The Best Apple Watch Apps in 2026, by Category

The best Apple Watch apps fill the gaps Apple leaves: Athlytic or Bevel for recovery scores, AutoSleep for automatic sleep tracking, Strava and WorkOutDoors for running, Hevy for the gym, and CARROT Weather, Things 3 and Citymapper for everyday use. Every app here was checked on the US App Store on October 27, 2026: each has a real watch app, and prices are current.

Apple's own apps come first, because several of them are better than people expect.

How we picked

We started from the apps Apple Watch owners recommend most, then checked each one on the US App Store: whether its listing requires watchOS (the sign of an actual watch app, not just an iPhone app that mentions the watch), and its current price. Apps without a watch app were left out, with one clearly marked exception (Bodly, our own app). Nearly every app here is free to download with optional in-app purchases; one-time prices are noted.

Built-in apps worth using first

Apple app	What it does	Models
Workout	GPS workouts, heart rate zones, custom intervals	All
Sleep	Sleep stages and, since watchOS 26, a Sleep Score	Series 6 and later, SE 2 and later, Ultra
Vitals	Flags nights when heart rate, breathing or temperature look unusual	Recent models with watchOS 11 or later
Readiness	A 0 to 10 score for how much your body can take on (watchOS 27)	Series 12 and Ultra 4 only
Medications	Reminders and a log for medicines and supplements	All on recent watchOS
Mindfulness	Short breathing and reflection sessions	All

If you have a Series 12 or Ultra 4, start with Apple's Readiness score. On any recent model, the Sleep Score is worth turning on. The apps below go further.

At a glance

Category	Best pick	Also great	Price
Recovery and health scores	Athlytic	Bevel, Gentler Streak, Training Today	Free, paid extras
Sleep	AutoSleep	Pillow, Sleep Cycle	AutoSleep $9.99 once
Running and outdoors	Strava	Nike Run Club, Runna, WorkOutDoors, komoot	WorkOutDoors $8.99 once
Gym and strength	Hevy	Strong, Fitbod	Free, paid extras
Heart rate and zones	HeartWatch	Zones for Training	HeartWatch $8.99 once
Food and water	Lose It!	MyFitnessPal, WaterMinder	Free, paid extras
Habits and mind	Streaks	Headspace, Calm	Streaks $5.99 once
Everyday	CARROT Weather	Things 3, Todoist, Citymapper, Google Maps, Spotify, Overcast	Things 3 $9.99 once

Recovery and health scores

The Apple Watch records heart rate, overnight HRV, resting heart rate and sleep, but on most models Apple does not turn them into a daily recovery score. These apps do.

• Athlytic (free, paid Pro): the closest thing to WHOOP on the watch, with daily Recovery, Exertion and Sleep scores. The best pick if you only want recovery.
• Bevel (free, paid Pro): recovery, strain, sleep, stress and energy scores plus nutrition logging, with most scores free.
• Gentler Streak (free, paid Premium): activity guidance built around rest as much as effort; good if you tend to overdo it.
• Training Today (free, paid extras): one simple readiness-to-train score, shown right on your watch face.
• Bodly (free to download, iPhone app, no watch app yet): reads your Apple Watch data from Apple Health and scores recovery, strain, sleep, energy and stress against your own baseline, then adds what the others do not: calorie tracking from photos, weight trend, tape measurements and progress photos. Pick it if you want recovery and body progress in one place.

Prices and free tiers for all of these are compared in detail in the best Apple Watch recovery apps. For HRV specifically, see the best HRV apps.

Sleep

• AutoSleep ($9.99 once): tracks sleep automatically, without starting or scheduling anything, and shows sleep quality, efficiency and overnight heart rate. A one-time purchase, which is rare in this category.
• Pillow (free, paid extras): detailed sleep sessions, naps and a smart alarm.
• Sleep Cycle (free, paid extras): best known for its smart alarm, which wakes you in a lighter phase of sleep.

Apple's own Sleep app has improved a lot, and a third-party app is optional. If you are choosing, the best sleep tracker apps compares them.

Running, cycling and the outdoors

• Strava (free, paid subscription): records runs and rides and shares them with friends and clubs. The social network most runners already use.
• Nike Run Club (free): guided runs with audio coaching, at no cost.
• Runna (free to download, subscription for plans): personalised training plans for 5K to marathon that sync to the watch.
• WorkOutDoors ($8.99 once): offline maps and navigation on the watch itself, with highly customisable workout screens. The favourite of trail runners and hikers.
• komoot (free, paid maps): plan a hiking or cycling route on the phone and follow it turn by turn on your wrist.

Gym and strength training

• Hevy (free, paid Pro): log sets, reps and weight from the watch with a rest timer; the free tier covers most people.
• Strong (free, paid Pro): a clean, fast workout log that many lifters have used for years.
• Fitbod (free to try, then a subscription): builds each workout for you based on your equipment and which muscles have recovered.

Heart rate and training zones

• HeartWatch ($8.99 once): detailed heart rate analysis through the day, during sleep and in workouts, from the makers of AutoSleep.
• Zones for Training (free, paid extras): workouts organised around heart rate zones, with clear zone alerts. Useful for zone-based training.

Food, water and habits

• Lose It! and MyFitnessPal (free, paid Premium): calorie and macro logging with companion watch apps. Lose It vs MyFitnessPal vs Cronometer compares them.
• WaterMinder (free, paid extras): log water from your wrist and see your progress on a watch face complication.
• Streaks ($5.99 once): a to-do list for habits that you tick off on the watch.
• Headspace and Calm (free, subscription): guided meditation and sleep sounds, with watch apps for quick sessions.

Everyday apps

• CARROT Weather (free, paid extras): detailed forecasts and some of the best watch face complications on the platform.
• Things 3 ($9.99 once) or Todoist (free, paid Pro): to-do lists you can check off and add to from your wrist.
• Citymapper (free): public transport directions with step-by-step alerts on the watch.
• Google Maps (free): walking, driving and transit directions on the watch.
• Spotify (free, Premium for downloads): control playback, and with Premium download music to the watch for runs without your phone.
• Overcast (free, paid extras): a podcast player with a watch app.
• Pedometer++ (free): a simple step counter with a daily step goal and complication.

How to get more from your Apple Watch apps

1. Install only what you will use. Every watch app takes storage and can show notifications. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to remove apps you never open.
2. Put your favourites in complications. A complication is the fastest way to open an app and the reason apps like CARROT Weather and WaterMinder are so useful on the watch.
3. Wear it to bed. Recovery and sleep apps need overnight data. Charge for 15 to 20 minutes while you get ready for bed instead of overnight.
4. Check Apple Health permissions. Most health apps read from and write to Apple Health. If an app shows no data, open Health, tap your profile picture, then Apps under Privacy, and check its permissions.

The bottom line

Start with Apple's free Sleep, Vitals and Workout apps, then add one app per job: Athlytic or Bevel for recovery, AutoSleep for sleep, Strava or WorkOutDoors for running, Hevy for the gym and CARROT Weather for the wrist. If you also want to see how your body is changing alongside your recovery, Bodly adds food, weight and progress photos to the scores.

Sources

• Apple. Use the Readiness app on Apple Watch (Apple Support, watchOS 27).
• Apple. Track your sleep on Apple Watch and use Sleep on iPhone (Apple Support).
• App listings on the US App Store, checked on October 27, 2026: watch app requirement and price for every app named.