Virgin Active SA vs Volkano Active
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Virgin Active SA
This app rewards you for achieving personal wellness goals with exclusive partner offers. Access on-demand classes, book club sessions up to 8 days ahead, and use your digital card for club entry. It's designed to support your progress with guidance and tangible benefits.
- Real rewards from partners
- Book club classes up to 8 days in advance
- Digital access card for club entry
- On-demand classes for anytime training
- Personalized wellness guidance
Read full descriptionHide full description
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 up to 8 days in advance • Scan the app to enter the club with your digital access card • 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.
Volkano Active
This app syncs with your iOS Health app and a compatible smartwatch to track sports performance. It also provides notifications for calls, texts, and social media, and allows for sending/receiving messages and calls directly from the watch.
- iOS Health integration
- Smartwatch sport performance monitoring
- Incoming call notifications
- Text message notifications
- Social network notifications
- Send/receive SMS and calls via smartwatch
Read full descriptionHide full description
Volkano Active APP integrates with iOS Health App. It works with our smartwatch to monitor your sport performane. It notifies you notify you when there are incoming calls, text messages or social networks notifications. It also allows you to send and receive SMS messages and phone calls with our smartwatch.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Volkano Active at 100% against Virgin Active SA's 6%. Volkano Active also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). Virgin Active SA's advantage is ratings volume (745 vs 10) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 SA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Virgin Active SA has 745 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 6% of Virgin Active SA's written reviews are positive against 100% of Volkano Active's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Virgin Active SA ships an update every 3 weeks, Volkano Active every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.
| Parameter | Virgin Active SA | Volkano Active |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (745 ratings) — better | 4.6 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 5.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 745 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 352 MB | 229 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Virgin Active South Africa | SMD Technologies Pty LTD |
Customer experience
Virgin Active SA
Volkano Active
Bugs and requests
Virgin Active SA
Reported bugs
15 issues- Login error messages with no resolution
- Password reset emails delayed or not received
- App freezes during booking attempts
- Gym attendance not logged for rewards
- Rewards expiring before being credited
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Inconsistent reward tracking between users
- Internet connection errors despite valid connection
- Session timeout and forced re-login
- Account creation errors during registration
- Class cancellation not reflected in app
- Timetables fail to load
- App crashes on password reset screen
- Add-to-calendar button non-functional on iPhone
- Rewards goals resetting incorrectly
- Club entry button disappeared after update
Requested features
8 requests- Apple Wallet integration for digital card
- Apple Watch device support
- Graphical display of visit statistics per month
- Bike assignment visibility for spinning bookings
- Club entry button on home page
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Instructor rating/comments functionality
- Class calendar add-to-calendar functionality
- Cross-club timetable access for weekend bookings
Volkano Active
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Virgin Active SA
No in-app purchases
Volkano Active
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Virgin Active SA free?
Is Volkano Active free?
Which has better reviews, Virgin Active SA or Volkano Active?
Do Virgin Active SA or Volkano Active have ads?
Which is updated more often, Virgin Active SA or Volkano Active?
Other comparisons
