Comparison

Five/Three/One vs Bench 225

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

Head to head
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.

About

Bench 225

This app provides a structured 7-week program designed to help you increase your bench press strength. It offers progressive overload and a clear plan without complex features or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • 7-week bench press program
  • Built-in reset week
  • Structured progression
  • Final test week
  • Progress tracking with projections
  • Run program anytime
Read full description

A simple, easy-to-follow program built to move you toward a 225 lb bench. No PDFs. No subscriptions. No endless customization. No coaches. No check-ins. No spreadsheets. No guessing. Just a clear plan. Benching 225 isn’t a trick. It’s consistency, progressive overload, and strong fundamentals. Bench 225 gives you a structured 7-week program designed to build strength safely and realistically. If you want to stop guessing what to do on bench day, this is for you. WHAT YOU GET • A complete 7-week, 2-day-per-week bench program • A built-in reset week to protect your shoulders • Structured progression based on your current strength • A final test week to measure real progress • Progress tracking with projections • A program you can run again anytime WHO IT'S FOR • Lifters who want a stronger bench • Anyone chasing the 225 milestone • Beginners (6+ months training) through intermediate lifters This is not a bodybuilding app. This is not an elite powerlifting program. It’s a simple, proven strength plan. HOW IT WORKS Enter your current bench strength. The app generates your program. Follow it for 7 weeks. Get stronger. That’s it. One-Time Purchase, Lifetime Access (App requires a one-time purchase granting lifetime access). Unlock your program with a single purchase. No subscription. No recurring charges. Strength takes time. This app gives you structure. PRIVACY POLICY: https://bench225.app/privacy TERMS OF USE: https://bench225.app/terms DISCLAIMER: https://bench225.app/disclaimer Need help? Email us at help@phystech.llc

Screenshots

Five/Three/One4 screens
Bench 2254 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Five/Three/One at 1.5K against Bench 225's 2. Five/Three/One also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). Bench 225's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Five/Three/One sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Bench 225 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

Bench 225 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five/Three/One has 1.5K ratings behind it against 2, 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 100% of Bench 225's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Five/Three/One versus Bench 225: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFive/Three/OneBench 225
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStrong Pigeon LLCPhys Tech LLC

Customer experience

Five/Three/One

All ratings1,218 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews133 reviews
Positive78.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative12.8%

Bench 225

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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)

Bench 225

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

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
1 purchases

Bench 225

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$19.99

Questions

Is Five/Three/One free?
Five/Three/One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bench 225 free?
Bench 225 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Five/Three/One or Bench 225?
Bench 225 is rated higher. Five/Three/One averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Bench 225 averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Five/Three/One or Bench 225 have ads?
Neither Five/Three/One nor Bench 225 shows ads.

Other comparisons