The best health coaching apps – better than a human coach?

What do health coaching apps do?

Health coaching apps are designed to help you live a healthier lifestyle. They can help you eat better, follow exercise routines, strengthen your mindset, relax or meditate, and more.

They do this through a number of different methods:

• Educational content
• Interactive chatbots
• Personalized advice and support from human coaches
• Accountability and reminders for fitness activities
• Tracking workouts, nutrition, and other metrics

In most apps, you'll start by answering questions about your health goals, and the app will create a customized plan for you. Usually based on pretty extensive scientific research, modern health coaching apps are able to give you smart insights about what will work best for your specific situation, fitness level, and body type.

Most health apps will also track your progress towards certain goals and give you feedback along the way. Some of them only need a smartphone; others work best with external devices like fitness trackers or smartwatches.

By using one of these apps for a few weeks or months, you should be able to get into positive new habits and the mindset to make them really stick.

By using a health coaching app, you will be more likely to stick to your fitness goals and see results. They're a fun, gamified way to build healthy habits. Some are free and some are paid for, and the best way to find your perfect option is to experiment with what's on offer.

What issues or goals can health coaching apps help with?

Health coaching apps can help with a wide range of issues and goals, such as:

• Eating better and understanding nutrition
• Exercising more regularly
• Losing weight
• Improving sleep quality
• Reducing stress levels
• Quitting smoking or other unhealthy habits
• Training for a sporting challenge
• Understanding your biochemistry
• Tracking menstrual cycles and fertility
• Tracking blood glucose levels
• Remembering to take medication

So some of the apps focus more on the physical body, and others focus on the mind; either way, you'll be 'coached' into better overall wellbeing.

The best health coaching apps available right now

There are quite a few different health coaching apps out there, so it can be tricky to choose the right one for you. While new ones come and go frequently, some have the quality to stick around and grow popular. Here's a list of the best health coaching apps we know of - a mix of popular options and some you might not have heard of.

Fingerprint for Success

Fingerprint for Success (that's us!) is an AI-powered self-development app that helps you become the very best version of yourself.

The Fingerprint for Success Vital Wellbeing program is one of the coaching programs it offers, and it's designed to help you improve your physical and mental energy levels, as well as your general sense of vitality.

It's all about building healthy habits and the emotional resilience to believe in your own abilities. The well-being the program helps develop will manifest in various parts of your life: work, personal relationships, spirituality, purpose, health, and more.

It focuses on the proactive approach to positive wellbeing - coaching you to build daily strategies and thinking tools that you can use to serve your body and mind best. Healthy living is a core part of Vital Wellbeing, and we've seen major successes from individuals and organizations in achieving their health goals with the program.

Vital Wellbeing pairs nicely with the Goal Catcher program, which helps you get specific about defining your goals, and get serious about achieving them. While the lessons within are appropriate for many areas of life (like business or studying), we've found that people often use its lessons for their weight loss, fitness, and nutrition goals.

Apple Fitness+

Apple's Fitness+ is a major addition to the company's health and fitness offerings, and it's one of the most comprehensive coaching apps on this list. It offers a range of workout types led by professional trainers, with new content added every week.

The app is designed to work best with Apple Watch, and it uses the watch's sensors to track your progress and give you feedback in real-time. The idea is that you watch the videos (on any nearby screen with an AirPlay connection) and work out along with the trainers, and you'll see metrics like your heart rate on the screen as you go.

So it's not quite personalized coaching, but the combination of enthusiastic trainers and real-time feedback can have a really positive effect on the enjoyment of your workout. It also integrates with Apple Music, so you can create custom workout playlists to make it better suited to you.

BetterMe

BetterMe is one of the most popular health coaching apps, with over a million downloads of its 'holistic'. It offers a mix of workout programs, meal plans, nutrition trackers, and other content to help you achieve your fitness goals.

The BetterMe app has a strong focus on weight loss, but it also covers other areas like strength training, cardio, and mental wellbeing. It's all presented in a bright and cheerful interface, which makes it easy to use and motivating.

One of the best things about BetterMe is that it offers a wide range of content for free, with extras (like one-on-one coaching) available as paid-for extras. It also has content tailored to seniors, plus-size folks, and those with limited mobility. The company also offers a mental health coaching app, too.

Noom

Noom is a healthy living and weight loss app that's based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It aims to help users change their relationship with food, and create healthier habits for themselves.

Noom offers a coaching program that gives you access to personalized lessons, support groups, and one-on-one sessions with health coaches. It also has functionality for tracking your nutrition, exercise, and progress towards your goals.

Noom aims to help people lose weight and keep it off long-term, by prioritizing 'progress over perfection'; an empowering mantra that's more forgiving of mistakes or setbacks. If you're looking for an app that will really help you change your relationship with food, then Noom is definitely worth a try.

MyFitnessPal

This app is all about helping you to lose weight and eat healthier. It does this by tracking your calorie intake and exercise, as well as offering educational articles on nutrition. MyFitnessPal also has a huge food database, so you can easily track your intake of specific nutrients and make sure you're eating the right things.

The app offers a range of features to help you on your weight loss journey, including the ability to set goals, track progress, and get support from other members of the community. You can also use the app to plan meals and find recipes that fit your diet.

MyFitnessPal is free to use, but there's also a premium version with extras like more detailed nutrient tracking and custom meal plans. The app can connect to other health & fitness apps to share data and help you build a more holistic picture of your wellbeing.

