Best Online Exercise Classes

You know that surge of instant endorphins you get from an instructor giving you a shout-out in an in-studio workout class? You can get that same awesome feeling from your living room thanks to Obé Fitness.

This virtual platform offers an impressive 20 live classes every day hosted by kick-butt instructors who give in-class shout-outs for an extra boost of motivation. And with dance, pilates, cardio boxing, yoga sculpt, meditation, and trampoline workouts, you’re sure to find a class that’ll pique your interest and fit your schedule.

In addition to Obé’s packed streaming schedule, users also have access to more than 8,000 on-demand workouts (yup, you read that right!), so you can mix things up and fit a workout in whenever you want. The platform also offers training programs: Running between seven and 30 days, each consist of carefully-curated exercises to help you jumpstart a new routine, maintain consistency, and reach your goals.  

Obé Fitness is priced at about $27 a month, roughly $65 quarterly, or around $199 annually.

Exercise (and the physical and mental benefits that come with it) should be accessible to everyone. Thankfully, there are budget-friendly online exercise classes out there. Our favorite? The Blogilates YouTube channel.

Led by certified Pilates and fitness instructor Cassey Ho, the channel hosts a collection of more than 700 workout videos that are all completely free and run the gamut from pilates and cardio to boot camps, targeted toning, and themed workouts. We especially love Ho’s relatable, positive attitude and instruction, as well as her wellness videos where she gets real about topics like mental health and beauty standards. 

Check out the Body by Blogilates mobile app, too. Also completely free, this app offers a huge workout video library that is totally ad-free and can be cast to your TV. Plus, it offers suggested challenges, an interactive workout calendar, and progress tracking.

If there are two things we want in our cardio routines, it’s both quality and quantity—meaning we want to be able to get our hearts pumping with the help of world-class instructors and have the freedom to switch it up frequently to avoid workout boredom. Is that too much to ask? Apparently Daily Burn doesn't think so.

There’s no chance of dull workouts or repetitiveness here: This digital fitness platform gives users access to more than 2,500 workouts fit for a range of abilities and in a variety of styles that include running, HIIT, kickboxing, and more. No matter which you choose, each is taught by energetic, expert instructors who make the workouts accessible, comprehensible, and, yes, even fun. 

In addition to its diverse on-demand videos, Daily Burn also live streams workouts daily for a taste of the in-studio experience. And if you want to get even more personal, the platform offers one-on-one virtual coaching and allows you to track your goals and progress with ease. Get ready to sweat, y’all! 

Daily Burn is priced at about $20 a month.

While Alo Moves also offers workouts in categories like HIIT and strength training, it’s the service's instructive yoga videos that have us saying "namaste." There are hundreds of styles of the practice available such as Vinyasa, Kundalini, Hatha, and Ashtanga, as well as those designed for meditation, mornings, evenings, prenatal, and mindfulness.

Individual classes are easy to find and filter thanks to an intuitive interface that organizes videos by difficulty, intensity, style, and length. All are taught by expert yogis and are downloadable so you can practice wherever you can roll out your mat.  

Besides the stellar instruction and variety and quantity of yoga-specific courses, what really makes Alo Moves unique are the polished, high-quality videos themselves. They are stunningly produced with excellent lighting and are hosted in inviting settings that include minimalist studios and greenery-filled spaces that are just as serene as the content of the classes.  

Alo Moves is regularly priced at roughly $199 a year or around $20 a month.

The Class has become beloved as a boutique workout known for offering an intense mind/body experience to devotees that included Naomi Watts. The program has moved its in-studio experience to the virtual world where it’s been making us shed sweat (and the occasional tear) ever since. 

The thing about The Class is that it’s really a mental and physical sweat sesh, combining fast-paced cardio with “heart-clearing” movements and therapeutic language about working through personal roadblocks as you endure each burpee. With long, sweaty sequences of jumping jacks, muscle-quivering stretches, and freestyle dancing, the 60-minute class is not for the faint of heart (and you may be sore the next day), but it’s a release in every sense of the word. 

It is worth noting though that The Class’s subscription price is the highest on this list, and we wish that the platform was a little more intuitive to navigate. While the daily live streams are easy to find and access, The Class’s on-demand videos (that include the signature 60-minute session, shorter sessions, and restorative practices) are a bit more difficult to sort through.

