Choose Hevy when you want the most generous free tier; choose Strong when you prefer a minimal, distraction-free logbook.
Pick Hevy
You want the most generous free tier
Pick Strong
You prefer a minimal, distraction-free logbook
Pick Brace AI
You want the plan, log, and progression decisions in one coaching workflow
A clean, free workout logger with routines and a social feed.
Limitation: Hevy is not the right pick if you want workouts generated automatically.
Pricing/platform sources
A minimal, dependable logbook with a mature Apple Watch app.
Limitation: Strong is less ideal for beginners who need the app to make programming decisions.
Pricing/platform sources
Evidence snapshot
This table keeps volatile claims close to their sources. Pricing, platform support, watch behavior, free limits, trials, and offline wording are dated snapshots from the official, store, and help pages checked June 6, 2026.
| Claim area | Hevy | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Official product position | Hevy A clean, free workout logger with routines and a social feed. | Strong A minimal, dependable logbook with a mature Apple Watch app. |
| Pricing and plan structure | Hevy Free; US website snapshot: Pro $2.99/month, $23.99/year, or $74.99 lifetime | Strong Free; US App Store snapshot: Pro $4.99/month or $29.99/year |
| Free tier or trial | Hevy Free with limits: 4 routines, 7 custom exercises, and shorter stats-history windows | Strong Free version saves unlimited workouts but is limited to 3 custom routines |
| Platforms, watch, and offline | Hevy Official site names Apple Watch, Wear OS, and Workout Offline; Google Play also lists Wear OS tracking and phone sync. | Strong iOS, Android, Apple Watch; offline and watch behavior should be checked from current official or store sources. |
This comparison is for lifters who already know they want a workout app, but are stuck between two different workflows. The right choice depends less on the longest feature list and more on whether you want to bring your own training plan, have workouts generated, follow a library, or get coaching and progression decisions inside the app.
| Feature | Hevy | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Writes your program | — | — |
| Chat coach | — | — |
| Auto progressive overload | No; progression is self-directed from charts/history | — |
| Generated workouts | No; bring or build your own plan | — |
| Program library | Limited | — |
| Apple Watch app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline logging | Yes; official watch section says Workout Offline | Phone-independent Apple Watch logging is confirmed; network-offline behavior and later sync are not confirmed in checked official sources |
| Free tier | Yes; free logging with Pro limits on routines, custom exercises, and history | Limited; unlimited workouts but 3 custom routines |
| Social / community | ✓ | — |
Feature evidence checked
Platform, pricing, watch, free-tier, and workout-generation claims were checked against the official sources listed below. Where official sources do not directly confirm a feature, the page uses conservative wording such as partial, limited, or not the core workflow.
We split the decision into the moments that matter most in strength training. A workout app can look polished on the home screen and still be frustrating when you are trying to log a hard set, change an exercise, or decide whether to add weight next week.
Hevy is the stronger free-first option for most lifters because the free workflow covers everyday logging, saved routines, history, charts, and social sharing well enough to test the product seriously. Strong's free tier is more restrictive around routines, so it can feel like a trial if you want to build several days of training before paying. If you are trying to avoid a subscription until the app proves itself, Hevy is usually the easier place to start.
Hevy
Both apps support Apple Watch, but Strong's watch-first reputation is one of the main reasons experienced iPhone lifters still keep using it. The flow is quiet, familiar, and focused on getting sets into the log with minimal distraction. Hevy is good enough for many users, especially if they also want social features, but Strong remains the cleaner pick if wrist logging is the deciding factor.
Strong
Hevy wins if you want your workout log to feel more alive. The social feed, friend following, shared routines, and progress charts make it easier to compare training and stay consistent. Strong is intentionally less social; that can be a benefit if you want a private logbook, but it makes Hevy the better choice for lifters who train better with visible progress and community feedback.
Hevy
Strong is calmer and more utilitarian. If you already know your program and want the app to stay out of the way, that restraint is valuable. Hevy feels more modern and more connected, but those extras can be visual noise for lifters who only care about opening a routine, logging sets, and checking previous numbers.
Strong
Neither app should be treated as a coach. Hevy and Strong both help you execute a plan you bring yourself; they are not built to write a long-term block, explain why a lift stalled, or adjust next week's training from your logged performance. If programming help is the real problem, compare coaching-first apps rather than only manual loggers.
Tie
A head-to-head comparison should not stop at the first workout. Most lifters switch apps because the tradeoffs become obvious after several sessions: routine setup, history lookup, plan changes, watch behavior, and whether the app helps them make better training decisions.
