← All articles

By Jens Skott, Level 3 PT · Published 8 Jun 2026

Hevy vs Strong (2026): An Honest Comparison

Both apps are good. That matters to say upfront, because most comparisons are written by someone trying to rank affiliate links — so they manufacture drama that isn’t there. Hevy and Strong are the two most recommended workout trackers for iOS, and for good reason. The difference between them is narrower than their marketing implies. What follows is where they actually diverge, who wins each round, and — because we make a completely different kind of app — we have no stake in which one you choose.

Quick verdict

The free tier, honestly

This is the starkest difference between the two apps. Hevy’s free tier is genuinely usable. You can log unlimited sessions using the built-in exercise library, track your history, and see progression graphs — all without paying. The free plan shows some ads on certain screens and limits a handful of advanced features, but for a lifter who wants to start logging today with no commitment, Hevy free is a real option.

Strong’s free tier is not. You get three custom exercises. If you train with a barbell you’ll burn through that before the end of your first week once you start building templates. After that, it’s $29.99/year or you’re stuck. That’s not a knock on the product — Strong Premium is a good app — but calling the free tier a “free option” is generous.

Winner: Hevy, and it isn’t close.

Apple Watch

Both apps have Watch apps. Both let you start a session on your phone and log sets from your wrist. Both will vibrate a rest-timer alert when your rest period ends. On the Watch you can navigate your exercise list, log a completed set by tapping the reps, and see the weight from your last set — the core loop works without touching your phone.

Where they differ slightly: Hevy’s Watch companion is tied to your online account, which means a hiccup in connectivity or a brief sync delay will occasionally cause lag between what the Watch shows and what your phone logged. Strong’s Watch experience is generally snappier and more responsive, which lifters who rely on it heavily tend to notice during back-to-back sets at pace. Neither is broken, but if your gym has patchy Wi-Fi or you train somewhere with no signal, Strong’s Watch app has the edge.

That said, the gap is narrow. What matters is that both apps offer something most budget trackers don’t — you can leave your phone in your bag and work from your wrist during a busy session. If an Apple Watch app is non-negotiable, you’re safe with either choice.

Winner: Slight edge to Strong for Watch reliability; draw for most lifters.

Social feed: feature or bug?

Hevy has a social layer. You can follow other lifters, see their sessions in a feed, get likes on your PRs, and share workouts publicly. For lifters who find motivation in community or accountability, this is a genuine selling point — particularly for newer lifters who benefit from seeing how others structure sessions and hit PRs. Hevy’s growth over the last few years has been partly driven by this network, and it’s a meaningful part of the product rather than an afterthought.

The flip side is that the feed is always there. It’s the first thing you see when you open the app. If you’re the kind of person who opens Instagram to check one thing and comes out 20 minutes later, you know what this does to a quick gym check-in. The logging itself is fine; it’s just a longer path than it needs to be if the feed holds no interest for you.

Strong has no social feed. Your training is yours. You log it, you see it, nobody else does. For experienced lifters who know what they’re doing and don’t need external validation to get under the bar, the absence of a feed isn’t a missing feature — it’s one fewer distraction.

Which framing you prefer tells you which app to use. If “who else can see my bench press” is not a question you’ve ever asked, you don’t need the feed. If accountability and community are part of how you train, Hevy’s social layer is a real feature, not bloat.

Winner: Depends on you. Hevy for community-motivated lifters; Strong for anyone who wants their training private.

Price over five years

The maths matters if you’re committing to an app long-term. Both apps use subscription pricing, but only Hevy gives you an exit from the subscription treadmill.

Hevy subscription: $23.99/yr × 5 = $119.95

Hevy lifetime: ~$69.99 once. If you’re confident you’ll use it for more than three years, the lifetime deal is the obvious move. Three years of Hevy annual costs $71.97 — nearly identical — so anyone beyond the three-year mark is ahead on lifetime.

Strong subscription: $29.99/yr × 5 = $149.95. No lifetime option, so you’re renting indefinitely.

Over five years, Strong costs you $30 more than an annual Hevy subscription, and $80 more than buying Hevy outright. That gap compounds: ten years of Strong costs $299.90 versus a fixed $69.99 for Hevy lifetime. Strong doesn’t offer lifetime pricing, which means you’re committed to paying as long as you use it — and if they ever raise prices or shut down, you have no recourse.

Neither price is unreasonable for software you use three or four times a week. A gym session’s worth of value per year is a low bar to clear. But if cost is a factor, Hevy wins — especially with the lifetime option on the table.

Winner: Hevy.

Progression tracking and data export

Both apps show you what you lifted last session when you start a new set — that’s the core value proposition of any tracker, and both deliver it. Neither is dramatically better here; you’ll see your last weight and reps as you log.

Where they diverge slightly is volume graphs and progression charts. Hevy’s analytics are more prominent and easier to access on the free tier. Strong’s progression tools are tucked slightly deeper in the interface but are arguably cleaner once you find them. Neither app does advanced periodisation or AI-driven load recommendations — you’re still doing your own programming; the app just records it.

On data portability: both apps export to CSV and neither charges extra for it. If you ever want to move to a spreadsheet or switch trackers, your data belongs to you. Strong also exports in its own backup format for re-importing. Neither app locks you in, which matters more the longer you’ve been using one.

Who should pick Hevy

• You want a real free tier while you decide if you’ll commit to a paid tracker. Hevy lets you train for months before you hit a wall; Strong hits you with the wall in week one.
• You like seeing what your training partners are doing or find public accountability useful. The social layer isn’t cosmetic — it’s actively good if community is how you stay consistent.
• You’re on a budget and want the cheapest long-term option, especially if you’ll take the lifetime deal. Pay once, done.
• You’re on Android as well as iOS, or you want to review your training history from a browser. Hevy’s web client is a useful bonus for those sessions.
• You want a larger exercise database out of the box — Hevy ships with a wider default library, which matters if you’re just getting started and don’t want to build everything from scratch.
• You’ve looked at the best Hevy alternatives and decided none of them fit.

Who should pick Strong

• You’re paying for the app regardless of the free tier and you want the cleanest possible logging experience. Strong’s interface is well-designed and stays out of your way.
• You actively don’t want a social feed in your training app. Fewer distractions, faster sessions.
• You prefer Strong’s template and routine tools. Strong’s programming UI is slightly more polished for building structured programmes — block periodisation, week-to-week progression — than Hevy’s equivalent.
• You train in areas with patchy connectivity and rely on your Watch app. Strong’s Watch experience handles offline better.
• You’ve been on Strong for years and have no reason to switch — that’s a legitimate reason, not inertia. Your historical data is there; migration friction is real.
• You’ve reviewed Strong app alternatives and Strong still wins on your criteria.

The third option

If what you’re actually looking for is no feed, no account, and instant recall of your last session — so you know exactly what to beat before you touch the bar — that’s a different app entirely. LastLift is built for one thing: the fastest path from walking into the gym to knowing what you lifted last time. No social layer. No account. Your data lives in your own private iCloud. It’s not a Hevy replacement and it’s not a Strong replacement — it’s for a different kind of lifter. If that sounds like you, it’s worth a look. If you want to compare all seven apps side by side, we’ve done that too.

Both Hevy and Strong are solid choices. Hevy wins on value and free access; Strong wins on focused simplicity. If speed is your overriding concern and both apps feel like more than you need, see how they rank in the fastest workout tracker comparison. Pick the one that matches how you actually train.

Frequently asked questions

Beat last week — on your iPhone

LastLift is the fastest way to log a gym set: see your last session, log the next in three seconds. 14-day free trial, no account.