Is Rouvy the Zwift Killer?

Good review and I agree on most points. I've been on it a while and it has seen many improvements, but there are still areas of weakness as mentioned. One thing you didn't mention is the ability to add previous rides people have done (not just ghosts), to race against as their avatars. You can put a load on with your approx w/kg and even your own time. Super motivational even though you know you're not racing against them 'live'.

What do you think about MyWhoosh or fulgaz for the 4K scenery? I’m using the big Z but other options are always welcome

I'd say another downfall with Rouvy and other bike trainer platforms not listed is the psychical component. Zwift has the Zwift hub which makes it super easy to put a bike on and swap it out. That initial barrier is huge in determining which platform someone goes with. Needing to find a trainer, and then needing the compatible adapter and then the correct cassette followed by having a correct secondary bike to match the cassette was just too much to wrap my brain around. Then Zwift came along and put it all into one nice package for me. If Rouvy and other platforms can at least make virtual shifting possible with a singular cog I might be willing to give them a more proper in-depth look.

I definitely wish more people would use rouvy. I really like being able to do all these famous climbs. Its also really nice to be able to do any of these climbs whenever i want. The world rotation schedule on zwift really bothered me. Like if i wanted to france or mont ventoux but its not the third weekend of the month or whatever then i dont get that option. I also really like that they have a loyalty program so it keeps getting a bit cheaper. If zwift had a loyalty program i would have probably stayed. But for $25 CAD its just too pricey. I do like the social aspect of zwift but lately ive just been watching netflix while rouvy runs on the ipad. Also i found that with all the people and drafting on zwift that my weekly kilometers were so heavily inflated. Constantly at 30km/h+ on flats while barely pedalling but irl i would be struggling to hold 30.

Hmm interesting review. First of all, competition is good for the consumer, so any alternatives to the big Z (well at least one!) rooting to succeed. Secondly is what consumers want out of a cycling app so hard? Maybe its that development teams are so small for these projects and the return on investment low that it doesnt attract big enough pools of talent. Zwift certainly started off completely different than where it is now. Personally I just want something that I can do group rides with if Im bored. I know I can do intervals and trainingpeaks pretty easy on Rouvy. But like you said the lack of people is frustrating. I do the group rides all the time especially when lacking motivation. Just seeing 40+ other people in a peloton on the screen is motivating to get through the long days.

Mywhoosh is free (amd will always be)

Rouvy is dead.

Get outside.