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Best Apps to Challenge Friends to a Workout (2026)

Apps for fitness challenges with friends, compared: camera-counted rep duels, step and ring competitions, and Strava group challenges. What each one counts.

By the Beastie team · 3 October 2026

The best app to challenge friends to a workout depends on what you want to compare. For reps, pick an app that counts them with the phone camera: Beastie, Cadence, PushOff and Push Up Boss all do. For steps or activity rings, use Stridekick, Apple Fitness competitions or the Challenges app, and for runs and rides, Strava group challenges.

What decides a friendly challenge is whether both of you trust the number at the end. A step challenge trusts your watch; a rep challenge has to trust somebody counting, which is why camera counting changed this category.

Every fact below comes from each app's own App Store or Google Play listing, or its official website, checked on 3 October 2026. Rating counts are from the US App Store as of October 2026. Features change, so check the listing before you commit a group to one.

At a glance

App	What it compares	Platforms	Head-to-head with friends	Strangers?	Cost model
Beastie	Camera-counted push-ups, squats, jumping jacks	iPhone, Android	Challenge by link, 60-second live duel	No matchmaking	First set free, then subscription with 7-day trial; answering is always free
Cadence	Camera-counted reps, seven exercises	Android	60-second live duels, async challenges, groups	Worldwide leaderboards	Free, no ads, no subscription (per its listing)
PushOff	Camera-counted push-ups	iPhone, Android	Live 1v1 matches, private or public	Public matchmaking	Free tier, Pro with 7-day trial
Push Up Boss	Push-ups (camera, tap or phone on back)	iPhone, Android	Online 1v1 battles, crossplay	Yes	Free with ads; one-time purchase removes ads
Push Up Arena	Push-ups, squats, sit-ups, planks	iPhone	Live 1v1 PvP	Yes	Listed features need a subscription
Strava	Runs, rides and other activities	iPhone, Android	Group challenges	Monthly public challenges	Creating and joining group challenges needs a subscription or trial
Apple Fitness	Activity rings	iPhone with Apple Watch	7-day competitions	No	Built in
Stridekick	Steps, active minutes	iPhone, Android	Leaderboard, streak and target challenges	Community challenges	Free tier; Pro for longer, private challenges
Challenges (FitNow)	Apple activity rings	iPhone	Team challenges	Not stated	Free to download

Camera-counted rep challenges

These apps count reps from a propped-up phone, with your whole body in frame.

1. Beastie

Beastie is built around one thing: a rep duel between friends. You do your set, it goes out as a link ("27 push-ups. Your move."), and your friend opens it in any chat, sees the number, and answers in front of their own phone. Or you both go at once in a 60-second live duel. The verdict shows both results, and a rematch is one tap with roles reversed.

What it counts: push-ups, squats and jumping jacks. Only clean reps count: a rep that doesn't reach depth is refused, with the reason ("chest lower!"). A live skeleton overlay shows what the camera sees. See how the counting works.
Fair fights: challenge rules include a straight count, a handicap for the stronger friend, and a "beat your best" rule where the biggest improvement wins. You can also duel the Beastie mascot to warm up.
Solo side: personal records, and streaks that pause rather than break. There are also camera-counted plans.
Privacy: every frame is processed on the phone. Video is never uploaded or stored.
Cost: your first counted set is free. After that, sending duels and solo sets come with Beastie Pro, which starts with a 7-day free trial. Answering a challenge a friend sends you is always free. No ads.
Honest limits: three exercises only, and the phone has to be propped up with your whole body in frame. No matchmaking with strangers and no in-app leaderboard: every duel starts from a link you send.

2. Cadence

Cadence is the closest app to Beastie we know of, and its Google Play listing makes a strong case. It counts seven bodyweight exercises with the camera: push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, crunches, glute bridges, and a plank timer. For friends: live 1v1 duels on a 60-second clock, plank duels that run until both holds break, and async challenges where your score is sealed until your friend has done theirs. Groups get per-exercise leaderboards, and there are worldwide ones.

Counting: the listing says it sets a depth floor for every exercise and coaches form on push-ups and plank.
Streaks: a 30-day streak that, in the listing's words, breaks if you miss a day.
Privacy: pose detection runs on the device, and the listing says no video or image is recorded, stored or sent.
Cost: the listing says every exercise and feature is free, with no ads and no subscription.
Platform: we found it on Google Play (100+ downloads as of October 2026), not on the US App Store.

How the two differ is its own page: Beastie vs Cadence.

3. PushOff

PushOff turns push-ups into real-time battles. Its App Store listing describes 1v1 matches with live rep updates, private matches with friends, and public matchmaking. Counting uses on-device pose detection.

Extras: XP, levels, daily missions and divisions from Bronze to Champion; squads with weekly missions; leaderboards.
Camera view: a "live camera" mode for a FaceTime-style match, or a skeleton/privacy mode that hides your video.
Cost: free tier; PushOff Pro adds 3- and 4-player battles, live AI commentary, a friends leaderboard and more. Its website lists Pro at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
Platforms: iPhone and Android (per its website). 76 ratings on the US App Store as of October 2026.

