StrengthLog is the best free logbook.
Stronger is the better reason to show up.
Let's be straight: StrengthLog gives away more for free than almost anyone — unlimited logging, no ads, 500+ exercises, a wall of calculators. If logging is the whole job, stay. Stronger is for the lifter who wants the log to talk back: a Strength Score, adaptive routines, and friends to beat.
Published by Stronger. We're biased — so we put the case for StrengthLog right at the top, in its own words.
This is the page where Stronger is most exposed.
StrengthLog's free tier is its whole personality, and it's a good one. So we're not going to bury it on row nineteen. Here's exactly what each app gives away — and exactly what Stronger asks you to pay for.
StrengthLog · free
~90% FREE
Their own FAQ says they give "90% away in the free version," and the people who use it back that up. Free, with no ads, you get:
- ✓ Unlimited workout logging, forever
- ✓ Custom exercises & routines
- ✓ PR tracking, rest timer, basic stats
- ✓ Plate calculator + monthly challenges
- ✓ 500+ exercises, muscle maps, goals
// if "free, unlimited, no ads" is the whole list, you already have your answer. We mean it.
Stronger · free
7-DAY TRIAL
Here's the honest part. Stronger's free tier is narrower. After a 7-day Premium trial, free access keeps the Workout Planner and Visual Guidance. The layer that makes Stronger Stronger lives behind Premium:
- ✦ Strength Score & global ranks · Premium
- ✦ Weak-point analysis by muscle · Premium
- ✦ AI & adaptive routines · Premium
- ✦ Friend challenges & leaderboards · Premium
- ✦ Full analytics & unlimited history · Premium
// you're not paying for logging. You're paying for the part that tells you if the logging worked.
So no spin: StrengthLog wins free, cleanly. The only honest question left is whether the score, the competition, and the adaptive loop are worth paying for. The rest of this page is us making that case — and telling you when the answer is "no, stay with StrengthLog."
A great logbook records.
Stronger makes it talk back.
StrengthLog stores your training beautifully and hands you the tools to read it yourself. Stronger's bet is different: turn the same sets into one Strength Score, flag the muscle that's lagging, adjust your next session, and drop your friends onto a leaderboard. StrengthLog helps you record training. Stronger is built to make you feel it moving.
Not better. Different job. If you love recording and reading it yourself, that's a real reason to stay.
// logged. filed. now you read the chart yourself.
Rank yourself in five seconds.
StrengthLog now ranks strength too (we cover that honestly below). The difference is what the number does. Drag your bench and watch a Strength Score appear — then imagine it wired into your friends, your weak points, and your next workout.
// illustrative model, men's/women's bench standards relative to bodyweight
That number is the whole point. In Stronger it updates after every session, ranks each muscle, and sits on a leaderboard with your friends — instead of being one tab you visit when you remember to.
"StrengthLog doesn't rank strength" is a lie.
For years the clean line was "StrengthLog logs, Stronger scores." Not anymore. In early 2026, StrengthLog shipped Strength Levels in v8.0 — a percentile based on your 15 most-logged lifts, ranked Beginner to Elite. So we won't pretend it isn't there. Here's the real distinction.
Strength LevelsStrength Score- Benchmarks your strength?
- Yes, since v8.0
- Yes
- Where it sits in the app
- A stats layer inside a logbook
- The core experience WIN
- Built for friend / group comparison
- Lightly
- Friends, groups, leaderboards WIN
- Tied to weak-point & progress feedback
- Less so
- Muscle balance + score over time WIN
- Honest about its own limits
- Yes — "grain of salt"
- Same — motivational, not lab-grade
Credit where it's due: StrengthLog is refreshingly honest that lifter-entered numbers are noisy and you should take rankings "with a grain of salt." That's true of both apps — neither score is a lab assessment. The case for Stronger isn't "our number is more accurate." It's that Stronger makes the number the thing you check, compare, and chase, instead of a tab you visit occasionally. See the raw standards →
Where StrengthLog genuinely beats us
StrengthLog isn't a flimsy logger with a nice App Store page. It's a Swedish, lifter-built product with a content machine behind it. Here's exactly what it does better — no asterisks.
The free tier is the brand
Unlimited logging, custom routines, PR tracking, a plate calculator, monthly challenges — free, no ads. StrengthLog says it gives "90%" away, and its users defend that fiercely. If free-forever logging is your one requirement, this is the row that ends the conversation, and we won't pretend otherwise.
The calculator toolbox is deeper
Plate calculator, 1RM, warm-up sets, IPF/Wilks, Sinclair, supersets, circuits, AMRAP/EMOM, %1RM/RPE/RIR program building. Boring utility that works under the bar. Stronger's free web tools are growing — the RPE calculator is genuinely good — but StrengthLog's in-app kit is deeper today.
A bigger library, on paper
StrengthLog lists 450+ exercises on its site and 500+ on the stores, plus 200+ proven written programs — powerlifting, bodybuilding, powerbuilding, general strength. Stronger ships 400+ exercises. If raw catalog size decides it for you, StrengthLog has the edge.
