# Five/Three/One vs Starting Strength Official

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Five/Three/One | Starting Strength Official |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fivethreeone-531-workouts/id1560266240/reviews)** | [4.5 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starting-strength-official/id6753924510/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 50 |
| Positive reviews | **78.2% of reviews** | 53.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 37 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Strong Pigeon LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560266242) | [Shabu Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1008697835) |

## What reviewers say

### Five/Three/One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fivethreeone-531-workouts/id1560266240)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Custom Weight Plates | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Beyond 5/3/1 Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Custom Assistance | $8.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Enormous Tip | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗓️ 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starting-strength-official/id6753924510)

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.

**Highlights:** Novice Linear Progression workouts, Step-by-step lifting instructions, Progress charts, Searchable training history, Built-in training guide, Optional paid form checks

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Pro Quarterly | $29.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Yearly | $89.99 | per year |
| 1 Priority Form Check | $24.99 | one-time |
| 3 Form Check Credits | $69.99 | one-time |
| Pro Lifetime | $179.99 | one-time |
| 10 Form Check Credits | $219.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Five/Three/One free?

Five/Three/One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Starting Strength Official free?

Starting Strength Official is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Five/Three/One or Starting Strength Official?

Five/Three/One is rated higher. Five/Three/One averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Starting Strength Official averages 4.5 from 50 ratings.

### Do Five/Three/One or Starting Strength Official have ads?

Neither Five/Three/One nor Starting Strength Official shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Five/Three/One or Starting Strength Official?

Five/Three/One ships an update every 2 weeks, and Starting Strength Official every 2 weeks. Most recently, Five/Three/One was updated on October 30, 2026 and Starting Strength Official on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*