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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Fabletics vs Academy Sports + Outdoors

Fabletics 4.8★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Tie
Academy Sports + Outdoors 4.9★ · Free to download 65

Choose Fabletics if you prioritize stylish, comfortable activewear and are willing to navigate a sometimes-frustrating app experience and membership model; opt for Academy Sports + Outdoors for a wider range of sporting goods and outdoor gear, despite its own app performance issues.

Full reviews: Fabletics · Academy Sports + Outdoors

Fabletics excels in product quality and style, particularly for activewear and athleisure, but its app is plagued by login issues, slowness, and confusing membership charges. Academy Sports + Outdoors offers a broad selection of sporting goods and good in-store service, yet its app suffers from similar performance problems, slow loading, and issues with discounts.

Head to head

Product Quality & Selection edge: FableticsR5R8R11R12
Fabletics Fabletics users consistently praise the high quality, comfort, and style of their clothing, from activewear to scrubs and casual wear R5R8R11. Many have been long-time members due to the consistent quality and evolving lines . However, a significant complaint is that popular items are frequently out of stock, especially in common sizes, making it difficult to use membership credits or find desired bundles R12.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Academy Sports + Outdoors is appreciated for its wide selection of sporting goods and outdoor items, with users finding what they need for families . Many reviews highlight good prices, deals, and coupons . However, some users report issues with specific items being out of stock or the app showing sold-out items, which is frustrating .
App Performance & Ease of Use tieR1R3R10R13
Fabletics Fabletics' app is frequently criticized for being slow, laggy, unresponsive, and buggy R3R13R16R18. Users report issues with login failures, endless loading screens, and difficulty navigating R1R10R13R18. The shopping experience is described as inefficient, with chaotic layouts, interruptive pop-ups, and non-functional sort features R3R16.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Academy Sports + Outdoors' app also faces significant criticism for being slow, buggy, and glitchy . Users complain about slow loading times, freezing, and being sent back to the top of search results . Some find the UI difficult to navigate, especially for specific functions like managing credit cards or applying discounts .
Pricing & Membership Value tieR2R4R7R9
Fabletics Fabletics' VIP membership is a major point of contention. While some users appreciate the deals, sales, and perks R2, many feel the program is deceitful due to hidden fees, unexpected charges, and credits not fully covering costs R4R7R9R19. The monthly charge of $69 for a credit if a user forgets to skip a month, and the expiration of unused credits, are significant complaints . There are also new tariff fees that upset long-time customers .
Academy Sports + Outdoors Academy Sports + Outdoors offers rewards and coupons that users appreciate for saving money . However, there are frequent issues with applying discounts, especially military discounts, both online and in-app . Some users are frustrated by the requirement to save credit card information or the inability to use certain payment methods like Apple Pay .
Customer Service & Reliability edge: Academy Sports + OutdoorsR6R9R25R30
Fabletics Fabletics receives mixed reviews for customer service. Some users report positive experiences R9, but many express extreme frustration with poor service, including inability to cancel accounts, continued charges, and extremely long wait times for support R25R30. Shipping times are also a frequent complaint, often taking longer than advertised R6.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Academy Sports + Outdoors is praised for good in-store service, with helpful and nice employees . Curbside pickup is also highlighted as convenient . However, the app itself has reliability issues, with reports of it crashing or not working at all . Shipping options are limited, with no expedited shipping available .
Pick Fabletics if

You are primarily looking for high-quality, comfortable, and stylish activewear, athleisure, or scrubs and are willing to manage a VIP membership with potential hidden fees R5R8R11.

Pick Academy Sports + Outdoors if

You need a wide variety of sporting goods and outdoor equipment, appreciate in-store pickup options, and value good in-store customer service .

Evidence note: Both apps have significant complaints regarding app performance and user interface, making it difficult to declare a clear winner in that category. Fabletics' negative reviews are heavily skewed towards its VIP membership model and associated charges, which is a specific type of friction for a free-to-download app with IAP.

