Virgin Active UK vs Better UK
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Virgin Active UK
This app rewards users for achieving personal wellness goals with exclusive partner benefits. Access on-demand classes and book club sessions to support your fitness journey anytime, anywhere.
- Real rewards for wellness goals
- Book club classes
- On-demand fitness classes
- Personalized wellness support
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Welcome to Virgin Active’s new wellness app that gives you real rewards for hitting your personal wellness goals. - Real rewards: Instant fist-bumps from iconic partners - Real endorphins: Book all your fave club classes - Real support: Train anywhere, anytime, with on-demand classes Designed to support real progress with real rewards and guidance, this isn’t an app… It’s your personal, free smoothie-giving, endorphin unleashing, goal crushing, wellness weapon.
Better UK
Discover and book fitness classes, swimming, and gym sessions at local facilities. Access on-demand workouts, AI-powered habit coaching, and 24/7 health support for a holistic wellbeing experience.
- Book and manage fitness, swimming, and activity sessions
- On-demand workouts and healthy habits coaching
- 24/7 GP and health support
- Find and save local facilities
- Check opening times and book courts
- Access member offers and discounts
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Show up and feel better with the Better UK app. Find and book fitness classes, swimming and gym sessions near you and access Live Better: your digital suite of health and wellbeing services that you can access anytime, anywhere, all included in your membership. With Live Better, you can support your body and mind wherever life takes you. Work out at home or stay active on the go with on-demand fitness classes and build healthier habits one day at a time with your AI powered healthy habits coach. Whether you're moving more, trying something new or making time for yourself, Better UK puts your health in your hands. Download the app today. With the Better UK app, you can: - Book and manage your fitness classes, swimming and activity sessions - Access Live Better: on-demand workouts from Les Mills and Wexer, healthy habits coaching powered by Holly Health and access 24/7 GP and health support with Abi Health - Find your nearest facilities or swimming pools and save them to your favourites - Check facility and activity opening times - Book squash and badminton courts - Explore exclusive member offers and discounts with Live Better - Buy tickets for fun activities - Contact us - Access your facility using Self check-in Find more ways to move, play and learn. Download the app and book it with Better. For more information, visit better.org.uk Better is a registered trademark and trading name of GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited), a charitable social enterprise. APPLE HEALTHKIT We also use HealthKit to allow users to share their activity and workout data with the app. This data is used to incentivise users to stay active.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Virgin Active UK at 4.8 against Better UK's 1.6. Virgin Active UK also leads on review sentiment (44% vs 4%) and ratings volume (683 vs 21). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Virgin Active UK holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Virgin Active UK has 683 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Virgin Active UK's written reviews are positive against 4% of Better UK's.
Virgin Active UK ships an update monthly, Better UK every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Virgin Active UK | Better UK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (683 ratings) — better | 1.6 (21 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 43.9% of reviews — better | 3.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 683 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 361 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Virgin Active UK | Greenwich Leisure Limited |
Customer experience
Virgin Active UK
Better UK
User reviews
Virgin Active UK
From 683 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent facilities
- 👍 Friendly and attentive staff
- 👍 Great atmosphere and clean gym
- 👍 Effective and entertaining services
- 👍 Relaxing environment
Room to improve
- 🐛 App login and password issues
- 🐛 Unreliable app functionality
- 🐛 Inconsistent app updates
- 🐛 Buggy rewards system
- 🐛 Cluttered and confusing app design
Better UK
From 21 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good app
- 🚀 Easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 Constantly crashes
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate
- 🔑 Logging in issues
- 🤯 Confusing user experience
- 💳 Payment problems
Bugs and requests
Virgin Active UK
Reported bugs
5 issues- App login and password issues
- Rewards system not functioning properly
- Inconsistent app updates breaking functionality
- Booked classes not syncing to calendar
- Waitlist position not visible in app
Requested features
8 requests- Add ability to view waitlist position
- Improve class booking and cancellation flow
- Provide more class and facility information in app
- Enhance rewards system functionality
- Simplify app design and navigation
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- Improve app reliability and stability
- Add ability to sync booked classes to calendar
- Provide guest pass management in app
Better UK
Reported bugs
5 issues- Bookings not syncing
- App not recognizing memberships
- Frequent service errors
- Unreliable QR code scanning
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to book for multiple users
- Saved payment details
- Integration with Apple Pay/Wallet
- Better notification system
- Improved account management
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- Streamlined booking process
In-app purchases
Virgin Active UK
No in-app purchases
Better UK
No in-app purchases
