Amid the technological age, there are apps for everything, and the fitness world is no exception. Since a decade ago, different apps have started to emerge to help us in all aspects of training and diet.
Noom and Fitbit have dedicated themselves to providing solutions for our nutrition and training routine for years, although in somewhat different ways.
We will compare these two apps to see how they differ and help you decide which one will be best for you during this article.
Noom Weight Loss App
Noom Inc. was founded in 2008 by Saeju Jeong and Artem Petakov.
Saeju, the main ideologist of Noom, was born and raised in South Korea. At a young age, the Korean lost his father, which convinced him to dedicate his life to helping people.
After abandoning college to give free rein to his entrepreneurial spirit, he traveled to the US to meet his future partner, Artem Petakov, whom he convinces to join this massive project.
Twelve years later, in 2020, Noom Inc. reported $400 million in revenue, doubling the year before.
What is Noom’s approach to weight loss?
In 2016, 8 years after its founders met, Noom launches its App to the public.
Noom will mainly deal with helping you with the task of tracking and organizing your weight loss goals.
When you open the App for the first time, you will have to fill in a questionnaire with your preferences so that the App can provide you with the most suitable support. Noom understands that every user will be different, so the type of assistance they need will be different.
Then, based on this, the App and its coaches will guide you over 16 weeks to achieve your goals. The application will recommend you to lose between one and two pounds a week, although you will be able to customize your plans.
Noom adopted a scientific and mathematical approach from the start. There are no forbidden foods, but you will be motivated to become aware of how the choices you make will affect your body and goals.
Is Noom App good for losing weight?
In 2016, Sang Ouk Chin et al. published a study testing the effectiveness of the Noom app on weight loss.
The results conclude that the vast majority of users obtained significant results with the use of the application. This study also proves that users who kept track of their diet and body weight more closely were the ones who obtained the best results.
It is typical among users of this application to observe weight losses averaging two pounds per week. Also, it’s worth mentioning that the weight loss will be more significant during the first few weeks. During the first few days, people who tend to retain fluid will lose it quickly when they get on the diet.
Noom App reviews – What do users say about the App?
Most of the users who use Noom are very happy with the App. With a 4.4/5 rating on Google Play, it ranks among the best fitness and wellness apps rated by its users.
In most reviews, users say that the support was constant, both from the App and the coaches, and that the “psychological tricks” taught by the App, which rely on CBT psychology, are a game-changer for weight loss.
Below are the first reviews that appear when you access the Noom page on consumeraffairs.com.
In this first review, Noom user Holli admits his love for the application. This person, who defines himself as a self-taught nerd, says that the application seems to have been made especially for him.
Holli points out that, for anyone interested in the subject and desires to spend time learning about weight loss and psychology, the App will be excellent.
This user also highlights the reduced price he got after a Christmas offer and is also happy with this aspect of the application.
He even does his homework! What a student.
In this second review, Lynne says that she lost 13 pounds in just two months using the App. That is an excellent mark.
While she is aware that any intelligent diet works, she acknowledges that the App makes it all easier. She highlights how stories, stats, and quizzes are included in an interactive and fun way for the user.
According to Lynne, at times, the App will bring a smile to your face with its goofy sense of humor.
In the last review, Margaret highlights the application’s focus on the thought patterns that dictate why we overeat. Of the arsenal of resources Noom offers, the psychological tools seem to be among the most valuable.
This user also provides a long-term perspective on why investing in Noom may save you money on future health treatment.
If you are prone to overweight, investing in Noom could be beneficial to you, both health-wise and financially.
How much does Noom cost?
Noom has a 14-day trial period. After that, the application will cost $59 per month. However, several plans offer discounts compared to the monthly plan.
If you are thinking about purchasing one of Noom’s membership plans, keep an eye out for constantly coming up offers, as we saw in the first review in the previous section.
Fitbit App
Fitbit, founded in 2007 by James Park and Eric Friedman, is a company that doesn’t just produce apps but stands out for its fitness tracking devices, which of course, can be synced with their App.
