fikarideIf your friends are waiting for you on Zwift, keep riding with them. If you mostly ride alone and want a game to pedal through, give Fikaride a go. It runs in your desktop browser, and riding is free right now.
I built Fikaride, so you can probably guess which one I’d like you to try. But Zwift has organised group rides, events and races that Fikaride doesn’t. If those are what get you on the bike, they’re worth something. What’s on Zwift
What did you do on your last three rides?
Forget the feature list for a minute. Did you meet friends? Race? Follow a workout? Or put something on the other screen and pedal until you’d had enough?
That last one is a perfectly good use of a bike game. It’s also where Fikaride makes sense. Open it, pick a route, ride. You can use it without an account, save the ride in your browser and download a copy afterwards. There are scheduled virtual riders and your own local pacers. Live multiplayer also lets you see nearby people on the same route and in the same room. There isn’t a friend or room picker yet, so it doesn’t replace arranging your Tuesday club ride. How multiplayer works
If you have a session in mind, there’s a workout library, plus imports for .zwo, .erg and .mrc files. ERG mode can hold the workout’s target power on a suitable trainer. You don’t have to race anyone to have something to do.
| What you use | Fikaride | Zwift |
|---|---|---|
| A solo ride | Routes, scheduled virtual riders and local pacers in a browser | Virtual worlds you can ride through on your own. Features |
| Friends and live races | Nearby live riders; no friend picker, organised events or live racing | Group rides, events and racing. Features |
| A workout | Built-in sessions and workout-file imports | Workouts and training plans. Features |
| Your riding screen | Desktop Chrome or Edge to connect your trainer | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Apple TV, subject to its requirements. Devices |
| Your equipment | Bluetooth FTMS trainers; support details below | Smart trainers, power meters and selected speed-sensor/trainer combinations. Hardware |
A club ride is a good reason to pay for Zwift. A subscription you keep because you haven’t looked at it lately is a good reason to look at it.
About those twenty dollars
Zwift’s US web price is US$19.99 a month or US$199.99 a year, plus applicable tax. The annual option is paid upfront. New monthly members get a 14-day trial, followed by a paid subscription unless they cancel. Annual membership has no trial; first-time subscribers can cancel within 30 days for a refund under Zwift’s terms. Prices, membership FAQ, trial conditions
Fikaride’s browser rides are free today. You can support the build through the paid options, but you don’t need one to start riding. The desktop edition and its access terms are still being worked out. Choose based on the browser game you can use now.
Will your trainer work?
Here’s the honest starting point, from the homepage: “I only have a Wahoo KICKR Core, so that is the one I have tested.” Device guidance
Fikaride uses Bluetooth FTMS, a standard some trainers use to send power readings and accept resistance commands. It doesn’t currently take ANT+ input or connect directly to a standalone power meter. A Bluetooth logo on the box isn’t enough to settle it.
The current virtual shifting, controller and heart-rate support still needs broader physical testing. If you use a single cog and rely on virtual gears, check the whole setup before switching: seeing watts on screen doesn’t tell you whether you can change gears. Zwift has its own restrictions here, including no virtual shifting over ANT+. Zwift connection guidance
Try the setup you already own before buying anything for Fikaride. If it doesn’t work, tell me the trainer, computer and browser at devices@fikaride.com.
And this is what you’ll be looking at
You still need a computer that can draw the world. Running in a browser doesn’t make that work disappear. The smoother-ride article explains some recent improvements; those measurements compare Fikaride versions, not Fikaride with Zwift.
Questions
Can I bring my Zwift workouts?
You can import .zwo files, as well as .erg and .mrc. Check the intervals after importing. This brings the workout instructions, not your Zwift account, achievements or ride history.
Do I need an account to save a ride?
No. Guest rides save in the current browser and can be downloaded. Keep a downloaded copy of rides you want to keep; clearing browser storage can remove local saves.
Should I cancel Zwift first?
Try Fikaride first. See whether it does the rides you actually want to do. You might prefer one, or use them for different things. Ride now.
If you’re comparing more than these two, there’s also MyWhoosh and the guide to choosing an indoor cycling app.
Facts checked 19 October 2026 against the shipped Fikaride browser app and official Zwift sources. This is Fikaride’s comparison, not a hands-on Zwift review.