CompareTrainerRoad

A TrainerRoad alternative for amateur cyclists

TrainerRoad is one of the best-known training apps for cyclists. It builds structured plans, adjusts them as you train, and runs your smart trainer for indoor workouts. A lot of riders have got faster with it.

Torque is an iPhone app for amateur cyclists with a job, a family and about 6 hours a week. It plans the week around the days you can ride, counts every ride toward your fitness, and gives you a short note in plain language after each one.

A rider on a smart trainer in a garage, children's bikes against the wall

Torque and TrainerRoad side by side

FeatureTorqueTrainerRoad
Plans your week for youYesYes
Changes the plan when you miss a dayYesYes1
Plans around your work and family daysYesYes2
Sessions in watts and heart rateYesWatts3
Plain-language read of every rideYesNot confirmed4
Rides outside and indoorsYesYes
Controls a smart trainerYesYes
Works without a power meterYesWith a speed sensor5
Price$9.99 a month or $79.99 a year$21.99 a month or $209.99 a year
PlatformiPhoneiOS, Android, Windows, macOS

Prices checked October 2026 from their websites. Prices in US dollars.

  1. 1TrainerRoad's Plan Builder page: miss a workout and the plan adapts.
  2. 2TrainerRoad says its plans are built around the time you have, from about 3 hours a week.
  3. 3TrainerRoad describes its workouts as power-based. We didn't find heart rate targets.
  4. 4TrainerRoad lists ride analysis and TrainerRoad AI. We couldn't confirm a written note after each ride.
  5. 5On a classic trainer with a speed sensor, according to TrainerRoad's features page.

Choose TrainerRoad if you train mostly indoors, in power, and want to follow workouts on a laptop, tablet or Android phone.

Choose Torque if you have about 6 hours a week, ride outside as much as in, and want the week planned on your iPhone.

Hours a week, rides a week and the days you can ride

How Torque plans your week

Torque plans your week around work and family, gives you a few sessions that work, and gets you faster on the hours you have.

  1. Someone choosing a goal in Torque at a café table: what are you training for?
    1

    What are you training for?

    An event, a winter base, a kind of rider you want to become, or just getting fitter. Torque builds the plan around it.

  2. A rider at a café table looking at the coming weeks in Torque, each session a circle
    2

    See the weeks ahead

    Every session for the coming weeks, set to the days and hours you have. Each circle is a session and its load.

  3. A phone leaning on a coffee cup on the kitchen counter, showing today's session in Torque: sweet spot 3 × 10
    3

    Ride the session

    Each session has its time, its power in watts and its heart rate. Ride it outside, or indoors on your trainer.

What TrainerRoad does well

  • Plans that adapt. TrainerRoad adjusts its plans as you train, and it builds the plan from the training history you sync.
  • FTP detection. When your rides show a change, it suggests a new FTP that you accept with one tap.
  • Smart trainer control. In ERG mode it sets the trainer's resistance to follow the workout.
  • Outdoor workouts. Workouts can go to a Garmin, Wahoo or Hammerhead to ride outside.
  • A guarantee. There's no free trial, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

When to choose TrainerRoad

  • You do most of your training indoors and like a workout on a big screen.
  • You want to train from Android, Windows or a Mac.
  • You want a large library of structured workouts to pick from.
  • You train in power and already own a smart trainer or power meter.

When to choose Torque

  • You have about 6 hours a week, and the days you can ride change from week to week.
  • You ride with your club, commute or do short rides, and you want them to count toward your fitness.
  • You want each session in watts and heart rate, and you sometimes ride without power.
  • You want a short note after each ride that says what it did for your fitness.
  • You want to pay less: $79.99 a year, against $209.99.

Questions

Is Torque cheaper than TrainerRoad?

Yes. Torque is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. TrainerRoad is $21.99 a month or $209.99 a year, checked October 2026. Torque is free for 14 days with no card to start.

Can Torque control my smart trainer?

Yes. Torque runs your smart trainer for indoor sessions and saves the ride.

Do I need a power meter for Torque?

No. Torque is best with one: your sessions come in watts and your FTP is estimated from your rides. It works without one too: every session is set in heart rate from your own rides.

Can I use Torque on Android or a computer?

No. Torque is an iPhone app.

Can I switch from TrainerRoad to Torque?

Yes. Torque starts from your own rides, so the plan starts at your current fitness. Connect Wahoo, Hammerhead or Apple Health and your rides come in.

Try Torque free for 14 days.

Every feature from day one, and no card to start. Torque isn't on the App Store yet. Leave your email and you'll hear the day it is.

Get Torque

More comparisons