Best free workout trackers for iPhone, with no subscription

What counts as truly free?

Every app in the main list must meet all four requirements:

• Nothing to buy: no download fee, subscription or in-app purchases that unlock features.
• No ads.
• Strength logging: sets, reps and weight per exercise.
• A recent release: updated within the last 12 months.

Hevy, Strong and StrengthLog have free versions but sell paid upgrades that unlock key features, so they don’t meet this stricter definition of free.

Which one should you pick?

• For logging, planning and analysing your own training: Gym Log.
• For a virtual gym buddy, ready-made programs and Apple Watch: Swolie.
• For basic workout logging: Reps.
• For nutrition and training on a server you control: SparkyFitness.

Moving from Hevy or Strong? Gym Log and Reps both import your workout history.

Gym Log

Best for planning and tracking your own strength and hypertrophy training.

Gym Log’s main strength is the combination of detailed workout planning and analysis. You can plan with RPE, percentage-based loads and rep ranges, see your targets and previous results while training, then review how your performance changes over time.

Progress charts cover estimated one-rep max, volume, reps and personal records. A weekly muscle-volume map shows how your training is distributed across muscle groups.

It’s designed to look and feel like a built-in iPhone app. There’s no account to create, and importing history from Hevy or Strong means you can bring your previous workouts with you.

Gym Log also tracks body measurements and connects to Apple Health. Workouts started live in Gym Log are saved to Health, while body weight, height, body-fat percentage, lean body mass and waist measurements sync both ways. Workout data supports CSV export and optional iCloud sync and backup.

In use: Logging is quick: your targets and last session’s results are on screen as you train, so entering a set takes a couple of taps. Where it stands out is the analysis afterwards, from estimated one-rep-max trends to how your weekly volume is spread across muscle groups.

Worth knowing:

• There are currently no pre-made routines. You build your own workouts and save them as templates.
• There’s no Apple Watch app.

Gym Log: Free Workout Tracker on the App Store

Swolie

Best for a virtual gym buddy, ready-made programs and Apple Watch.

Swolie puts a cartoon gym-buddy character at the centre of the experience. Its mood responds to your consistency, and training recaps summarise your workouts.

The mascot is likely to be the deciding factor. If you want a tracker that cheers you on, Swolie leans into that. If the character feels too playful, it’s a prominent part of the app you’ll be using every session.

Swolie also provides starter templates and multi-week training plans. When you hit your target reps, it suggests going heavier next time. Its charts track volume, duration and reps, and a muscle heat map shows which muscles you’ve trained.

In use: The app looks polished, and the starter templates make it quick to begin. Apple Watch logging lets you change reps and weight and mark sets as done. Adding or swapping exercises needs your phone.

Worth knowing: The listing doesn’t mention RPE or importing workout history from other apps.

swolie – Gym Workout Tracker on the App Store

Reps

Best for basic workout logging.

Reps suits people who mainly want to record their sessions and check their lifting progress. Logging feels smooth, and its charts include personal records and estimated one-rep-max trends.

It does accommodate more than simple set entry: RPE and rep ranges are supported, and you can organise routines into programs. It also imports workout history from Hevy and Strong, with optional iCloud backup and sync.

In use: It works well as an everyday log. What was missing in the tested app was a muscle-volume map for seeing which muscles get the most work.

Worth knowing: The listing doesn’t mention Apple Watch or Apple Health integration.

Reps: Workout Tracker Gym Log on the App Store

SparkyFitness

Best for self-hosting nutrition, health data and training together.

SparkyFitness requires a working server before you can use the iPhone app. It’s a companion to a broader health platform, with publicly available source code and data stored on infrastructure you control.

Its appeal is having nutrition, training and health data in one system. The iPhone app logs meals and workouts and sends Apple Health data to your server.

In use: The combined approach is appealing for someone who already wants to self-host. Workout logging felt secondary to nutrition, though. Exercises had to be created manually or found through an online database that first needed to be configured on the server.

Worth knowing:

• Server setup and maintenance are part of using it.
• The App Store release checked here, version 1.0.3, has no strength progress charts. Estimated one-rep-max and personal-record charts are available in the web app.

SparkyFitness on the App Store · Project and setup instructions

What about Iron?

Iron – Workout Tracker is open source and completely free, with a simple workout log and an Apple Watch app.

Its latest listed developer release dates from September 2022, so it falls outside this article’s requirement for an update within the last 12 months.

Iron – Workout Tracker on the App Store

How I checked these apps

For each app, I read the App Store listing for price, in-app purchases, features and release dates, and the developer’s website or source code where available. I then tested nine apps by logging workouts on my iPhone. For SparkyFitness, I tested the iPhone app, not its web platform.

Features, prices and availability can change or vary by country. The date at the top shows when I last checked. For corrections or suggestions, email contact@gymlog.info.