Quick Answer: OpenPelo is a free, open-source tool that sideloads Android apps onto your Peloton from a computer over ADB. Its curated library is mostly open-source utilities — launchers, file managers, NewPipe — and doesn't include Netflix, Zwift or the other mainstream services. FitSwitch is a hardware device that installs 36 tested apps directly on the screen, manages their updates, and adds what sideloading fundamentally can't: automatic resistance control (ERG/SIM), a live metrics overlay, phone casting, and broadcasting your power and cadence to watches and training apps. OpenPelo is the right call if you're technical, want open-source software, and don't mind a laptop. FitSwitch is the right call if you want your Peloton to work like a smart trainer without maintaining it.
Table of Contents
- What OpenPelo actually is
- What FitSwitch actually is
- What's actually in each app library
- The app version problem
- Keeping apps working over time
- Everything else you'd otherwise need a computer for
- Side-by-side comparison
- The thing sideloading can't do
- What happens when Peloton updates
- Warranty and risk
- Which one is right for you
- Can you use both?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What OpenPelo actually is
OpenPelo is an open-source tool by developer doudar, distributed on GitHub. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, either as a pre-built executable or from Python source.
Its job is to make ADB sideloading approachable. Normally, putting a third-party app on a Peloton means installing the Android SDK platform tools, enabling developer mode on the tablet, authorising a debugging connection and then typing adb install commands against APK files you've sourced yourself. OpenPelo wraps that in a graphical interface: it handles the ADB setup, walks you through enabling developer mode, and offers a curated list of apps from a configuration file so you're picking from a menu rather than hunting for APKs.
It supports both a USB cable and wireless ADB over your network. It isn't limited to Peloton either — it works on other Android-based fitness equipment such as Echelon and NordicTrack, and on ordinary Android tablets and phones.
Credit where it's due: this is a genuinely useful piece of free software, actively maintained, and it removes the single biggest barrier to sideloading for non-technical users. If you're comfortable with a laptop and a USB cable, it costs nothing and it works.
It is also, in the project's own words, an independent project "not affiliated with, associated with, authorized by, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Peloton Interactive, Inc."
What FitSwitch actually is
FitSwitch is a small hardware device that connects to your Peloton's USB port. It does two distinct things, and the second is the one that matters most for the comparison:
- It provides apps on the screen. Streaming and training apps install from an on-device app drawer with a single tap — no computer, no cable, no ADB, no developer mode.
- It bridges your bike's data. It reads cadence and resistance from the bike, converts them to standard cycling metrics, and both displays them as an on-screen overlay and broadcasts them over Bluetooth and ANT+ as a standard power/cadence sensor.
That second function is a hardware capability. It isn't something an app installed by any sideloading method can replicate, because the Peloton's app sandbox has no access to the bike's sensor bus or its resistance motor.
Not sure which route to take?
FitSwitch does it in hardware — 55+ apps, automatic resistance, and metrics broadcast to your watch. No sideloading, no developer mode.
See FitSwitch →30-day money-back guaranteeWhat's actually in each app library
This is the difference most comparisons miss, and it isn't about quantity — it's about what kind of software each one ships.
OpenPelo's curated list (from its public apps_config.json) contains roughly 22 unique apps, and they are almost entirely open-source utilities:
- Launchers: Nova, Lawnchair, KISS, Kvaesitso
- File managers: Amaze, MaterialFiles, Simple File Manager
- Open-source YouTube front-ends: NewPipe, LibreTube, SkyTube Legacy
- App stores: F-Droid, Aurora Store, Obtainium
- Media and remote play: VLC, Emby, Steam Link, Moonlight, RadioDroid
- Browsers: Firefox ESR, Firefox Focus
- Cycling: Grupetto, SmartSpin2k
What isn't in it: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Spotify, Zwift, Rouvy or TrainerRoad. None of the mainstream streaming or training services are part of the curated library.
That's a deliberate design choice rather than an oversight — OpenPelo ships software it can redistribute freely. It does include Aurora Store, which gives you a route to fetch commercial apps yourself, so it isn't a hard wall. But you're then back to sourcing and troubleshooting each app on your own, which is where the next problem starts.
