The ten, in no particular order
Each one says who it's for and who should skip it. If an entry
doesn't name a reason to skip, I haven't been honest enough — write and tell me.
Hevy
The free tier to beat, a real feed, and a release every week
or two.
Hevy's free plan logs without limits beyond four routines and seven custom
exercises, draws charts, and connects you to other lifters. The paid tier adds
Hevy Trainer, which adjusts your working weights, and longer analytics. It
requires an account, and the social layer is why.
For: anyone who trains harder when friends can see
it, and anyone who wants the most app for nothing. Skip if: you
don't want an account or a feed. vs Gym Log+ →
$2.99/month · $23.99/year · $74.99 lifetime, per its listing.
Strong
The logger most people name first, because logging is what it
does best.
Strong's set row is the fastest in the category and has been the reference
for years. Charts and records are there but it is a logger by design, with less
analytical depth than the apps built around numbers. Account-based, on iPhone,
Apple Watch (companion) and Android. Free tier capped at three routines.
For: the simplest possible log, on either phone
platform. Skip if: you want the watch to run the workout, or deep
per-exercise analysis. vs Gym Log+ →
$4.99/month · $29.99/year · lifetime listed at $79.99 and $99.99.
Gym Log+ (mine)
No account, a standalone Apple Watch, deeper numbers, profiles,
and a lifetime price — on Apple devices only.
Everything lives on your devices and syncs through your own iCloud; there is no
server of ours and, since version 3.15, no network request of its own. The watch
app runs whole workouts without the phone and is free. Logging is built to a tap
budget: fields prefill from last time, a repeat set is one tap, the rest timer
starts itself and the page advances when an exercise is done. Every exercise gets
a progress chart, rep-max ladder and estimated 1RM; Stats shows muscle balance,
records and consistency. For someone starting out: 15 ready-made plans from
beginner to advanced, free, a demo clip and written instructions on the
exercises, and the next weight suggested when you hit your targets. Routines
carry targets per set, programs queue what's next, and a Program Builder
assembles one from your goal, days and equipment — rules, not a model. Imports
Strong and Hevy exports; exports CSV and a full backup, free.
For: privacy, the watch, fast logging, numbers, a
first plan, more than one person on a phone, or paying once. Skip
if: you need Android or a web app, you want a feed, or four free routines
is too few — the free tier is capped there, and that's a decision, not an
oversight.
$4.99/month · $29.99/year (7-day trial) · $79.99 once.
SmartGym
Watch-first, with years of Apple attention; sync is a premium
account.
SmartGym is built around the wrist and its watch app is among the best. The
free tier is small (a couple of routines), and cross-device sync runs through a
premium account on the developer's own service.
For: watch-first lifters who want a different feel
from Gym Log+. Skip if: you want a generous free tier or iCloud-
only sync.
Subscription; check the listing for the current tiers.
Liftin'
One developer, no account, iCloud sync, rules-based
progression, a Mac app and Strava.
The closest sibling to Gym Log+ in philosophy. Its listing says no account and
that the developer collects no data; its Live Activity shows the set as well as
the rest, and it generates routines from a description on Apple's Private Cloud
Compute if you ask it to.
For: the no-account design with a Mac app or Strava.
Skip if: you want a lifetime price — it's a yearly subscription.
$24.99/year after a free month, per its listing.
Setgraph
Charts first: the most graphing in the set, and templates to
match.
Setgraph is for the lifter who opens the chart before the log. Range filters,
a screen-awake mode for the gym floor, plate math, and recovery tracking.
Account-based; a short free period, then a trial; no CSV export, so plan to stay.
For: people who want to see everything plotted.
Skip if: you want a free tier that lasts, or to be able to leave
with your data.
$4.99/month · ~$59.88/year · ~$100 lifetime, per its listing.
Strive ("Gym log - Strive")
Fully offline, no account, and no cap on free routines — on one
phone.
Everything stays on the device. The free tier has no routine limit and charts
without a paywall; Pro adds RIR/RPE and Health sync. No Apple Watch or iPad app,
and no sync between devices.
For: one phone, no cloud of any kind, and
unlimited routines for free. Skip if: you train with a watch or
own a second device.
$5.99/month · $39.99/year · $119.99 lifetime, per its listing.
Fitbod
The app decides your workout; you do it.
Fitbod generates each session from your equipment, history and recovery, and
its Insights screens report back on it. It is a different kind of product from a
log you write yourself. No free tier, no iPad app; a Family Plan since August.
For: someone who doesn't want to program.
Skip if: you write your own programs — that's not what it's
for.
Subscription only; check the listing.
JEFIT
The biggest exercise database and the longest history; the
best parts are Elite.
JEFIT has been around longer than most, with an enormous library and a
planner. The watch app, data export and the adaptive suggestions sit on the Elite
subscription.
For: the database, and Elite's planning if you're
paying. Skip if: you want the watch or your export on the free
plan.
$12.99/month · $69.99/year, per its listing.
Boostcamp
A library of published programs with a logger attached, and a
community.
You follow a program a coach wrote rather than writing your own. The logger is
serviceable; the Pro tier adds a Strength Score and a muscle heatmap. No Apple
Watch app.
For: running a known program without building it.
Skip if: you want a watch, or your own routines are the point.
Pro $14.99/month · $59.99/year, per its listing.
Also worth knowing: Gymaholic, for the widest
device spread (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision) and voice start/stop; it's in
the watch roundup.
