# James Smith Academy — user reviews > 112 indexed App Store user reviews of James Smith Academy by Affordable Online Coaching Pty Ltd, rated 4.80/5 from 93 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/james-smith-academy/id1449052977/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/james-smith-academy/id1449052977.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 87 · 4★ 0 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 3 ## What do users think of James Smith Academy? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Simple and effective - 🚀 Easy to navigate app - 💪 Helpful and responsive coaches - 🔍 Detailed video guides - 🧠 Informative educational content - 📊 Excellent tracking and progress monitoring - 💰 Great value for money **Cons** - 🐛 App crashes and stability issues - 🔌 Connectivity problems when switching apps - 🤖 Impersonal automated coaching - 💸 Expensive premium subscription - 🌱 Lack of vegan/vegetarian meal options **Commonly reported bugs** - Workout progress not saving properly - Inability to update weights and reps - Onboarding process issues **Most requested features** - Apple Watch integration - Ability to filter workouts by equipment - More personalized nutrition and meal planning ## Newest reviews (18 of 112) ### 4/5 — Simple and effective! *2025-04-08, version 2.14.11* Great app for keeping you motivated and on track with progressive overload. Lots of improvements have been made since the launch of the new UI. I love that your workout syncs immediately so if your app gets ejected from memory you don’t have to start the workout again and click through all the exercises you previously completed. Nice work, team! A few little UX niggles in the updated interface that the old one had covered. One being that when you tap a previously entered weight it should select all of the old numbers so you can overwrite it without having to delete first. It’d be nice to reward loyal users after X months with a new workout. Like a loyalty bonus. Anyway, great app. Get on it! ### 3/5 — App Crashing during workout tracking *2024-10-28, version 2.13.3* Regular crashing of app during recording workouts, great app otherwise. ### 4/5 — Super helpful for health and fitness *2024-10-12, version 2.13.1* I’ve been using the AOC app for a year or so. I find the team super helpful whether it be practical exercise advice, lifestyle tips, mindset shifts and relationships with food and body image. The only limitation is the limits of being app focused and online but the value for money is fantastic. Highly recommend! ### 5/5 — Highly recommend *2024-10-11, version 2.13.0* I have always struggled to keep myself accountable with diet and workouts. The support and knowledge this app provides has helped me immensely along my fitness journey. The app has useful nutritional theory, demos of workouts and great recipes but most importantly amazing coaches to help along the way. All of the above has improved my relationship with food and it no longer feels impossible to reach my goals on a daily basis. Workouts are enjoyable and for the first time ever I feel like I’ve made good progress! ### 5/5 — Amazing app and coaching *2024-10-11, version 2.13.0* This app is the best! My coaches in my pocket! You may not get 1:1 coaching with AOC but you’ll feel like it. The coaches respond to all my requests / queries promptly and sensitively. They’ve asked me great questions, been my cheerleaders and, I feel, have got to know me well over the last few months. I am well supported here. I particularly also like the videos showing me how to do the exercises correctly. I refer to these often The app is constantly being updated and improved too. I love it! I can’t see any reason to go anywhere else for my fitness needs ### 5/5 — The best fitness app *2024-10-11, version 2.13.0* I highly recommend this app because you have great workout programs, great personal trainers who keep you accountable and the price is next to none. 10/10😊 ### 5/5 — Great way to reach your goals! *2024-10-10* I started using this app while I was trying to get back on my feet after breaking my foot. I really enjoyed the encouragement of the team of trainers and the fact that they asked if I had any restrictions while working out. They’ve helped me loose the weight I had gained while sitting around for three months and have made me re think my relationship with food! I would definitely recommend anyone wanting to make a positive change in their lives to try this app out! ### 3/5 — new update *2024-10-08, version 2.13.0* Not a fan of the new update- I’m out. ### 3/5 — Great programs, poor app *2024-09-30, version 2.12.5* This is a frustrating review to write, as I think the training programs are great. The features