Health & Fitness Apps See Surging Revenue Fueled by AI

The Health and Fitness economy has come a long way since the days of Jane Fonda’s aerobic workout videos. In 2026, those wanting to shed a few pounds can simply take pictures of their meals and have AI spit out the calories and nutrient breakdown. Strength trainers can run their performance data through AI and receive custom workouts tailored to their needs. The rapid integration of this tech into the wellness landscape has helped to propel the industry forward after a turbulent few years. 

State of Mobile 2026 unpacks the data behind the headlines, looking at downloads, revenue, top subgenres, and ASO strategies for brands in the space. 

Health & Fitness Performance: IAP Revenue Climbs to $4.5B

In-app purchases hit a record high last year, climbing +13% to hit $4.5 billion. This was indeed fueled in part by the integration of AI. Strategic brands leveraged the technology to create personalized experiences, improve user outcomes, and attract high-intent audiences willing to invest time and money into their health.

Downloads, on the other hand, only edged up by 0.8%, a lower year-over-year increase than was seen in either 2023 or 2024. In total, the category counted 3.96 billion installs in 2025. Nevertheless, there is still room for growth and opportunity to innovate within the space, particularly for brands that thoughtfully take advantage of new AI features. 

AI Features Fuel Growth For Top Health & Fitness Subgenres

Within the larger Health and Fitness umbrella, certain subgenres pulled ahead. Running and cycling apps (think Strava and Runna - which was recently bought by Strava) fared especially well. AI-powered nutrition and diet tracking also gained steam, ranking among the top apps by IAP revenue growth. Top players in this category include Cal AI, MacroFactor, and YAZIO. 

Along with the rise in AI capabilities came new App Store Optimization strategies. The portion of Health and Fitness apps utilizing AI-themed keywords in their bids rose to 28% last quarter — more than a quarter of brands — and is up from only 19% in Q4 2024. Currently, the average number of AI keywords used per app is 8, double Q4 2024 levels. But it’s not just noise: this strategy has been incredibly efficient at converting users. 

Let’s take Cal AI. This app used the most AI keywords (an average of 35 per quarter) and subsequently saw AI-related search terms account for a whopping 25% of its total search-based downloads. Generally, the advent of AI has been a boon to Health and Fitness apps. After pandemic-era demand began leveling off around 2024 as people sought out long-overdue in-person experiences, the explosion of Generative AI has offered a new opportunity for expansion and innovation. 

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