Apple Fitness Plus vs Peloton Digital App - CYCLING section only

This is a comparison of the pros and cons of Apple Fitness+ Plus Cycling vs peloton digital app cycling, this is not a full app review and also this is not comparing the 39/month full access peloton membership, because lets be honest, nobody who buys a peloton bike and uses the 39/month full membership is going to be using apple fitness plus taped over there peloton tablet.

So for starters currently, apple fitness+ is 9.99 a month and the peloton app is 12.99 a month, so even though one is % more, they're basically a cup of a coffee a month difference in price, and they both offer instructor led in studio cycling classes, you can use either with whatever bike you want.

But apple fitness plus and peloton app definitely are not the same.

The first MAJOR difference between the two is obvious, apple fitness+ can basically ONLY by used by apple customers, so if you're like me and you have an android, you can't even sign up and watch the classes, which instantly eliminates a HUGE portion of potential customers because lets be honest, who is going to go to the apple store convert to Apple just to get apple fitness+ plus.

But not only do you need to be an apple customer to sign up for apple fitness plus you also need an apple watch to display your heart rate on the screen and get other metrics integrate. The apple watch is really the central component of the entire app in terms of metrics tracking, and you cant use the watch without the phone, so it's really a big hurdle to leap if you aren't already on board with apple. However, if you already have the iphone, and you use the apple health products and want to close your rings and all that, the new apple fitness plus is a big incentive to buy a watch if you don't already have one, and if you do, for only a few bucks a month more you can get the apple fitness+. So for people who already have the phone, the watch, and are using the peloton digital app this is a great way to say goodbye to the 12.99 peloton digital app and get a more integrated apple health option for even less money. Or if you never had peloton digital app or you don't have an indoor cycling bike and you're interested in getting started apple fitness+ cycling is a simple and integrated way to test the waters, which by the way if this is you and you don't have a indoor bike and you're looking for a budget bike to get started I only have 9 indoor bikes in my 800 sqft apt right now but I do have some indoor bike reviews that may help point you in the right direction.

But the real question is are the apple fitness+ cycling classes any good? and How does apple fitness plus stack up to the peloton digital app cycling classes?

So the 12.99 peloton digital app is basically the light version of the 39/month all access peloton membership, which the all access is required if you have a peloton bike and gives you perks like the leaderboard and multiple users on your account, but basically the peloton app is how you get to do the intrcutor led peloton classes on a “typically less expensive non-peloton bike” while sidestepping the 39/month membership fee which is a make or break deal to many people.




Peloton –

Pros: cadence, resistance metrics are very specific, music
cons: resistance conversions

apple Fitness plus - resistance:more general, flat road – cadence referred to as RPM

metrics – duration/time, heart rate (if you have watch), calories, activity rings and when you close celebration, burnbar (anonymous leaderboard)

pros: RPMS (cadence), very integrate and seamless, all in one package, music
cons:


apple Fitness+ first ride thoughts:
It's super simple, in a good way. You get a trainer to talk you through the workout and motivate you and instruct you, but it's not overly technical. The instructor will give you guidance in terms or cadence/rpm and intensity level but they do not tell you specific numbers for resistance which makes a lot of sense for non-peloton bike owners.
Observation: for non-peloton bike owners you often see conversion charts for resistance converted to peloton, and honestly from what i've seen they are all over they place and wildly inaccurate anyway, and the truth is every peloton bike is calibrate differently anyway so an exact resistance number doesn't make much sense anyway.

The cadence and resistance is not displayed on screen, but heart rate is displayed.

There are countdown sections where the instructor asks you to push hard and a timer counts down, which is beneficial for a moment of exertion.

If you're an elite cyclist or really into spin classes, this platform currently may not have all the bells and whistles in terms of technical metrics, but it's a great tool for a casual rider looking to get into shape with the motivation of an instructor.



I could also see the cycling portion of apple fitness+ being a great tool for people who only use spin classes as the cardivascular portion of there training regimen.