4. Push Up Boss

Push Up Boss is a push-up game. You can count with the camera, tap each rep yourself, or put the phone on your back for motion-based counting. Your reps then fight bosses, win 1v1 battles and move you through tournaments.

Friends: online 1v1 battles and crossplay between iPhone and Android, per its Google Play listing.
Modes: boss battles, tournaments, an unbroken max challenge, time attack, plus workout formats such as ladders, pyramids, AMRAP and EMOM.
Extras: XP and levels, daily streaks, achievements and optional workout video recording.
Cost: no account or subscription needed; the Play listing shows ads, and the App Store listing says ads can be removed with a one-time purchase.
54 ratings on the US App Store as of October 2026.

5. Push Up Arena

Push Up Arena is a fitness RPG: dungeons, bosses, ranks, quests and XP. For friends, its listing describes live 1v1 PvP battles against real players. It covers push-ups, squats, sit-ups, planks and more, and includes personalized workout plans.

Cost: the listing says the features it describes require a subscription.
Platform: iPhone; its website links to the App Store only. 3,135 ratings on the US App Store as of October 2026.

If you are weighing a game-style app against a duel app, see Push Up Arena vs Beastie.

Steps, rings and distance challenges

These apps don't count reps. They compare what your watch, phone or tracker already records: good for "who moved more this week", no use for "who can do more push-ups".

6. Strava group challenges

Strava's group challenges are private challenges between people who follow you. According to Strava's help centre, a subscriber (including someone on a free trial) can create one and invite up to 199 athletes, with goals such as most time, distance or elevation, fastest average pace, longest single activity, or a shared group goal. To join, an athlete must be a subscriber or have a free trial. Strava also runs monthly public challenges.

Best for: runners and cyclists who already log everything on Strava.
375,601 ratings on the US App Store as of October 2026.

7. Apple Fitness competitions

If you and a friend both use Apple Watch, you can start an Activity competition from the Sharing tab. Apple's guide says a competition lasts 7 days, you get a point for every percent you add to your rings each day, and you can earn up to 600 points a day. Alerts tell you whether you're ahead or behind.

Best for: two Apple Watch owners who want a week-long nudge.
11,498 ratings on the US App Store for the Apple Fitness app as of October 2026.

8. Stridekick

Stridekick runs activity challenges between friends on different trackers: its listing names Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Withings, Polar and others, or your phone, or manual entry. You compete on steps or active minutes in leaderboard, streak or target challenges.

Cost: free challenges last up to 7 days, hold up to 10 people and are public; Pro adds challenges up to 45 days, larger groups and private challenges.
Platforms: iPhone and Android (per its website). 4,075 ratings on the US App Store as of October 2026.

9. Challenges by FitNow

Challenges is built around Apple's activity rings: you join a team and try to close your Stand, Move and Exercise rings, with medals, nudges and a challenge wall. It reads from Apple Watch and the Health app.

Best for: teams of Apple Watch users at work or in a family.
5,727 ratings on the US App Store as of October 2026.

How to choose

"Who can do more push-ups?" You need rep counting. Pick a camera app, and check how strict it is: a counter that lets half-reps through makes the result meaningless. Our push-up competition rules are a good test.
Friends only, or strangers too? PushOff, Push Up Boss and Push Up Arena offer battles against other players. Beastie has no matchmaking: the only person you can face is whoever opens your link.
XP and levels, or just the result? Most rep-battle apps add XP, ranks or boss fights. Beastie keeps personal bests, wins and streaks.
Does your friend have to pay? Check who pays for what. In Beastie, answering a friend's challenge is always free; on Strava, joining a group challenge needs a subscription or trial.
Which phones? Make sure everyone can install it: we found Cadence only on Google Play, and Push Up Arena, Apple Fitness and Challenges are iPhone apps.

Need ideas for what to challenge them to? Here are 15 push-up challenge ideas, and our guide to the push-up challenge with friends.

Get Beastie and send your first number.

These apps are for general fitness, not medical advice. Check with a professional before starting something new, and stop if anything hurts.

Questions people ask

What is the best app to challenge friends to a workout?

It depends on what you want to compare. For reps such as push-ups, pick an app that counts them with the camera, such as Beastie, Cadence, PushOff or Push Up Boss. For steps or rings, Stridekick, Apple Fitness competitions or the Challenges app fit better. For runs and rides, Strava group challenges.

Can a phone camera count push-ups in a challenge?

Yes. Several apps use on-device pose detection to count reps from a propped-up phone, so each person is counted by the same rules. How strict the counting is varies from app to app.

Is there a free app to challenge friends to push-ups?

Cadence's Google Play listing says every feature is free with no ads or subscription. Push Up Boss is free to play with ads that can be removed by a one-time purchase. In Beastie, answering a challenge a friend sends you is always free, and your first set is free.

Which workout challenge apps match you with strangers?

PushOff offers public matchmaking alongside private matches, and Push Up Arena and Push Up Boss offer battles against other players. Beastie has no matchmaking: every duel starts from a link you send to someone you know.

Sources

Send a rep battle. Let the camera judge.

Beastie counts push-ups, squats and jumping jacks on your phone — only clean reps count — and your friend can answer from a link, no app needed to see it.

Get Beastie