Nike Training Club

Nike Training Club is a workout app that offers a range of Nike-branded workouts, from beginner to expert level. The app is designed to help you get fit, no matter what your starting point or goal might be.

The app contains more than 480 workouts, with a mix of bodyweight exercises and those that need equipment like dumbbells and kettlebells. There's also a strong focus on HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), which have been shown to be highly effective for fat loss. Some sessions are led by instructors that you can follow along with, both recorded and live, while others are broken down into individual exercises that you can go through at your own pace.

Nike Training Club is free to use, with extras like custom coaching available as paid-for add-ons. The app also integrates with Nike's other fitness products, like the Nike+ Running app and the Apple Watch Nike+.

Samsung Health

Samsung Health is a comprehensive health & fitness app that comes pre-installed on all Samsung smartphones. The app has a wide range of features, including the ability to track your workouts, monitor your sleep, and manage your stress levels.

The app also offers coaching programs to help you achieve specific goals, like weight loss or training for a race. These programs provide you with personalized content, like workout plans and nutrition advice.

Samsung Health is free to use with any Samsung phone. The app also integrates with other Samsung products, like the Galaxy Watch and Gear S line of smartwatches. One great feature is that if you have a compatible TV, you can access the app through it, playing fitness content on the big screen so you can follow along at home.

Fitbit Coach

If you happen to own a Fitbit fitness tracker, then you're in luck - the company has its own health coaching app called Fitbit Coach. It offers personalized video workouts that adapt to your fitness level, as well as step-by-step audio instructions for exercises.

The app also provides access to Fitbit's huge community forums, where users can ask questions, get advice, and share their experiences with others. In addition, there are challenges and leaderboards to keep things interesting and competitive.

While it's not quite as comprehensive as some of the other apps on this list, it's still a great option if you want something that integrates seamlessly with your Fitbit device.

Lark Health

Lark Health is a weight management and coaching app that helps you to manage weight-related chronic disease like diabetes and hypertension, through a combination of AI (artificial intelligence) and human coaching. The app offers personalized advice on diet, physical activity, and medication, based on your individual needs.

Lark's digital health app is designed to be used alongside other diabetes management tools, like blood sugar monitors and insulin pumps. It can also connect to fitness apps and devices to track your activity levels and progress.

The app isn't free, but a subscription does grant you a free activity tracker and smart scale, and it can be rolled out at the organization level through EAP and health insurance programs.

Yes Health

Yes Health is a health coach app that focuses on weight loss and diabetes prevention. It's available for both individuals and organizations and lets them connect with real-life coaches to help build and follow healthy routines. With nutrition, fitness, and wellness experts in the program, users can get their questions answered with quick response times. This makes it a convenient option for those that don't want to commit to attending live or virtual classes at certain times of the day.

Yes Health coaches are supported by smart technology which means a single user can be supported by a range of different coaches. It's a friendly approach that doesn't rely too heavily on tracking metrics. Rather, it's all about the human connection, and Yes Health's coach roster includes licensed dieticians, naturopathic doctors, personal trainers, motivational and behavior coaches, and certified specialists in obesity and weight management. If you're an employer, Yes Health can help you roll out team-based coaching and individual support across your organization. This should lead to a healthier workforce, more motivated teams, and a more solid retention performance.

Do you need a health coaching app or a personal trainer?

If you're thinking of making a commitment to your health and wellbeing, apps like these can make a big difference to your chances of success. But you might consider more direct coaching to be a more powerful alternative.

This can be true in some situations, but there are trade-offs to be made.

On the plus side, with exercise routines, an in-person fitness coach can help with your form, making sure you're doing the exercises properly and not risking injury. And knowing you have to turn up to your sessions in person means you're more likely to stick to a schedule - that social pressure is real.

But these one-on-one sessions, whether in-person or virtual, can be expensive. If you want to see results, just booking a few appointments might not be enough to get you where you want to be. So costs can quickly add up over time. And of course, you have to travel, and you're at the mercy of someone else's schedule.

With coaching apps, though, the time and financial commitments are usually much lower. They're easier to get into and can automatically track the metrics you really care about.

Many of the apps we've been through grant access to one-on-one sessions with a certified coach or trainer, which is a potential compromise, although again there's usually a hefty fee involved.

Fingerprint for Success - your coach for better wellbeing

When you start a Fingerprint for Success program, you answer a few questions, and the app personalizes the lessons based on your input. It combines cognitive-behavioral therapy with AI - the result of 20+ years of research in psychology, neuroscience, and neuro-semantics.

Marlee, the world's most intelligent AI coach, will be guiding you through the journey, offering invaluable tips and advice as you discover more about yourself.

Coach Marlee helps you build the mindset for achieving those goals. Right now, Fingerprint for Success doesn't provide specific health advice. Instead, Coach Marlee and the Fingerprint for Success programs mentor you, providing guidance but not specific health care advice.

Coach Marlee can help you get in the mindset to figure out the next steps that you personally need to take. It won't define those steps for you, but it'll help light the fire underneath you, building your confidence, assertiveness, and decision-making abilities so you'll be able to make a plan and stick to it. Marlee asks you questions to help you reflect and become conscious of your core values, internal dialogue, and the things you need to be able to make the best decisions for achieving goals.

After going through the Goal Catcher or Vital Wellbeing program with Coach Marlee, you'll be ready to find the right people or resources to help you on your journey. The programs are highly personalized, but not to the same extent that a personal trainer, performance coach, or therapist might be.