Whether your fitness goal is weight loss, running an ultramarathon, or mastering the perfect downward dog, there’s an app for every form of exercise out there. Your smartphone is increasingly a handy-sized personal trainer, barking orders from your pocket with the same guilt-inducing frequency as your gym instructor, although at least the price tag is considerably lower. In fact, many top apps are free, though premium upgrades or subscription-based services which offer more personalised training plans or tracking are also plentiful.

It is this geo-tracking ability on smartphones that has changed the game. Gone are the days of the mail-order pedometer. Apps now monitor your daily activity with a reasonably high degree of accuracy, from how far you have walked to what speed your cycle to work peaked at. Many of these are also now integrating into Apple’s Health app to build up a broader picture.

Apps aren’t just for logging the miles, though – they also often provide incentives in the form of gaming-style rewards, or provide ideas for mixing up a tired-old routine. A warning: I started with the Couch to 5k app two years ago and now I’m preparing for my second marathon. Fitness can be addictive

1. Endomondo (free, but you can also get a premium membership with additional features)

One of the huge number of running apps, Endomondo uses community features and challenges to encourage you to stick with it. You can gloat away merrily post-run on all your social accounts, or use it as a simple tracker to calculate distance and pace. It can also connect and sync to other fitness-tracking devices, such as Garmin sports watches.

2. Moves (free)

A simple and free app that helps you track your daily movement – whether you ran, walked, cycled or sat on your bottom all day. Moves requires almost no effort on your part. There’s no need to enter data or wear a movement tracker – just carry your phone with you and monitor your progress (or lack thereof).

3. Garmin Fit (free, or £1.49 a month with LiveTrack subscription)

The free version allows simple run, cycle or walk tracking, uploaded to Garmin’s excellent Connect service for storage and analysis. With a LiveTrack subscription, friends or family can follow your every move, with live map and stats – ideal for following you in a marathon, or knowing someone has an eye on you on nervous solo outings.

4. MyFitnessPal (free)

Ideal if you are trying to monitor your weight, or take a more holistic approach to fitness, MyFitnessPal is a calorie counter and exercise tracker. You enter what you eat but also what activity you’ve done, whether it was a gym workout, swimming or a yoga class, and it will adjust your goals accordingly.

5. Strava (free)

Bringing an element of competition to solo riding (both bike and run versions are available), Strava tracks you, but crucially also allows you to compete virtually with other racers over the same segment of road or path, at different times. It’s also a good way to discover new routes and rides near you.

6. Couch to 5k (free)

The gateway drug for many a newly converted running addict, the NHS’s app will get you off the sofa and running 5km within nine weeks. Its simple step-by-step, day-by-day programme gently guides total beginners from walking to gliding around a park run.

7. Fitocracy (free)

Fitocracy aims to turn fitness into a game. You enter the details of your workout (the database is enormous) and it awards you points accordingly. Get to certain milestones and voilà, you get levelled up. A brilliant motivator for those with a competitive streak, with a great design and a lively community to boot.

8. Yoga studio (£2.49)

Muscles that have done hard workouts need to be stretched. This yoga app offers a variety of classes (35 of them) depending on your level and interest. There are specific classes for those with back problems, for instance. The poses are explained really well, and you can use your own music via other apps while you (un)bend.

9. Speedo Fit

Swimming can easily become aimless without a structured routine. While you probably wouldn’t take it in the pool with you, this app allows you to set and track your goals, including your monthly total, follow specific challenges (for instance, swim the length of Loch Ness) or even just find your nearest pool.

10. Interval Timer (free)

Whether you are timing a high-intensity Tabata workout, press-ups and planks or setting off on an interval run, this excellent free app can be customised to whatever specific intervals you need. You can use your own playlists for the workout, with handy in-app music controls.