Home / Forums / WARNING: Stay Away from Mad Muscles Tai Chi App – It’s a Subscription Trap (Real User Experience 2025)

WARNING: Stay Away from Mad Muscles Tai Chi App – It’s a Subscription Trap (Real User Experience 2025)

Community Member General Discussion

Posted May 9, 2026

Before sharing this experience, here's what authentic Tai Chi Walking actually is — so you can judge the difference yourself: Tai Chi Walking: How It Works, Why It Burns Fat & Who It's Best For I’ve been working out seriously for over 8 years (mostly calisthenics, some weights, and lately I’ve been adding Tai Chi and Qigong for mobility). When I saw Mad Muscles heavily advertised as a “personalized muscle-building & fat-loss app” with meal plans, video workouts, and even “Tai Chi-inspired” flows, I thought it might be a decent alternative to the usual suspects. They offered a “3-day trial for $1” that sounded harmless.Big mistake.Within 48 hours they charged me $59.99 USD from my card for a full 3-month subscription I never agreed to continue. No confirmation email, no “your trial is ending” reminder, nothing. Just an automatic charge and an almost impossible cancellation process. I’m not the only one; hundreds of people are reporting the exact same thing in 2025.Here are the red flags I wish I had seen earlier:Aggressive dark-pattern subscription The “Start 3-day trial” button is huge and green. The fine print about auto-renewal at $59.99/3 months is tiny and half-hidden. Most people (including me) never saw it. Cancellation is deliberately difficult There is no “Cancel subscription” button inside the app. You have to send an email to support OR go through the App Store/Google Play, but even then many users say the charges keep coming for months. Google Play reviews and Reddit threads are full of people begging for refunds. Content is recycled garbage The workouts are 90 % the same generic bodyweight circuits you can find for free on YouTube. The “personalized” plan asked me 4 questions and then gave me the identical program my friend got (he’s 5'6" and 180 lbs, I’m 6'2" and 205 lbs). The so-called “Tai Chi” section is three 3-minute videos of a guy doing very basic slow movements with zero explanation of breathing or energy flow; it’s insulting to actual Tai Chi. Meal plans are dangerous and copy-pasted Several users (including a girl on Reddit) reported being told to eat only 1,100–1,300 kcal a day to “lose fat fast.” That’s eating-disorder territory, not professional coaching. Flood of 5-star reviews = paid or fake If you sort App Store reviews by “most recent” you’ll see the truth: 90 % are 1-star complaints about unauthorized charges. The 5-star ones are suspiciously short and generic (“Great app!!!”) and many were posted within days of each other. I finally got my money back, but only after filing a chargeback with my bank and leaving reviews everywhere I could. Google Play thread alone has 400+ replies of people calling it a straight-up scam.Save your money and your sanity. If you want real workout apps, stick to: Strong Hevy FitBod Nike Training Club (free) Taichiwuji.com Or just follow Jeff Nippard, Athlean-X, or Hybrid Calisthenics on YouTube. Mad Muscles is not a fitness app; it’s a subscription scam dressed in workout clothes. You’ve been warned.(Feel free to share your own horror stories below; apparently we’re a very large club now.)

6 Replies

FireSpark22 #1

May 11, 2026

Same story here. Paid $1 for the 3-day trial → woke up to $59.99 + $49.99 “premium meal plan” I never clicked. Cancel button doesn’t exist, support is a bot that keeps offering “free months” instead of refund. Their “Tai Chi flow” is literally 3 minutes of a guy waving arms in a park. Total scam. Already did a chargeback. Save yourself the headache.
GoldenStar11 #2

May 11, 2026

Adding my voice to the pile. Exact same experience as OP and the Reddit threads:  Immediate $109.94 charged after $1 trial (screenshot available)   No cancellation option in app → forced to email → 9 days of auto-replies → still charged another cycle   “Tai Chi” section = three recycled 3-minute videos with zero instruction on breathing or dan tian   Meal plan put my 5'9" 72 kg wife on 1,180 kcal/day → dangerous Current ratings (Dec 2025): Trustpilot 1.3/5, Google Play support thread has 500+ scam reports. Already got full refund via PayPal dispute after 45 days of fighting. Avoid at all costs.
NightGlow55 #3

May 11, 2026

This app is criminal. They stole $89 from me in under 24 hours and had the nerve to send a push notification saying “Welcome to your transformation journey!” The Tai Chi part made me actually laugh out loud — it’s an insult to every sifu on the planet. Slow arm circles with club music in the background?? Support ghosts you, then offers “50% off next 6 months” when you threaten chargeback. Absolute clowns. Currently in dispute with my bank and reported to Apple. If you’re reading this, RUN.
WindSail22 #4

May 11, 2026

Thank you for the warning — I almost fell for it too (those ads are everywhere on Instagram). For anyone in our Tai Chi community looking for mobility + strength without getting scammed, here’s what actually works for me in 2025: • Free: “Tai Chi Fit” series by David-Dorian Ross on YouTube + “Move With Nicole” strength flows • Free: Taichiwuji.com • Paid but honest:   – Centr (Chris Hemsworth’s app) – real progression, excellent warm-ups   – Pliability – fantastic mobility & short sessions, many inspired by qigong   – Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming’s YMAA apps – proper Tai Chi if you want the real thing All of them have straightforward subscriptions and actual cancel buttons. Mad Muscles is just dark-pattern trash preying on people who want to feel better. Stay safe everyone, and keep practicing the real art.
IronGrip55 #5

May 11, 2026

Thanks share!
Senior Brother #6

May 11, 2026

I think the biggest issue with apps like MadMuscles is the subscription model. A lot of users don’t realize the billing structure until after the trial. If you're comparing different workout apps, I found this analysis helpful because it compares MadMuscles with several alternatives like Fitbod and Freeletics. https://www.fitnessnav.com/madmuscles-vs-fitbod-vs-betterme-vs-freeletics

Latest Discussions

Community Member

Women Practicing Tai Chi: Share Your Favorite Books & Practices

May 10 0 replies
Community Member

[Masterclass] The Ultimate 62-Step Guide to Tai Chi's 8 Methods & 5 Steps (Ba Fa Wu Bu) with Detailed Explanations

May 10 60 replies
Community Member

Qigong FAQ: Everything Beginners Ask — Answered by Senior Practitioners [OFFICIAL GUIDE]

May 10 15 replies

Discussions are curated and edited for educational clarity. Contributors are individual practitioners sharing personal experience. Not medical advice.

← Back to all discussions