Strong app alternative
A Strong app alternative with no routine cap.
Strong’s free version saves only three routines and asks you to sign up first. Arclift’s free plan has unlimited templates, needs no account and imports your Strong history. And Arclift Pro costs less than Strong PRO on every plan.
Best Strong app alternatives in 2026
Strong is a fast, no-nonsense logbook, and most people who leave it want the same speed with more room on the free plan, or more help deciding what to lift. Here’s how Arclift compares, with the rows Strong wins left in.
| Feature | Arclift | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Free forever, no trial clock | Yes. Free forever |
| Workouts you can log for free | Yes. Unlimited | Yes. Unlimited |
| Routines on the free plan | Yes. Unlimited templates | Partly. Up to 3 |
| Progress charts on the free plan | Partly. This week’s totals; charts and PRs need Pro | Partly. Some; the full set of charts needs PRO |
| Pro price | $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $49.99 once | $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year; lifetime listed at $79.99 and $99.99 |
| Works without an account | Yes. No sign-up; your data stays in your iCloud | Partly. Asks every user to sign up; without one, nothing reaches its cloud |
| Platforms | iPhone | iPhone, Android and Apple Watch |
| Apple Watch app | No. A Lock Screen Live Activity logs sets instead | Yes. Logs workouts with or without your iPhone |
| Next-session targets | Yes. Progression coach on your own routine: weights, plateaus and deloads, with reasons (Pro) | Not among Strong’s listed features |
| Recovery tracking | Yes. Recovery map with live decay and 7-day load per muscle (Pro) | Not among Strong’s listed features; body part measurements with PRO |
| Set types | Warmup and drop sets, kept out of progression targets | Warm-up, failure and drop sets, plus supersets |
| Plate and warm-up calculators | No | Partly. With Strong PRO |
| Export your data as CSV | No | Yes. All data, to Notes or email |
| Apple Health | Yes. Writes workouts; reads body weight, heart rate and sleep | Yes. Supported, including body measurements |
Strong facts checked on against Strong’s App Store listing, strong.app and Strong’s help center. Prices are US prices; yours may differ.
Why lifters switch
What you get by moving to Arclift.
Four changes you feel in the first week. The progression coach is part of Arclift Pro; the other three are free.
Routines without a cap
Strong’s free version keeps three custom routines and asks for Strong PRO beyond that. Arclift keeps every template you build for free, along with unlimited custom exercises with your own photos and target muscles, unlimited workouts and your full history. There’s no trial clock and no limit to grow into.
How templates workYour Strong history comes with you
Arclift reads the CSV file Strong exports and turns it into finished workouts, with every exercise, set, weight and rep. Exercise names are matched to Arclift’s library, and if the export doesn’t say whether weights are in kilograms or pounds, you pick the unit before anything is saved.
Know what to lift next time
Strong records your sets and charts your progress, and the next weight is your call. Arclift’s progression coach reads your history, sets the weight and reps for your next session, flags plateaus, calls deloads and explains each decision. After a night of poor sleep or low HRV, targets hold steady instead of climbing.
See the progression coachStart lifting without signing up
Strong asks every user to create an account before they start, so its cloud can hold your workouts. Arclift has no accounts at all: no email, no password, no login screen. Your training stays on your iPhone and in your own iCloud account, where we can’t read it.
What’s free and what’s Pro
Move your Strong history in a few minutes.
Arclift reads the CSV file Strong exports and shows you what will come in before it saves anything.
- In Strong, open Profile and tap the gear icon for Settings.
- Tap Export Workouts (on Android, Export Data). If Strong offers to include workout notes, turn that on, then save the file to Files.
- In Arclift, open Settings, choose Import from Hevy or Strong, and pick that file.
- If Arclift asks whether the weights are in kilograms or pounds, choose the unit you logged in. Check the preview, then import.
Honest tradeoffs
Where Strong still wins.
Strong has been refining one idea since 2011. If any of these matter most to you, it’s the better app.
- A real Apple Watch app, and Android
- Strong’s Apple Watch app logs whole workouts with or without your iPhone, and Strong also runs on Android, syncing through its cloud. Arclift is iPhone only and has no Watch app; a Lock Screen Live Activity is how it handles logging mid-set.
- Body measurements and progress photos
- Strong tracks body part measurements with PRO and lets you add notes and progress pictures to your workouts. Arclift reads your body weight from Apple Health and stops there, with no tape-measure log and no progress photos, so if you follow your physique closely, Strong covers more.
- Calculators, supersets and CSV export
- Strong has a plate calculator and a warm-up calculator (both with PRO), supersets, failure sets, and a CSV export of all your data to Notes or email. Arclift has none of these today: no supersets, no built-in calculators and no export file.
