Short answer: Choose home exercise software that has a professionally filmed video for every exercise and fast search. It should come with free patient and clinician apps, instructions in your patients' languages, and pain and compliance reporting. Check that it includes RTM tools, links to your EMR, is HIPAA compliant, and has published pricing with no per-patient fees. Run a free trial with your real patients before you commit.
Most home exercise programs look alike on a demo. The differences show up months later, after your team has built protocols, trained staff and moved patients onto the system. Switching then costs time and money. So it pays to choose carefully the first time.
We first published this checklist in 2020. This update covers what clinics need in 2026, including Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM), AI search and multi-language patient apps.
The 12-point checklist at a glance
| # | What to check | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exercise formats | A video for every exercise, plus printable photos and line drawings |
| 2 | Library and education | Thousands of exercises across specialties, plus patient education handouts |
| 3 | Search and program building | Fast search with filters, AI search and reusable templates |
| 4 | Patient app | Free, ad-free, branded with your logo, on iPhone and Android |
| 5 | Clinician app | Build and send programs from a phone or tablet |
| 6 | Languages | Instructions in the languages your patients actually speak |
| 7 | Feedback and messaging | Patients report pain and difficulty and can message you securely |
| 8 | Compliance and motivation | Reports on who is doing their program, plus rewards |
| 9 | RTM support | RTM tools included, not sold as an add-on |
| 10 | EMR link | Works with your EMR, or offers a custom integration |
| 11 | Security and HIPAA | HIPAA compliance, multi-factor authentication, model-released content |
| 12 | Pricing and support | Published prices, no per-patient fees, no required CEU bundle, free phone support |
1. Exercise formats: video for every exercise, plus print
Every exercise should have a video. Some products only film part of their library, which leaves gaps exactly when you need a specific exercise. Video shows tempo, range of motion and form in a way a drawing can't.
You still need print. Some patients aren't comfortable with technology, and some simply prefer a sheet on the refrigerator. Look for handouts that offer both photos and line drawings. Line drawings are often easier for patients to follow and cheaper to print.
Ask the vendor: Does every exercise have a video? Can I print a program with line drawings or photos, and export it as a PDF?
2. Library depth and patient education
The library should cover physical therapy in every setting, from basic to advanced. It should also cover specialties you may need later, such as neurology, geriatrics, pediatrics, amputee care, aquatics, pelvic health and speech. Look for patient education content too, covering topics like assistive devices, positioning and body mechanics.
Ask the vendor: How many exercises are in the library, and are they professionally filmed or uploaded by users? Which specialties are covered?
3. Search and program building
Search speed decides how long every program takes to build. Clinicians describe exercises in different ways, so a good system offers more than one route to the right exercise. That means keywords, checkbox filters (body part, equipment, condition), and AI-assisted search that suggests the exercise and its variations. Search by body position and movement helps when you know what the patient can do but not the exercise's name.
Small time savers add up over thousands of programs. Look for default sets and reps, unlimited saved templates (protocols) for common diagnoses, and quick edits to an existing program.
Ask the vendor: Show me how long it takes to build a 4-exercise program for a common diagnosis. Can I save it as a template?
4. A patient app your patients will use
Patients expect their program on their phone. The patient app should be:
- free for patients, with no ads
- available on both iPhone and Android
- branded with your clinic’s name and logo, so it feels like part of your care
- personal, greeting the patient by name rather than treating them as a number
- able to show full HD video, send exercise reminders, log completion and let patients message the clinic
Patients without the app should be able to open their program from a web link or email, or use a printed handout.
Ask the vendor: Is the patient app free and ad-free? Does it carry my clinic's branding? What do patients without a smartphone get?
5. A clinician app
Clinicians shouldn't be tied to a desk. Home health therapists, athletic trainers and clinicians who work across buildings need to add patients, build programs and send them from a phone or tablet.
Ask the vendor: Can I build and send a complete program from my phone, on both iPhone and Android, at no extra cost?
