5 Android Apps Perfect For Cyclists

If you're a cyclist, or you're finally getting ready to take that dive into your first bike ride, then you'll probably be wondering what the best way is to track your workout, get ready for your next cycling session, and get your metrics in shape. Whether you have a Galaxy Watch, a Garmin, or a Fitbit, Android has several apps to help you get the most out of your smartwatches, including fan favorites like Strava, Komoot, and Zwift (don't worry, Apple Watch users, we haven't forgotten about you).

The Android apps we selected offer a bit of everything, from free to paid options, so cyclists can choose what fits their activity level and goals. This list also focuses on apps that offer features like an active community, help you get your stride right, and provide full workout analysis. No matter what Android device you use for your rides, these apps will get you on the right track. 

Strava is more than a social media app. It's an effective training app, a competitive platform for athletes, and it can also track your workouts and provide insights. The main differentiator for cyclists is its segment system, which ranks every user's roads and trails so they can chase specific titles, like becoming the King/Queen of the Mountain against friends and strangers worldwide. The app has over 100 million users, and it's a social network for athletes who want to track rides with GPS, analyze performance with detailed metrics, and compete on segments against riders globally.

Users can track workouts in the app or through their favorite smartwatch apps, then get insights on Strava once the session ends. The app also offers route planning, heat maps, and it's free to use. However, you can also get a premium subscription to unlock deeper analytics like relative effort scoring, personalized training plans, and expanded segment leaderboards. That way, Strava offers a bit of everything, since users can choose what works best for them. For me, for example, the free version is more than enough, as it lets me see some insights, share my workouts with friends, and compete with them in a very not-friendly way. Others, for example, can get all the hardcore data for specific goals.

Another Android option is Zwift, which turns indoor cycling into a multiplayer game. This leading online training app transforms indoor riding into a game with a detailed virtual world and an interactive avatar. This app shines for anyone who needs more consistent indoor cycling workouts but gets bored riding without going anywhere, since you can compete with friends through group rides, races, and structured workouts. With that, what used to be a boring hour-long workout can be a fun way to race through a fantasy island, drafting behind strangers on a virtual peloton, and more.

To use the app, you need a smart trainer or a power/speed sensor paired via Bluetooth or ANT+ to translate real pedaling into in-game movement. With a 14-day trial, users need to pay a $19.99 subscription per month, which gives users access to all virtual worlds, routes, and events, thousands of workouts and training plans, real-time interaction with a global community, gamified progress, and access through several different devices like PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and Apple TV.

After you finish a session, it can sync the completed rides out to Strava, so users don't lose their outdoor activity history by training indoors. Zwift makes the most sense for riders serious about winter training, structured periodization, or anyone with limited real-world riding time who needs indoor sessions to feel worth it. 

The Map My Ride app is perfect for cyclists who commute by bike every day. It uses GPS to log routes on a detailed bike map and during training, you get real-time audio coaching with information on your pace, distance, duration and elevation. While you can track over 600 activities beyond cycling, users love this app for the Routes feature, which helps them find new bike trails, save favorite routes, and share them with friends.

Like Strava, users can tap into a vibrant community to stay consistent, measure progress, and discover new roads. After a workout, cyclists can check detailed stats, including distance, speed, elevation, calories burned, and more. With personalized goals, you can tailor the app to train for a race, build endurance, and more. The app also provides a full history of your progress over time. This Android app also syncs with popular apps and wearables, including Garmin, Suunto, and Polar.

Although Map My Ride is free to use, customers can choose a premium subscription to access even more features when they're training for a specific goal. Among the features, the app offers personal training plans for your current fitness level and goals, an in-depth analysis of heart rate zones to ensure your training has been effective, the ability to create custom splits to understand speed and effort across segments, and limited ads to help people focus on their workouts and minimize distractions.

Another famous app, Komoot is the perfect tracker for hikers, cyclists, and runners. Users can share their workouts with a community, get recommendations, and plan their next big ride or run. Komoot's main differentiator is its highlights feature, which lets other users pinpoint places of interest and makes route planning more personalized, since real users curate it instead of an algorithm using random data. That also gives you insights into quality cafes, good hydration points, and more. This app is great for those who love doing multi-day trip planning and discovering new routes. While the app has a social feature, it's not like Strava, where it feels like everyone is competing against themselves.

Komoot builds custom routes based on ride type, surface preference, elevation, and offers offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation. New users can get one region free, but to unlock all perks, customers need to pay a $4.99 monthly subscription. Premium features include 3D maps, sport-specific mapping, multi-day route planning, live tracking, and syncing routes to external devices like bike computers, but everyone can use offline downloadable maps, elevation profiles, cue-sheet-free voice navigation, community highlights, and support for road cycling.

The app is ideal for travel cyclists, weekend adventurers, or anyone planning a route they have never ridden before. Unlike other offerings, Komoot isn't focused on performance tracking; it's more of a planner with highly curated data. 

Last but not least, Ride with GPS is another bike navigation app that can be a great addition to your Android phone. It offers a trusted route planner, voice navigation, and the ability to share tracking with a global community. Ride with GPS is also known for creating custom routes with cue sheets, elevation profiles, and surface-type information, which is great for group rides, long tours, or anywhere cellular service might drop out midway.

This is a must-download if you like organizing rides for others or plan long-distance touring, since having turn-by-turn cues written out in advance is much easier to follow at a glance than a live map, especially in areas with poor signal. With a freemium structure, riders can use basic route creation and ride recording. Still, a $5 per month subscription properly adds offline maps, advanced route-planning tools, and turn-by-turn voice navigation without a voice connection.

Ride with GPS integrates with the most popular GPS bike computers, so routes built on the phone can easily sync to a handlebar unit. Made for people who want to tackle complex routes and make sure everything goes smoothly, this is one of the favorite apps of club organizers and gravel racers.