- Simple by design, for fifteen years
- Strong launched in 2011 and more than 3 million people use it. It does one job, recording workouts, and stays out of the way. If you never want suggestions, a recovery map or readiness-aware targets, Strong’s plainness is a feature rather than a gap.
Questions about switching from Strong
Is Strong free?
Yes, with limits. Strong’s free version saves unlimited workouts but only three custom routines, and the full set of charts, the plate and warm-up calculators and body part measurements need Strong PRO, which costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US, according to Strong’s App Store listing.
How much does Strong PRO cost?
Strong’s App Store listing puts Strong PRO at $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US, and the App Store also lists lifetime purchases, called Strong PRO Forever, at $79.99 and $99.99. Strong says prices vary between regions, so the purchase screen on your phone has the final number.
Is Strong PRO worth it?
If you need Strong’s Apple Watch app, Android support or more than three routines inside Strong, PRO is fairly priced at $29.99 a year. If unlimited routines are the main reason to pay, Arclift’s free plan already has them, and Arclift Pro, at $19.99 a year, is for the statistics, recovery map and progression coach rather than for more routines.
Can I move my workouts from Strong to Arclift?
Yes, for free. In Strong, open Settings and tap Export Workouts to save a CSV file. Then choose Settings, Import from Hevy or Strong in Arclift and pick the file. If the export doesn’t say whether weights are kilograms or pounds, Arclift asks before it imports your past sessions as finished workouts.
Is Arclift free?
Yes. Arclift is free to download, and logging, unlimited templates and custom exercises, your full history, iCloud sync, Apple Health and share cards stay free with no account. Arclift Pro is optional and adds the statistics, recovery map and progression coach for $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $49.99 once.
Does Arclift have an Apple Watch app like Strong?
No. Arclift runs on iPhone only, with no Apple Watch or Android version. While you train, a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island shows the set you’re on and the rest that’s left, with buttons that log the next set without opening the app.
More comparisons
- Hevy vs Strong
Free-plan limits, Pro prices, Apple Watch apps and social features side by side, with a verdict on which to pick.
- Fitbod alternatives
Fitbod needs a subscription to keep logging after its trial. How Arclift compares, where Fitbod is still the better pick, and what each one costs.
- Hevy alternatives
Hevy’s free plan caps routines at four. How Arclift compares, what Hevy still does better, and how to bring your history across.
- JEFIT alternatives
JEFIT has a huge exercise library and a community; Arclift is a simpler iPhone log with a cheaper coach. How they compare, and where JEFIT is still the better pick.
Use cases
- Bodybuilding
Weekly sets per muscle on a body map, recovery you can read, drop sets that don’t skew your targets, and double progression set for you.
- No subscription
Logging, templates and history free for good, with no account and no ads, and a one-time option for Pro. Plus what other trackers charge.
- Progressive overload
Pick a progression rule per exercise and get the next weight and reps for every set, with plateaus and deloads called for you.
Free tools
- RPE calculator
Estimate your one-rep max from any set, find the weight for a target RPE, and read the full RPE chart.
- Plate calculator
Enter a target weight and get the plates for each side of the bar, in kg or lb, with only the plates you have.
- One-rep max calculator
Estimate your 1RM from any set with Epley and six other formulas, and get your working weights from 50 to 100%.
- Warm-up calculator
Enter your working weight and get warm-up sets that ramp up to it, with the reps and the plates for each side.
- Workout log template
A free spreadsheet for Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers, one row per set, plus a printable PDF log.
- DOTS calculator
Score your powerlifting total with DOTS, Wilks and IPF GL points, for men or women, classic or equipped.
Guides
- Deload week: when to take one and how to run it
What a deload is, how to tell you need one, three ways to run it with sample weeks, and what the research actually shows.
- Push pull legs: a complete routine and how to run it
A complete push pull legs routine for three or six days a week, with sets, reps, rest, weekly volume per muscle and a rule for progressing it.
- How long should you rest between sets?
Rest times for building muscle, strength and endurance, by goal and by lift, what the studies found, and how to fit longer rests into a short session.
- How many sets per muscle group per week?
Weekly sets for building muscle, by experience and by muscle group, how to count compound lifts, and when to add or cut volume.
- Upper lower split: a complete 4-day routine
A complete four-day upper lower routine with sets, reps and rest, a beginner version, weekly volume per muscle and how it compares with other splits.
Bring your Strong log and keep lifting.
Arclift is free on iPhone, with unlimited templates and no sign-up. Import your Strong workouts and your next session starts with your whole history already there.
See what’s free and what Pro costs