Zwift alternatives: 10 indoor cycling apps compared

The short answer

If you want it free and in a 3D world with races, look at MyWhoosh. If you want real roads on video, Rouvy or FulGaz. If you mostly want structured training that adapts to you, TrainerRoad or Wahoo SYSTM. If you want to ride with friends or your club with voice built in, from a browser tab and without installing anything, try Tour du Pain, the game we make. You can test it without a trainer in the demo.

What changed in 2026

The indoor cycling market moved a lot this year, and several lists that still rank on Google haven't caught up.

• Zwift bought Rouvy, including FulGaz, in a deal announced on 29 April 2026. Rouvy and FulGaz keep their own apps and subscriptions for now, but they're no longer independent rivals.
• BKOOL is gone. Rouvy bought it in 2025 and folded it in; the BKOOL app shut down around March 2026.
• RGT closed back on 31 October 2023, when Wahoo shut it down. Some older comparison pages still list it.
• TrainingPeaks Virtual (formerly indieVelo, bought by TrainingPeaks in October 2024) is now part of a TrainingPeaks Premium membership.

All ten at a glance

Tour du Pain

Tour du Pain is an indoor cycling game that runs in a browser tab. You open tourdupain.app in Chrome or Edge, connect your smart trainer over Bluetooth and ride an 8.3 km loop around a French lake with other riders, a village, a café and a stone viaduct. There's a timed climb, the Col du Pain, with a weekly leaderboard and a polka-dot jersey. Bots ride as cycling and triathlon legends, so the road is never empty.

Good: nothing to install; voice and chat are part of the ride, so a group doesn't need Discord; clubs get their own kit, planned coffee rides and one workout together on one clock; 105 ERG workouts, and your own .zwo, .erg, .mrc and .fit files load. Every ride exports a .fit file for Strava, Garmin Connect or intervals.icu. Free through 2027, everything included. It runs on donations.

Less good: one loop and one climb, where Zwift has many worlds; no races yet; no training plans; no iPhone, iPad or Apple TV app, since Safari can't reach Bluetooth. It needs Chrome or Edge on a computer, a Chromebook or an Android tablet; see how to ride on a Chromebook.

Who it's for: riders who train with friends or a club and want to talk while they ride, and anyone who wants to try indoor cycling without installing an app first.

MyWhoosh

MyWhoosh is the best-known free Zwift alternative. It's a 3D virtual world with group rides, daily events and races, some with prize money, and it has been the partner of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships from 2024 to 2026. It has a large workout library with training plans and links to intervals.icu.

Good: free, polished, and a real racing scene. Less good: a smaller community than Zwift, and it's an app you install; there's no browser version. Who it's for: riders who want Zwift-style racing and events without a subscription. We go deeper in MyWhoosh alternatives.

Rouvy

Rouvy is built around real roads. You ride video of real routes, often with augmented reality riders drawn into the footage, and it adds races, workouts and FTP ramp tests. It supports Zwift's own hardware like the Zwift Ride and Zwift Click. Since April 2026 Rouvy belongs to Zwift.

Good: thousands of real routes, the closest thing to riding outside. Less good: a subscription, and its independence from Zwift has gone. Who it's for: riders who want scenery and real climbs more than a game. See Rouvy alternatives.

FulGaz

FulGaz is another real-video app, known for high-quality footage of famous climbs and routes. It came under Rouvy in the same April 2026 deal, but it keeps its own subscription.

Good: beautiful real video. Less good: a subscription, and like Rouvy it's now part of the Zwift group. Who it's for: riders who mainly want to ride famous roads at home.

TrainerRoad

TrainerRoad is a training tool more than a game. It builds a plan around your goal and adjusts your workouts based on how you ride them; its "TrainerRoad AI" update came in January 2026. There's no virtual world and no social side.

Good: the strongest adaptive plans on this list. Less good: no world to ride in, no group rides, no free option. Who it's for: riders training for an event who want the app to decide what to ride. More in TrainerRoad alternatives.

Wahoo SYSTM

Wahoo SYSTM is a library of structured workouts with video, from the team behind The Sufferfest, plus its own four-number fitness test, 4DP. Like TrainerRoad it has no open world.

Good: varied, entertaining workouts and a thorough fitness test. Less good: a subscription, no world, no Apple TV app. Who it's for: riders who want a coach-led session every time.

TrainingPeaks Virtual

TrainingPeaks Virtual began as indieVelo and became part of TrainingPeaks in 2024. It's a virtual world with group rides and detailed physics, including wind and gusts, and a mode that lets you ride any GPX route with friends. It comes with a TrainingPeaks Premium membership, so your planned workouts are already there.

Good: tight TrainingPeaks link, serious physics. Less good: graphics are well behind Zwift and there are fewer big events. Who it's for: athletes, often triathletes, who already plan in TrainingPeaks. If that's you, see also indoor training for triathlon.

Kinomap

Kinomap is a video-route app for bikes, rowing machines and treadmills. Its free tier covers structured workouts, free ride and map mode; video routes and Strava sync need a subscription.

Good: works with lots of machines, a useful free tier. Less good: the best part, the video, isn't free. Who it's for: a household with more than one kind of indoor machine.