Real lifter credibility
StrengthLog grew out of Styrkelabbet, a Swedish strength-content brand that started blogging in 2011. App plus podcast plus a visible team with powerlifting and coaching backgrounds. Users feel it — it reads as built by training nerds who publish constantly. We're not going to claim we're "more evidence-based." That's their turf.
The watch & web story is cleaner
StrengthLog's listings show iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Wear OS, Health Connect, and a web app some users call a "massive selling point." Stronger should not pick this fight: our features page claims Apple Watch, our App Store listing reads iPhone-first, and that gap is real. If watch-first or web logging is central, StrengthLog wins.
No ads, no nagging paywall
"Premium exists, but the app doesn't feel super restrictive, no obnoxious ads," is how its users describe it. The free experience never holds your own data hostage. Stronger's paywall is heavier — and the only defense for that is whether the Premium layer is worth it. That's the bet this whole page is making.
The honest row-by-row.
No fake table where Stronger sweeps every row. StrengthLog takes the ones about price, free value, tools, and platforms. Stronger takes the ones about scoring, competition, and adaptive guidance. One of those columns is the reason you're reading this.
StrengthLogStronger- Unlimited free logging, no ads
- ✓ the whole brand WIN
- 7-day trial, then limited
- Fast logging, PRs, RPE, rest timer
- ✓ mature
- ✓ + Quick Log
- Plate calc, Wilks/Sinclair, %1RM tools
- ✓ deep toolbox WIN
- Growing web tools
- Exercise library
- 450–500+ WIN
- 400+
- Strength benchmark
- Strength Levels (percentile, 15 lifts)
- Strength Score · core feature WIN
- Friend groups, leaderboards, head-to-head
- Monthly challenges + sharing
- Built around it WIN
- Weak-point analysis, by muscle
- Muscle charts you read
- Ranked & flagged WIN
- Proven written program library
- 200+ programs WIN
- Proven + custom routines
- AI-generated routines
- Not the pitch
- Major feature WIN
- Adaptive progression on your routine
- %1RM / RPE tools (premium)
- Auto-adjusts weight, sets, reps WIN
- Apple Watch · Wear OS · web app
- All three, on the listings WIN
- iPhone + Android · Watch is fuzzy
- Health sync
- Health Connect + Apple Health
- Apple Health + Health Connect
- Data import from another app
- ✗ none (CSV export only)
- ✗ treat as a fresh start
- Premium price · monthly / yearly
- $16.90 / $109
- ~$9.99 / ~$39.99 WIN
Read the tally honestly. StrengthLog wins the rows about free value, tools, and platforms. Stronger wins the rows about whether your training pushes you to come back. Which column is your reason to lift?
Its own users wrote our pitch.
We read the App Store, Google Play, and r/strengthlog — praise and complaints, because both are true. The people looking for a StrengthLog alternative rarely think it logs poorly. They're overwhelmed, or stalled, or quietly bolting an LLM onto it.
"Add friends and leaderboards — let me compare stats with friends."
"I don't want a social feed — but I do want friends, sharing, leaderboards, and accountability."
"I copy my StrengthLog export into ChatGPT after each session to get programming feedback."
"It's become messy and convoluted. I'm looking for a more simplistic app."
"When the progressive-overload weights didn't carry into the next workout, the whole point of logging felt pointless."
"Most features are free. The free access is NOT so limited."
Notice the pattern. Almost none of it is "StrengthLog logs badly." It's the same lifter a few months in, wanting a reason to push the next set that a logbook alone can't give. That's the exact gap Stronger was built for. And the last card is true too — if that's all you want, stay.
It ranks every muscle, then points.
StrengthLog can show you a chart and let you draw your own conclusion. Stronger ranks each muscle group against global standards, surfaces the one holding the rest back, and puts a target on it — then its progressive-overload engine adjusts your next session. A chart you interpret versus a coach that points.
Most lifters know what to do.
They need a reason to keep showing up.
Shareable progress cards, badges, streaks, weak-point feedback, group challenges, "lift the weight of the Statue of Liberty" milestones. Some powerlifters will call that unserious — and if you're one of them, StrengthLog's calmer feel is genuinely a better fit. For the right lifter it isn't fluff; it's the retention layer a quiet logbook never had.
Important caveat, in StrengthLog users' own words: this is private, opt-in competition — friends and leaderboards — not "Instagram for lifting." If feeds feel like noise to you, that's a reason to stay with StrengthLog, not switch.
StrengthLog is cheaper at $0.
Stronger is cheaper once you pay.
Both can be true. As a logbook, StrengthLog costs $0 forever and that's hard to beat. But if you're about to pay for the depth layer, the numbers flip — StrengthLog Premium is the pricier ticket.
