Comparison

Iron Journal vs Mark

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

Head to head
About

Iron Journal

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Iron Journal – For Those Who Lift With Intent Iron Journal is built for athletes who train with purpose. Not a simple set logger. A complete training system designed around how serious lifters actually program, track, and improve. • Train With Structure: Phase-based workouts keep you locked in set by set. No scrolling, no searching — just the next lift, your goals, and your last session set's stats visible in real time right where you need them. • Log Everything That Matters: Weight, reps, RPE, RIR, rest, and set comments captured in seconds. Automatically tracked rest and every detail recorded so nothing is left to memory or guesswork. • Know Exactly How You're Progressing: Compare any two sessions side by side, set by set. Trend data shows weight, reps, exertion, and rest changes over time so you always know if you're moving forward. • Personal Records That Work For You: Strength and endurance PRs tracked automatically and linked to your exercises. Use percentage-based targets to program intelligently off your actual maxes. • Plan Like You Mean It: Build full training blocks with the workout calendar. Schedule deload weeks, max effort days, and recurring sessions across your entire cycle. • Everything Else: Percentage-based weight targets · Muscle group tagging · Mid-session exercise editing · Data export · Imperial and metric · Custom accent colors · One-swipe exercise management

About

Mark

Log your gym sessions with ease, tracking sets, weights, and notes. Quickly recall past performance for your next workout and build custom routines. Visualize your progress with charts and export your data.

Highlights
  • Log sets, weights, and notes
  • Recall previous lifts and personal records
  • Create and manage unlimited routines
  • Browse workouts on a calendar
  • Export lift history as CSV
  • Customizable themes and modes
Features
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Log workouts like Notes. Find what you lifted last time. Mark-1 is a workout journal for iPhone that keeps your sets, weights and training notes together. Write in your own shorthand or follow a saved routine. WRITE YOUR WORKOUT Type “bench press 185x8,8,7” to record three sets. Mark-1 recognizes supported exercise names, weights and reps and organizes them into your training history. Add a note about how a set felt without leaving your workout. REMEMBER YOUR LAST LIFT Look back at previous weights and reps. Explore exercise history, personal records and progress charts, so you have something concrete to refer to for your next session. FOLLOW A ROUTINE Create unlimited routines for free. Check off completed sets, adjust weights and reps, and reorder exercises to match your session. KEEP YOUR TRAINING TOGETHER Browse past workouts on the calendar. Correct an entry or add a workout you missed. Export your performed lift history as a CSV. MAKE IT YOURS Choose sage, rose or lavender, with light, dark and system modes. MARK-1 PREMIUM (OPTIONAL) Core logging, routines, history and charts stay free. Mark-1 Premium is an optional auto-renewable subscription ($4.99 per month in the US) that adds training plans built around your schedule and Insights on your lifts. Coaching is in a limited early rollout and is not included for new subscribers yet. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically each month unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://mk1.energy/privacy Your workout, your words.

Screenshots

Iron Journal4 screens
Mark4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Iron Journal at none against Mark's 1. Iron Journal also leads on iOS requirement (15.2 vs 17.0). Mark's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mark sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Iron Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Iron Journal ships an update fortnightly, Mark every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Iron Journal versus Mark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIron JournalMark
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB10 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJacob MillerMark-1 Performance LLC

In-app purchases

None

Iron Journal

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Mark

Subscriptions1
  • Mark-1 Premium$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Iron Journal free?
Iron Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mark free?
Mark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Iron Journal or Mark have ads?
Neither Iron Journal nor Mark shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Iron Journal or Mark?
Iron Journal ships an update fortnightly, and Mark every 5 days. Most recently, Iron Journal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Mark on October 31, 2026.

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