Fitness App Development Services
Custom fitness app development, no per-member fees.
Off-the-shelf fitness platforms charge per member, per month, on features you didn't ask for and can't change. A gym growing from 500 to 5,000 members doesn't save money on Mindbody. It pays more, for the same rigid product.
RaftLabs builds custom iOS and Android fitness apps for gyms, personal trainers, fitness studios, and wellness brands. Fixed price. Your brand, your logic, your pricing. No per-member fees compounding as you grow.
iOS and Android fitness apps built to your workflow, not a SaaS template
No per-member monthly fees: you own the platform outright
Wearable integrations with Apple Watch, Garmin, and Fitbit via HealthKit and Google Fit
Class booking, member check-in, workout tracking, and nutrition in one app, one brand
Fixed price quote before development starts
Bring the problem, the current workflow, or the existing code. We reply with a practical next step within one business day.
Trusted by
The brief
Start with what is not working.
Good software decisions begin with the constraint, not a list of features or a preferred technology.
Gym paying per member per month for a SaaS platform you can't customise?
Fitness brand with 50,000 followers and no owned app to monetise that audience?
Personal trainer managing client programs across three tools because no single platform does everything?
Plain answer
RaftLabs builds custom fitness apps for gyms, personal trainers, studios, and wellness brands in the US, UK, Ireland, and Australia. Builds cover workout tracking, class booking, gym management, nutrition planning, and wearable integration through Apple Watch, Garmin, and Fitbit, with no per-member SaaS fees.
What to remember
- Custom iOS and Android fitness apps built to your workflow, not a SaaS template
- Fixed price quote agreed before development starts
- A first version launches first, then grows through follow-on phases
- Wearable integrations supported include Apple Watch, Garmin, and Fitbit via HealthKit and Google Fit
- You own the platform outright with no per-member monthly fees compounding as you grow
- RaftLabs has shipped iOS and Android apps since 2015
The bigger you get, the more you pay for the same app.
A gym opens with 500 members and a SaaS platform that feels affordable. Two years later it's at 2,000 members, paying per member every month, for the same rigid product it started with.
Growth didn't earn the gym a better app. It earned the SaaS vendor a bigger invoice.
The platform captured the upside. The gym carried the risk.
A custom app flips that. You pay once to build it, then you own it.
Own the platform, stop paying per member.
A gym paying per member per month watches that bill climb with every new member. The SaaS vendor captures your growth. You capture the product risk.
A custom fitness app is an asset. You own the code. You set the pricing. You add the features your members actually ask for. The per-member fee disappears.
According to Grand View Research, the global fitness app market was worth $12.1 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 13.4% CAGR to $33.6 billion by 2033, with North America holding the largest share at nearly 40%. Gyms and wellness brands that own their platform capture that growth directly, instead of funding a SaaS vendor's expansion.
RaftLabs has shipped production software since 2015 for clients across the US, UK, Europe, Canada, and the UAE. Those are relationships, not fitness case studies. Our closest first-hand proof is our own community platform, EventRaft, which reached 50,000 users in six months: group challenges, social feeds, and push campaigns are exactly the engagement layer a fitness app needs to fight churn between sessions.
This works when members already have to pay per head.
Everything on the left should already be true for your business. Even one thing on the right, and a custom build isn't the right move yet.
You run a gym, studio, or training business with enough members that per-member SaaS fees are now a real line item.
You already have a membership, class, or coaching model in place: bookings, tiers, or recurring billing.
You want to own the platform and the member relationship, not rent them from Mindbody or Trainerize.
You're pre-launch with no members or paying clients yet.
You're happy adapting your business to whatever a SaaS template allows.
You need something live in a few weeks for the lowest possible upfront cost.
The first decision is not what to build.
It is whether software is the right answer at all. We use four possible recommendations before discussing a development scope.
Buy
Run the build-vs-buy numbersChoose a maintained product when it handles the core member operations workflow and the remaining gaps can be solved with configuration, a connector, or a small process change. Paying for software you do not have to maintain is often the better trade.
Repair
Keep the existing product when users still get value from it and the code can be understood safely. Start with evidence: where the code lives, how the data is organized, what is tested, which outside services it depends on, who can access what, and how updates go live.
Build
Own the system when member operations shape margin, customer experience, speed, or a product customers pay for. Start with one complete path and the system connections that path cannot work without.
Wait
Do not turn a changing policy into permanent software. Stabilise the rules, name the workflow owner, and measure the cost of the current process before paying for a product.
Not sure which path is yours? Bring it to a 30-minute call. Leave with the answer in writing.
