Over the past year, I’ve started taking my at-home workouts more seriously, crafting routines and using apps to make sure I’m getting the most out of my time. A major chunk of all of that comes from my Peloton Bike and its supplemental mobile app, which I use every single day, but I do like to try out new things from time to time, which is how I found myself using the Les Mills+ app to guide some of my workouts for the past few weeks. I like both apps quite a bit, but I can see how each would appeal to someone different, depending on what that person was looking for—and I definitely have a favorite between the two.

Peloton vs. Les Mills+ pricing

Maybe the most pressing question here revolves around what each of these costs, since neither is free. The answer is actually a solid it depends. On a basic level, Les Mills+ costs $9.99 per month for a standard membership and $19.99 per month for the premium membership that gets you access to more classes, including its cycling offerings and infamous BodyPump classes.

Peloton offers an All Access Membership for $44 per month, which is what you need to get if you want to take classes on its proprietary Bike, Bike+, Tread, or Row machines, but you can also pay $12.99 for App One (just the ability to use the mobile app, but no cycling, running, or rowing classes) or $24 for App+ (giving you all that plus the option to follow cycling, running, and rowing classes on non-Peloton equipment). Peloton gives you a 30-day free trial and Les Mills+ gives you one week.

Obviously, Peloton is more expensive no matter how you slice it, unless you just want to use App One to follow along with some yoga, meditation, stretching, or other app-only, no-equipment classes.

But there are extra costs here that need to be considered. Both Peloton and Les Mills+ offer up loads of classes that require equipment, with both having a significant number of strength training classes that will call on you to use dumbbells at the very least. Les Mills sells at-home equipment bundles that can quickly see you out an additional $1,200 and Peloton, of course, sells its Bikes, Rows, and Treads for thousands, plus its own small weight packages.

You can use either app to access classes that don’t require extra equipment, like cardio dancing classes on Les Mills+ or stretching on Peloton, and you can also filter search results on either app to exclude classes that do require it. Though its proprietary equipment is more expensive than what is sold by Les Mills+, Peloton has a significantly higher volume of non-equipment classes available just because it has many more classes, period.

The classes themselves

As I said, Peloton just has a much larger volume of classes: Over 10,000 classes are available there on-demand right now compared to the 2,500 or so on Les Mills+. Peloton adds new classes in a number of formats every day while LM+ rolls out a few new classes on the first of every month.

The Peloton app in iOS.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson / Peloton

One nice thing about Les Mills+ is how many platforms it’s available on. The company makes it possible to log in not only on phones and tablets, but on Apple TV, Roku, and even Xbox. Peloton can be accessed on mobile apps, Roku, and the brand’s own devices.

Both feature classes led by trained, experienced instructors, though their approaches are a lot different. Peloton’s classes are much more personality-driven; anyone who’s ever followed along with a cycling class from Cody Rigsby, for instance, knows this, as he talks a lot and is extremely engaging and personable. Les Mills+ classes are similar to the Les Mills classes available in gyms around the world in that the instructors follow a pre-selected, pre-choreographed routine and don’t speak much except to give safety cues. (Peloton instructors also give very clear, direct safety cues, in addition to chatting and entertaining.)

On Peloton, you’ll hear songs you know and love, as the brand licenses well-known tracks from the real world. Les Mills, both on the app and in person, is not like that. Rather, Les Mills classes use custom, commissioned tracks that are just for LM use. They’re catchy and have strong beats, but unless you’ve taken loads of Les Mills classes, they won’t be familiar to you. For me, that’s a big deal because I enjoy and am motivated by hearing songs I recognize and enjoy.

The Les Mills+ app in iOS.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson / Les Mills+

Because Les Mills classes are always pre-choreographed for the instructors, there’s also very little wiggle room or customizability available. If you take BodyCombat #101 at your gym in Los Angeles, then take it again at a gym while you’re traveling on business to Houston, then take it again on the Les Mills+ app, you will hear the same exact hour-long track, get the same guidance, and complete the same exercises. Every instructor receives the pre-made tracks and routines, memorizes them, and presents them in line with the company’s guidance. This is great if you’re a beginner or really like routine, but it’s not for everyone.

App features and user experience

I might be biased because I’ve been using it so long, but I think the Peloton app is extremely easy to use; meanwhile, I’ve definitely had a learning curve with Les Mills+. Peloton’s search function is elite. I can find classes based on type, equipment requirements, length, and even music genre, plus filter for instructors I like most. LM+ allow for filtering by duration, program type, instructor, and category, but it’s just a bit clunkier and slower overall.

Both of these aim to replicate the in-class experience to the best of their abilities, though Peloton succeeds more here. Peloton classes can be filmed in a real-life studio and shot from the POV of a rider among the sea of people, plus there are features like Teams, which allows you to compete with and against other members, and a leaderboard that can show you how well you’re doing in a class compared to everyone else who might be taking it at a given time. On Peloton, you can also complete joint workouts with your friends, creating a leaderboard just for your group. That’s not the case on LM+, where you get instruction like you would from an in-person teacher, but there is no real social element. If you’re motivated enough to work out alone every day, that might not be a problem, but if you need some motivational nudge in the form of social interaction, Peloton edges out the competition here.

Peloton App

Which is for you?

For me, Peloton is the winner for a number of reasons: I like the engaging instructors, the class variety, the sheer volume of available classes, and the popular music offerings, plus I enjoy that I can maintain a “streak” by working out every day with the app or Bike, which motivates me.

Still, Les Mills+ has some definite perks. If you like straightforward instruction, routine, and the ability to translate what you’re learning and doing at home to in-person classes, it’s an awesome app, especially if Les Mills classes are offered in your local gym.