Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan vs Flex
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Proven 3x/week strength program
- Automated progression
- Guided workouts with timers
- Progress charts
- Simple interface
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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/
Flex
This app helps strength training enthusiasts track their workouts. Create custom plans, log reps and weight, and monitor progress with a dashboard and rest timers. It syncs with Apple Health.
- Workout plan creation
- Rep and weight tracking
- Rest timers
- Exercise progress monitoring
- Apple Health sync
- Customizable units (KG/LB)
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Flex is a simple yet powerful workout tracker that has been designed for anyone who engages in strength training. Effortlessly create workout plans, track workouts, and browse previous workouts all with a simple and intuitive user interface. Features: - Useful dashboard that shows all time statistics, recent workouts, and the next workout in your current workout cycle - Create custom workout plans for any kind of program (such as Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5×5) - Duplicate existing workout plans which make it easy to create similar plans with slight variations - Track reps and weight performed for each exercise during a workout and compare them the last workout - great for pushing yourself. - Automatic and customisable rest timers that are triggered automatically when completing each set - Comprehensive exercise list to choose from when creating workouts - Create custom exercises for your workouts - Choose between metric (KG) and imperial (LB) units for sets - View your complete chronological workout history - Keep track of your exercise progress and personal bests - Automatically sync workouts with Apple Health
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan at 4.9 against Flex's 4.2. Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan also leads on ratings volume (77K vs 5). Flex's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (75% vs 63%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Flex asks for nothing beyond the download.
Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan has 77K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan's written reviews are positive against 75% of Flex's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan ships an update every 2 weeks, Flex fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan | Flex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (77K ratings) — better | 4.2 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.6% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 77K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 172 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | StrongLifts | Dino Constantinou |
Customer experience
Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan
Flex
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
Flex
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan
- Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
- Pro Monthly2 variants$11.991 Month
- Pro Quarterly2 variants$29.993 Months
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- Pro Yearly$59.991 Year
- Pro Yearly1 Year trial$59.991 Year
- Pro Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- StrongLifts Pro 5 Years$199.99
- StrongLifts Pro 5 Years$239.99
Flex
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan free?
Is Flex free?
Which has better reviews, Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan or Flex?
Do Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan or Flex have ads?
Which is updated more often, Stronglifts 5x5 Workout Plan or Flex?
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