Comparison

Virgin Active SA vs Octiv

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read 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.

About

Octiv

Manage your fitness business operations with this comprehensive platform. Streamline class bookings, track workouts, log injuries, manage payments, and connect with your community. Ideal for gyms, studios, and trainers.

Highlights
  • Class booking
  • Workout tracking
  • Training logbook
  • Injury tracking
  • Account and payment management
  • Community interaction
Features
Read full description

Octiv is a comprehensive and user-friendly platform, designed to streamline, automate and professionalise the operations of fitness businesses. As a member and user of the Octiv application, you will tap into technology that enriches your fitness experience with booking of classes, workout tracking, a training logbook, injury tracking, managing your accounts and payments, the ability to interact with trainers and fellow members, and more. Octiv services a broad range of fitness communities including CrossFit, functional fitness, yoga, pilates, dance, boxing, personal trainers, and more. We exist to grow active and healthy communities.

Screenshots

Virgin Active SA4 screens
Octiv4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Virgin Active SA at 4.8 against Octiv's 1.0. Virgin Active SA also leads on ratings volume (740 vs 3). Octiv's advantage is review sentiment (30% vs 6%). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Virgin Active SA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Virgin Active SA has 740 ratings behind it against 3, 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 30% of Octiv's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Virgin Active SA ships an update every 2 months, Octiv every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Virgin Active SA versus Octiv: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVirgin Active SAOctiv
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (740 ratings) — better1.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews5.8% of reviews29.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings740 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size325 MB104 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVirgin Active South AfricaOCTIV FITNESS (PTY) LTD

Customer experience

Virgin Active SA

All ratings740 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive5.8%
Neutral5.8%
Negative88.5%

Octiv

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive29.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative61.4%

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 more
  • 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 more
  • Instructor rating/comments functionality
  • Class calendar add-to-calendar functionality
  • Cross-club timetable access for weekend bookings

Octiv

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Virgin Active SA

No in-app purchases

None

Octiv

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Virgin Active SA free?
Virgin Active SA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Octiv free?
Octiv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Virgin Active SA or Octiv?
Virgin Active SA is rated higher. Virgin Active SA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 740 ratings, while Octiv averages 1.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Virgin Active SA or Octiv have ads?
Neither Virgin Active SA nor Octiv shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Virgin Active SA or Octiv?
Virgin Active SA ships an update every 2 months, and Octiv every 5 weeks. Most recently, Virgin Active SA was updated on September 7, 2026 and Octiv on September 19, 2026.

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