Comparison

PHUL Workout Tracker vs Forge 5/3/1

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

Head to head
About

PHUL Workout Tracker

This app guides you through a science-based workout program designed to boost muscle size and strength. It tracks your progress, helps calculate weights, and times your rests to optimize your training. Customize workouts for personalized gains.

Highlights
  • Guided PHUL program tracking
  • Muscle gain visualization
  • Plate calculator
  • Rest timer
  • Customizable workouts
  • US and metric unit support
Features
Read full description

PHUL workout increases your muscle size and strength by combining the best of powerlifting and bodybuilding. PHUL - Power, Hypertrophy, Upper, Lower - is a full body workout program designed to increase muscle size and strength in both upper and lower body through power workouts and hypertrophy workouts. This app walks you through each exercise, set, and rep to help you gain muscle according to science. This app now lets users customize their workouts for maximum personalized strength and muscle building. This app will: - Walk you through the PHUL program, and help you keep track of which exercises you did on which days - Visualize your gains in our graphs and analytics - Help you calculate weights with the built-in plate calculator - Time your rests between sets so you maximize your gains with science - Support both US and metric units Optional subscription information: - Payment will be charged to itunes account when purchase is confirmed - Subscription automatically renews unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the payment period. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to user's itunes account settings after purchase. - Privacy Policy: https://www.appfactoryfitness.com/privacy-policies/phul-privacy-policy - Terms of Service: https://www.appfactoryfitness.com/terms-of-service/phul-terms-of-service

About

Forge 5/3/1

This powerlifting app helps users follow the Wendler 5/3/1 Boring But Big program with personalized workouts. It offers detailed tracking, history, and gym-ready features, with optional premium upgrades for advanced customization and data management.

Highlights
  • Personalized 5/3/1 BBB workouts
  • Classic Wendler progression
  • Log sets, reps, and weights
  • Volume and estimated 1RM tracking
  • Offline functionality
  • Plate calculator
  • Customizable training percentages
Features
Read full description

Forge 531 is your powerlifting companion for Wendler 5/3/1 Boring But Big—built for lifters who want precision, customization, and privacy. No ads-driven onboarding and no required account. PROGRAM & WORKOUTS (included) • Enter one-rep maxes for squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press—Forge generates personalized 5/3/1 BBB sessions from your training maxes • Classic Wendler progression with Boring But Big assistance work • Four-week cycles including deload; intuitive week navigation and cycle management • Metric or imperial units—switch anytime in Settings TRACKING & HISTORY (included) • Log sets, reps, and weights for every workout • Volume totals (weight × reps) • Estimated 1RM from AMRAP sets (Brzycki) • Full history with analytics so you can see progress over time GYM-READY DESIGN (included) • Optional keep screen awake during sessions • Dark theme suited to dim floors • Fast movement between weeks and workout detail PRIVACY & SIMPLICITY (included) • No account—ever. Nothing to register; nothing you must log into later • Your data stays on your device—not tied to a Forge cloud profile • Works offline for everyday training PREMIUM — SMART PLATES & LOADS (14-day free trial, then one-time purchase — no subscription) • Plate calculator — visual plate combinations for any target weight • Plate settings — barbell weight and inventory that match your gym • Full calculator access lines up with your metric/imperial choice once Premium is active PREMIUM — TRAINING CONTROL (same trial / purchase model) • Training max % adjustments — tune percentages off Wendler defaults • Progressions customization — adjust weekly progression percentages • Warm-up sets — bar-only and configurable percentage warm-ups before working sets (deload options in Settings) PREMIUM — DATA PORTABILITY (Not included in the free trial — unlocks with Premium purchase) • Import/export — backup and restore workout history via CSV HOW PREMIUM WORKS New users receive a 14-day trial for most Premium features listed above.** Import/export requires a Premium purchase and is not part of the trial.** After the trial ends, Premium remains available as a one-time purchase—no subscription.

Screenshots

PHUL Workout Tracker4 screens
Forge 5/3/14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: PHUL Workout Tracker at 158 against Forge 5/3/1's 1. Forge 5/3/1's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. PHUL Workout Tracker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Forge 5/3/1 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 PHUL Workout Tracker against 5.0 for Forge 5/3/1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PHUL Workout Tracker has 158 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of PHUL Workout Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Forge 5/3/1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PHUL Workout Tracker ships an update monthly, Forge 5/3/1 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PHUL Workout Tracker versus Forge 5/3/1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPHUL Workout TrackerForge 5/3/1
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (158 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews93.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings158 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB26 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperApp Factory, LLCDev IT Digital LLC

Customer experience

PHUL Workout Tracker

All ratings157 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive93.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.1%

Forge 5/3/1

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PHUL Workout Tracker

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Timer constantly freezes
  • App won't open after deleting workout
  • Weight resets to random weight
  • Stuffing up workouts with changing weight
  • Cannot add workouts

Requested features

18 requests
  • Add alternates and power cleans
  • Sound alerts for rest timer
  • Add more exercises to custom routine (pro users)
  • Notepad option for free text
  • Log workout duration time
Show 13 more
  • Ability to edit rest periods
  • Add additional exercises (free format)
  • Customize and change exercises
  • Add notes
  • Edit saved workouts
  • Edit timers
  • Edit exercises
  • Timer after each set
  • Sub in other exercises
  • 2.5 lbs increments
  • Custom weight rather than increments of 5
  • Auto weight adjustment for max sets/reps
  • Edit historical workouts

Forge 5/3/1

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PHUL Workout Tracker

Subscriptions3
  • PHUL - Weekly$0.997 Days
  • PHUL Monthly$2.991 Month
  • PHUL Annual$19.991 Year
1 purchases

Forge 5/3/1

One-time1
  • Premium Features$4.99

Questions

Is PHUL Workout Tracker free?
PHUL Workout Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Forge 5/3/1 free?
Forge 5/3/1 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PHUL Workout Tracker or Forge 5/3/1?
Forge 5/3/1 is rated higher. PHUL Workout Tracker averages 4.9 out of 5 from 158 ratings, while Forge 5/3/1 averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PHUL Workout Tracker or Forge 5/3/1 have ads?
Neither PHUL Workout Tracker nor Forge 5/3/1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PHUL Workout Tracker or Forge 5/3/1?
PHUL Workout Tracker ships an update monthly, and Forge 5/3/1 every 3 weeks. Most recently, PHUL Workout Tracker was updated on October 7, 2026 and Forge 5/3/1 on October 2, 2026.

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