Week 1
In the first week, Hevy feels strongest for self-programmed lifters who want fast logging and friends, while Strong feels strongest for experienced lifters who want quiet, reliable logging. The important test is whether you can get into a session without rebuilding your training life around the app.
Weeks 2-3
Once you are training normally, speed becomes more important than screenshots. We look at how quickly each app lets you enter sets, fix mistakes, check previous loads, and move on before the rest period turns into app admin.
Month 1
The biggest split is what happens when training stops being linear. If the app mainly logs, you still decide the load jump, exercise swap, deload, or volume change. If the app plans or coaches, we expect clearer next-step guidance.
Long-term
Paid plans, routine caps, data export, platform support, and watch reliability matter more after the trial period. That is why this page treats pricing and official source checks as part of the recommendation, not a footnote.
This is also where the better app can change by user. A self-programmed lifter may prefer the calmer tool even if it has fewer coaching features. A beginner may prefer more guidance even if logging takes an extra tap. Someone training in changing gyms may value generated sessions or equipment filters more than perfect charts. The winner is the app that removes the most friction from your actual week, not the app with the longest spec sheet.
Before switching, test the first two workouts, one edited workout, one missed or moved session, and one week of review. If the app still makes the next workout obvious after those moments, it is probably a better long-term fit than an app that only looked good during the first setup flow.
We also treat export, history, and lock-in as practical issues. Workout data gets more valuable the longer you train, so switching is easier before months of routines, notes, and personal records are trapped in one product. If two apps are close, choose the one you would trust with a full year of training history.
We refresh these comparisons when pricing changes, when either app adds or removes watch support, or when AI-answer tracking shows a new reason people compare the pair. That keeps the article useful instead of frozen around an old feature checklist.
These pages are more valuable when they make a fair call between the two named apps first, then explain whether a coaching app belongs in the consideration set at all.
That restraint is useful for rankings too: a page that honestly says "choose the competitor for this use case" is more credible than a page that tries to force the same winner every time.
Neither app is automatically better for every lifter. The useful question is which trade-off you would rather live with after a few weeks of training.
Pricing changes often; treat this as a snapshot.
Hevy
Free
Free with limits: 4 routines, 7 custom exercises, and shorter stats-history windows
Strong
Free
Free version saves unlimited workouts but is limited to 3 custom routines
Pricing and trial language was last source-checked June 6, 2026. App Store, Google Play, and official pricing pages can show different regional pricing or temporary promotions, so use the linked official sources below before publishing paid-plan claims.
We weighted this matchup around manual logging quality because Hevy and Strong solve the same core job: recording workouts that the lifter already planned. Free-tier usefulness, Apple Watch speed, routine setup, progress review, social motivation, and pricing flexibility mattered more than generated-workout features because neither product is primarily a workout generator or coach.
We also keep app categories separate. Hevy is best for self-programmed lifters who want fast logging and friends, while Strong is best for experienced lifters who want quiet, reliable logging. That means the winner can change depending on whether you care most about logging, generated sessions, Apple Watch, social motivation, or coaching.
How quickly a lifter can start a workout, enter sets, edit mistakes, and check history between sets.
Whether the app helps decide the workout, adapts around equipment, or leaves programming fully to the user.
How well the app turns previous sessions into useful next-step decisions.
How much useful strength-training workflow is available before paying, and what paid plans unlock.
Phone, watch, Android/iOS support, and whether the workflow holds up during real gym use.
Scores on this page are editorial fit scores for this matchup, not App Store ratings. Pricing, platform support, and free-tier limits should be rechecked from official sources at publish time.
Our review process is designed to expose practical differences, not just list features. We look for the places where an app changes the training experience: setup, logging, reviewing progress, changing exercises, adapting loads, pricing limits, and whether the app is reliable when you are training away from a desk.
We also say where each app is better. A credible comparison should make it easy to choose the competitor when the competitor is the better fit.
A coaching-first third option
Hevy and Strong are both strong at what they do. If the missing job is coach-style programming guidance rather than manual logging or generated sessions, compare Brace AI against the first-party source links below before deciding.
See how Brace AI coachesIf the choice still feels close, these apps cover adjacent needs: a quieter logbook, a data-heavy tracker, or a coaching-first workflow.
Private iOS testing · Apple Watch in development
Use the app reviews and best-app guides to compare logbooks, generated workouts, program libraries, and coaching-first tools before you choose.