The Moveee team
Free coaching · a real route for every ride
Zwift built this category. For years it was the only virtual cycling world with enough riders in it to make a Tuesday-night race work, and it deserves enormous credit for making indoor training something people actually look forward to.
But it's no longer the only option, and for a growing number of riders it isn't the best one. Subscription costs have crept up, the hardware requirements are real, and some people simply don't want a fictional island with power-ups. If you're weighing up a switch, here's an honest look at what else is out there — including a couple that cost nothing. We build one of them, and we'll say so plainly.
Start with why you're leaving
The right alternative depends entirely on what's bothering you. Find your reason:
"It's too expensive"
MyWhoosh or Moveee Indoor — Both free right now, both do the core job.
"My computer can't handle it"
Moveee Indoor or Rouvy — Browser-based or video-based — far lighter than a full 3D game engine.
"I want structure, not a game"
TrainerRoad or Wahoo SYSTM — Both drop the world entirely and concentrate on coaching.
"I want real roads"
Rouvy or Moveee Indoor — Real filmed routes, or your own routes rebuilt in 3D from map data.
"Racing feels unfair"
IndieVelo / TP Virtual — Stricter verification and anti-cheat than the mass-market platforms.
"I'm bored of Watopia"
Any of them, honestly — Novelty is a legitimate reason. A change of scenery is worth a lot in February.
The alternatives
Prices are indicative monthly rates at the time of writing — they move, so check before you commit.
MyWhoosh
Closest like-for-likeFree
A free 3D virtual world with racing, group rides and structured workouts — the most direct Zwift substitute there is.
Genuinely free with no asterisk, good-looking worlds, real prize-money racing.
Smaller population, occasional rough edges, and an unclear long-term business model.
Rouvy
Real roads on video~€15/mo
Augmented reality over real filmed footage — your avatar rides on video of genuine roads and famous climbs.
Unbeatable for previewing a specific real-world climb or race course.
Video quality varies by route; less lively and social than a rendered world.
TrainerRoad
No world at all~€22/mo
Deliberately graphics-free structured training, with plans that adapt to what you actually complete.
The most effective pure-training tool on this list, by some margin.
If you left Zwift because you were bored, this will not help with that.
Wahoo SYSTM
Whole athlete~€15/mo
Coached video sessions plus yoga, strength and mental training in one subscription.
Excellent breadth for the price; genuinely well-coached content.
No free-riding world; the video-led style doesn't suit everyone.
IndieVelo / TP Virtual
Serious racingFree tier
A racing-first platform with strong physics, performance verification and anti-cheat.
The most credible virtual racing available, and free at the time of writing.
Built for racers — thin if you just want to potter about and sightsee.
Moveee Indoor
Your own routes Ours — declaredFree (alpha)
Builds a 3D world along routes you've drawn yourself, from real OpenStreetMap and elevation data. Runs in the browser.
Ride roads you actually know; no install; ERG workouts; rides count toward your Moveee training plan.
Alpha — young, Chrome/Edge only, and no significant racing scene yet.
What you'll actually miss about Zwift
Being fair about this matters, because it's the thing most switchers underestimate: population. Zwift's real product isn't the graphics — it's that there are thousands of people online at any hour. A race at 6am on a Wednesday, a group ride at any pace you like, someone to chase up the Alpe. No alternative on this list can match that yet, and if riding with other people is why you train indoors, that's a genuinely hard thing to give up.
You may also miss the event calendar, the sheer volume of structured content, and the polish that comes from a decade of development. Go in with clear eyes.
What you might gain
On the other side of the ledger: your money back, a laptop that isn't screaming, and — depending which way you go — somewhere real to ride.
That last one is why we built Moveee Indoor. The premise is narrow and deliberate: rather than a fictional world, it renders your own saved routes in 3D from real OpenStreetMap and elevation data — the actual streets, buildings, rivers and gradients of the roads your route follows. Ride your summer loop in January. Recon the course of an event you've entered, corner by corner, before you get there. It runs entirely in the browser so there's nothing to install, it holds structured-workout targets in ERG mode, and it's free while in alpha.
It is also, honestly, the youngest thing on this page. No racing scene, Chrome or Edge only, and you'll find rough edges. But rides save with full power data and count toward your Moveee training plan just like an outdoor ride, so nothing you do indoors is stranded in a silo.
You don't have to pick just one
Worth remembering: these aren't mutually exclusive, and the free ones cost you nothing to keep around. A very common setup is a structured-training tool for the hard sessions plus a world for the long, dull endurance hours. Nobody is checking your loyalty.
Try a couple over a month, keep whichever one still has you clipping in come February, and cancel the rest. That's the only test that matters.
Keep reading
The best indoor cycling apps in 2026 (an honest round-up)
Zwift, TrainerRoad, Rouvy, MyWhoosh and the rest — what each one is actually for, what it costs, and how to pick the app that matches how you like to ride indoors.
How to choose a smart trainer (without overspending)
Direct-drive or wheel-on, ERG or not, which protocols matter and what accuracy you actually need. A plain-English buying guide for your first — or next — smart trainer.