The Class is currently priced at about $400 a year or roughly $40 a month.

If you’re the one in the friend group who can always be found on the dance floor, DanceBody will seem more like a party than a traditional sweat session. These lessons, led by dancers-turned-fitness instructors, combine effective workouts with dance choreography for a fun, unique way to get your heart (and home speakers) pumping. 

Offering both on-demand and live classes (which are streamed from their New York City studio multiple times per day and seven days a week), DanceBody’s signature class leads students through set choreography that changes every three months. After a few classes, you’ll have perfected a full dance routine—and no, you don’t need to have any prior dance training to master the moves.  

Besides its signature course, DanceBody also offers “Full-Out” classes (advanced workouts that feature fancier footwork), sculpting courses, and virtual private sessions that allow you to work one-on-one with a trainer for a personalized workout designed to meet your goals.

And while a subscription will give you access to DanceBody’s full library of workouts, there’s also the option for pay-per-view classes and specific programs, such as a 7-Day Sculpt program, that you can rent for a set amount of time, no subscription necessary.  

DanceBody is currently priced at about $35 per month or $350 per year.

Tracy Anderson is a veteran of the fitness industry, with programs (which mostly focus on strengthening smaller muscle groups for a leaner look) often hailed by celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham through the years. The TA Online Studio takes Anderson’s elite fitness classes to your living room.

Upon purchase of a subscription, you’ll have access to three programs (for beginner, intermediate, and advanced fitness levels) that are updated weekly. Over the next seven days, your goal is to master the moves in these low-impact, repetition-heavy toning workouts. To supplement these main workouts, you’ll also have access to a library of dance cardio videos, as well as trainer breakout sessions that teach the correct form and execution of the movements. 

If you’re a verbal learner though, you might have difficulty picking up said moves: Anderson is known for not providing any verbal cues during the workouts she leads; instead, she encourages her students to mimic her movements based on visuals and physical intuition. (It’s a unique way to work out that may not appeal to everyone. 

Tracy Anderson’s TA Online Studio costs about $90 per month, $457 per six months, and $808 per year.

Melissa Wood, a certified yoga and Pilates instructor, created her fitness platform, The Sculpt Society, with the mission to not only help you strengthen your body, but your relationship with it as well. Her energy and instruction is welcoming and approachable, and the workouts are similarly non-intimidating—yet will totally get your muscles shaking.

The fitness classes, which mostly range between 20 and 35 minutes, consist of yoga and pilates-based moves and repetitions to sculpt long, lean lines throughout the body. The result is a precise, low-impact workout that’s easy on the joints and perfect for new moms and those currently pregnant (though you should always check with your doctor before starting a new fitness regime).

Every Monday, Wood posts a new, exclusive workout, and subscribers also have access to a library of over 300 on-demand workouts, her treadmill-based series, and guided meditations. Wood also builds a calendar each week of her existing workouts, creating a streamlined fitness plan that targets the whole body and is great for establishing and sticking to a routine. 

Melissa Wood Health costs about $10 per month and roughly $99 per year.

Who misses sweating in IRL classes? While many online fitness platforms offer live sessions, we’re especially partial to those offered by Sky Ting. The New York City yoga studio offers donation-based live classes via Zoom, so everyone can access and benefit from their lighthearted flows. Pay whatever you want or can, and follow the expert instructor through the one hour class for a restorative, intimate experience.  

In addition to live classes, Sky Ting also offers subscription-based, on-demand yoga workouts that range in length from just a couple of minutes to over an hour, as well as in experience level. Along with traditional flows (all of which are filmed in Sky Ting’s serene-yet-playful brick-and-mortar studio), you’ll also find unique sessions like flows crafted for specific zodiac signs, surf-inspired classes, water salutations, and flows specific to increasing mobility, flexibility, and joint health. The platform is also easy to navigate, offering accurate filtering to help you find your ideal session.

Finally, Sky Ting has designed various virtual workshops, where teachers can dive deeper into yoga instruction and additional wellness practices. However, these workshops are not included in the subscription membership and come with an additional cost.

Sky Ting is currently priced at about $20 per month.