Comparison

FDL vs BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker

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

Head to head
About

FDL

Discover a vast collection of low-calorie, high-protein recipes with detailed macro and calorie information. Easily track your favorites, manage ingredient lists, and follow step-by-step video guides. Includes a macro calculator to help you meet your fitness goals.

Highlights
  • Searchable recipe database
  • Macro and calorie information
  • Favorites tab
  • Checkable ingredient lists
  • Step-by-step video instructions
  • Macro calculator
Features
Read full description

You know the moment. It's 6pm, you're starving, and nothing that sounds good fits your macros. So you make the same sad chicken and rice for the fourth time this week. Or you order the pizza and feel bad about it after. That's the whole reason this app exists. I'm Zach. I've spent 12 years turning the food people actually crave (pizza, burgers, tacos, cheesecake, orange chicken ramen, and more) into versions with more protein and fewer calories. Not "healthy" versions. Good ones. The kind you make again because you want to, not because you're supposed to. Open the app, type in whatever's in your fridge, and you get real meals with the macros already figured out. No tracking. No math. No standing there deciding. WHAT'S INSIDE - 823+ macro-friendly recipes, new ones added every week - Full macros and calories on every single recipe - Step-by-step video for each one, so it comes out right the first try - Search by ingredient, filter by calories, protein, or equipment - Meal planner and a grocery list that builds itself - Favorites, folders, and your own private notes on recipes you tweak - Mark what you've made and build your own rotation You don't have to cook separate meals for everyone else either. One dinner, the family's happy, and yours still fits. WHAT IT COSTS Free to download and look around. Full access is $19/month or $149/year, billed through your Apple account and cancelable anytime in Settings. Terms of use: https://recipes.macrofriendly.com/terms-and-conditions Privacy policy: https://recipes.macrofriendly.com/privacy-policy

About

BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker

This app helps users track gym workouts, log sets and reps, and monitor personal records. It offers video demonstrations for exercises, customizable workout plans, and community features to share progress and stay motivated.

Highlights
  • Dynamic workout and progress tracking
  • Extensive exercise library with video demonstrations
  • Customizable workout routines and pre-designed plans
  • Detailed progress graphs and muscle usage visualization
  • Community and social sharing features
  • Gamified progress with achievements and medals
Features
Read full description

Buff Gym Workout: Dynamic Tracker, Log & Planner Level-Up Your Fitness Goals. Simplify and supercharge your fitness journey with Buff. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced lifter, our dynamic workout tracker gives you everything you need to log your sessions, master your form, connect with friends, and push for new personal bests. WHAT USERS ARE SAYING - "Buff is an absolute game-changer... From the moment you open the app, you’re greeted with an intuitive interface that makes navigating through its features effortless." - elm84$ - "The Buff app was key in helping me to prepare for my first bodybuilding competition. With its help, I placed 1st in two categories!" - H. White - "I really enjoy the achievement system—it adds a nice motivational boost and keeps me engaged. One of the best parts is the workout videos; every exercise has a clear demonstration..." - Mythoriir WHAT MAKES BUFF YOUR BEST LIFTING PARTNER? 1. Dynamic Workout & Progress Tracking - Detailed Gym Log: Easily track every set, rep, and weight. Log total volume, total reps, and monitor your PRs (Personal Records) instantly. - Bodyweight Trends: Track your bodyweight evolution and key performance metrics (average reps, sets, and weight) with colorful, detailed graphs. - Visualize Muscle Usage: Our unique Anatomy Highlights show you exactly which muscles you've worked and provide an intensity percentage breakdown to ensure balanced training. 2. Master Your Form & Plan Your Training - Extensive Exercise Library: Explore a wide range of 500+ exercises with free, high-quality video demonstrations featuring real people to ensure perfect technique, maximum results, and safety. - Customization is Key: Create your own personalized workout routines or choose from our pre-designed, goal-oriented plans. - Seamless Tracking: Maintain your consistency with a Daily Streak counter that helps you stay on track and build unbreakable habits. 3. Get Motivated & Stay Accountable - Community & Social Sharing: Join the active Buff Community! Share results, follow friends' progress, celebrate your milestones, and inspire others directly within the app. - Gamified Progress: Earn Experience Points (XP) and Medals by hitting new achievements in key categories like Strength, Endurance, and Stamina. Make tracking fun and rewarding! BY HUMANS, FOR HUMANS (A NO-AI APPROACH) - Most fitness apps rely on AI, but Buff uses none of it. Every workout plan, exercise tutorial, and piece of artwork was created by real people, with the singular goal of making fitness accessible and effective for you. KEY FEATURES AT A GLANCE - Track workouts and exercises with an easy-to-use interface. - Access video demonstrations for proper exercise technique. - Thoughtfully crafted plans for every fitness level (Beginner to Advanced). - Create custom workouts and routines. - In-depth progress graphs for total volume, reps, PRs, and bodyweight. - Muscle usage visualization with anatomy highlights and percentage breakdowns. - Social sharing and community features. - Experience Points & Achievements to gamify your fitness journey. Subscriptions: Yearly Plan • Duration: 1 year • Price: $99.99/year • Payment charged to iTunes Account at purchase confirmation • Renewal charged within 24 hours before the current period ends • Manage or turn off auto-renewal in Account Settings • Unused trial period (if any) is forfeited upon subscription purchase Monthly Plan • Duration: 1 month • Price: $12.99/month • Payment charged to iTunes Account at purchase confirmation • Renewal charged within 24 hours before the current period ends • Manage or turn off auto-renewal in Account Settings • Unused trial period (if any) is forfeited upon subscription purchase Terms and conditions: https://www.buffdudes.us/pages/buff-app-terms-conditions Privacy policy: https://www.buffdudes.us/pages/buff-app-privacy-policy

