the app generates our workout, it tells us the weight it recommends we use for each exercise based on what we have stated we have for weights, and the number of reps it suggests based on how light/heavy we’ve said these weights are for us.
The app does not have a “workout mode” because it was designed primarily to generate workouts based on our inputs, which I know some people will not be impressed with. Despite not having a workout mode, the app does provide links for each of the movements to watch a video demonstration on youtube.
The app definitely isn’t the fanciest of apps, and definitely has a few typos here and there but overall the app is well designed and very easy to use. The app is free and provides good quality content, so I really feel like it’s worth it if we’re looking for a workout to do at-home with the kettlebells we have on hand.
Pros
- Free Workout Generator
- Modifies Workouts For How Light/Heavy Our Kettlebells Are
- Links To Video Demos
Cons
- Simple Design With Some Typos
- Does Not Have A Workout Mode
- Does Not Track Progress
Choosing The Best Kettlebell App: Buyer’s Guide
The features that make some kettlebell apps better than others include:
- Free Content
- Ease Of Use
- Variety Of Exercises
- Quality Of Instruction
- Progress Tracking
- Estimation Of Calories Burned
Free Content
Free content is an important feature to consider when choosing an app because it gives us an idea of how the app is designed, what features it has, the number of exercises it has, and the quality of the instruction.
Many apps are free to use like the BeStronger, Kettlebell Workout Wizard, and the Kettlebell Workout Generator apps – despite being free of charge, they are well-designed and have a wide variety of kettlebell exercises.
When apps provide free content I am more likely to use that app, even if I need to pay later on for premium features. The reason for this is that with the free content I get a better idea of how the app works, if it has the features I’m looking for, and if I see myself using the app.
It’s difficult to commit to an app that we don’t know if we’re going to like, because if we pay for it and it's not what we’re looking for it feels like a waste of money.
Ease Of Use
Ease of use is important to consider when choosing a kettlebell app because if we cannot understand the flow of the app and the range of its capabilities, then we are wasting our time and perhaps our money as well on a poorly designed app.
The apps that I feel are the easiest to use are the ones that give an introduction and a walk-through of their features when we first open it; otherwise we could be misunderstanding how to use some of the features, or perhaps not even know that some features exist.
The apps that are the easiest to use are the ones that give clear instructions, provide an overview of the apps capabilities, and have a straightforward layout.
Variety Of Exercises
The variety of exercises an app has is an important feature to consider because if we’re going to be using the app for an extended period, we are going to want a variety of exercises to keep the workouts from getting boring – especially if we cannot customize workouts.
While it’s important to repeat the same exercises to develop strength and movement proficiency, we are likely going to get to a point where we want to expand our exercise repertoire to keep training exciting.
An app should have a wide variety of exercises for all muscle groups consisting of both compound and isolation movements. I also appreciate when kettlebell apps throw in some bodyweight movements, because it’s something that many people need to practice and it’s something we can do anywhere.
The BeStronger Kettlebell App has one of the largest exercise libraries out there, which makes it more attractive to those looking for a kettlebell app.
Quality Of Instruction
The quality of instruction is a very important component to consider with a kettlebell app because to have the best experience we need to know what we’re doing, how to do it, and when we’re supposed to do it -this is especially important for beginners who are new to kettlebell training.
Workout-Mode
Most kettlebell apps will have a workout mode that appears when we begin a workout. The app's workout mode should tell us what exercise we are doing, how long we are doing it for, when we are supposed to rest, and how long we are resting for. If any of these instructions are not clear, then it can be very frustrating to try to use the app.
The apps with the highest quality of instruction are those that provide visual and audio cues to keep us on track.
Workout Generators
Some kettlebell apps do not have a workout mode to walk us through the workout, and instead just generate a workout for us to do by selecting movements to include in a workout. Although advanced kettlebell lifters may be able to take these movements and decide for themselves how many reps/ how long to do each movement and when/how long to rest, this is likely too much for a beginner to plan out themselves.
A good quality app should still provide you with the full details on the number of reps or the amount of time to complete each exercise, when to rest, and how long to rest. The quality of instruction is even more important for apps that do not have a workout mode, because it needs to set its users up for success on their own.
The Kettlebell Workout Wizard and The Kettlebell Workout Generator are both examples of apps that do not have a workout mode, but do a great job designing workouts that we would be capable of doing on our own.
Progress Tracking
There are kettlebell apps that keep track of our progress by monitoring changes in our bodyweight, the amount of weight we are able to lift, the number of reps we are able to do at a certain weight, and how consistent we are with our workouts.
Although progress tracking does not make or break an app, it is a feature that I value because it gives us extra motivation to continue and shows us with concrete data just how much our efforts are paying off.
The PerfectFit Kettlebell App is the best app on the market for tracking our weight and rep progress for each exercise, and the total volume for each workout -but this does come at a cost.
Estimation Of Calories Burned
Many kettlebell apps will provide an overview of how many calories we can expect to burn based on the number of exercises we will do, and the amount of total time we are exercising for – which is a popular feature for many kettlebell app users.
This feature is a popular one because many lifters want to know how many calories they are burning in a workout, but it’s important to understand that this estimation is very unreliable and is likely not accurate whatsoever. Many apps that have this feature never collect any personal information about the user (height, weight, age) and yet still try to predict how many calories this person may have burned, without knowing anything about this person.
While some apps do ask for this information to help make it more applicable to that user, it is still one of the least accurate estimations. For this reason, we really shouldn’t consider this a priority when choosing a kettlebell training app.
Other Kettlebell Resources
- Is Your Kettlebell Too Heavy? (How To Know Using Examples)
- How To Keep Kettlebell From Hitting Your Wrist
- Best Kettlebells For Small Hands
- Best Cheap Kettlebells
- 1 Arm vs 2 Arm Kettlebell Swing: Pros, Cons, Which Is Best?
- E-Coat vs Powder Coat Kettlebells: Pros, Cons, Differences
- Best Kettlebell Swing Alternatives (With Pictures)
- Best Competition Kettlebells (Crossfit or Kettlebell Sport)
- Best Kettlebell Gloves To Protect Your Hands
- Best Rubber-Coated Kettlebells
- Best Kettlebell Apps For Both iOS & Android
Final Thoughts
The Fitify Kettle App is definitely the winner as the best overall kettlebell app because it has lots of good quality free content offering workouts for different muscle groups, it also has an affordable premium version that allows us to create custom workouts from a large exercise library with good quality instruction.
The Stark Kettlebell App comes in second place because of the ability to customize every aspect of our workouts, or having the option for pre-made workouts when we want to switch things up. It falls short of first place because it has no free content, and therefore it's hard to tell what we’re getting before purchasing.
Finally, the third runner up is the PerfectFit Kettlebell App which designs an entire kettlebell program for us based on our skill level, goals, and equipment; it lands in third place because the app requires a monthly subscription after the first 3 workouts.
About The Author
Amanda Parker has a passion for competing and coaching in both powerlifting and weightlifting. She uses her knowledge from her Kinesiology Degree, CSCS, and Precision Nutrition certification to coach athletes and lifestyle clients for performance in training and nutrition. Connect with her on Instagram.