are all the features you’d want in a fitness app. Unfortunately the app is quite unstable - sometime you click finish workout and it just deletes the whole workout. Occasionally the timer does start after a set has been ended. Please try fix the bugs, as I really want to continue to subscribe ### 2/5 — Same exercises week after week??? *2024-09-15* I did the starter plan and I finished week 1 and I loved it. The programming is exactly what I was looking for! However when I went to start week 2, the exercises are the exact same. What?? Isn't the point of signing up for an exercise program to get new workouts every day. I'm so disappointed. **Developer response:** No the point is not to get exercises every day/week. You follow the same program for at least one month and can then change program. This is known as progressive overload. Please watch the videos on progressive overload. ### 4/5 — Vegan meal plans would make it 5* *2024-08-20, version 2.12.1* As a vegan, I know it’s possible to get 120g+ of protein on a plant based diet but I do feel like the app is excluding us for some reason. Other than that, it’s fantastic. ### 3/5 — Doesn’t save my workouts *2024-08-01, version 2.11.12* The app could be 5 star but I have issues with it losing my progress within a workout. I’m midway through a workout, flag my set as complete, phone back in pocket, come back to the app after another set and it’s ended my workout. I have to Begin Workout again to tag another set ### 4/5 — Make App for iWatch *2024-07-16, version 2.11.12* The JSA app for iPhone is good. However, I’d like to have it for my iWatch as well. It’s annoying to constantly pull out my phone to check exercises and log info. It only indicates on my watch when my rest time is complete. ### 3/5 — App stability on older phones is frustrating beyond belief *2024-07-06* I’m a massive fan of James and his work, including this app and service. However, it’s getting worse in how long it will stay active when the app is backgrounded. If you choose to do certain activities (send a photo in Instagram using a 13 Mini) between sets you can say goodbye to your workout progress when you return to the JSA app. It’s repeatable and it needs to handle it more gracefully. I’m sick of restarting the workouts and re-ticking everything, it’s way too disruptive and wastes precious time. I hope you can optimise the way it handles being backgrounded. **Developer response:** Please can you just report your issue to support instead of writing a review like this. This review does not help us identify the issue that you are having. We need you to tell us on which device you have the issue, which version of ios, in which circumstances this occurs, whether you have stable internet, etc ### 2/5 — App not working *2024-06-23, version 2.11.11* Just got the app and it’s not working. I can’t see any information. ### 3/5 — Good but not amazing *2024-05-10, version 2.11.10* I tried this out as it looked decent but after using Hevy it’s a real backwards step in cross app integration and tracking. Also a lot of the machine workouts listed had the wrong names and don’t exist in the group of gyms that I go to so there’s not an alternative to switch to. It could be amazing but it’s just missing lots of functionality and tracking abilities. ### 5/5 — Changed my life. *2024-03-01, version 2.11.4* Not the app itself, but the content James Smith creates and the team he has employed to do the check-ins, speak to us each week, write the programs - all of this changed my life. I have so much knowledge and empowerment that I didn’t have before. The support is there and it’s consistent. I was undereating for YEARS. I am still not perfect but the coaches helped me and guided me through upping my calories. My body has never looked so toned and fit. The training programs are really good and tailored. You can see your progress throughout your block and you can rate your RPE for every movement. Highly recommend! ### 5/5 — 10/10 *2024-02-06, version 2.11.0* I love the app, it’s easy to navigate but the best part is the advice from the coaches! I’ve been under eating for so long and then binging it wasn’t making sense to me, since being put on maintenance calories I feel a lot more energetic and can do more in the gym and energy lasts all day! