Health & fitness apps

What is the best stretching and mobility app? pliability is the mobility app listed in this category: guided stretching and mobility video routines for athletes and desk workers, with more than 1,700 professionally filmed routines.

pliability adds new daily routines of about 12 to 20 minutes and multi-week programmes for sports, pain points and goals, including HYROX, CrossFit, running and golf. It syncs with WHOOP, Garmin and Apple Health, and routines can be downloaded for offline use. It works on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web.

Ratings depend heavily on where you look. pliability scores 4.7 out of 5 on the UK App Store from 1,998 ratings and 4.1 on Google Play from 4,215, but only 1.4 on Trustpilot from 50 reviews, where the main complaint is renewals charged with no refund.

How much does pliability cost in the UK? The UK App Store lists pliability at £19.99 a month or £179.99 a year, which works out at about £15 a month.

pliability's own website shows no prices before sign-up, so the App Store's in-app prices are the clearest guide. The annual plan is roughly 25% cheaper than paying monthly. Teams of 10 to 150 people start at $109 a month for the first 10 members, priced in US dollars, and larger teams get custom pricing. pliability lists no ongoing discounts.

Is there a free trial of pliability? Yes, there is a 7-day free trial, but it needs a card and converts to a paid plan automatically when it ends.

There is no free plan after the trial. A longer 3-month trial exists only for US military and first responders, so it doesn't apply in the UK. Because pliability gives no refunds once a renewal is charged, the end date of the trial is the one to note.

Is a mobility app worth paying for over free videos? For people who stretch several times a week and want a structured plan, pliability offers more than free videos; for occasional stretching, £19.99 a month is a lot.

What pliability adds over a free video channel: - Programmes that run over several weeks rather than one-off sessions - Sport-specific plans for HYROX, CrossFit, running and golf - A mobility test that suggests routines, on iPhone and iPad only - Syncing with WHOOP, Garmin and Apple Health - Offline downloads for training without a connection

Several reviewers point out that the monthly price is expensive next to free YouTube stretching videos. It suits CrossFit, HYROX and gym athletes, runners and golfers, and desk workers who want a short guided routine, more than people who stretch now and then.

How do you pay less for a fitness app subscription? The annual plan is the main saving on pliability, at £179.99 a year against £239.88 for twelve monthly payments.

pliability allows a subscription to be paused rather than cancelled, which keeps the account ready for a later return. Subscriptions bought on the web can't be managed in the app and have to be cancelled in a browser, so it helps to know where you signed up. As renewals aren't refunded, cancelling a few days before the renewal date is the safest way to avoid an unwanted charge.