FitSwitch's library currently runs to 55 apps installable directly on the screen, across streaming (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Apple TV, STARZ, ESPN, F1 TV), music (Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Deezer), training (Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, Kinomap, TPVirtual/indieVelo), news, social and games — plus more reachable through the bundled Firefox browser. New apps get added on customer request.
The app version problem
Peloton's tablet is not a normal Android device. It runs an older Android build, it has no Google Play Services, and its screen is touch-only with no hardware back button. A large share of stock APKs simply won't run on it — they crash on launch, hang on a sign-in screen that expects Play Services, or render a UI you can't navigate.
This is a real, ongoing engineering problem rather than a marketing talking point, and OpenPelo runs into it too — which is exactly why its library ships Gen 1, ARM and Legacy variants of several apps. Picking the wrong one gets you an app that installs successfully and then refuses to open.
As a concrete measure of how much work this is: of the 55 apps in the FitSwitch library, exactly one — YouTube — needs Google Play Services, and it ships with microG bundled to satisfy that. Every other app is a build specifically selected to run without Play Services on Peloton's Android version. That selection is the product.
Sideloading a commercial app yourself means solving this for every app: find an APK, work out whether your Peloton generation needs the ARM build or the legacy build, verify the APK hasn't been tampered with, install it, discover it doesn't launch, and try another. MyWhoosh is a good example — it depends on Google Play Services, so it can't run on a Peloton at all without a workaround.
FitSwitch curates a build of each app that's been tested against the Peloton's specific Android version and hardware generation, which is the part that takes the ongoing work.
Keeping apps working over time
Getting an app installed once is the easy half. Two things break it afterwards.
App updates. Sideloaded APKs don't update themselves. When a streaming service ships a server-side change, an old client can stop working — or worse, land in the loop where it demands an update, then closes the moment you tap it. We wrote that failure mode up separately in Peloton apps stuck on "Update to continue". Fixing it by hand means going back to the computer and re-sideloading a newer APK.
Peloton OS updates. Covered below — these can remove sideloaded apps outright.
FitSwitch manages app updates on the device itself, which is what removes the recurring laptop session from the picture.
Everything else you'd otherwise need a computer for
Once a sideloaded setup is running, ordinary changes still mean plugging a computer back in. With FitSwitch these happen on the Peloton screen:
- Installing or removing apps — tap to install, long-press to uninstall
- Casting your phone to the Peloton — mirror and control your phone from the touchscreen, which covers any app that has no Android build at all. See how to cast your phone to your Peloton
- Pairing a watch or head unit — connect an Apple Watch or Garmin and have your ride recorded as a real workout
- Pairing a heart rate strap, including ANT+ straps the Peloton can't see natively
- Switching between ERG and SIM mode mid-session
- Resetting ride statistics and adjusting the metrics overlay
None of this is exotic — it's the routine stuff you actually do week to week. The difference is whether it costs you a tap or a laptop.
Side-by-side comparison
| OpenPelo | FitSwitch | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, open source | $139.99 one-time |
| What it is | Software installer (runs on your computer) | Hardware device (plugs into the Peloton) |
| Computer required | Yes — Windows, Mac or Linux | No |
| Developer mode required | Yes | No |
| USB cable / wireless ADB | Yes | No |
| Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Spotify | Not in the curated library | Yes, in-app install |
| Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, Kinomap | Not in the curated library | Yes, in-app install |
| App library size | ~22 curated (mostly open source) | 55 native, growing on request |
| Peloton-tested app builds | Variants for a few apps | Yes, curated per generation |
| In-app updates managed for you | No - re-sideload manually | Yes |
| Cast your phone to the Peloton screen | No | Yes |
| Pair a watch / heart rate strap on-device | No | Yes |
| Change settings without a computer | No | Yes |
| Works on other equipment | Yes — Echelon, NordicTrack, Android tablets | Peloton Bike, Bike+ and Tread |
| ERG mode (automatic resistance) | No | Yes, on Bike+ |
| SIM mode (gradient simulation) | No | Yes, on Bike+ |
| Live metrics overlay on any app | No | Yes |
| Broadcast power/cadence to Garmin, Apple Watch, Zwift | No | Yes (Bluetooth + ANT+) |
| ANT+ support | No | Yes |
| Survives a Peloton OS update | Apps can be removed | Yes |
| Support | Community / GitHub issues | Direct support |
The thing sideloading can't do
This is the honest core of the comparison, and it has nothing to do with which tool is better software.
