The Handle Bar vs Backyard Boston
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Handle Bar
Easily book your indoor cycling class with a few taps. View the schedule, purchase credits, and reserve your preferred seat quickly and conveniently.
- View class schedule
- Purchase credits
- Select seat
- Easy booking
- Indoor cycling
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Booking your bike has never been easier. Check the schedule, buy credits, and select your seat in just a few taps.
Backyard Boston
This app connects users with a fitness community and instructors in Boston. It allows you to book classes, monitor your fitness journey, and engage with fellow members. The platform emphasizes a supportive environment where hard work and presence are valued.
- Book fitness classes
- Track fitness progress
- Connect with community
- Fitness instructor-created
- Boston-based community focus
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Welcome to the New Backyard Boston in Fort Point! Backyard was created by three Boston fitness instructors that strive to create a place where everyone feels seen and that serves as a second home to all. A place where GRIT meets PLAY and hard work is understood rather than repeatedly requested. A place where being there serves a greater purpose and that purpose is understood and supported by everyone else. Backyard is deeply entrenched in the Boston community and is dedicated to giving back to the very city that it serves. With the Backyard Boston app, you are able to book your classes, track your progress and connect with your community!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: The Handle Bar at every 3 weeks against Backyard Boston's every 10 months. The Handle Bar also leads on ratings volume (1.9K vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Backyard Boston's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
The Handle Bar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Handle Bar has 1.9K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of The Handle Bar's written reviews are positive against 100% of Backyard Boston's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The Handle Bar ships an update every 3 weeks, Backyard Boston every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Handle Bar | Backyard Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1.9K ratings) — better | 4.8 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 121 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Mariana Tek Corporation | Sutra Fitness, Inc. |
Customer experience
The Handle Bar
Backyard Boston
In-app purchases
The Handle Bar
No in-app purchases
Backyard Boston
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Handle Bar free?
Is Backyard Boston free?
Which has better reviews, The Handle Bar or Backyard Boston?
Do The Handle Bar or Backyard Boston have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Handle Bar or Backyard Boston?
Other comparisons
