# Exercise Institute vs Thrive Carolinas

The clearest difference is ads: Exercise Institute at none against Thrive Carolinas's shown. Exercise Institute also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). Thrive Carolinas's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Exercise Institute ships an update every 2 months, Thrive Carolinas every 7 months. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Exercise Institute | Thrive Carolinas |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 194 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Exercise Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789039012) | [Thrive Personalized Healthcare and Wellness](https://appshunter.io/developer/1804443535) |

## What reviewers say

### Exercise Institute

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exercise-institute/id1059062255)

Book and pay for specialized cycling, running, and swimming performance testing and training sessions. The app offers a convenient way to schedule your fitness assessments and training programs at their athlete lab.

**Highlights:** Book fitness sessions, Pay for sessions, Cycling testing, Running testing, Swimming testing, Performance analysis

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Thrive Carolinas

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thrive-carolinas/id1214016905)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Exercise Institute free?

Exercise Institute is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thrive Carolinas free?

Thrive Carolinas is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Exercise Institute or Thrive Carolinas have ads?

Thrive Carolinas shows ads; Exercise Institute does not.

### Which is updated more often, Exercise Institute or Thrive Carolinas?

Exercise Institute ships an update every 2 months, and Thrive Carolinas every 7 months. Most recently, Exercise Institute was updated on November 2, 2026 and Thrive Carolinas on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*