Hevy vs. Strong (2026): Which Workout Log to Pick, and What Neither One Does
Hevy vs Strong compared on price, free limits, and features, plus the one thing neither workout log does: get you to the gym on the days you'd rather skip.
Hevy vs Strong is the oldest argument in gym apps, and the honest answer is that both are good. They're the two best-rated workout logs on the App Store, both sit at 4.9 stars with around a hundred thousand ratings each, and either one will record your sets faster than a notebook ever could. So the real question isn't which one is "best." It's which one fits the way you train, and whether a better log is even the thing you're missing.
Here's the quick version. Pick Hevy if you want the most generous free plan, the cheapest upgrade, and a social feed of friends' workouts. Pick Strong if you want the cleanest, fastest logger with no feed at all. And if your real problem is that weeks go by without anything to log, skip to the part about what neither app does.
Hevy vs. Strong at a glance
| Hevy | Strong | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 4 routines, 7 custom exercises, 3 months of history | Unlimited workouts, 3 custom routines |
| Paid plan | Pro: $2.99/month, $23.99/year, or $74.99 lifetime | PRO: $4.99/month, $19.99 for 6 months, yearly and lifetime tiers |
| Social feed | Yes: follow friends, copy their routines | None |
| Rest timer | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Watch | Yes | Yes (watch app is part of PRO) |
| Apple Health | Exports workouts | Part of PRO |
| Plate calculator | Built in | Part of PRO |
| Makes you show up? | No | No |
Prices are from each app's App Store listing and help pages in September 2026. The App Store lists more than one price for some tiers (Hevy shows a $3.99 monthly option too, and Strong's yearly and Forever unlocks show two prices each), so check what you're offered before you pay.
Where Hevy wins
The free plan goes further. Hevy's free tier gives you four routines, seven custom exercises, and three months of history, per its own help center. That's enough to run a real program for a long time before you pay anything. Strong's free plan logs unlimited workouts, which is great, but caps you at three custom routines.
The upgrade is cheaper. Hevy Pro is $2.99 a month or $23.99 a year on the App Store, with a $74.99 lifetime option. Pro unlocks unlimited routines, custom exercises, and history, plus set counts per muscle group, a warm-up calculator, and Hevy's Trainer feature.
It's social. You can follow friends, see their sessions, and copy their routines. If a little public pressure keeps you honest, that feed is a real feature, not fluff. The psychology behind why it works is in the psychology of social accountability.
Where Strong wins
It's quiet. Strong has no feed. You open it, you log, you close it. For people who find social fitness apps exhausting, that's the whole appeal, and it's why so many lifters have used it for years.
Logging is never paywalled. Strong's free version saves unlimited workouts. The limit is on custom routines, not on how much you can train.
PRO is a one-time option too. Strong PRO runs $4.99 a month or $19.99 for six months, with yearly and one-time Forever unlocks. PRO adds unlimited routines, the Apple Watch app, Apple Health sync, the plate calculator, advanced stats, and data export.
What both get right
Both apps nail the core loop: pick the workout, log weight and reps, let the rest timer run, and watch personal records pile up. Both show you what you lifted last time, which is the single most useful number in the gym, because it's how you know what to beat. If you want to understand why that number matters so much, read how to track progressive overload.
Honestly, if you already train three times a week without fail, you'll be happy with either one. Flip a coin, or pick the one whose free plan fits your routine count.
The part neither one does
Here's what no workout log can fix: it only works when you open it.
Hevy and Strong are record keepers. They are excellent at the moment you're standing in the gym with a bar in your hands. They do nothing at 6:40 p.m. on a Wednesday, when you're on the couch deciding that you'll go tomorrow. A log waits for you. It never comes looking.
And that's where most training plans actually die. Not from bad programming or a clunky app, but from the sessions that never happen. You can't overload a workout you skipped. A perfect log of two workouts a month is still two workouts a month. That's the same trap we wrote about in the best gym attendance and streak tracker apps: recording that you went is not the same as making yourself go.
Where Gym Bully AI fits
Gym Bully AI starts from the other end. Its main job is getting you to the gym: on the days you pick, an AI bully texts you, and the texts get meaner until you tap DONE or check in at the gym with a location check or a gym photo. There's an optional penalty too, Take My Lunch Money, where a skipped day with no check-in costs you an amount you choose.
Once you're there, it has its own workout log, and it's a good one:
- A starting plan if you need one. It can generate a split for your training days and a ready-made workout for a focus like push, pull, legs, or full body. Edit anything.
- Fast set logging. Weight and reps for lifts, a stopwatch for runs, planks, and carries. The rest timer starts on its own after each set, and your numbers from last time sit right there.
- PRs with commentary. Beat a record and your bully notices ("PR logged. No take-backs.").
- Charts per exercise. Top weight, top reps, total volume, and an estimated one-rep max.
- A plate calculator built in. Tap the plates on one side and the total drops into your set. There's a free web version too.
- Apple Health both ways. Finished sessions export with their real activity type, and workouts from your Watch or other apps show up in your history.
What it doesn't have: no social feed, no exercise demo videos, and it won't adjust your weights week to week the way an adaptive planner does. It's iPhone only. And it costs more than either logger: $59.99 a year (the first week is free), $9.99 a month, or $129.99 once for lifetime, because the log comes attached to the bullies, the check-ins, AI food tracking, and the rest of the app.
So here's the honest pitch. If you already show up, you don't need us: get Hevy or Strong and enjoy it. If you keep downloading loggers and they keep ending up empty, the logger was never the problem.
Can you use them together?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Keep logging in Hevy or Strong if you love it, and use Gym Bully AI only for the showing-up part. The check-in doesn't need you to log a single set in our app. If your logger writes to Apple Health (Hevy does, and Strong does with PRO), those sessions land in your Gym Bully AI history too.
Which should you pick?
- You want the best free plan: Hevy.
- You want no social feed, ever: Strong.
- You want the cheapest paid upgrade: Hevy Pro.
- You want a one-time purchase and a quiet logger: Strong's Forever unlock.
- You keep skipping, no matter which logger you use: Gym Bully AI, with or without one of the others.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hevy better than Strong? Neither is better across the board. Hevy has the more generous free plan, the cheaper upgrade, and a social feed. Strong is simpler, has no feed, and never limits how many workouts you log. Both are rated 4.9 on the App Store.
Is Hevy free? Yes, with limits. The free plan allows 4 routines, 7 custom exercises, and 3 months of history. Hevy Pro removes the limits for $2.99 a month, $23.99 a year, or $74.99 once.
Is Strong free? Yes. The free version logs unlimited workouts but limits you to 3 custom routines. Strong PRO adds unlimited routines, the Apple Watch app, Apple Health sync, and the plate calculator.
Does Gym Bully AI replace Hevy or Strong? It can, if all you need is a solid log with PRs, charts, a rest timer, and a plate calculator. It doesn't have a social feed or exercise videos. Its real job is the one those apps skip: making sure you show up.
What's a good Hevy or Strong alternative if I keep skipping workouts? An accountability app, not another logger. Gym Bully AI texts you on your workout days until you go, and you can verify it with a gym check-in. See the best gym accountability apps for the whole field.
The takeaway
Hevy and Strong are both great at recording the workout you did. Choose Hevy for the free plan and the feed, Strong for the quiet. But if the problem is the workouts you don't do, no log will fix it. That takes something that comes after you. Get the app, take the free week, and give your logger something to record.