Disclosure: Brolic is ours, and it is listed first. It gets the same four fields as every other app, including its drawbacks.
Short answer
Our pick is Brolic — unlimited routines, a lift logged in seconds and a leaderboard for every lift, free. If you want the biggest community and an Apple Watch app, Hevy.
Strong is the classic lifting log — fast, clean, with a full Apple Watch app. Its App Store listing states the limit plainly: the free version saves unlimited workouts but only three custom routines. Push, Pull, Legs and you are out.
So this guide looks at trackers where a normal split fits in the free app, and notes what each one keeps back.
Switch to Brolic if
- Your split has more than three days
- You want to see where your lifts rank
- You want fewer taps per set
Stay with Strong if
- You log from your Apple Watch
- You already own the old lifetime unlock
- You want zero social features
At a glance
| App | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Brolic (ours) | Lifters who want unlimited routines, a lift logged in seconds, and a rank on every lift | Free — no ads, no subscription and no cap on routines |
| Strong | Lifters who want the simplest possible logger with a full Apple Watch app | Free with a 3-routine limit; Strong PRO subscription |
| Hevy | Lifters who want a free logger with a big social feed and Apple Watch support | Free tier plus a Hevy Pro subscription |
| Liftoff | Lifters motivated by ranks and streaks | Free with in-app purchases |
| Boostcamp | Lifters who want to run proven programs like 5/3/1 or GZCLP | Free to start; Pro adds Strength Score and a volume heatmap |
| JEFIT | Lifters who want a huge exercise library and AI-guided progression | Free tier plus subscriptions |
The apps in detail
Brolic
Ours
- Best for
- Lifters who want unlimited routines, a lift logged in seconds, and a rank on every lift
- Highlights
- Log a lift in seconds — tap it, type weight and reps, tick the set
- A board for every lift: world, country, city or weight class, with the gap to the lifter above you
- Unlimited routines, with six built in, and a growth bar on every lift
- Community votes: more downvotes than upvotes takes a lift off the board
- Pricing
- Free — no ads, no subscription and no cap on routines
- Watch out
- There is no Apple Watch app, so you log on your phone between sets, and you need an account because the leaderboard has to know whose lift is whose. The leaderboard shows your first name, and it is young, so its boards are thinner than Hevy’s or Liftoff’s communities.
Strong
- Best for
- Lifters who want the simplest possible logger with a full Apple Watch app
- Highlights
- Clean, fast set logging
- A fully featured Apple Watch app
- Unlimited workout history on the free version
- Pricing
- Free with a 3-routine limit; Strong PRO subscription
- Watch out
- Only three custom routines on the free version.
Hevy
- Best for
- Lifters who want a free logger with a big social feed and Apple Watch support
- Highlights
- Free, with no ads, per the listing
- Hundreds of exercises with form videos
- Apple Watch logging with live phone sync
- Pricing
- Free tier plus a Hevy Pro subscription
- Watch out
- Some limits and advanced stats are Pro.
Liftoff
- Best for
- Lifters motivated by ranks and streaks
- Highlights
- Ranks your performance on 600+ exercises
- Compete with friends
- Progress charts and body graphs
- Pricing
- Free with in-app purchases
- Watch out
- Heavily gamified, which not everyone wants.
Boostcamp
- Best for
- Lifters who want to run proven programs like 5/3/1 or GZCLP
- Highlights
- 11,000+ programs, including community classics
- An AI coach that builds a plan
- The program library is free, per the listing
- Pricing
- Free to start; Pro adds Strength Score and a volume heatmap
- Watch out
- Program-first — less suited to your own freestyle routines.
JEFIT
- Best for
- Lifters who want a huge exercise library and AI-guided progression
- Highlights
- Adaptive plans with progressive overload
- Live Apple Watch sync
- Deep analytics
- Pricing
- Free tier plus subscriptions
- Watch out
- The AI coach and advanced analytics are paid, and the app is busier than Strong.
What to check before you switch
Two things matter more than features in a gym log: how many taps a set takes, and whether last time’s numbers are waiting for you. Try logging one full session in the app before you rebuild your routines.
Brolic logs a lift in seconds: tap the lift, type the weight and reps, tick the set. The rest timer starts itself, your best is right there to beat, and −10/−5/+5/+10 buttons nudge the weight. It has no Apple Watch app — Strong and Hevy win there.
Common questions
How many routines can you have on Strong for free?
Three custom routines. Strong’s listing says the free version saves unlimited workouts but limits custom routines to three; Strong PRO removes the limit.
What is the best free alternative to Strong?
Brolic for unlimited routines plus leaderboards; Hevy for a free logger with Apple Watch and a large community.
Which Strong alternative has an Apple Watch app?
Hevy and JEFIT both sync with Apple Watch; Brolic does not have a Watch app yet.
App Store listings checked on 27 September 2026. Prices change — each entry describes how an app is paid for rather than a number that goes stale.
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