Riding without a Zwift subscription: the alternatives in 2026
Updated on November 1, 2026. Prices checked that day on each publisher's website.
Zwift is the best-known smart trainer app, and it earns it: a virtual world, group rides, races. But if you mostly use it to get through structured workouts in ERG mode, you pay every month for a world you don't look at.
Here is what Zwift costs, what exists for free or without a subscription, and how to choose. Prices come from the publishers' websites on the date above. This page is written by the publisher of SweetWatt, which is in the comparison: it also says when another app will suit you better.
Is Zwift free?
No, not for cycling. Zwift costs $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year in the US (€19.99 or €199.99 in the EU, £17.99 or £179.99 in the UK). Zwift Plus, the fuller plan, costs $29.99 a month or $299.99 a year. These are the prices in Zwift's own pricing FAQ, which adds that taxes may apply depending on where you live.
What is free: a 14-day trial with the monthly plan (you enter a payment method, and cancel before the end to pay nothing), and running on a treadmill. The yearly plan has no trial, but it is refunded if you cancel within 30 days. There is no free version of Zwift for cycling.
So to ride without a subscription you need another app. There are two kinds: free ones, like MyWhoosh, and ones you buy once, like SweetWatt. The table below compares them with the best-known subscriptions.
Zwift alternatives, compared
| App | Price | Without paying | On Mac | During the workout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zwift | $19.99/month or $199.99/year; Zwift Plus $29.99/month | 14-day trial (payment method required); running is free | Yes, native app | Full-screen virtual world, no official compact mode |
| Rouvy | $19.99/month or $179.99/year | 20 km a month free, 7-day trial | Yes | Filmed routes, full screen |
| TrainerRoad | $21.99/month or $209.99/year | No free trial, refund within 30 days | Yes | Official minimal mode: a small window next to your video |
| Wahoo SYSTM | In the Wahoo app's Pro tier: $17.99/month or $179.99/year | 14-day Pro trial | Yes | Its own training videos |
| MyWhoosh | Free | Everything | Yes (Mac App Store) | Full-screen virtual world |
| TrainingPeaks Virtual | With TrainingPeaks Premium: $19.95/month or $134.99/year | 14-day Premium trial | Yes | Virtual world, Focus mode with data only |
| TrainerDay | $4.99/month or $44.99/year | 20 free workouts | iPad app on Apple silicon Macs, not a native Mac app | No compact mode |
| SweetWatt | €20 once (first 50 licenses), no subscription | 5 full workouts | Yes, native app, macOS 26 or later | Your video full screen, the workout around the notch |
Public prices shown by the publishers in the US on November 1, 2026; taxes may be added depending on where you live. SweetWatt is sold in euros. Prices change: check each publisher's website before you subscribe.
Which one to choose?
- A virtual world, for free: MyWhoosh. Free, on Mac, ERG workouts included.
- Group rides, races, your friends: Zwift is still the reference, and that is what the subscription pays for.
- Real filmed roads: Rouvy, owned by Zwift since April 2026, with 20 km a month free to try it.
- A training plan that adapts to you: TrainerRoad, or TrainingPeaks if your coach already uses it.
- Your ERG workouts in front of your show, on a Mac, without a subscription: SweetWatt. 14 workouts included, your .zwo files, the video of your choice full screen and the workout around the notch. €20 once.
Watching Netflix during a Zwift workout?
Zwift wants its screen: it is a 3D world, and it has no official compact mode. On Zwift's forum, riders have been asking for a minimal mode or picture in picture for years; meanwhile, the show goes on a second screen, a tablet or the TV, or Zwift goes into a window to share the screen.
TrainerRoad has a minimal mode, a small window next to your video. On iPad, BreakAway sits in Split View next to Netflix.
SweetWatt starts from the other end: the video takes the whole screen, Netflix, YouTube or Prime Video in the browser, and the workout fits in the black band around the MacBook's notch: the power to hold, the time left, the next change ten seconds ahead. On a screen without a notch, a small pill at the top, in the same place.
What about my Zwift workouts?
The workouts you build in Zwift are .zwo files, stored in Documents/Zwift/Workouts on your Mac. SweetWatt imports them as they are: steady blocks, ramps, repeated intervals, target cadence, like the .zwo files other tools export. Workouts from Zwift's own library stay in Zwift.
The FTP you already know carries over as is; otherwise, SweetWatt includes a ramp test.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zwift free?
No, not for cycling: you need a membership, $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year in the US (€19.99 or €199.99 in the EU) as of November 1, 2026. The monthly plan starts with a 14-day free trial, and running on Zwift is free.
What is the free alternative to Zwift?
MyWhoosh is free, with a virtual world and ERG workouts, on Mac as well as PC. Rouvy gives 20 km a month without a subscription. If you only want your ERG workouts in front of a video, without a subscription but not free, SweetWatt costs €20 once after a 5-workout trial.
Can I use a smart trainer without Zwift?
Yes. A smart trainer works with any app that speaks its protocol, most often Bluetooth FTMS: the makers' own apps, MyWhoosh, Rouvy, TrainerRoad or SweetWatt. Even a Zwift Hub can be driven without a Zwift membership.
Can I watch Netflix while riding Zwift?
Not on the same screen without a compromise: Zwift has no official compact mode, so you need a second screen, a tablet, or Zwift in a window. With SweetWatt, Netflix keeps the whole Mac screen and the workout shows around the notch.
Does SweetWatt replace Zwift?
For structured workouts, yes. For the rest, no: no virtual world, no avatar, no group rides or races, no training plan. SweetWatt does one thing: it runs your workout in ERG mode while you watch something else.
Try it on your own workouts
5 full workouts free, no account and no card, then €20 once for the first 50 licenses. A Mac on macOS 26 or later and a Bluetooth FTMS smart trainer are all you need.
Try 5 free workouts Discover SweetWatt
Zwift, Zwift Hub, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, Wahoo SYSTM, MyWhoosh, TrainingPeaks, TrainerDay, BreakAway, Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video are trademarks of their owners. SweetWatt is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Found a mistake on this page? Write to sweetwatt@alpsan.fr and we will fix it.