Comparison

Bend vs THE LAB

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

Head to head
About

Bend

This app offers daily stretching and mobility routines to improve flexibility, relieve pain, and enhance overall well-being. With hundreds of exercises and guided programs for all levels, it helps users maintain natural movement and reduce the risk of injury.

Highlights
  • Daily stretching routines
  • Improve flexibility and mobility
  • Relieve pain
  • Hundreds of exercises
  • Routines for all levels
  • Customizable routines
Features
Read full description

Bend is the simple, affordable way to make stretching & movement a part of your daily routine. With over 15 million users, our quick & convenient routines help improve your flexibility and maintain your natural range of motion as you get older. We offer hundreds of exercises and easy-to-follow routines designed for all ages and experience levels. It's never too early to start stretching everyday! “It’s like having a personal stretching coach in my pocket.” — The New York Times “I could never stick to my stretching routine. Then I found this app.” — Wirecutter STRETCHING IS IMPORTANT A simple, daily stretching routine can have a huge impact on your quality of life. Every time you stretch, you invest in your long-term health and longevity. Stretching benefits include: ⊕ Increase flexibility & mobility in your muscles and joints ⊕ Prevent and relieve pain in your lower back, neck, hips, shoulders and more ⊕ Reduce the risk of injury during outdoor activities and sports ⊕ Improve sleep quality and energy throughout the day ⊕ Improve posture and strengthen your core ⊕ Reduce stress & anxiety ⊕ Improve athletic performance ⊕ Improve circulation and blood flow ⊕ Accelerate muscle recovery ⊕ Improve balance & coordination ⊕ And more! YOUR BODY'S FAVORITE APP Bend offers dozens of daily stretching & mobility routines for every occasion. ⊕ “Wake Up” Designed to maintain your body’s natural mobility and range of motion. Simple, quick, convenient, and effective, you can do it anytime, anywhere, everyday. ⊕ “Posture Reset” Specifically designed to improve your posture with seated stretches that can correct habitual posture problems by increasing flexibility in the shoulders, back, and neck. ⊕ “Full Body” Focused on improving overall flexibility, with more than 20 stretching exercises and poses that target key muscles and joints throughout your entire body. ⊕ “Sleep” Gentle, long-hold stretches designed to help you unwind and de-stress after a long day at work through better quality of sleep, which is made possible by relieving muscle tension and relaxing the body. ⊕ “Expert” Advance group of stretching exercises and yoga poses that cover all major muscle groups and extremities. Flexibility and range of motion can be improved significantly with their more complex movements. ⊕ "Hips" Open and unlock tight hips with deep, focused stretches designed to improve hip flexibility and undo hours of inactivity from sitting at a desk, in a car, or on the couch. ⊕ "Hamstrings" Improve hamstring flexibility with subtle stretches designed to reduce hamstring tightness and relieve pressure on the knees, pelvis, and lower back. ⊕ "Lower Back" Reduce and prevent lower back pain with gentle stretches designed to increase flexibility in the lower back, pelvis, and hip flexors. ⊕ "Isometric" isometric exercise routines that build muscle, strength, balance, and range of motion in targeted areas through static muscle contraction. ⊕ And more! CREATE YOUR OWN Create your own custom stretching routine suited to your specific needs. Choose from hundreds of stretches, yoga poses, and isometric exercises in our library. EASY-TO-USE Bend makes stretching simple. We use custom illustrations and a timer to guide you through each routine. Every stretch has detailed instructions, information about its benefits, and specific things to be cautious about! STREAKS & ANALYTICS Our dashboard displays your streaks and analytics to track your progress and you can set reminders to help motivate you to stretch every day. Check your Bendometer as a quick way to see how consistent you’ve been stretching over the last few weeks. APPLE HEALTH Bend integrates with the Health app, giving users the option to sync health information and activity with Apple Health. FEEDBACK & SUPPORT If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, feel free to contact us at hello@bend.com! LEGAL Terms of Use: https://bend.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://bend.com/privacy

About

THE LAB

This app offers a unique fitness hub with three distinct workout concepts: Strength, Cycle, and Sweat. It fosters a community-driven ecosystem that blends fitness, creativity, and inclusivity, encouraging users to push their limits. Seamlessly connect your favorite health apps and devices to track your progress.

Highlights
  • Three distinct fitness concepts (Strength, Cycle, Sweat)
  • Community-focused ecosystem
  • Connects with Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin, and more
  • Tracks fitness goals
  • Inclusive and empowering environment
Features
Read full description

Designed with high-performance living in mind, The LAB is about people. A unique hub offering 3 different fitness concepts, Strength, Sycle & Sweat. An ecosystem blending fitness, creativity, and community all in an inclusive space. Here, you’ll discover there are no such things as limits in all areas of life. For the people, by the people. Connect all your favorite apps and devices (Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, Polar, RunKeeper, Strava, Swimtag and Withings) to track your fitness goals.

Screenshots

Bend4 screens
THE LAB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: THE LAB at none against Bend's 10. THE LAB also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). Bend's advantage is ratings volume (175K vs 7) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Bend sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. THE LAB asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

THE LAB holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bend has 175K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Bend's written reviews are positive against 100% of THE LAB's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bend ships an update every 2 weeks, THE LAB monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Bend versus THE LAB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBendTHE LAB
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (175K ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings175K — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#50 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size218 MB117 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBowery DigitalLAB STUDIOS MEN PHYSICAL FITNESS CLUB CO

Customer experience

Bend

All ratings174,833 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews2,567 reviews
Positive86.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.1%

THE LAB

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Bend

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Streak tracking issues and data loss
  • Inability to access paid content after subscription
  • Inconsistent app behavior and crashes

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more stretching categories and routines
  • Provide more free content and trial options
  • Allow customization of stretch order and duration
  • Implement voice guidance and video demonstrations
  • Add Apple Watch support and integration
Show 1 more
  • Introduce social features and sharing

THE LAB

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Bend

Subscriptions8
  • Monthly Membership$4.991 Month
  • Monthly Membership$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Membership$13.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Annual Membership (70% Off)$19.991 Year
  • Annual Membership (70% Off)2 variants$23.991 Year
  • Annual Membership (70% Off)7 Days trial$23.991 Year
  • Annual Membership (50% Off)2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Annual Membership (50% Off)$39.991 Year
None

THE LAB

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bend free?
Bend is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is THE LAB free?
THE LAB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bend or THE LAB?
THE LAB is rated higher. Bend averages 4.8 out of 5 from 175K ratings, while THE LAB averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Bend or THE LAB have ads?
Neither Bend nor THE LAB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bend or THE LAB?
Bend ships an update every 2 weeks, and THE LAB monthly. Most recently, Bend was updated on November 12, 2026 and THE LAB on November 3, 2026.

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