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — No response when try to cancel *2025-08-14, version 2.14.12* I have emailed to cancel and also messaged. Total radio silence. They message lots before this point so no I have to contact my bank to block future payments. Really disappointed as I like James from his videos and his open/honest philosophy to capitalism so I’m sure he would not be too happy with the service I have received too ### 1/5 — Latest UI update is broken and a step backwards *2024-10-21, version 2.13.2* This latest UI update is not working for me (functionality or design). Supersets are less obviously marked too, I don’t know how many times I’ve missed them. It’s a real step backwards. I can’t save notes because it claims it has no connection, which is poor UX given I shouldn’t require a connection for that functionality or ANY functionality while working out for that fact. My connection is fine, I’m streaming music and browsing social media between sets just fine. I can’t tell what sets have been done once they’ve been ticked. The green tick disappears which I assume is a bug related to “not being connected” seeing as the red banner appears every time I tick a set as done. I also can’t update the weights I use if I increase them because again, the app’s functionality is strangely predicated on an online connection. iOS 18 on iPhone 13 Mini The Captcha on the support portal is also broken not allowing me to submit this through the proper channel. Previously a stellar service and had no problems recommending it. It’s unusable with this UX, it’s a real shame and I cannot recommend it as is. Hopefully the bugs are down to not testing enough. I hope the UX/UI is fixed soon too. ### 1/5 — Was Really Hoping To Try This *2024-01-13* I really like James Smith, so I wanted to give his app a chance. But the app Is broken. I couldn’t get past the about me page (no next button), and it never saved what I was able to input. Really disappointed! **Developer response:** Hey, we have not had any other reports of this, so please contact support. It would have been great if you reached out to support before posting this so that we could have figured out why you couldn’t see the next button. ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2023-08-04, version 2.9.25* Had high hopes for this but app is impossible to use (why no back button anywhere?) disappointed. ### 1/5 — App doesn’t work *2023-06-15* Won’t save my birthday so app won’t proceed **Developer response:** The app will not let you proceed past the birth day step if you are not over 18 ### 1/5 — Poor *2023-06-07, version 2.9.17* The calorie counting part of this app is incredibly poor compared to others. I doubt James even reads these comments but if he does, this part of the app needs a complete overhaul. For the price he charges this needs to be far better ! But I doubt he even cares as he’s made his millions now ! ### 1/5 — Blank screen *2022-11-25, version 2.8.0* Filled out everything and repeatedly had to keep closing the app to get to the next part, eventually I was just left with a blank white screen which never changed so I deleted the app. ### 1/5 — Understanding *2022-06-09, version 2.6.18* I am second time around trying this. I like the workouts but just don’t understand the process ie lose fat 1 contains 4 workouts. Do I do this for 6-8 weeks? But then there is another tab lose fat 2 and another 4!routines. I am trying to understand and nobody is replying about this. Very frustrating. ### 1/5 — £40 a MONTH subscription fee *2022-01-02, version 2.5.6* This is hardly justifiable, considering the levels of support/information/facilities that other apps can provide, outside and within the fitness industry, the cost for this app is significantly overpriced and wildly out of sync. ### 1/5 — Coaching doesn’t listen. *2021-12-02* Paid for a full membership. The coaching staff didn’t listen to mobility issues or equipment limitations. Also the interface is extremely confusing. Don’t waste your money. **Developer response:** Thanks for the review. The coaching staff first provide you the best program they can with the information provided to them. They then work with you to tweak the program to make it perfectly suited to you, this is the process of personalisation. If the initial program they provided to you was not perfectly personalised, please message the coach and let them know you require changes, they will work with you. We have no doubt that the coach can provide you with a program perfectly suited to you like we have done with all of our other customers 😊 ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Absolutely worth it *2025-02-15, version 2.14.10* I gotta say when I was thinking of joining this I was very sceptical. I opted for the premium plan as I wanted to do the 12 weeks challenge,and I can honestly say it the best platform I’ve used James smith has absolutely nailed this. The support you get from the coaches on this app is second to none. The app itself helps you hit goals,Tracking steps, calories and sleep You get workouts , videos on nutrition stretching , training It also connects to your Apple watch and the health app and I