Comparison

StrongFirst vs Starting Strength Official

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

Head to head
About

StrongFirst

This fitness app offers personalized strength training programs using kettlebells, barbells, and bodyweight. It provides expert guidance with video demonstrations, progress tracking, and a supportive community. Access educational content to deepen your understanding of strength and conditioning.

Highlights
  • Personalized training programs
  • Expert guidance with video demonstrations
  • Progress tracking
  • Variety of exercises (kettlebell, barbell, bodyweight)
  • Flexible scheduling
  • Community support
  • Educational articles and tips
Features
Read full description

The StrongFirst Training App is a dynamic and comprehensive fitness application designed to promote strength, resilience, and overall physical well-being using kettlebells, barbells, or bodyweight movement standards. It brings the world-renowned StrongFirst methods and principles to your fingertips, providing you with a variety of tailored programs to suit your individual fitness goals. KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS PERSONALIZED PROGRAMS The App offers customizable training programs, ensuring that every workout is tailored to your specific needs and fitness goals. EXPERT GUIDANCE: StrongFirst is a globally recognized authority in strength training, and the app brings this expertise directly to your mobile device. Each exercise is demonstrated with clear, easy-to-follow videos and detailed instructions, ensuring proper form and technique. PROGRESS TRACKING The App allows you to track your progress over time, providing a comprehensive overview of your improvement and achievements. This makes it easy to stay motivated and committed to your fitness journey. VARIETY OF PRACTICES AND PROGRAMS The App covers a wide range of strength-building, hypertrophy-building, fat-burning, and conditioning exercises using kettlebells, bodyweight, and barbells, ensuring a diverse and balanced training regime. FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING The App allows you to adjust your training schedule according to your availability, making it a practical solution for busy individuals. COMMUNITY SUPPORT By using the StrongFirst Training App, you become a part of a supportive and motivated community of individuals who share similar fitness goals. EDUCATION In addition to practical training sessions, the app provides informative articles and tips on strength and conditioning training, helping you understand the science behind the exercises and improve your overall approach to fitness. The StrongFirst Training App is not just a training tool; it’s an educational platform that promotes a better understanding of strength and conditioning principles. By integrating the StrongFirst methodology into your regular training routine, or using it as your only training routine, you’re not only working towards better physical fitness, but also developing a resilient mindset that values strength, discipline, and perseverance. StrongFirst Privacy Policy: https://www.strongfirst.com/privacy-policy/ GymCloud End User Agreement: https://www.gymcloud.com/legal/

About

Starting Strength Official

This app guides beginners through the proven barbell training program, offering step-by-step instructions, guided workouts, and progress tracking. It supports novice linear progression and allows for custom routines with optional paid form checks.

Highlights
  • Novice Linear Progression workouts
  • Step-by-step lifting instructions
  • Progress charts
  • Searchable training history
  • Built-in training guide
  • Optional paid form checks
Features
Read full description

Meet your AI Coach: ask training questions, log or adjust workouts by chat, and build your own program — right in the app. New: Texas Method and Heavy Light Medium (HLM) for when novice progression runs out, save your own variation of any template, and train straight from your Apple Watch. JUST SHOW UP AND LIFT • Novice Linear Progression with automatic weight increases every session • The app calculates your work weights, warm-ups, and plate math for you • Automatic stall detection with smart deload recommendations • A/B workout rotation handled for you PROGRAMS FOR WHEN YOU STOP ADDING WEIGHT • Texas Method and Heavy Light Medium (HLM) built in for post-novice lifters, weights worked out for every session automatically • Build your OWN program just by chatting with the AI Coach — "give me the Texas Method with rack pulls instead of deadlifts", "make my squats 5×5", "add chin-ups on day two" — it builds the whole week and tracks your progress from then on • Save your own variation of any template and switch back any time AI COACH (Pro) • Ask anything about the method and get an instant, on-point answer • Coming back after time off? Get the right weight for your first session back • It reads your training log and gives you personalized advice • Every change is shown to you first — nothing is logged or edited without a tap to confirm APPLE WATCH COMPANION (Pro) • Run your workout from your wrist — current weight, reps and per-side plates on one card, rest countdown on the next • Log Made/Missed and advance warmups without touching your phone • Rest alerts buzz your wrist even while you're looking at it APPLE HEALTH • Save your workouts and body weight to Apple Health • Weigh in on your scale or another Health app and your profile stays up to date on its own • Off until you switch it on in Settings; your data stays on your device GET BACK ON TRACK ON ANY PHONE • Sign in when you set up a new phone and your workouts, settings and programs come back automatically — no re-entering starting weights FORM CHECK FROM A REAL COACH (Pro) • Send a video and a real Starting Strength coach reviews your technique • Pay with Apple Pay or card TRACK EVERYTHING • Full training log with searchable notes • Plate math — see exactly which plates to load per side • Rest timer with notifications so you never miss your next set • Progress charts for PRs, volume trends, and projected gains LEARN PROPER TECHNIQUE • Step-by-step form guides for Squat, Press, Bench Press, Deadlift and Power Clean • Coach-verified cues and 50+ FAQs on programming, nutrition and recovery FLEXIBLE TRAINING • Free Log mode for lifters beyond novice programming • Custom plate setup for any gym • Imperial and metric units • Cloud backup so you never lose your training history Find certified Starting Strength Coaches and Gyms near you, right from the app. PRICING • Monthly: $14.99/mo • Yearly: $89.99/yr • Lifetime: $179.99 one-time Free features cover core novice programming and tracking; AI Coach, post-novice programs, custom programs, Apple Watch and form check require Pro (marked above). Subscriptions can be managed in your Apple ID settings. Starting Strength is the official mobile companion to the world's most trusted barbell program, built for lifters following Mark Rippetoe's methodology. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ss-app-legal.netlify.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

StrongFirst4 screens
Starting Strength Official4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Starting Strength Official at 4.5 against StrongFirst's 3.6. StrongFirst's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 54%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. StrongFirst sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Starting Strength Official sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starting Strength Official holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 49 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of StrongFirst's written reviews are positive against 54% of Starting Strength Official's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StrongFirst ships an update every 3 weeks, Starting Strength Official every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
StrongFirst versus Starting Strength Official: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrongFirstStarting Strength Official
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (28 ratings)4.5 (49 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.2% of reviews — better53.8% of reviews
Number of ratings2849 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size90 MB156 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperStrongFirstShabu Pty Ltd

Customer experience

StrongFirst

All ratings28 ratings
Positive60.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative32.1%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative10.5%

Starting Strength Official

All ratings49 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

StrongFirst

Subscriptions2
  • StrongFirst App Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • StrongFirst App Premium7 Days trial$156.991 Year
7 purchases

Starting Strength Official

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Pro Quarterly$29.993 Months
  • Pro Yearly$89.991 Year
One-time4
  • 1 Priority Form Check$24.99
  • 3 Form Check Credits$69.99
  • Pro Lifetime$179.99
Show 1 more
  • 10 Form Check Credits$219.99

Questions

Is StrongFirst free?
StrongFirst is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starting Strength Official free?
Starting Strength Official is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StrongFirst or Starting Strength Official?
Starting Strength Official is rated higher. StrongFirst averages 3.6 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Starting Strength Official averages 4.5 from 49 ratings.
Do StrongFirst or Starting Strength Official have ads?
Neither StrongFirst nor Starting Strength Official shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StrongFirst or Starting Strength Official?
StrongFirst ships an update every 3 weeks, and Starting Strength Official every 2 weeks. Most recently, StrongFirst was updated on October 24, 2026 and Starting Strength Official on October 28, 2026.

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