Comparison

Tonal vs Sunlighten

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

Head to head
About

Tonal

This app offers a smart home gym and personal trainer experience with adaptive digital weight and expert coaching. It provides structured programs, progress tracking, and a variety of on-the-go workouts, allowing users to customize their fitness routines and connect with a supportive community.

Highlights
  • Adaptive digital weight workouts
  • Expert coach-led programs
  • Progress tracking by muscle group
  • Hundreds of on-the-go workouts
  • Customizable workout creation
  • Community motivation features
  • HealthKit integration
Features
Read full description

With the Tonal mobile app you can be your strongest—from home, on your own schedule. Tonal is the smartest home gym and personal trainer. Unlike traditional dumbbells, barbells, and exercise equipment Tonal uses advanced digital weight that continually adapts workouts so they’re most effective for you—all led by our expert coaches. Loved by beginners, exercise enthusiasts, and professional athletes alike, Tonal is reimagining the landscape of at-home fitness. Get stronger, faster with the Tonal app - Join a program: No matter where you are in your fitness journey, Tonal has individual workouts and multi-week programs to help you reach your goals. - Track your progress: See your strength grow. Tonal’s A.I. keeps track of your workouts, measuring your progress and breaking it down by muscle group and workout type. - Work out on-the-go: From high-intensity, to restorative yoga flows, Tonal has hundreds of workouts for you to try. Filter by focus, trainer, or time. - Create your own workout: Work out your way with Custom Workouts. Choose your favorite movements, reps, sets, and advanced weight modes, like Burnout and Eccentric to maximize your results, then save for later. - Get stronger, together: Connect with friends and stay motivated to get stronger while cheering on other members in the Tonal community. Tonal uses HealthKit to export your Tonal workouts into the Health app and to sync your weight and height.

About

Sunlighten

Optimize your well-being with this app, designed to enhance your light therapy and sauna experiences. Create personalized wellness programs, track sessions in real-time, and control your devices remotely for a seamless health journey.

Highlights
  • Science-based wellness programs
  • Personalized program creation
  • Real-time session tracking
  • Remote sauna control (Wi-Fi)
  • Audio and lighting management
  • Red light therapy panel programs
Features
Read full description

Take your wellness journey to the next level with the Sunlighten app, designed to enhance your Sunlighten sauna and Sunlighten RED Light Therapy Panel experience and optimize your well-being. Stay in control, feel your best, and enjoy the full potential of Sunlighten products. Key Features: • Science-based wellness programs designed to help you reach your health goals. • Create your own personalized programs. • Real-time session tracking. • Schedule your sauna sessions to build a routine. • Remote sauna control for compatible connected saunas • Manage your sauna's audio and lighting settings. • Get the most of our your RED Light Therapy Panel with over 20 scientifically optimized programs and guidance from the leaders in light therapy. Owners of mPulse saunas and RED Light Therapy Panels can enjoy full access to all app features, while owners of Amplify, Signature, and Solo Rise models can take advantage of convenient audio control. Stay connected for exciting updates as we continue to enhance your Sunlighten experience!

Screenshots

Tonal4 screens
Sunlighten4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tonal at 71% against Sunlighten's 20%. Tonal also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). Sunlighten's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). 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

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

Tonal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tonal has 11K ratings behind it against 88, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Tonal's written reviews are positive against 20% of Sunlighten's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tonal ships an update every 3 weeks, Sunlighten every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Tonal versus Sunlighten: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTonalSunlighten
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (11K ratings) — better2.7 (88 ratings)
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews — better19.8% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better88
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size197 MB53 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperTonal Systems, Inc.Sunlighten Inc

Customer experience

Tonal

All ratings11,001 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral10.3%
Negative18.9%

Sunlighten

All ratings77 ratings
Positive33.8%
Neutral16.9%
Negative49.4%
Written reviews131 reviews
Positive19.8%
Neutral8.4%
Negative71.8%

User reviews

Tonal

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient and effective workouts
  • 👍 Variety of workouts and programs
  • 🚀 Convenient home gym experience
  • 👍 Motivating and engaging coaches
  • 👍 Comprehensive fitness tracking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity and syncing issues
  • 💡 Lack of personalization options
  • 💡 Limited custom workout capabilities
  • 💡 Lack of language and accessibility options
  • 🔒 Facebook integration required for profile photo

Sunlighten

From 88 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient remote control
  • 👍 Customizable programs
  • 🚀 Easy to use app
  • 👍 Enhances sauna experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable app connectivity
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
  • 🐛 Inconsistent scheduling and remote start
  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app
  • 👎 Limited remote functionality

Bugs and requests

Tonal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Membership activation and login issues
  • Inconsistent performance and app crashes
  • Syncing problems with Apple Health and other devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Calendar function to plan workouts
  • Ability to track and filter custom workouts
  • Customizable movement options and exercise libraries
  • Injury/condition-specific workout recommendations
  • Ability to use without subscription or disable features

Sunlighten

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App fails to connect to sauna
  • Scheduled programs not running as expected
  • Inconsistent lighting controls
  • Tablet frequently restarts or loses connection

Requested features

4 requests
  • Remote start and preheat capability
  • Improved app stability and reliability
  • Better integration between app and sauna
  • More customization options

In-app purchases

None

Tonal

No in-app purchases

None

Sunlighten

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tonal free?
Tonal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sunlighten free?
Sunlighten is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tonal or Sunlighten?
Tonal is rated higher. Tonal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Sunlighten averages 2.7 from 88 ratings.
Do Tonal or Sunlighten have ads?
Neither Tonal nor Sunlighten shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tonal or Sunlighten?
Tonal ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sunlighten every 4 months. Most recently, Tonal was updated on November 7, 2026 and Sunlighten on November 3, 2026.

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