Comparison

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan vs PHUL Workout Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan

This app guides you through a proven barbell strength training program with no guesswork. It plans every exercise, set, and weight for you, allowing you to focus on lifting and see consistent progress. Ideal for beginners or those returning to strength training.

Highlights
  • Proven 3x/week strength program
  • Automated progression
  • Guided workouts with timers
  • Progress charts
  • Simple interface
Features
Read full description

Get stronger with the world’s simplest, most proven barbell program: the 5×5 workout. No guesswork. Just follow along and see real results, in just 3 workouts a week. StrongLifts is made for lifters starting or returning to barbell strength training. The app removes all confusion and complexity by guiding you through every 5×5 workout. It plans every exercise, set, and weight so you always know exactly what to do. The time-tested 5×5 workout gets you stronger, week after week. No experience needed. ▸ Proven 3×/week strength program: Structured workouts, all planned for you. ▸ No guesswork: Fully automated progression for consistent strength gains. ▸ Just follow along: Simple interface with timers. Focus on lifting, not fiddling. ▸ Stay motivated. See your strength go up every week with clear progress charts. ▸ Easy to stick with. Simple, guided 3×/week program. No decisions, just results. Over 3 million lifters worldwide have started or restarted their strength journey with StrongLifts since 2007. The app has been featured and reviewed in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. StrongLifts is the best strength app, with more than 200,000 five-star reviews worldwide. StrongLifts is built on the classic 5×5 workout made famous by legends like Reg Park, Bill Starr, and Glenn Pendlay. For more than 70 years, the 5×5 workout has been proven to get new and returning lifters stronger, quickly and safely. Download StrongLifts today and join millions getting stronger. StrongLifts is free to download, but requires a subscription to use. All new users get a 7-day free trial for the yearly plan. Monthly and quarterly plans are also available without a free trial. Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of each period. Manage or cancel your subscription any time in your App Store account settings. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

Screenshots

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan4 screens
PHUL Workout Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan and PHUL Workout Tracker both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of PHUL Workout Tracker's written reviews are positive against 63% of Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan's. PHUL Workout Tracker also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan's advantage is ratings volume (77K vs 158) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). 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. Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and PHUL Workout Tracker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. 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 Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan against 4.9 for PHUL Workout Tracker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan has 77K ratings behind it against 158, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan's written reviews are positive against 94% of PHUL Workout Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan ships an update every 2 weeks, PHUL Workout Tracker monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan versus PHUL Workout Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStronglifts 5x5 Workout PlanPHUL Workout Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (77K ratings)4.9 (158 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.6% of reviews93.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings77K — better158
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStrongLiftsApp Factory, LLC

Customer experience

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan

All ratings76,863 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews1,428 reviews
Positive62.6%
Neutral3.9%
Negative33.5%

PHUL Workout Tracker

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

User reviews

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan

From 77K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💪 Effective strength-building program
  • 📈 Tracks progress and helps with consistency
  • 🤖 Automatic weight progression and plate calculation
  • ⏱️ Convenient timer and rest period tracking
  • 📚 Helpful exercise form videos

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and syncing issues
  • 💰 Subscription model can be expensive for some
  • 🔒 Limited customization options in free version
  • ⚠️ Weights may not be accurate for all users
  • 🕰️ Workouts can be time-consuming for some

PHUL Workout Tracker

From 158 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great free version
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Clean interface
  • 👍 Good for tracking workouts
  • 👍 No ads (mostly)

Room to improve

  • 👎 Paid version not customizable enough
  • 👎 Free plate calculators restrictive
  • 👎 Weight resets randomly
  • 👎 Cannot add workouts

Bugs and requests

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Workout data loss and reset issues
  • Inconsistent Apple Watch connectivity
  • Inability to edit or delete custom exercises

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to customize core exercises
  • Menstrual cycle tracking and programming
  • More pre-built program options
  • Integration with other fitness apps and devices
  • Recommended meal plans and nutrition guidance

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

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan

Subscriptions7
  • Pro Weekly2 variants$4.997 Days
  • Pro Monthly2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Pro Quarterly2 variants$29.993 Months
Show 4 more
  • Pro Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Pro Yearly1 Year trial$59.991 Year
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Pro Quarterly$99.993 Months
One-time5
  • StrongLifts Pro 5 Years$199.99
  • Pro Lifetime$199.99
  • StrongLifts Pro 5 Years$239.99
Show 2 more
  • Pro Family Lifetime$299.99
  • Pro Family Lifetime Upgrade$299.99
3 purchases

PHUL Workout Tracker

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

Questions

Is Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan free?
Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PHUL Workout Tracker free?
PHUL Workout Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan or PHUL Workout Tracker?
PHUL Workout Tracker is rated higher. Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan averages 4.9 out of 5 from 77K ratings, while PHUL Workout Tracker averages 4.9 from 158 ratings.
Do Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan or PHUL Workout Tracker have ads?
Neither Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan nor PHUL Workout Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan or PHUL Workout Tracker?
Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan ships an update every 2 weeks, and PHUL Workout Tracker monthly. Most recently, Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan was updated on October 31, 2026 and PHUL Workout Tracker on October 20, 2026.

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