6. Languages
A program a patient can't read is a program they won't follow. Many tools translate into only a handful of languages, or only English and Spanish. If you treat patients with limited English, check that the software covers the languages they actually speak.
Ask the vendor: How many languages are patient instructions available in? Are they in the patient app as well as on printed handouts?
7. Pain and difficulty feedback and messaging
The software should prompt patients to report pain and difficulty as they complete their program. It should show you those reports clearly, as both numbers and a trend over time. Patients should also be able to message you with questions through a secure, HIPAA-compliant channel instead of email or text.
Ask the vendor: Where do I see a patient's pain and difficulty trend? Is messaging HIPAA compliant?
8. Compliance tracking and motivation
You need to know who is doing their program and who has stopped, before the next visit. Look for compliance reports that show when and how often each patient completes their program.
Motivation features help too. Points, levels and small rewards for completing a program (gamification) give some patients a reason to keep going. A built-in satisfaction survey, such as a Net Promoter Score, tells you how patients feel about their care early, while you can still act on it.
Ask the vendor: Show me the compliance report. Are rewards and satisfaction surveys included?
9. Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) support
If your practice bills Remote Therapeutic Monitoring, your home exercise software is where the monitoring data comes from. You need patient-reported data, monitoring reports and time tracking that support documentation. Some vendors sell RTM as a separate product or a higher tier, or add a fee per patient episode. Check whether RTM is included and what it costs per patient.
Ask the vendor: Is RTM included in my plan? Are there per-patient or per-episode RTM fees?
10. EMR link
Opening the home program from your EMR, and sending a summary back to the patient's chart, saves documentation time. Ask whether the software already integrates with your EMR, or whether the vendor will build a custom integration. One of those answers should be yes. At a minimum, you should be able to paste a program into your note or attach it as a PDF.
Ask the vendor: Do you integrate with my EMR? If not, how do I get the program into my note?
11. Security, HIPAA and content rights
Home exercise software holds patient information, so it has to be HIPAA compliant. Look for multi-factor authentication, secure messaging, program links that can expire, and regular backups. Ask about a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Ask who owns the exercise images and videos, and whether the models signed releases, because you will be handing that content to patients under your clinic's name.
Ask the vendor: Is the software HIPAA compliant, and will you sign a BAA? Is multi-factor authentication included? Are your exercise videos model-released?
12. Pricing you can see, and support you can call
Look for published prices. Watch for:
- per-patient or per-episode fees
- features locked to higher tiers
- add-on charges for RTM, branding or EMR integration
- long-term contracts
Some home exercise programs come bundled with continuing education (CEUs). If you only need CEUs every two years, or prefer other CEU providers, a bundle means paying every year for courses you won't use. Choose software from a company that specializes in home exercise programs.
Support matters as much as price. When a clinician is stuck building a program between patients, an email ticket that gets answered tomorrow doesn't help. Check whether you can call a real person, whether phone support costs extra, and when it's available. Some vendors offer only email, chat or a help center.
Ask the vendor: What will I pay per year for my number of clinicians, all-in? Are there per-patient fees or contracts? Is phone support included, and what are the hours?
How to run a free trial
A demo shows the best case. A trial shows how the software works in your clinic. During a two-week trial:
- Build programs for five real patients with common diagnoses, and time each one.
- Send at least one program by app, one by link and one on paper.
- Have a patient with limited English receive a translated program.
- Ask two or three patients what they thought of the app.
- Check the compliance and pain reports after a week.
- Call support with a real question and see how fast you get an answer.
- Get the full-year price in writing for your team size.
How Exercise Pro Live measures up
Exercise Pro Live is home exercise software from BioEx Systems, made in Austin, Texas, since 1995 and built by physical therapists. Here is how it answers the checklist:
- Formats and library: 7,000+ professionally filmed, model-released HD exercise videos, each with a line drawing, across 15+ specialties. Patient education handouts are included, and programs print or export as PDF.