Frequently asked

What are the main issues with Fabletics' membership?
The main issues with Fabletics' VIP membership include unexpected charges, credits not fully covering costs, hidden fees, and a monthly charge of $69 if you forget to skip a month within a narrow window, with unused credits expiring after a year R4R7R9R19.
Do either of these apps have problems with discounts?
Yes, both apps have problems with discounts. Fabletics users report that VIP credits often don't cover the full cost of items, leading to additional payments at checkout, and new tariff fees are being charged R7R9R19R26. Academy Sports + Outdoors users frequently struggle to apply discounts, especially military discounts, both online and in the app .
Are the apps easy to use for shopping?
No, neither app is consistently easy to use for shopping; both are frequently described as slow, laggy, and buggy. Fabletics users find the browsing experience inefficient with chaotic layouts and interruptive pop-ups R3R16R18R21. Academy Sports + Outdoors users also report slow loading, freezing, and issues with search functionality and navigation .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R5] Fabletics 5/5 · US Love it all!: I use Fabletics for all my workout threads, casual wear, AND their scrubs for my long shifts in the ICU. I love how they make me look and how they make me feel.
  2. [R8] Fabletics 5/5 · US fabletics better than anything!: most comfortable clothing very easy to move around!
  3. [R11] Fabletics 5/5 · US RN: My most comfortable active wear on a daily basis
  4. [R12] Fabletics 3/5 · US Always out of stock: Love the clothing, but when I find something I love it’s almost always out of stock in my size.
  5. [R1] Fabletics 1/5 · US can’t login: i’ve tried on different nights to log into my account, and nothing is helping. very disappointed.
  6. [R3] Fabletics 3/5 · US Love the clothes, hate the shopping experience: The browsing/scrolling shopping experience is extremely inefficient. Put all the same item options on the same detail page. Fix the “sort by” feature so it actually works. I love your products but browsing your app takes up way too much time and I end up checking out because I’m frustrated, not because I’m done!
  7. [R10] Fabletics 1/5 · US Disappointed: No matter how many times I try I cannot log in to the app. I get to the verification process enter the code that has been texted to me and then the thinking circle just goes on forever and eventually says error something went wrong
  8. [R13] Fabletics 1/5 · US TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE: Can’t sign into website Can’t sign into app Such a bad slow website and app
  9. [R2] Fabletics 5/5 · US Rewards: I love how Fabletics rewards you for buying the things you love. It shows they value your opinions and want to keep you happy and returning for more.
  10. [R4] Fabletics 1/5 · US Scam: Cool stuff but their membership is a scam.
  11. [R7] Fabletics 1/5 · US Fees: I don’t agree with bundle deals saying the credit covers the cost then at checkout, requiring me to pay a difference for the amount my credit doesn’t cover.
  12. [R9] Fabletics 3/5 · US Sneaky up charges: I really love the clothes. Especially when it comes to anything outside of gym clothes. I’m able to dress nice for a reasonable price as a member. Customer service is usually pretty great as well. However, I noticed something questionable recently.. I paid my normal $70 members fee. Decided to get a pair of swim shorts and a cabana shirt. I noticed that without using the member
  13. [R6] Fabletics 3/5 · US Good: Great deals. Sometimes materials don’t match to sizes. Also, takes longer than advertised to get to you. I wish shipping would be faster. Literally takes 2 was sometimes longer to get here. Other than that, no biggie.
  14. [R25] Fabletics 2/5 · US Scam App: The app charged me a random charge for a “membership token” of $70 after I made a purchase a few weeks ago. And it won’t let me delete my card off my account or delete the account at all. Don’t buy from the website because they will keep your card on file. I’ve been on hold with customer service for an hour.
  15. [R30] Fabletics 1/5 · US No customer service: I attempted to cancel my account. You continue to take money out of my account monthly and and have received no credits in my account. I attempted to call and it said there were 20,000 people waiting in line ahead of me. You owe me money for all the months I was charged and received nothing.
  16. [R19] Fabletics 2/5 · US credit doesn’t cover it all: your VIP credit doesn’t cover the full cost out the door - you’ll still have to pay more once your check out. maybes it’s in the fine print who knows - i didn’t
  17. [R26] Fabletics 5/5 · US My favorite is the effortless T regular and cropped: I love the way the shirt looks and feels very premium. The only problem I have is at checkout is mixed leading as far as the price I do the math and it’s never the same. There’s a hidden fee somewhere.
  18. [R16] Fabletics 2/5 · US 30justforyou gift card: Spent way too much time on website trying to scroll through sale page ( always seems to be a common issue) . I always seem to run into some kind of issue when on this website.
  19. [R18] Fabletics 3/5 · GB App is so unresponsive: The app just not respond most of the time, and has to force reopen again due to the slowness of functions. After reading the other comment which is stated 2 years ago, and now 2024 still hasn’t been improve much. This is really upsetting.
  20. [R21] Fabletics 3/5 · GB Lagging: Lagging every time I open an item. It’s irritating and I give up. Hugely disappointed. Please sort it out, it’s been going on for months now.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store