JRNY vs iFit vs Echelon vs Peloton: A Cycling Instructor Compares

By Robbie Ferri, Cyclist, Personal Trainer, and Group Exercise Instructor.

Which is the right application for you?

Interactive smart bikes are an incredible tool to help you get fitter and hit those goals. They can be incredibly motivating, and having a structure to your training is very important to keep you progressing. They even give you the ability to ride with your friends without anyone having to leave their own house. When you buy a smart bike, companies like Peloton and Echelon lock their bikes to certain applications. This is because they make more money on the bike‘s software than the actual bike itself. 

When researching bikes, it’s important to know a little bit about the application you’re going to be using. In this article, we’re going to tell you about the four most popular applications and what you can expect from each. We will also compare them to each other and then help you pick the right application for you.

Application breakdown

The best way to help you choose the correct application for you is firstly to break them down and tell you a little bit about each one. In this next section, that’s exactly what we are going to do for you. One thing we must mention before we start is applications are constantly changing, so although we can tell you where it’s currently at, technology can change quickly, so always refer to the application’s website for the most up-to-date information.

JRNY

The JRNY is a great application and is installed on Bowflex bikes, or you can download it to a tablet. It has excellent spinning classes, which come in live and pre-recorded formats. The instructors are good, and the classes are fun. The scenic rides we really liked called these explore the world, and on top of that, they offer a wide variety of classes, not just cycling. We’re talking strength, yoga, and pilates, to name a few.

The JRNY application offers to stream, so applications like Disney + and Netflix, prime video, and many more. You get music channels which you can work out too as well, and this is modern music from popular artists. The application works really quickly, loading times are short and sweet, and the touch screen is very responsive. The price of this application is excellent and comes in at a lot less than other bikes.

iFit

The iFit application in recent years has come a long way and, in my opinion, is one of the best. It’s mainly used on the Nordictrack bikes and a few other iFit compatible indoor cycles. They consistently are advancing the product and offer so much. The live and pre-recorded classes are excellent, and you even have the option of outdoor classes if you don’t like the studio vibe. It’s not just about cycling. You get 60+ different types of classes you can do, and you can even text the instructor while in the waiting room beforehand.

As far as scenic rides go, they are the best, you can train to structured programs with video, and they also have google maps integration, so you can pick any route you want in the world. Provided google has been there, you can ride it. The instructors are excellent, and when you buy a Nordictrack product, you get a full free year family plan worth $396. The automatic resistance is amazing, and they even have monthly challenges for collectible goodies. 

Peloton

The Peloton bike really opened up the market for interactive spinning, and they marketed the product really well. Not only did they make the application for their bikes but for others too. The application itself is very good, the live classes with leaderboard are just incredible, and the quality is beyond any other brand. We have to say the instructors are very special and they are very motivational. Peloton has an excellent community around them, and you will make a lot of friends through the application.

The off-the-bike workouts are very good, and like iFit, you have some epic challenges to keep challenging yourself. The scenic rides are pretty good, and they have started to bring structured training into them with guides which is good, but other applications have beaten them to this. We love the personal structured power zone training they recently brought out. You have streaming services on the bike, which are great, and if you have the bike, plus you have auto resistance, which is so much fun.

Echelon

Echelon has always been a huge competitor to Peloton, and the application they have paired with their bike is excellent. A lot of people say it’s a bit more basic compared to other applications, but we like it. You have your live rides, pre-recorded, and plenty of other workout classes you can do, such as strength training and bike boot camp, which is a mix of on and off-the-bike classes to ensure you’re hitting the whole body.

You don’t get auto resistance on any of the classes, which is something it does lack but offers a lot of content. You get your typical challenges, such as riding with lots of different instructors to take you out of your comfort zone, and the Tour de Echelon is a great way of doing a full series of indoor cycling classes. 

How do they compare?

All these applications are designed to give you a very similar experience, so how do we compare them? The best way to do this is to tell you about what we feel each is best at and what kind of experience you will get from it.

1. Best Cycling Classes

The Peloton is by far the best for cycling classes. The quality they give when it comes to any classes, especially live classes, is just so high. The instructors are extremely motivational, and the quality of the audio and video is better than any other application. 

2. Best Off the Bike Classes

When it comes to off-the-bike classes, the iFit application just has such a wide variety of 60+ different types of classes that you can try. This makes the application just so much more interesting and offers an incredible amount of different things to do, such as strength training, boot camps, yoga, and even stretching, to name a few.

3. Best Price

By far, the JRNY application is the best for price. It is half the amount of other applications on the market for a multi-plan, and it offers a very similar experience to all the other applications. We do have to mention that the iFit individual plan is also a very low cost but just works for one person.

4. Scenic Rides

iFit, by far, is best for scenic rides and the google maps integration just means you can ride anywhere in the world easily. We also love the guided outdoor rides where you travel with the instructor, and when you hit those hills, the bike really tightens up. We love what they offer, and the quality and variety of the scenic rides are just so good.

5. Class Library

When it comes to the pre-recorded library, Echelon has always had a huge amount of rides in the bank ready for you to take out for a spin. Peloton and other applications have always had to cancel rides and even take some off while Echelon has consistently grown their database.

6. Realistic experience

JRNY and Echelon cannot control the resistance for you, but Peloton and iFit can, providing you’re using a compatible bike. The resistance auto adjust makes the experience so much more realistic, and on those scenic rides, you can let the hills challenge and attack you. The winner is iFit because, on some iFit bikes, you also have auto incline and decline where the bike can lean back and forth, which a class instructor or scenic route can control.

7. Free Trial

As far as the best trial, the iFit free year is very impressive. It’s better than the 30 days most companies offer, but you do have to buy a new product from them, but it is a serious saving of nearly $400 dollars. 

8. Community

When it comes to community, then Peloton just has the best application. We love the high five feature in live classes, and on the forums, there’s so much talk and chat between riders. When I first started looking into Pelotons years ago, so many people offered me to go on their bikes and even to join them on online rides.

9. Using an application stand alone

One thing very special about the Peloton Application is it has a watered-down version that can connect to other bikes through a tablet. It’s less than half the price, and it offers many features the main application has. It’s excellent, and many people use a cheaper bike to connect, so they get a cheaper setup that’s just a tad limited.

Which one is best for you?

It depends really on what you are looking for from the bike. Some people just want a basic spinning class, and some want something a little more. Here are our recommendations;

Conclusion

All the applications offer a very similar product. Still, we feel that iFit and Peloton are just a cut above the rest when it comes to a user-friendly application that will keep you motivated and entertained. They are all very good though, and all applications come highly recommended.