What we build
Types of fitness apps we develop
Workout tracking apps
Structured training programs, exercise video libraries, sets and reps logging, progress charts, and personal records. Coach assignment and client-to-coach messaging built in. Apple Watch and Garmin sync for heart rate and activity data.
Gym management apps
Class scheduling, real-time capacity management, member self-booking, digital check-in via QR code, membership tier management, and automated recurring billing through Stripe. Admin dashboard for studio managers.
Personal trainer apps
Client onboarding, weekly program delivery, progress photo uploads, in-app video exercise demos, direct messaging, and habit tracking. Coaches manage multiple clients from a single dashboard, clients see only their own content.
Nutrition and meal planning apps
Macro and calorie tracking, food database integration, coach-assigned meal plans, hydration logging, and weekly nutrition check-ins. Works standalone or integrated alongside a workout tracking app.
Corporate wellness apps
Step challenges, team leaderboards, wellbeing check-ins, mindfulness modules, and HR reporting dashboard. Deployed as a private-label app for enterprise clients or as a branded product for corporate wellness providers.
Wearable-connected fitness apps
HealthKit and Google Fit integration for Apple Watch and Android wearables. Garmin Connect IQ and Fitbit Web API for sports tracking devices. Real-time heart rate, sleep, and activity data pulled into your app without manual input from the user.
Fitness community apps
Group challenges, social feeds, comment and reaction systems, live class links, and push notification campaigns. Community features that keep members engaged between sessions.
Loyalty and rewards for fitness brands
Points for class attendance, workout completions, and referrals. Rewards redeemable against merchandise, class credits, or partner offers. Integrates into an existing member app or deployed as a standalone loyalty layer.
Why fitness businesses choose us
Fixed price, no overruns
The number in the project brief is the number on the final invoice. Scope changes are priced separately, in writing, before any additional work starts.
You own everything
Source code, App Store accounts, server infrastructure, and all third-party API contracts transfer to you at handover. No vendor lock-in, no ongoing licence fees to us.
The team that scopes it ships it
The people who assess your product in discovery are the same people shipping it. No bait-and-switch after the contract is signed.
No per-member fee compounding
SaaS fitness platforms charge per member as you grow. A custom app costs once, then operates at infrastructure cost.
Your business logic, not a template
Mindbody and Trainerize are built for the average gym. Your class waitlist logic, your membership tiers, and your coach assignment rules get designed into a custom app from day one.
Built for App Store compliance
Fitness apps face specific Apple requirements: HealthKit data disclosure, in-app subscription rules, and privacy nutrition labels. We handle all of it, so there's no last-minute compliance scramble before launch.
Wearable integration on day one
Apple Watch, Garmin, and Fitbit are scoped and built as first-class features, not afterthought add-ons, with HealthKit compliance and data disclosure handled to meet App Store requirements.
Scope locked before we start
We write the product brief, you sign it off, then development starts. Changes after sign-off go through a change request, so your scope and your budget stay under control.
What would you build if you owned the platform?
Tell us your membership model, your current tools, and the features your members keep asking for. We'll scope the app and give you a fixed price.
How it works
From scope to App Store submission
- Phase 101
Scope and brief
We map your member workflow, feature priorities, and integration requirements. You leave discovery with a written product brief and a fixed-price quote. Development starts only after you sign off.
- Phase 202
Design and architecture
UI design in Figma, approved screen by screen before any code is written. Technical architecture decided and documented: stack, third-party integrations, data model. No surprises in the build.
- Phase 303
Build and iterate
Working build on TestFlight and Android beta within the first two sprints. Bi-weekly demos. QA runs in parallel with every sprint, not after the build is complete.
- Phase 404
Submit and launch
App Store and Google Play submission handled by us. We manage review cycles, respond to Apple and Google queries, and deploy to production. Post-launch support included for 8 weeks.
What it costs
Every project starts at $10000.
A focused v1 covers workout tracking and class booking with wearable integration, at a fixed price with no per-member fees.
Starting investment
Starts at $10000
The first app is scoped and fixed-priced; you never pay per-member fees. After a 30-minute call, you get a written build, buy, repair, or wait recommendation plus first-phase direction. Free, whether or not you build with us.
Work with us
Tell us where the work is stuck.
Bring the rough workflow, half-built product, or messy brief. We will map the smallest useful first move, then send scope, timeline, and price in plain English.
- Scope and cost agreed before work starts. No surprises. No obligation.
- Working prototype within 3 weeks of kickoff.
- Pay by milestone. You see progress before each invoice.
- 60-day post-launch warranty. Bug fixes, UI tweaks, and deployment support. No retainer.
- All conversations are NDA-protected.
