Fitscope Unveils Free Subscription Tier of On-Demand Cardio Workouts

Fitscope is betting that freemium users will want to subscribe to the company’s paid tier, which includes over 1,000 fitness classes

Fitscope, a leading producer of studio classes for connected fitness equipment, unveiled Fitscope Free, a freemium tier in its app that gives users access to a selection of on-demand cardio workouts at no cost. 

Fitscope Free offers access to 70 virtual cardio classes from more than 20 trainers. The free classes are designed for cardio equipment including stationary and recumbent bikes, ellipticals, treadmills, rowers and more.

Fitscope founder Ed Stansfield told Athletech News the decision to offer a freemium tier was a strategic move designed to get more people acquainted with the company’s content. Stansfield is confident that once people try Fitscope, they’ll eventually subscribe to a paid membership.

“Our biggest issue is getting people to try Fitscope,” Stansfield said. “Once they try it, usually they subscribe and stay subscribed for over a year.”

“All of our retention and conversion metrics are really strong,” he added. “We want to make Fitscope ubiquitous across as many devices as possible.”

Fitscope’s paid subscription, Fitscope Pro, gives users access to the company’s entire library of over 1,000 fitness classes, which are led by expert trainers and feature sessions of various lengths and difficulty levels. Fitscope Pro also includes tech features like Bluetooth FTMS and heart rate monitor pairing and calendar scheduling.

Fitscope Pro is available for $14.99 per month, $29.99 per quarter or $99.99 annually. 

Fitscope produces, licenses and distributes on-demand fitness classes designed primarily for cardio equipment, which it films at its studio in Los Angeles. One of Fitscope’s selling points is variety: the company creates content for many types of cardio machines, ranging from treadmills to vertical climbers and pretty much everything in between. It also offers non-cardio classes including yoga, Pilates, strength, core and stretching. 

“There are a lot of companies out there doing spin classes or rowing classes, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for us,” Stansfield said. “We have categories built across all types of very niche-focused machines.”

Another selling point is the Fitscope app, which syncs to cardio equipment and heart-rate monitors using Bluetooth FTMS. That means users exercising on FTMS-equipped cardio machines can see real-time workout data, like RPMs, mph and Watts, displayed on their phones or tablets while taking a class on the Fitscope app. 

In addition to phones and tablets, the Fitscope app can be downloaded on cardio machines with Android-based consoles. 

The content producer recently partnered with Bodycraft to have the Fitscope app pre-loaded onto the equipment manufacturer’s cardio machines.