StrengthLog
free is the headline- LoggingUnlimited
- AdsNone
- Exercises500+
- Premium unlocksDepth layer
14-day trial currently promoted. Prices vary by country — Canada runs ~CA$21.90/mo, India ~₹599/mo. Check your store.
Stronger
7-DAY FREE TRIAL- ✦A Strength Score & global ranks
- ✦Weak-point analysis
- ✦Adaptive progression on your routine
- ✦Ranked friend challenges
Our annual price isn't perfectly normalized across surfaces yet — older copy quoted $59.99. We'll own that. Take the in-app plan screen as the real one.
The verdict in one line: if you only need a free training diary, StrengthLog is the better deal, full stop. If you're paying for a premium gym app either way, Stronger's annual price is the cheaper ticket — for a different product, not the same features for less.
There is no clean one-click import.
Your training log is your memory, so we won't lie about this. StrengthLog has a CSV export but no public API and no import flow — its own team confirms there's no way to pull history in, and Stronger has no confirmed StrengthLog importer either. Pretending switching is painless is exactly the overselling this page avoids.
- 01Keep StrengthLog as your historical archive. Export the CSV for a backup.
- 02Log your next two normal workouts in Stronger. See if Quick Log feels faster.
- 03Watch whether the Strength Score makes your progress clearer.
- 04Try one AI / adaptive routine. Add one friend or group if accountability is the missing piece.
If after a week you only miss StrengthLog's free logging, program library, or watch support — stay with StrengthLog. We mean that. If the Score, the routines, or the friend challenges changed how you trained, you've found your answer.
One wrinkle for both apps: subscriptions are tied to your Apple ID or Google account and don't transfer between iOS and Android.
Questions a StrengthLog user asks
Is Stronger better than StrengthLog?
Not universally, and any page that says so is selling you something. StrengthLog is better for free, ad-free logging, calculators, and a proven program library. Stronger is better if you want a central Strength Score, adaptive routines, and friend competition. Different jobs.
Is Stronger free like StrengthLog?
No — and this is the most important honest point on the page. StrengthLog's free tier is more generous: unlimited logging with no ads. Stronger has a 7-day Premium trial, after which free access is limited to the Workout Planner and Visual Guidance, with the Strength Score, full analytics, AI routines, and unlimited history behind Premium. If free-forever logging is your priority, StrengthLog wins.
What's the difference between StrengthLog Strength Levels and the Stronger Strength Score?
StrengthLog's Strength Levels (added in v8.0, 2026) are a percentile stat based on your 15 most-logged lifts, sitting inside a logbook. Stronger's Strength Score is the core of the app — one number wired into friend comparison, weak-point feedback, leaderboards, and challenges. Both rely on the numbers you enter yourself, so both are motivational benchmarks rather than lab measurements.
Does Stronger have Apple Watch support?
This is genuinely unresolved, and we won't bluff. Stronger's features page claims Apple Watch support, but its App Store listing currently reads "only for iPhone." StrengthLog's watch and Wear OS support is clearer and shows right on its store listings (though some users report sync bugs). If watch logging is central to you, StrengthLog has the cleaner story today.
Does Stronger import my StrengthLog data?
There's no confirmed one-click import. StrengthLog offers a CSV export but no API or import flow of its own. Treat a move to Stronger as a fresh training block, not a perfect historical migration. Keep StrengthLog as your archive.
Which app is better for competing with friends?
Stronger, clearly. Friend groups, challenges, and leaderboards are its core. StrengthLog has monthly challenges and sharing but no real friend-competition loop. Its own users keep asking for exactly this — friends and leaderboards — which is the cleanest signal of who should switch.
Should I switch if I only need workout logging?
Probably not. StrengthLog is excellent for free workout logging. Stronger makes more sense if you want AI/adaptive routines, a Strength Score, friend challenges, and more motivation out of your training data — not if logging is the entire job. If you mainly want minimalist logging, also look at Strong, RepCount, or FitNotes.
Before I pay for StrengthLog Premium, is Stronger worth a look?
Yes — this is the cleanest reason to compare. StrengthLog's free tier is great, but its Premium runs $16.90/month or $109/year in the US. If you're about to pay for depth, Stronger's premium is cheaper and buys a different kind of value: motivation, scoring, and adaptive guidance rather than deeper stats and more programs. Try Stronger's trial first and see which one actually changes your training.
Keep the logbook you love.
Add the part that pushes you.
Don't migrate everything. Start your next training block in Stronger, log a few workouts, watch your Strength Score, add a friend. If the only thing you miss is StrengthLog's free logging, you'll know — and we'll have been honest the whole way.
Prefer to keep researching? Read our best workout tracker apps breakdown or explore every feature in detail.
Stronger vs everything else
- vs HevySocial tracker→
- vs StrongMinimalist logger→
- vs FitbodAI auto-programming→
- vs JEFITExercise database→
- vs BoostcampProgram library→
- vs CaliberCoaching app→
- vs RepCountNo-bloat logger→
- vs StravaSocial-proof layer→
- vs LiftoffGamified ranking→