In February 2021, Google bought the company Fitbit, which already had more than 1600 employees.
To make this a fair comparison, we’re going to focus on using the App without a Fitbit device.
The Fitbit: Health & Fitness App, #11 in the Apple Store Fitness category, has quite a different focus than its counterpart. Fitbit is a free-to-use app (with the possibility of upgrading to a premium plan), which will allow you to access workout, nutrition, exercise, and meditation programs and initiate challenges.
In addition, Fitbit has a large community of users with whom you can connect in their community. You can even connect with your friends and start challenges together to motivate each other.
In the App, you will find all kinds of tools to improve your general well-being and fitness. These concepts are well separated in the application, with specific tools to improve sleep and reduce stress, on the other hand, including devices that will monitor your heart rate during exercise and fantastic routines oriented to different objectives.
Is the Fitbit App good for weight loss?
The Fitbit app will be a great help to lose weight.
You can easily log your calories, your water intake, and even your daily macronutrients in its free version. The application has a database that allows you to log the foods you eat quickly.
The premium version will have some extra benefits. You will access more personalized additional features that will allow you to set body weight and nutritional goals.
It is worth noting that Fitbit is not explicitly oriented to weight loss like its counterpart. Instead, it will have a more comprehensive approach to fitness with a particular focus on physical activity. From the beginning, Fitbit focused primarily on monitoring daily activity.
Fitbit Premium – Is it worth it?
Fitbit Premium is the App’s monthly subscription service. When subscribing to it, you’ll get additional fitness, class, and health information features for your phone and App.
At the start of the target coronavirus blockades and quarantines in March, Fitbit began offering a 90-day free trial for new premium subscribers, which is still available.
To take advantage of your Fitbit Premium free trial, open the Fitbit app and tap the Premium tab. The trial is only available on the English version of Fitbit’s App.
If you are not eligible for the 90-day free trial, you can take advantage of a 90-day trial of Fitbit Coach, which offers video workouts and personalized coaching. Fitbit Coach is also available in other languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, and German.
Some of the Fitbit Premium benefits that you won’t find on the non-subscription Fitbit app are:
• Workouts: access over 150 audio and video-guided exercise routines from the best coaches, which you can sort by their difficulty and your own goals.
• Guided programs: find step-by-step guided programs on topics such as mindful eating and sleep improvement.
• Health and fitness stats: track your activity, weight, sleep, and diet with your Fitbit device and see your progress in the App.
• Advanced insights: get personalized information, such as a breakdown of your sleep score and a wellness report of your Fitbit stats. You’ll also get advice based on this information, such as a sleep checklist to improve your sleep.
• Mindfulness activities: find a library of audio tracks and guided sounds to help calm several plans offer your mind for sleep, stress reduction, and body positivity.
• Premium Challenges: Motivate yourself with challenges that are only available for premium users.
With this information, we hope you’ve been able to decide whether it’s worth it or not to upgrade to premium on Fitbit.
Noom Vs. Fitbit – Which One Is better?
This is a difficult question, as the applications have pretty different perspectives on fitness and wellness.
Noom has an approach more oriented to the acquisition of good habits and behavioral psychology. It is focused on the nutritional part of fitness mainly and not so much on exercise.
On the other hand, Fitbit is oriented to physical activity, although it also has some features to help you with your nutrition. In addition, we can’t forget that Fitbit manufactures a physical activity monitoring device that is possibly the most used worldwide.
If you have one of these devices, the Fitbit app will probably be more beneficial than Noom.
Finally, we can’t forget that Fitbit is free to use (although the subscription includes the best features). This is great if you use a NordicTrack bike or a Peloton or any other expensive fitness brand bike, since you can use Fitbit alongside your bike with no additional cost.
The following brands, however, offer their own exercise apps which can also be used as complementary to apps like Noom and Fitbit.
Which of these applications is better for you, depends on your goals. If you are mainly interested in acquiring healthy nutrition habits, you might want to go for Noom. On the other hand, if you are interested in monitoring your heart rate during your workout or having a Fitbit wristband, this App is probably the best for you.
