Choose Hevy for Community or Strong for a Quiet Logbook
Choose Hevy if you want a capable free workout tracker, social accountability, web access, and the option to import your Strong history. Choose Strong if you already have a program and want a focused logbook without a social feed.
Both record sets, reps, weight, rest, RPE, routines, personal records, and progress. Neither app is automatically better at building your program or managing your nutrition. Pick the workflow you will still use when the gym is busy and you are tired.
Hevy vs Strong at a Glance
| Decision | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want to follow friends and share workouts | Hevy | Social profiles, feeds, comments, routine sharing, and leaderboards are core features |
| You want a private, focused lifting log | Strong | The product is built around templates, workout entry, history, and charts |
| You want more saved routines for free | Hevy | Hevy documents four free routines; Strong documents three free templates |
| You want longer free chart history | Strong | Strong says workout data remains available on free accounts; Hevy limits free graphs to three months |
| You train from a browser | Hevy | Hevy supports routine planning and progress review on the web |
| You use Wear OS | Hevy | Hevy supports Wear OS; Strong's official site lists Apple Watch but not Wear OS |
| You want to move from Strong to Hevy | Hevy | Hevy has a direct Strong CSV importer |
| You need calories, macros, and workout planning together | Neither | Both remain workout-first products |
These are product-fit conclusions from current official documentation, not a hands-on speed test.
Compare the Exact Workout Loop
The useful comparison is not which feature list is longer. It is what happens from planning a session to deciding what to do next.
1. Build the routine
Strong's template guide says free users can create up to three workout templates. You can also start an empty workout and save a completed session as a template. Strong PRO unlocks unlimited templates.
Hevy's current feature guide documents four free routines, unlimited routines with Pro, premade plans, and a routine library. Hevy also lets you copy routines shared by other athletes.
Choose Strong if you already know your split and three templates cover it. Choose Hevy if four routines, premade options, or shared routines remove planning friction.
2. Log the workout
Both apps cover the basics well: sets, reps, weight, previous performance, rest timers, notes, supersets, and special set types.
Strong's current official listing includes warm-up, failure, and drop sets, grouped exercises, an automatic rest timer, RPE, and Apple Watch logging. Hevy's official feature list includes previous workout values, RPE, supersets, warm-up and drop sets, timers, plate loading, live personal-record notifications, and phone or watch logging.
There is no honest universal winner for entry speed without testing both on the same device and routine. Button placement, watch use, exercise naming, and how often you need custom movements will change the result.
3. Review progress
Strong focuses on exercise graphs, personal records, one-rep-max estimates, total volume, body measurements, and workout history. Its PRO documentation reserves all charts, body-part measurements, plate loading, and warm-up calculations for paid users, while stating that free users keep access to their workout data.
Hevy adds exercise charts, records, volume, muscle distribution, training frequency, monthly reports, measurements, progress photos, and a social layer. Free users can view up to three months of graphs; Pro unlocks all-time history and additional statistics.
Choose Strong if a durable personal log and exercise-by-exercise history are enough. Choose Hevy if muscle-distribution views, reports, photos, or training with friends will change your next decision.
4. Export or switch
Do not trap years of training in an app you cannot leave.
Strong lets you export workout data as CSV, but its help page says that CSV cannot be imported back into Strong. Hevy can import a Strong CSV and export workouts or measurements. Hevy notes that the direct Strong export must be in English and that the import is a one-time operation.
That makes the Strong-to-Hevy path unusually practical. The reverse path is not equivalent based on the official documentation reviewed.
Free vs Paid: What Changes the Decision
Both apps let you log workouts without paying. The meaningful limits are routine count, history depth, custom exercises, and advanced tools.
| Capability | Strong free | Strong PRO | Hevy free | Hevy Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workout logging | Unlimited workouts | Included | Included | Included |
| Saved routines/templates | 3 | Unlimited | 4 | Unlimited |
| Chart history | Workout data remains available; advanced charts are paid | All charts | 3 months | All time |
| Custom exercises | Available | Available | Up to 7 | Unlimited |
| Social feed | No comparable built-in community | No comparable built-in community | Included | Included |
| Guided programming | You bring the program | You bring the program | Premade routines | Hevy Trainer and recommendations |
| Export | CSV | CSV | Workout and measurement export | Workout and measurement export |
As checked on September 22, 2026, the US App Store lists Strong PRO at $4.99 monthly and $29.99 yearly, with lifetime purchase amounts also shown. The US App Store lists Hevy Pro at $2.99 monthly, $23.99 yearly, and $74.99 lifetime. Storefront, device, existing offers, taxes, and account history can change what you see, so confirm the final price in the app before paying.
Pay only when a limit interrupts a real training week. A fourth Strong template, older Hevy chart, or eighth Hevy custom exercise is evidence. Buying first and hoping advanced graphs create consistency is not.
What Neither App Solves by Itself
A good log tells you what happened. It does not prove that the program fits your goal, that your weekly volume is appropriate, or that your calories and protein support the plan.
Strong expects you to bring the program. Hevy now documents premade plans and a paid Trainer feature, but an app recommendation still needs judgment. Pain, medical concerns, and technique problems belong with a qualified professional, not a chart.
Neither product currently presents full meal, calorie, and macro tracking as part of its core workout tracker. If your goal is fat loss or body recomposition, you will need another nutrition workflow or an app that combines both sides.
If generated workouts are the main requirement, compare Fitbod vs Hevy. If you want the free-versus-paid detail for Hevy alone, read the Hevy app review.
Run This 14-Day Side-by-Side Test
Do not choose from screenshots. Use the same routine in both apps for two weeks.
- Create the same two workouts in Hevy and Strong.
- Log workout one in Hevy and workout two in Strong during week one.
- Swap apps for the repeated sessions in week two.
- Record how many times you stopped to fix an exercise, timer, set type, or previous value.
- After each repeated workout, find the last weight and choose the next target.
- Export your data from both apps before the test ends.
- Keep the app that made logging and the next-session decision easier.
Use this scorecard:
| Test | 0 points | 1 point | 2 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Routine setup | Could not match the routine | Needed compromises | Matched it cleanly |
| In-session logging | Frequent corrections | Minor friction | Stayed out of the way |
| Progress review | Could not find the answer | Found it slowly | Next target was obvious |
| Device fit | Missing your preferred device | Usable with limits | Works where you train |
| Data control | Export failed or was unclear | Export worked | Export and migration fit your plan |
| Motivation | Added distraction | Neutral | Helped you return |
The higher score wins for you. Social features should score zero if you never use them. A minimalist interface should score zero if it hides information you need.
Where Soma Fits
Soma makes a competing fitness app, so this comparison has a commercial interest. Soma is the better fit only when you want workout planning and logging connected to calories, protein, macros, and photo food logging in one iPhone app. It is not the answer if you want Hevy's cross-platform community or Strong's focused logbook.
For a Strong-specific replacement shortlist, read Strong App alternatives. To build the logging habit before choosing software, use the workout-tracking guide.
How This Comparison Was Researched
Soma did not conduct a hands-on product test for this update. We compared Strong and Hevy using their official websites, help centers, US App Store listings, and Google Play listings on September 22, 2026. Feature availability and pricing can change by platform or region. Read our editorial policy and verify the feature that matters inside the app before subscribing.
The final choice is simple: start with Hevy if community, web access, Wear OS, or the broader free routine allowance matters. Start with Strong if you want a quiet logbook and already have a program. Run the 14-day test, export your data, and keep the one that makes the next workout clearer.