Screenshots

FDL4 screens
BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: FDL at free against BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker's free with in-app purchases. BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 73%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. FDL sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.00 per month and BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. 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 — 4.8 for FDL against 4.8 for BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 646 and 266 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of FDL's written reviews are positive against 85% of BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
FDL versus BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFDLBUFF | Gym Workout Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (646 ratings)4.8 (266 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.5% of reviews85.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings646 — better266
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB207 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperFlexible Dieting Lifestyle LLCBuff Dudes LLC

Customer experience

FDL

All ratings633 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative21.6%

BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker

All ratings266 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.4%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews116 reviews
Positive85.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative12.1%

User reviews

FDL

From 646 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Beautiful, intuitive, user-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Fast loading and smooth performance (v2 update)
  • 📚 Comprehensive recipe library with search functionality
  • 🎯 Macro calculator and customizable serving sizes
  • 🍽️ Delicious, high-protein recipes that taste great

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes frequently
  • ⏳ Slow loading times (older versions)
  • 🔍 Search function limited to exact title matches
  • 💳 Difficult cancellation process and unresponsive support
  • 🎥 Videos require Wi-Fi connection to watch

BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker

From 266 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Intuitive interface
  • 👍 Gamification and leveling up
  • 🚀 Detailed exercise tutorials
  • 👍 Customizable workout plans
  • 👍 Community features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔒 Login and account issues
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔇 Lack of sound controls

Bugs and requests

FDL

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App fails to load or opens to white screen
  • Login authentication issues and password reset codes not working
  • Recipes missing ingredients or have duplicate instruction sections
  • Favorites tab displays only gray lines with zero recipes
  • App crashes when clicking on new recipes
Show 7 more
  • Back button inconsistency requiring app restart
  • Scrolling issues forcing users to scroll back down after selecting recipes
  • App freezes and shuts down unexpectedly
  • Search function not working properly
  • Incompatibility with older recipe book versions (4.0)
  • Inconsistent category filtering on main page
  • Long load times and performance lag

Requested features

12 requests
  • No-cook recipe filter option
  • Video tutorial links within recipes
  • Ability to input custom serving sizes with auto-adjusted ingredients
  • Better recipe categorization (meat category, etc.)
  • User-submitted recipe variations and substitutions
Show 7 more
  • Recipe completion tracking and feedback history
  • More active community forum or discussion board
  • Substitute ingredient suggestions for recipes
  • Direct product links (protein powder, cookie butter) within recipes
  • Table of contents for digital cookbooks
  • Dark mode option
  • Offline recipe access

BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Failure to load or save workouts
  • Unresponsive login button
  • White screen issue on iOS

Requested features

4 requests
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Garmin/MyFitnessPal integration
  • Ability to delete workout history
  • Replacement exercises for home gym equipment

In-app purchases

2 purchases

FDL

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$19.001 Month
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$149.001 Year
2 purchases

BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is FDL free?
FDL is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker free?
BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FDL or BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker?
BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker is rated higher. FDL averages 4.8 out of 5 from 646 ratings, while BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker averages 4.8 from 266 ratings.
Do FDL or BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker have ads?
Neither FDL nor BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FDL or BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker?
FDL ships an update every 3 weeks, and BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker every 3 weeks. Most recently, FDL was updated on October 29, 2026 and BUFF | Gym Workout Tracker on October 27, 2026.

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