Comparison

531 Strength vs Five/Three/One

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

531 Strength

This app simplifies tracking your progress on the 5/3/1 strength training program. It calculates and displays weights, reps, and sets based on your one-rep max, allowing you to easily plan and execute your workouts. Rounding options help match available gym plates.

Highlights
  • Calculate 5/3/1 weights
  • Track 1RM for exercises
  • View cycle step weights
  • Round weights to available plates
  • Full overview of weights, reps, sets
Features
Read full description

Makes it quick and easy to get a full overview of all weights, reps and sets based off your 1RM when you’re following the 5/3/1 program. - Save your current 1 RM for each of the four exercises - View calculated weights for each step in the cycle - Round the weight to match the plates you have available This app is made for people who are familiar with the structure of the 5/3/1 program and who needs simple access to the calculated weights for each exercise.

About

Five/Three/One

This app helps weightlifters follow Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program by automating cycle calculations, plate suggestions, and progress tracking. It eliminates the need for paper logs or spreadsheets, focusing on strength gains. Features include rest timers, workout scheduling, and Apple Health integration.

Highlights
  • 5/3/1 cycle planning and scheduling
  • Progress charting
  • Rest timer with notifications
  • Automatic plate calculation
  • Next cycle calculation based on performance
  • Home screen widget
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

The latest app for weightlifters doing Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program! Five/Three/One is a focused and intuitive app helping you achieve what really matters: Getting Stronger. No more bringing a crumbled workout sheet to the gym, no more messing around spreadsheets to update your weights. From calculating your cycles, to telling you what plates to put on the bar, Five/Three/One does it all. Features include: - Planning and scheduling your whole 5/3/1 cycle - Charting your progress - Rest timer with notifications - Automatic plating calculation - Calculating your next cycle based on your performance - Notes associated with each sets - Home screen widget showing your your current and upcoming workouts - Lbs/kg support Optional paid features: - Customize which plates you're using and change your barbell's weight - Customize templates assistance work and define your own exercises - Beyond 5/3/1 templates and options, from Joker Sets to FSL, Pyramid and much more! Integrates with Apple Health : The app saves the workouts you've performed as well as the calories you've burnt in Apple Health. As weightlifters doing 5/3/1 ourselves, we made the app we wanted after being dissatisfied with what was out there. More than just a glorified spreadsheet, we designed it to be focused on each task at hand. With even more great features in the pipeline, we're stoked to release the app for others to use and can't wait to hear your feedback! We use it, we love it, and we're sure you will too.

Screenshots

531 Strength4 screens
Five/Three/One4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Five/Three/One at none against 531 Strength's shown. Five/Three/One also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). 531 Strength's advantage is review sentiment (94% vs 78%) and ratings volume (12K vs 1.2K). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 531 Strength sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Five/Three/One sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for 531 Strength against 4.9 for Five/Three/One. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 531 Strength has 12K ratings behind it against 1.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of 531 Strength's written reviews are positive against 78% of Five/Three/One's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

531 Strength ships an update every 2 months, Five/Three/One every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
531 Strength versus Five/Three/One: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter531 StrengthFive/Three/One
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (12K ratings) — better4.9 (1.2K ratings)
Positive reviews93.8% of reviews — better78.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12K — better1.2K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHenrik JachobsenStrong Pigeon LLC

Customer experience

531 Strength

All ratings11,581 ratings
Positive98.0%
Neutral1.2%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews272 reviews
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.3%

Five/Three/One

All ratings1,218 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews132 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral9.1%
Negative12.9%

User reviews

531 Strength

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and efficient
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 💪 Helps with strength gains
  • 🔧 Customizable features
  • ⏱️ Convenient timer

Room to improve

  • 🔢 Inaccurate percentage calculations
  • 🗓️ Lack of ability to plan future workouts
  • 📋 Limited exercise tracking
  • 💰 Paid features not worth the cost

Five/Three/One

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Excellent app for 5/3/1 programming
  • 📊 Provides great tracking and progress monitoring
  • 🔢 Automatic weight and plate calculations
  • ⏱️ Built-in rest timers and workout flow
  • 🎨 Clean and intuitive user interface

Room to improve

  • 🗓️ Rigid scheduling and inability to reschedule missed workouts
  • 🔒 Limited customization options for assistance exercises
  • 🔀 Difficulty in reordering or supersetting exercises
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and data loss issues
  • ⚠️ Lack of Apple Watch integration

Bugs and requests

531 Strength

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Rest timer stops when app is backgrounded
  • Plate calculator not flexible enough

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to adjust training max separately from 1RM
  • Option to track rep PRs and estimated 1RM
  • Accessory exercise tracking and planning
  • Sync progress across devices

Five/Three/One

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Workout data occasionally lost or not syncing properly
  • Calendar and scheduling issues when trying to reschedule missed workouts
  • Plate calculation bugs leading to incorrect weight displays
  • Occasional app freezes and crashes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow more flexibility in scheduling and rescheduling workouts
  • Provide customization options for assistance exercises
  • Implement superset and out-of-order exercise completion
  • Add support for Apple Watch integration
  • Incorporate additional 5/3/1 program variations (e.g., Bodybuilder, Monolith)

In-app purchases

4 purchases

531 Strength

One-time4
  • Additional exercises$1.99
  • Adjustable set$1.99
  • Plate calculator$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Progress log$6.99
6 purchases

Five/Three/One

One-time6
  • Custom Weight Plates$2.99
  • Tip$4.99
  • Beyond 5/3/1 Pack$5.99
Show 3 more
  • Custom Assistance$8.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
  • Enormous Tip$24.99

Questions

Is 531 Strength free?
531 Strength is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Five/Three/One free?
Five/Three/One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 531 Strength or Five/Three/One?
531 Strength is rated higher. 531 Strength averages 4.9 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Five/Three/One averages 4.9 from 1.2K ratings.
Do 531 Strength or Five/Three/One have ads?
531 Strength shows ads; Five/Three/One does not.
Which is updated more often, 531 Strength or Five/Three/One?
531 Strength ships an update every 2 months, and Five/Three/One every 2 weeks. Most recently, 531 Strength was updated on September 28, 2026 and Five/Three/One on September 29, 2026.

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