Common questions
We build six main types. Workout tracking apps: structured programming, exercise libraries with video demos, sets and reps logging, progress charts, and coach-to-client assignment. Gym management apps: class scheduling, member booking, digital check-in, membership tiers, and automated payment processing. Personal training apps: client onboarding, weekly program delivery, progress photos, messaging, and habit tracking. Nutrition and meal planning apps: macro tracking, food databases, meal plan builder, and hydration logging. Corporate wellness apps: step challenges, team leaderboards, wellbeing check-ins, and HR dashboard reporting. Wearable-connected apps: Apple Watch, Garmin, and Fitbit integration via HealthKit and Google Fit, pulling heart rate, sleep, activity, and workout data into your platform. Most builds combine two or three of these areas into a single product.
Three reasons. First, cost structure: off-the-shelf platforms charge per location, per booking type, or per client per month, and the bill grows with your membership for a platform you don't own and can't modify. A custom app pays back against that subscription over time and then operates at infrastructure cost only. Second, differentiation: a generic SaaS app means your members see a product identical to your competitor's. A custom app is your brand, your onboarding flow, your community features. Third, features: the SaaS will not build the specific class waitlist logic, the coach-to-client messaging format, or the loyalty reward integration your business needs. You either adapt your business to the tool or build the tool to fit your business.
Mobile platforms: iOS (Swift, React Native) and Android (Kotlin, React Native). Wearables: Apple Watch via HealthKit, Google Fit for Android, Garmin Connect IQ, and Fitbit Web API. Payment processing: Stripe, Braintree, and Apple Pay / Google Pay. Push notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging and Apple Push Notification Service. Video hosting: Mux and Vimeo for exercise demo libraries and coach-uploaded content. Booking systems: calendar-based class and appointment scheduling built custom, or integrated with existing systems via API. CRM integration: HubSpot and Salesforce for gym operators who manage leads and renewals separately from the member app. The exact stack is confirmed in the project brief so you know every vendor dependency before development starts.
A focused v1 (one core feature set, one platform, for example workout tracking on iOS) ships first. A dual-platform iOS and Android v1 with two to three integrated feature areas (class booking plus workout tracking plus wearable sync) is a larger scope. A full gym management platform is not a single build: we ship a validated v1 first, then add the member portal, coach tools, and deeper integrations in follow-on phases. Scope is locked and the v1 timeline is committed in the project brief before development starts. App Store and Google Play submission is built into the schedule.
A focused MVP covers one main use case on one platform (e.g. a personal trainer client programming app for iOS). A dual-platform build adds class booking, workout tracking, and a coach dashboard. A full gym management platform adds a member portal, admin dashboard, payment processing, and wearable integration. The cost model is fixed price: the number agreed in the project brief is the number on the final invoice, and scope changes are priced and agreed separately. All builds include source code ownership and deployment to the App Store and Google Play. The fixed price is agreed after discovery, once the full feature scope has been mapped.
Start with Apple HealthKit and Google Health Connect: they cover the majority of wearables indirectly through platform sync. Add direct APIs (Garmin, WHOOP, Oura) only for data those platforms do not expose, and only if your users actually use those devices. Direct integrations carry hidden complexity: SDKs, permissions, edge cases, and maintenance whenever Apple or Google update their platforms. Do not add them speculatively.
Price the subscription against the real economics, not the headline. Track early cancellations, reactivation rates, and the API and platform costs (nutrition APIs and similar) that come back out of monthly revenue.
Define enough usage first: a fitness app might need three sessions a week. Do not force the Duolingo streak playbook onto a behavior-change app: shallow gamification can make retention worse. Combine usage thresholds with cancellation interviews, and do not abandon working retention work over month-one numbers.
Go cross-platform if you need both stores quickly and the app is not heavily hardware-specific: that covers most startups. Go native iOS only if the audience is on iPhones and the experience must feel unmistakably Apple. Check the AI story: personalization requires an ongoing data pipeline, not a one-time AI feature. The model must keep learning from each session. And confirm App Store compliance is designed in, not bolted on.
Yes. App Store (Apple) and Google Play (Android) submission, metadata, screenshots, and review management are included in every mobile build. We handle the technical requirements, privacy policy formatting, app review submissions, and rejection responses if Apple or Google raises a query. For fitness apps specifically, we account for HealthKit data usage disclosures (required by Apple for any app accessing health or fitness data), in-app purchase compliance, and subscription billing rules. Post-launch, we provide the first two rounds of App Store update submissions as part of the project warranty period. We budget for one Apple review cycle in the project timeline, and handle any reviewer queries directly so the launch date isn't delayed by admin.