Comparison

Core Progression vs Hold the Standard

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

Head to head
About

Core Progression

This app provides personalized workout programs and tracks your fitness journey. Monitor workouts, nutrition, habits, and measurements with coach guidance. Connect with communities and earn badges for achievements.

Highlights
  • Access training plans and track workouts
  • Follow exercise and workout videos
  • Track meals and food choices
  • Monitor daily habits
  • Set and track health goals
  • Message your coach in real-time
  • Connect with digital communities
Features
Read full description

With the Core Progression App, you will have access to workout programs designed specifically to help you reach your fitness and health goals! You can follow & track your workouts, your nutrition, your lifestyle habits, measurements and results–all with the help of your coach. FEATURES: - Access training plans and track workouts - Follow along to exercise and workout videos - Track your meals and make better food choices - Stay on top of your daily habits - Set health and fitness goals and track progress towards your goals - Gain milestone badges for achieving new personal bests and maintaining habit streaks - Message your coach in real-time - Be part of digital communities to meet people with similar health goals and stay motivated - Track body measurements and take progress photos - Get push notification reminders for scheduled workouts and activities - Connect your Apple Watch to track workouts, steps, habits, and more right from your wrist - Connect to other wearable devices and apps like the Apple Health App, Garmin, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, and Withings devices to track workouts, sleep, nutrition, and body stats and composition Download the app today!

About

Hold the Standard

This app acts as a discipline engine for fitness, focusing on daily standards for food, water, and movement. It features a virtual coach named Sarge who provides direct, honest, and supportive guidance to help users achieve their goals without shame.

Highlights
  • Personalized calorie, protein, and water targets
  • AI-powered food logging with photo or text input
  • One-tap water tracking
  • Automatic workout syncing from Apple Health
  • Streak calendar for progress visualization
  • Smart coaching for meal recommendations
Features
Read full description

Hold the Standard is a discipline engine disguised as a fitness app. Three standards — food, water, movement — held daily, grown over time. Sarge is your coach. Direct. Honest. Demanding. Deeply in your corner. He won't let you off easy, but he'll never shame you either. HOW IT WORKS: • Set your standard — personalized calorie, protein, and water targets calculated from your body and goals • Log meals fast — snap a photo or describe what you ate, and AI does the macro math • Track water with one tap — 8, 16, or 24 oz quick-add buttons • Movement counts — workouts from Apple Health sync automatically • Win the day — hit all four pillars and your streak grows WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT: • Sarge — a loving drill sergeant who pushes you and believes in you • AI-powered food logging — take a photo or type "grilled chicken and rice" and get instant macro estimates • Portion adjustment — slide to fine-tune AI estimates in seconds • Smart coaching — Sarge tells you exactly what to eat next based on your remaining gaps • Streak calendar — see your month at a glance, green days and patterns • No shame, no guilt — slip up and Sarge resets with a plan, not a punishment Built for women who have fought their weight, fallen off the wagon, and need someone in their corner who will both push them and believe in them. Three standards. Held daily. Grown over time. Subscription: Hold the Standard Premium is an auto-renewable subscription ($7.99/month or $59.99/year). Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://onceuponafixerupper-ux.github.io/the-standard-privacy/

Screenshots

Core Progression4 screens
Hold the Standard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hold the Standard at 100% against Core Progression's 0%. Hold the Standard also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.7). Core Progression's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). 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. Hold the Standard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Core Progression asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hold the Standard holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Core Progression's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hold the Standard's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Core Progression ships an update every 2 months, Hold the Standard every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Core Progression versus Hold the Standard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCore ProgressionHold the Standard
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size161 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCore Progression LLCNathaniel Kramer

Customer experience

Core Progression

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Hold the Standard

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Core Progression

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Hold the Standard

Subscriptions2
  • Premium$7.991 Month
  • Premium$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Core Progression free?
Core Progression is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hold the Standard free?
Hold the Standard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Core Progression or Hold the Standard?
Hold the Standard is rated higher. Core Progression averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Hold the Standard averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Core Progression or Hold the Standard have ads?
Neither Core Progression nor Hold the Standard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Core Progression or Hold the Standard?
Core Progression ships an update every 2 months, and Hold the Standard every 3 months. Most recently, Core Progression was updated on September 24, 2026 and Hold the Standard on October 16, 2026.

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