believe Fitbit I can’t recommend this app enough Oh and the Facebook group is top draw ### 5/5 — Totally Worth it *2025-01-06, version 2.14.3* Been a member for a couple of years now, re-started resistance training & fitness after 10 years off, the coaching / programming is great, and great value, seen great results, and progress keeps getting chipped away at, it isn’t a full hand holding service (ie. What weights you should use per exercise, what should I eat) and I like that a lot about it, plus I like you get various coaches replying for different viewpoints on anything you are struggling with in life, if you want a structured plan to crack on with it’s absolutely banging ### 5/5 — AOC helped me achieve more than I ever expected! *2024-12-24, version 2.14.3* I joined in April expecting a structured strength training programme and some coach support, but got so much more. The coaches on the premium plan are always accessible to advise and motivate, and the Facebook community group are all there to share the load when you struggle to get up and out to the gym or need a proverbial kick up the backside! Commit to it and you will achieve. ### 5/5 — 2 months in and 7kg down! *2024-12-23, version 2.14.3* AOC has literally been the first program I’ve managed to follow and enjoy. The 24/7 access to coaches really is that, and they’re such lovely, helpful people who really take an interest in you and give you so much motivation to meet your goals. The exercise programs are catered to exactly what you want personally and tracking food with a protein goal has really helped me understand the foods I need to be eating to have a healthy diet. I couldn’t recommend it more. ### 5/5 — Fantastic app and support *2024-10-20* This app and the whole team are absolutely amazing!! The workouts are fantastic and can be changed or adapted to suit any ability and available equipment from home or the gym. The coaching team are just so supportive and have helped me through some pretty difficult times this year, for which I am truly grateful so thank you so much!! I cannot recommend highly enough, sign up, you won’t regret it!!! ### 5/5 — GET SWOL INT *2024-10-20* James, his platform and trainers, provide a realistic sustainable approach to the fundamentals of health and fitness without scamming you out of hundreds of dollars. I was lured in by his dry, witty humoured emails. I saw a real human helping real people achieve their goals. I can credit myself for my hard work but his platform has allowed me to establish my own power without comparison to the unrealistic expectations I had on myself following plastic , girly, petite influences that I used to get so bogged down on. I am me, I have never been happier being me. I cannot recommend this community enough, thank you to James and the amazing team ### 5/5 — Keeps me on track! *2024-10-19, version 2.13.2* This is an excellent and affordable way to get coaching whatever your goals. The app allows you to track progress, receive tailor made programs and the regular contact with a coach keeps you in line!! There’s also a lot of helpful fitness and health information that you can access as and when you need. It’s definitely provided me with the framework and discipline I needed. ### 5/5 — Great app and coaching! *2024-10-14, version 2.13.1* Easy to use app, with supportive coaching, knowledgeable and friendly coaches keeping you on track! ### 5/5 — Excellent app *2024-10-14, version 2.13.1* Am just at the end of a 12 week challenge which I’ve really enjoyed. The app is easy to use & the coach support and training plans are incredibly easy to follow. If you’re looking for a great training program with accountability then look no further than this app. ### 5/5 — Nothing compares to AOC *2024-10-14, version 2.13.1* I’ve used other training platforms before, but none compare to AOC. I have the premium package, and the training programs are perfect for what I’m after and the trainers are super responsive if I have questions about what they have assigned. The weekly coach check ins are great at holding me accountable, and anytime I have a question the team jump on and give me all the information or help I need. I have never been more confident in the fact that I will meet my goals using this app & subscription. I also specifically love that they outline my calories and protein intake but don’t give me a meal plan, I prefer to take control of what I’m eating but they also have meal suggestions in the app as well which is great for inspo. It’s absolutely the best thing I have done for my health & fitness and I’m starting to really enjoy going to the gym again. 10/10 recommend to anyone, no matter the experience. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-06.*