When you sideload Zwift onto a Peloton, Zwift launches and runs. But Zwift has no idea you're on a bike. It can't see your power, it can't see your cadence, and it can't change your resistance. You end up looking at a virtual world while pedalling in what is effectively a disconnected simulation — your avatar moves based on nothing, or you pair a separate power meter and use the Peloton as a dumb spin bike.
That's not an OpenPelo limitation. It's a limitation of the Peloton platform. Peloton doesn't implement FTMS (the Bluetooth standard smart trainers use to talk to training apps), and it doesn't expose the bike's sensor data or its resistance motor to installed applications. No app you sideload — by any method — can reach that hardware.
Getting past it requires something that physically sits between the bike and the app, reads the sensors, and drives the motor. That's the category difference: OpenPelo is an installer, FitSwitch is a bridge.
If you only ever intend to watch Netflix, Disney+ or YouTube while doing a Just Ride session, this distinction is irrelevant to you and OpenPelo is the sensible choice. If you want Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad or MyWhoosh to actually work as training tools, it's the whole ballgame.
What happens when Peloton updates
Peloton pushes mandatory over-the-air updates. Depending on the update, these can remove sideloaded apps, disable developer mode, reset system permissions and revert configuration changes. This isn't targeted at OpenPelo specifically — it's a consequence of modifying a managed Android device that the vendor keeps updating.
In practice that means a sideloaded setup needs periodic re-doing: pull out the laptop, re-enable developer mode, reconnect, reinstall. How often depends entirely on Peloton's release cadence, and it isn't predictable.
Because FitSwitch holds the apps on its own hardware rather than in the Peloton's system partition, a Peloton OS update doesn't remove them.
We wrote about this pattern in more detail in why software hacks break after Peloton updates.
Warranty and risk
OpenPelo's own documentation is straightforward about this: "Use of OpenPelo is at your own risk; the developers assume no liability for any damage to your device, voiding of warranties, or other issues that may result from its use."
That's a fair and honest disclaimer, and it applies to sideloading generally rather than to OpenPelo in particular. Enabling developer mode and installing unsigned applications is a modification to the device. Whether Peloton treats any given support case as warranty-voiding is at their discretion.
For what it's worth, the practical risk of permanently damaging a Peloton by sideloading is low — the tablet has a recovery mode, and a factory reset generally recovers a bad state. We covered the realistic failure modes in can you brick your Peloton by sideloading. The risk is more about support friction and repeated re-setup than about destroying hardware.
Which one is right for you
Choose OpenPelo if:
- You want open-source software — a custom launcher, NewPipe, VLC, Steam Link
- You're comfortable with a computer, a USB cable and enabling developer mode
- You're happy sourcing and troubleshooting APKs yourself for anything commercial
- You don't mind redoing the setup after a Peloton update
- You want to modify other equipment too, like an Echelon or NordicTrack
- Budget is the deciding factor, or you'd rather support open source
Choose FitSwitch if:
- You want Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad or MyWhoosh to work as real training tools with automatic resistance
- You want mainstream streaming — Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Spotify — installed and kept updated for you
- You want to cast your phone to the Peloton screen
- You want your power and cadence on a Garmin, an Apple Watch, or in Strava
- You want your ride metrics visible on top of whatever you're watching
- You don't want to own the maintenance of a sideloaded setup
- You'd rather not enable developer mode on the bike at all
Can you use both?
Yes, and there's no conflict between them — they operate at different layers. Some people use OpenPelo to add a specific app that isn't in the FitSwitch library, while relying on FitSwitch for the metrics bridge and resistance control.