Biketerra

Biketerra is a 3D cycling world that, like Tour du Pain, runs in Chrome or Edge over Web Bluetooth, with a small iOS app beside it. It's free to ride, with some paid extras such as custom jerseys.

Good: no install, real 3D roads. Less good: a browser game is limited by your computer's graphics. Who it's for: riders who like the browser idea and want different roads. Read more about cycling games that run in your browser.

Tacx Training

The Tacx Training app is Garmin's own app for Tacx trainers. Its free tier has structured workouts, competing and analysis; films and more need a subscription.

Good: free with your Tacx, made for it. Less good: only sensible if you own a Tacx. Who it's for: Tacx owners who want something simple. If you ride a Tacx, our page on Tacx trainers in the browser shows which models work in Tour du Pain too.

Which one should you pick?

• You want free racing in a 3D world: MyWhoosh.
• You want real roads and scenery: Rouvy or FulGaz, keeping in mind both now belong to Zwift.
• You want a plan that adapts to you: TrainerRoad. Workout videos and a fitness test: Wahoo SYSTM.
• You already plan in TrainingPeaks: TrainingPeaks Virtual.
• You ride with friends or a club and want to talk while you ride, without Discord and without an install: Tour du Pain. See riding with friends and your club.
• You have a Chromebook or only a browser: Tour du Pain or Biketerra.

The free options, honestly

"Free" means different things, so we use four labels on this page.

• Fully free for now: Tour du Pain. Free through 2027, everything included. It runs on donations.
• Free core riding: MyWhoosh and Biketerra. You ride for free; MyWhoosh sells optional cosmetic items, Biketerra has paid extras such as custom jerseys.
• Free tier: Kinomap and Tacx Training. Some features are free, and the best parts (video routes, films) need a subscription.
• Trial, then paid: Zwift, Rouvy, FulGaz, TrainerRoad and Wahoo SYSTM are subscriptions. Some offer a trial period; check each app's own site for the current terms. There are also small free browser tools for structured workouts, like Auuki, and Ride Cave, a free velodrome game in beta where you race against computer riders.

Your trainer and your Zwift hardware

Almost every smart trainer made since about 2020 speaks FTMS, the open Bluetooth standard, so it's expected to work with all of these apps. In Tour du Pain only the Wahoo KICKR CORE has been ridden on real hardware so far; check your smart trainer for the status of your model. A few things to know before you switch:

• Zwift Hub, KICKR CORE and Zwift Ride: the trainer part works in other apps. The Zwift Ride's handlebar buttons are tied to Zwift in most apps. Tour du Pain reads them as a controller, with steps you may need to unlock them; see Zwift Hub and Zwift Ride outside Zwift.
• No smart trainer: a power meter on a basic trainer works in most of these apps, Tour du Pain included, without ERG. See riding with a power meter only.
• ANT+ only: browser apps can't use ANT+; they need Bluetooth. Installed apps on a computer can often use an ANT+ USB stick.
• One connection at a time: most trainers only talk to one app. Close Zwift on every device before you connect another app.

Taking your rides and workouts with you

Your ride history in Zwift stays in Zwift, but your rides are usually already on Strava, Garmin Connect or intervals.icu, and those carry over to any app. Workouts are easier than you'd think: Zwift's .zwo workout files load straight into Tour du Pain and several other apps. See ERG workouts in your browser.

Questions

Is there a free alternative to Zwift?

Yes. Tour du Pain is fully free through 2027, everything included, and runs in a browser. MyWhoosh is free to ride and has racing, with optional purchases. Biketerra is free to ride with paid extras. Kinomap and Tacx Training have free tiers.

Is MyWhoosh really free?

Riding, events and workouts are free. The app store lists optional in-app purchases, such as cosmetic items.

Is Rouvy still independent?

No. Zwift announced it bought Rouvy, including FulGaz, on 29 April 2026. Rouvy keeps its own app and subscription for now.

Do I need a smart trainer for these apps?

A smart trainer gives you ERG mode, and in most apps climbs you can feel (in Tour du Pain the gradient changes your speed, not the resistance). Most apps, Tour du Pain included, also work with a power meter on a basic trainer. Tour du Pain's demo runs with no trainer at all.

Can I use my Zwift Click or Zwift Ride with other apps?

The trainer works in other apps. The buttons are mostly tied to Zwift; Rouvy supports Zwift's hardware, and Tour du Pain reads the Zwift Ride's buttons as a controller.

Which Zwift alternative runs in a browser?

Tour du Pain and Biketerra both run in Chrome or Edge over Bluetooth, with nothing to install. They don't work in Safari or on an iPhone or iPad.

What happened to RGT and BKOOL?

Wahoo closed RGT on 31 October 2023. Rouvy bought BKOOL in 2025 and the BKOOL app shut down around March 2026.

Can I keep my ride history when I switch?

Your rides on Strava, Garmin Connect or intervals.icu stay there. Most apps, Tour du Pain included, also give you a .fit file of every ride.

Sources

Checked on 7 November 2026: BikeRadar, best indoor cycling apps, BikeRadar, best free indoor cycling apps, DC Rainmaker on Zwift buying Rouvy, Cyclingnews on the RGT shutdown, Slowtwitch on TrainingPeaks Virtual, Kinomap's free features, MyWhoosh on the App Store and MyWhoosh supported devices.