If you are serious about strength training, you are logging your workouts. The question is which app to use. Strong and Hevy are the two that serious lifters actually debate — not because they are identical, but because they are both genuinely good and occupy the same space in slightly different ways.

The Logging Experience

Strong’s core advantage is logging speed. The interface is built around the assumption that you are mid-session, resting between sets, and need to log quickly before the timer expires. Previous session weights are pre-loaded. The rest timer starts automatically when you finish a set. Exercise search is fast. Plate calculator is one tap away. Everything is designed to minimize the time between finishing a set and getting the data recorded.

Hevy’s logging experience is nearly as good but slightly more navigable for newer users. The layout is cleaner and the exercise library is easier to browse. It is not slower than Strong in any meaningful way — the difference is subtle — but Strong users who switch often note that Hevy feels like it was designed for people who are still getting comfortable with the logging habit, while Strong feels like it was designed for people who have already built it.

Free Tier: Hevy Wins Decisively

Hevy’s free tier is genuinely unlimited. You can log every workout, create unlimited routines, access the full exercise library, and use all core features without paying anything. There is no routine limit, no session cap, no paywall after 90 days. Hevy makes money from its premium tier, but the free product is fully usable indefinitely.

Strong’s free tier limits you to 3 routines. For casual lifters running a simple 3-day program, that is enough. For anyone running multiple mesocycles, A/B splits, or specialized blocks, you hit the ceiling fast. Strong Pro costs $9.99/month or $29.99/year — reasonable for a tool you use daily, but the cost exists where Hevy’s does not.

Social Features

Hevy has a social feed where you can follow other lifters, see their workouts, and share your own. It is not Instagram — it is more like a training log that other serious people can browse. For athletes who train with friends or want occasional accountability, this is a meaningful differentiator. You can follow people whose programs you respect and see exactly how they are training.

Strong has no social layer. Workouts are private. There is nothing to follow and nothing to share. If you train alone and find social features distracting, this is a feature. If you want even light accountability from a training network, Strong gives you nothing.

Program Templates and Routines

Both apps let you create custom routines and save them as templates. Strong’s routine builder is fast and intuitive. Hevy’s is slightly more visual and includes a growing library of community programs — popular training templates shared by other users that you can import directly into your own routine library.

For lifters following established programs (5/3/1, GZCLP, PHUL, PPL), Hevy’s community template library is a genuine time-saver. Strong requires you to build everything manually or import from the web. Neither is a dealbreaker, but Hevy’s approach is more welcoming for lifters who want to start with a validated program rather than build from scratch.

Analytics and Progress Tracking

Both apps track PRs automatically, show volume over time, and display body weight trends. Strong’s charts are slightly more polished and the PR notification — a brief animation when you beat a personal record — is a small but motivating touch that Hevy does not replicate as well.

Neither app provides the kind of advanced volume analytics — weekly sets per muscle group, progressive overload tracking across mesocycles — that serious strength programmers want. For that level of analysis, you are supplementing either app with a spreadsheet or a more analytical tool like JEFIT. But for most intermediate lifters, both give you enough to see whether you are progressing.

Head-to-Head

The Bottom Line

If you train alone, follow a strict program, and want the fastest, most reliable logging experience possible — Strong is the better tool. Pay the $29.99/year without guilt. It earns it across hundreds of sessions.

If you want to start logging for free with no limitations, want a social element, or train with people you want to stay accountable to — Hevy is the smarter starting point. The free tier is genuinely good, and upgrading is optional rather than required.

Most serious lifters who try both end up with Strong. Most people who are building the habit of logging end up with Hevy. That split tracks with what each app is optimized for — and both are the right choice for the right person.

Related reviews: Strong App Review · Hevy App Review · Cronometer Review

Logging Speed: The Metric That Actually Matters Mid-Workout

Between sets is when you log. You have 60–120 seconds of rest, you are breathing hard, your forearm pump may be active, and the last thing you want is to navigate a slow app or hunt for an exercise. Strong has been benchmarked by users as the fastest logging experience available — the interface is built around the assumption that you are logging under time pressure and every tap should be intentional. The exercise search is fast, the set input requires minimal taps, and the rest timer fires automatically without requiring any action from you.

Hevy is fast but not as fast as Strong. The interface requires slightly more navigation between some screens. For most users, this difference is invisible. For athletes who have been using Strong for years and have the muscle memory for its specific UI patterns, switching to Hevy feels slower for the first few weeks. This is a reason to pick one and commit — the specific app matters less than the consistency of the habit.

Analytics and Progress Tracking Compared

Both apps produce performance charts — 1-rep max estimates, volume over time, personal records. Strong’s analytics are cleaner and more immediately readable. The progress chart for any exercise shows estimated 1RM trending over time, which is the most useful single metric for strength development tracking. Personal records are flagged automatically within sets. Strong’s plate calculator (enter your target weight and available plates, it calculates the exact plate configuration) is a genuinely useful training floor feature that Hevy does not have.

Hevy’s analytics are comparable but the social dimension adds a layer that Strong lacks. Your workout feed shows what exercises, weights, and volumes your followed accounts are logging. This is useful for discovering new exercises, seeing how others are programming, and getting low-friction accountability — you are more likely to train consistently when you know your training partners can see your logs. For athletes training alone who do not value the social element, this does not affect the decision. For athletes with training partners on Hevy, it creates a real accountability loop.

Program Building: Free vs Paid Features

Strong’s free tier limits you to 3 routines. This is adequate if you run a simple program (3-day full body, push-pull-legs) but becomes constraining if you run periodized training with separate phases, different deload protocols, or multiple sport-specific programs. Strong’s paid tier ($29.99/year) removes the routine limit and adds additional analytics. At $2.50/month, it is one of the cheapest productive investments you can make in your training — one PR that you attributed to better periodization pays for years of the subscription.

Hevy’s free tier has no routine limits. This is the primary reason to choose Hevy over Strong for beginners who are not yet ready to pay for logging software — you get unlimited programs with the full feature set at no cost. Hevy’s paid tier adds workout analytics insights and removes ads, but the free tier is genuinely complete for most athletes’ needs. Start with Hevy, upgrade to Strong when you have been logging consistently for 3+ months and want the speed and analytics refinements.

This guide covers the most important considerations for making the right decision. The best tool is the one you will use consistently — accuracy of data matters less than the habit of collecting and acting on it. Whether you are choosing between devices, building a tracking routine, or optimizing an existing system, start with one clear goal, pick the tool that serves it best, and give it at least eight weeks before evaluating whether it is working. Data compounds over time; the athletes who get the most from their devices are those who have been consistent the longest.

Related:best free workout tracking apps

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