If you lift on iPhone and want unlimited routines without paying, Phyziq is the better fit: it is completely free, with no in-app purchases, and it can build a routine from a photo of your program. If you want to log from an Apple Watch, you use Android, or you want an app with a 15-year track record, Strong is the better pick. Strong's free tier limits you to 3 routines, and Strong PRO costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year on the US App Store.
Every Strong detail below comes from Strong's App Store page, its website and its help center, checked on September 26, 2026.
Phyziq vs Strong: the short answer
Both apps do the core job well: fast set-by-set logging with a rest timer, history and personal records. The difference is what each one charges for and where it runs. Strong is the established choice. It has been on the App Store since 2011, holds 4.9 stars from about 109,000 US ratings, and runs on iPhone, Apple Watch and Android. Phyziq is newer and smaller (5.0 stars from 5 US ratings), runs on iPhone only, and gives you everything, including AI planning tools, for free.
| Phyziq | Strong | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no in-app purchases | Free; Strong PRO $4.99/month or $29.99/year (lifetime listed at $99.99) |
| Free routine limit | None | 3 routine templates (unlimited workouts) |
| Charts and body measurements | Included free | All charts and body part measurements need PRO |
| RPE and set types | Yes | Yes (warm-up, failure, drop sets) |
| Build a routine from a photo | Yes, AI Routine Import | Not listed |
| AI program generator | Yes | Not listed |
| Apple Watch app | No (reads heart rate from Watch or AirPods via Apple Health) | Yes, logs with or without your iPhone |
| Android | No | Yes |
| Plate and warm-up calculators | No | Yes (PRO) |
| Moving your data | Import from Hevy; backup and restore; Apple Health | CSV export; cloud sync; Apple Health |
| On the App Store since | 2024 | 2011 |
| US App Store rating | 5.0 from 5 ratings | 4.9 from about 109,000 ratings |
What do Phyziq and Strong have in common?
Both log a workout set by set with weight and reps, run a rest timer between sets, keep a full history, track personal records, and let you save routines so you don't rebuild the same session every week. Both track RPE and let you tag sets as warm-ups, drop sets or failure sets. Both connect to Apple Health, and both show a muscle heat map. If all you need is a clean log, either app will do the job.
How do the price and free tier compare?
Phyziq costs nothing and has nothing to buy. Strong is free to download and, in its own words, you will always be able to use the free version to track your workouts. The limit is routines: the free version saves up to 3 workout templates. Strong PRO unlocks unlimited templates, all charts, body part measurements, the plate and warm-up calculators, and custom icons and themes.
On the US App Store, Strong's description lists PRO at $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. The in-app purchase list also shows a 6-month plan at $19.99 and a lifetime "Strong PRO Forever" at $99.99. If you run a push/pull/legs split plus a deload or a second block, you will pass 3 routines quickly, so that limit is the main practical difference for free users.
What can Phyziq do that Strong can't?
Based on Strong's App Store page and website, two things: build a routine from a photo, and generate a whole program with AI. Phyziq also gives away the charts and measurements that Strong puts behind PRO.
AI Routine Import from a photo
If your program lives in a coach's PDF, a screenshot, a whiteboard or a notebook, you take a photo and Phyziq pulls the exercises into a ready-to-use routine. I built this because typing in a new program, exercise by exercise, is the most tedious part of starting a block or switching apps.
AI program generator
Phyziq can build a multi-week program from your goals, experience level, available equipment and the muscle groups you want to focus on. If you are not sure how to structure a plan, you get a real starting point instead of a blank screen.
Progress tools included
Charts, personal records, muscle heat maps, progress photos, body measurements and a 340-plus exercise library are all part of the free app. I cover all of it in the full Phyziq gym log review, and the Phyziq app page has the complete feature list.
Where Strong wins
- Apple Watch. Strong has a full Watch app, so you can log sets with your phone in a locker. Phyziq has no Watch app; it can only read heart rate from a Watch or AirPods through Apple Health.
- Android. Strong is also on Google Play. Phyziq is iPhone-only.
- Track record. Strong has been updated since 2011 and has about 109,000 US ratings. Phyziq is a one-developer app with 5 ratings. If longevity matters to you, that gap is real.
- Gym-floor extras. Supersets, a plate calculator, a warm-up calculator, and (since its August 2026 update) a rest timer in Live Activities and the Dynamic Island.
- Languages. Strong is available in 11 languages.
- Data export. Strong exports your full history to CSV, per its help center.
Who should pick which?
Choose Strong if you want to log from an Apple Watch, you train with friends on Android, you already have years of Strong history, or you want the app with the longest track record and are happy with 3 routines or a PRO subscription.
Choose Phyziq if you log on your iPhone, you want unlimited routines, charts and measurements without paying, or you want AI to import your program from a photo or build one for you.
Switching from Strong to Phyziq
I want to be straight about this: Phyziq can't import Strong data today. Its importer supports Hevy. What you can do is export your Strong history to CSV so you keep a copy, then screenshot each Strong routine and run it through AI Routine Import. Your routines come across in a few minutes; your past workout history stays in Strong and the CSV.
The bottom line
Strong is a proven, polished gym log, and its Apple Watch app and Android support are real advantages. Phyziq is the better fit if you log on iPhone and don't want to pay for routines, charts or measurements, and if you'd like AI to handle program setup. Whichever you choose, the log only helps if you use it to add weight or reps over time; I wrote about that in why you're not seeing gym gains.
Frequently asked questions
Is Phyziq a good Strong alternative?
Yes, if you lift on iPhone and don't need an Apple Watch app. Phyziq covers the same logging basics as Strong (sets, reps, weight, RPE, set types, rest timer, history, personal records), has no routine limit and nothing to buy, and adds AI routine import from a photo and an AI program generator. If you log from your wrist or use Android, Strong is the better fit.
How much does Phyziq cost compared to Strong?
Phyziq is completely free, with no in-app purchases. Strong is free to download and log workouts, but the free version is limited to 3 routine templates. Strong PRO costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year on the US App Store, and a lifetime option is listed at $99.99 (September 2026).
What can Phyziq do that Strong cannot?
Going by Strong's own App Store page and website (September 2026), two things: Phyziq can turn a photo or screenshot of a written workout into a routine, and it can generate a multi-week program from your goals, experience and equipment. It also includes unlimited routines, all charts and body measurements for free, which Strong reserves for Strong PRO. Both apps track RPE and set types.
Can I move my workouts from Strong to Phyziq?
Not directly. Phyziq doesn't import Strong data today; its importer supports Hevy. Strong lets you export your workout history as a CSV file, so you can keep a copy of your records. To bring your routines over, take a screenshot of each Strong routine and use Phyziq's AI Routine Import to rebuild it in seconds.
First published . Updated September 26, 2026: checked every Strong price and feature against its App Store page and help center, corrected features Strong also has (RPE, set types, heat map), added where Strong wins, and answered the Strong import question honestly.
