HOMESERVICESFRAME LABTHE BOARDFORUMGALLERYUPDATESGUMWALL GPThe Hub is an FTMS trainer. Any FTMS app can drive it, including a free one in your browser.
Monsoon Cycles, Colorado Springs · Updated November 4, 2026
A Zwift Hub is a trainer, not a subscription. It speaks Bluetooth FTMS, the same open standard every other smart trainer uses, so it pairs with any FTMS app. Zwift's free tier ended in December 2025 and the subscription is $19.99 a month. If you bought the Hub for the trainer and do not want the bill, here is how to ride it free in a browser tab.
OPEN THE GAMEHOW TO PAIR| You keep | You lose |
|---|---|
| Accurate power from the Hub's strain gauge | Watopia and the Zwift worlds |
| Gradient resistance on real circuits | Zwift's structured workout library and ERG plans |
| Multiplayer, bots, leaderboards, Strava upload | Zwift racing and group events at scale |
| Your money | Virtual shifting on the Hub One Cog (you ride one gear and the trainer resistance follows the road) |
If you train to a plan, keep Zwift or TrainingPeaks Virtual. If you want to ride, race a few bots and keep the Hub earning its keep for nothing, this works today.
Yes. The Zwift Hub is a Bluetooth FTMS smart trainer and pairs with any FTMS app. Nothing in the hardware checks for a subscription. Gumwall Grand Prix pairs it free in Chrome or Edge.
Yes. Any FTMS app can send resistance to the Hub. In Gumwall Grand Prix the course grade drives it, with a difficulty slider in the BIKE tab.
The Hub One with the virtual shifting Cog pairs the same way. Virtual shifting is a Zwift feature over its own protocol; here you shift the trainer's resistance with the course and ride in whatever single gear the Cog gives you. It works fine.
Firmware updates come through the Zwift Companion app, so keep it installed for that. You do not need it to ride here.