Best indoor cycling apps 2023 — push your fitness to new levels with immersive virtual cycling experiences

Starting with by far the most popular app on the market, Zwift. At £12.99 a month it is one of the more expensive options but it is well established so the setup and navigation has been refined making it one of the easiest indoor training apps to use despite tons of functionality.

Zwift is the most 'game' like indoor training option here and isn't for everyone with its cartoon-like customisable avatars and terrain, but don't be deceived. This is still a serious training tool with a total of nearly 3,000km of routes, ranging from open road to dirt track, along with training plans and structured workouts. 

It offers by far the largest number of events to suit all abilities, races and best community feel. The sheer number of people using Zwift means there's always someone to ride with and push you - something I personally find really motivating. 

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A Wahoo X subscription means that you can benefit from both SYSTM and Wahoo RGT and both are excellent alternatives to Zwift, offering what it believes is greater ride experience realism. It claims that rider movement, drafting, braking and resistance are more realistically replicated. The graphics are also of gaming quality, which does help to make the experience more immersive. 

Wahoo SYSTM brings plenty of functionality such as recommending training including strength and yoga sessions. The 4DP test is also very good and we think it’s an excellent albeit painful way of measuring your capability as a rider, more so than a simple FTP test.

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Using Wahoo RGT, paying subscribers can upload a route file letting them ride somewhere they've always wanted to go or just a local loop without leaving home. 

Wahoo SYSTM and Wahoo RGT can be purchased separately but are best value when purchased as part of a Wahoo X annual subscription which is very similar in price to Zwift. Costing £135 for a year's subscription (£11.25/month) you benefit from more personalised training plans and workouts but the comparative lack of users does limit event and race choices and buddies to ride with.

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Fulgaz is in essence very similar to Rouvy, with 1,200 augmented reality routes. One of the main appeals of Fulgaz over Rouvy is the inclusion of Ironman Routes which will be a determining factor for many triathletes out there.

For simulating a route, Fulgaz is very impressive because you can set it to three modes - steady, reactive or challenge. The app also allows you to set up things like wind speed, rolling resistance, and aerodynamic drag, which is an excellent way of simulating race day! You can also download routes in advance which is great for anyone with poor internet.

Fulgaz will set you back £9.99 a month or £7.99 a month if you sign up for a year.

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Bkool  is 9.99 euros/month (around £8.83), making it one of the cheapest options on the list. Bkool was one of the first to the market offering online competition using rider power and physics-based algorithms.

The app lets you select one of four sessions - 'Route' which are road rides such as grand tour stages or your own, ‘ Workouts’ in a personally set power zone, ‘Velodrome’, including events such as the Keirin, and of course the all-important FTP test.

The look and feel of the app is similar to RGT with 3D-rendered roads and avatars. The whole package is there but the execution is not up to the same high standards as with rival software which can impact the overall ride experience. There are far fewer opportunities for competition and communication with other riders but the customisable training plan feature is very nice.