It's also worth noting that doudar, OpenPelo's developer, also created SmartSpin2K — an open-source hardware project that adds physical resistance control to the original Peloton Bike, which has no motor of its own. If you're on an original Bike rather than a Bike+ and you want automatic resistance, that combination is genuinely worth reading about. This ecosystem is not zero-sum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenPelo safe to use?
It's open source, so the code is publicly auditable, and it's actively maintained. The realistic risks are the ones the project states itself: possible warranty implications and the general caution warranted when installing third-party applications. It doesn't do anything to your Peloton that manual ADB sideloading wouldn't.
Does OpenPelo give you ERG mode on a Peloton Bike+?
No. OpenPelo installs applications; it doesn't communicate with the bike's resistance motor. ERG mode requires hardware that can both read the bike's sensors and drive the motor. No sideloaded app has access to either.
Will OpenPelo let Zwift see my power and cadence?
No. Sideloading puts Zwift on the screen, but Zwift still has no data source. The Peloton doesn't broadcast power or cadence over Bluetooth or ANT+, and doesn't expose those readings to installed apps. You'd need a separate power meter or a hardware bridge.
Do I need a computer to use OpenPelo?
Yes. OpenPelo runs on Windows, Mac or Linux and connects to the Peloton over USB or wireless ADB. FitSwitch installs apps from the Peloton screen itself with no computer involved.
Will a Peloton update delete apps installed with OpenPelo?
It can. Peloton's over-the-air updates may remove sideloaded apps, disable developer mode or reset permissions. There's no reliable way to predict which updates will do this, so a sideloaded setup should be treated as something you'll periodically re-do.
Is OpenPelo affiliated with Peloton?
No. It's an independent open-source project, explicitly not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Peloton Interactive, Inc. The same is true of FitSwitch.
Does OpenPelo work on the Peloton Tread?
OpenPelo targets Android-based fitness equipment generally, so it may work depending on your Tread's software version. Bear in mind the same limitation applies: installed apps still won't be able to read pace or incline from the machine.
Does OpenPelo install Netflix or Disney+?
Not from its curated library. OpenPelo ships mostly open-source software it can redistribute freely — launchers, file managers, NewPipe, VLC. It does bundle Aurora Store, so you can fetch commercial apps yourself, but you're then responsible for finding a build that runs on Peloton's Android version without Google Play Services.
Why won't some Android apps run on a Peloton?
Peloton's tablet runs an older Android build with no Google Play Services and a touch-only interface. Apps that expect Play Services for sign-in, or that assume a hardware back button, either crash or become unusable. Some apps also need a specific ARM or legacy build depending on your screen generation.
Do sideloaded apps update themselves?
No. A sideloaded APK stays at the version you installed. When the service changes something server-side, the old client can stop working or get stuck demanding an update it can't install. Updating means re-sideloading a newer APK from a computer.
Can OpenPelo cast my phone to the Peloton screen?
No. Screen mirroring needs a receiver running on the Peloton and a pairing path to your phone — it isn't something an installed app provides. FitSwitch includes casting for both iPhone and Android.
Is FitSwitch worth it if I already use OpenPelo?
That depends entirely on whether you want the metrics bridge. If OpenPelo already gets you the streaming apps you wanted and you're content with Just Ride, you probably don't need anything else. If you've tried running Zwift and found it doesn't actually respond to your riding, that's the gap FitSwitch fills.
Not sure which route to take?
FitSwitch does it in hardware — 55+ apps, automatic resistance, and metrics broadcast to your watch. No sideloading, no developer mode.
See FitSwitch →30-day money-back guaranteeRelated Guides
- How to Sideload Apps on Peloton (Complete ADB Guide)
- How to Enable Developer Mode on Peloton
- How to Use Any App on Peloton Tread (Plus Watches & Training Apps)
- How to Reset Statistics and Time on FitSwitch
- FitSwitch Update: ERG Mode, Heart Rate Overlay & Enhanced Connectivity for Peloton
- Peloton USB Port: What Can You Connect?