# Iron Journal vs BarBud

The clearest difference is update cadence: BarBud at every 5 days against Iron Journal's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Iron Journal ships an update fortnightly, BarBud every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Iron Journal | BarBud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barbud-workout-tracking/id6756751636/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **6** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 24 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.2 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jacob Miller](https://appshunter.io/developer/1680993288) | [Steven Satish](https://appshunter.io/developer/1862616646) |

## What reviewers say

### Iron Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iron-journal/id6447325690)

**In-app purchases:** none


### BarBud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barbud-workout-tracking/id6756751636)

This app helps users efficiently track their weightlifting progress with a clean interface. It allows quick logging of sets, review of past sessions, and visualization of strength trends through exercise charts. An AI assistant provides training advice and generates workout templates.

**Highlights:** Fast and efficient workout logging, Workout template reuse, Detailed workout history review, Exercise progress charts, AI training assistant, Custom workout generation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Iron Journal free?

Iron Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BarBud free?

BarBud is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Iron Journal or BarBud have ads?

Neither Iron Journal nor BarBud shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Iron Journal or BarBud?

Iron Journal ships an update fortnightly, and BarBud every 5 days. Most recently, Iron Journal was updated on November 3, 2026 and BarBud 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.*