- Search and program building: AI-assisted search, filters, and search by body position and movement. Default sets and reps and saved protocols speed up every program.
- Apps: the free Exercise Now patient app (rated 4.6 on Google Play and 4.8 on the App Store), branded with your clinic’s logo. Clinicians use the Exercise Pro Live Engage app to build and assign programs from a phone or tablet. Both apps run on iPhone and Android.
- Languages: patient instructions in 130+ languages.
- Feedback and compliance: exercise reminders for patients, pain and difficulty reporting, HIPAA-compliant in-app messaging, compliance reports, rewards and gamification, and built-in Net Promoter Score.
- RTM: RTM tools are included in every plan.
- EMR: integrations with a2c Medical, Athletic Training System, Cedaron, Epic, InSync, NetHealth Therapy, QuickEMR, Raintree and TurboPT, with custom integration available.
- Security: HIPAA compliant, with multi-factor authentication. BioEx Systems signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), and program links can be set to expire.
- Pricing: published prices of $134 per year for one clinician ($99 the first year) or $16.99 a month, $89 per user per year for 2 to 5 users, and $79 per user per year for 6 to 10 users. Every plan includes every feature, with unlimited patients, no per-patient fees and no long-term contracts. There is no CEU bundle: Exercise Pro Live focuses only on exercise programs.
- Support: free phone and email support, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central, at (800) 750-2756, plus training videos and tutorials on the Support page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best home exercise program software?
The best home exercise software is the one that fits your clinic's patients and workflow. Look for a video for every exercise, fast search, free patient and clinician apps, instructions in your patients' languages, pain and compliance reporting, included RTM tools, an EMR link, HIPAA compliance and published pricing. Then confirm the fit with a free trial using real patients.
How much does home exercise software cost?
Prices vary by vendor and pricing model. Some vendors charge per clinician, some add per-patient or per-episode fees, and some charge extra for RTM, branding or EMR integration, so compare the all-in yearly cost for your team.
Exercise Pro Live publishes its prices on the Pricing page. Annual plans cost $134 per year for one clinician ($99 the first year), $89 per user per year for 2 to 5 users ($69 the first year) and $79 per user per year for 6 to 10 users ($65 the first year). Monthly plans cost $16.99, $12.99 and $11.99 per user per month for the same tiers. Teams of 11 or more users get custom pricing.
Every plan includes every feature, including RTM tools, the 7,000+ exercise video library, 130+ languages and both apps, with unlimited patients and no per-patient fees. There are no long-term contracts: plans renew automatically and can be cancelled before the renewal date. Members of APTA, PPS, NATA, Parker, Palmer and TCC qualify for extra discounts, and students pay $24.99 per year.
Do patients need an app for their home exercise program?
An app makes it easier for patients to watch videos, log completion and report pain. Not every patient will use one, though. Good software also delivers programs by web link, email and printed handout, so every patient can follow their program.
Should home exercise software include Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM)?
If your practice bills RTM, yes. The home exercise software is where patients report data and where you track monitoring time. Check whether RTM is included in your plan or sold as an add-on with per-patient fees.
Is there a free trial of Exercise Pro Live?
Yes, Exercise Pro Live offers a free, full-featured two-week trial with no credit card required.
Does home exercise software need to integrate with my EMR?
An EMR integration saves time, but it isn't essential for every clinic. At a minimum, you should be able to paste a program into your note or attach it as a PDF. If you want a direct link, ask whether the vendor integrates with your EMR or will build a custom integration.
How do I know if home exercise software is HIPAA compliant?
Ask the vendor directly whether the software is HIPAA compliant and whether they will sign a Business Associate Agreement. Also check for multi-factor authentication, secure in-app messaging and regular backups. Exercise Pro Live is HIPAA compliant, includes multi-factor authentication and signs a BAA.
Try it with your own patients
Run the 12-point checklist on Exercise Pro Live with a free, full-featured two-week trial.