StrongFirst vs Starting Strength Official
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Personalized training programs
- Expert guidance with video demonstrations
- Progress tracking
- Variety of exercises (kettlebell, barbell, bodyweight)
- Flexible scheduling
- Community support
- Educational articles and tips
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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/
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.
- Novice Linear Progression workouts
- Step-by-step lifting instructions
- Progress charts
- Searchable training history
- Built-in training guide
- Optional paid form checks
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | StrongFirst | Starting Strength Official |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (28 ratings) | 4.5 (49 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.2% of reviews — better | 53.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 49 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 90 MB | 156 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | StrongFirst | Shabu Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
StrongFirst
Starting Strength Official
In-app purchases
StrongFirst
- StrongFirst App Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Month
- StrongFirst App Premium7 Days trial$156.991 Year
Starting Strength Official
- Pro Monthly7 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Pro Quarterly$29.993 Months
- Pro Yearly$89.991 Year
- 1 Priority Form Check$24.99
- 3 Form Check Credits$69.99
- Pro Lifetime$179.99
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- 10 Form Check Credits$219.99
Questions
Is StrongFirst free?
Is Starting Strength Official free?
Which has better reviews, StrongFirst or Starting Strength Official?
Do StrongFirst or Starting Strength Official have ads?
Which is updated more often, StrongFirst or Starting Strength Official?
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