Five/Three/One vs Starting Strength Official
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Starting Strength Official
This app guides beginners through the proven barbell training program, offering step-by-step instructions, guided workouts, and progress tracking. It supports novice linear progression and allows for custom routines with optional paid form checks.
- Novice Linear Progression workouts
- Step-by-step lifting instructions
- Progress charts
- Searchable training history
- Built-in training guide
- Optional paid form checks
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Meet your AI Coach: ask training questions, log or adjust workouts by chat, and build your own program — right in the app. New: Texas Method and Heavy Light Medium (HLM) for when novice progression runs out, save your own variation of any template, and train straight from your Apple Watch. JUST SHOW UP AND LIFT • Novice Linear Progression with automatic weight increases every session • The app calculates your work weights, warm-ups, and plate math for you • Automatic stall detection with smart deload recommendations • A/B workout rotation handled for you PROGRAMS FOR WHEN YOU STOP ADDING WEIGHT • Texas Method and Heavy Light Medium (HLM) built in for post-novice lifters, weights worked out for every session automatically • Build your OWN program just by chatting with the AI Coach — "give me the Texas Method with rack pulls instead of deadlifts", "make my squats 5×5", "add chin-ups on day two" — it builds the whole week and tracks your progress from then on • Save your own variation of any template and switch back any time AI COACH (Pro) • Ask anything about the method and get an instant, on-point answer • Coming back after time off? Get the right weight for your first session back • It reads your training log and gives you personalized advice • Every change is shown to you first — nothing is logged or edited without a tap to confirm APPLE WATCH COMPANION (Pro) • Run your workout from your wrist — current weight, reps and per-side plates on one card, rest countdown on the next • Log Made/Missed and advance warmups without touching your phone • Rest alerts buzz your wrist even while you're looking at it APPLE HEALTH • Save your workouts and body weight to Apple Health • Weigh in on your scale or another Health app and your profile stays up to date on its own • Off until you switch it on in Settings; your data stays on your device GET BACK ON TRACK ON ANY PHONE • Sign in when you set up a new phone and your workouts, settings and programs come back automatically — no re-entering starting weights FORM CHECK FROM A REAL COACH (Pro) • Send a video and a real Starting Strength coach reviews your technique • Pay with Apple Pay or card TRACK EVERYTHING • Full training log with searchable notes • Plate math — see exactly which plates to load per side • Rest timer with notifications so you never miss your next set • Progress charts for PRs, volume trends, and projected gains LEARN PROPER TECHNIQUE • Step-by-step form guides for Squat, Press, Bench Press, Deadlift and Power Clean • Coach-verified cues and 50+ FAQs on programming, nutrition and recovery FLEXIBLE TRAINING • Free Log mode for lifters beyond novice programming • Custom plate setup for any gym • Imperial and metric units • Cloud backup so you never lose your training history Find certified Starting Strength Coaches and Gyms near you, right from the app. PRICING • Monthly: $14.99/mo • Yearly: $89.99/yr • Lifetime: $179.99 one-time Free features cover core novice programming and tracking; AI Coach, post-novice programs, custom programs, Apple Watch and form check require Pro (marked above). Subscriptions can be managed in your Apple ID settings. Starting Strength is the official mobile companion to the world's most trusted barbell program, built for lifters following Mark Rippetoe's methodology. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ss-app-legal.netlify.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Five/Three/One at 78% against Starting Strength Official's 54%. Five/Three/One also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 50). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Five/Three/One sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Starting Strength Official sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Five/Three/One holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five/Three/One has 1.5K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Five/Three/One's written reviews are positive against 54% of Starting Strength Official's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Five/Three/One | Starting Strength Official |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better | 4.5 (50 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.2% of reviews — better | 53.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 50 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 156 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Strong Pigeon LLC | Shabu Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
Five/Three/One
Starting Strength Official
Bugs and requests
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)
Starting Strength Official
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Five/Three/One
- Custom Weight Plates$2.99
- Tip$4.99
- Beyond 5/3/1 Pack$5.99
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- Custom Assistance$8.99
- Large Tip$9.99
- Enormous Tip$24.99
Starting Strength Official
- Pro Monthly7 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Pro Quarterly$29.993 Months
- Pro Yearly$89.991 Year
- 1 Priority Form Check$24.99
- 3 Form Check Credits$69.99
- Pro Lifetime$179.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 10 Form Check Credits$219.99
Questions
Is Five/Three/One free?
Is Starting Strength Official free?
Which has better reviews, Five/Three/One or Starting Strength Official?
Do Five/Three/One or Starting Strength Official have ads?
Which is updated more often, Five/Three/One or Starting Strength Official?
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