Comparison

GymBook ・ Strength Training vs Iron

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

Head to head
About

GymBook ・ Strength Training

Create, log, and analyze your gym workouts with this comprehensive fitness app. It offers custom exercise creation, detailed logging, and insightful performance analytics with interactive graphs. Track progress, sync data, and time your rests efficiently.

Highlights
  • Create custom workouts and exercises
  • Log sets, weight, and reps
  • Track workout progress with graphs
  • Adjustable rest timer
  • Sync data with Health app and Strava
  • Body measurement tracking
Features
Read full description

Here is GymBook, your fitness app to efficiently create, log and analyze your workouts at the gym - all in a beautiful and minimalist user interface. MANAGE YOUR WORKOUTS • Create your workout with your own exercises or choose from the 50+ simple exercises with animated images and visualizations of the affected primary and secondary muscle groups • Group and sort your exercises within a workout • Define the sets, weight and reps you want to perform for each exercise • Define different settings for your sets of an exercise (e.g. for warm up sets or pyramid training) • Archive workouts you don't actively use and keep them for statistics or for later use MANAGE YOUR EXERCISES • Edit the preloaded exercises • Create your own exercises (cardio and stretching exercises also supported) • Assign a region, primary and secondary muscle groups, equipment and write down notes for your exercises • Add a photo to your exercises WORK OUT! • Fast logging and tracking of your workout • Log your workout on your wrist with GymBook for Apple Watch • Extend your logs with notes to add additional information • Immediately see how you did last time • Use the pre-filled picker views for fast logging and Quick-Log for super fast logging • Quickly access logs from within a workout, including the graphical statistics • Change the workout date (if you want to log previous workouts) • Immediately see your exercise statistics in a configurable, interactive line graph • Move automatically to the next exercise of your workout after saving a log (configurable) • The workout screen immediately shows a detailed overview about today's workout • The innovative "Workout Matrix" gives you always a detailed overview about your current workout • Live Activities show your current workout right on your Lock Screen or on your Dynamic Island • After completing a workout, a summary shows your performance as well as your heat map and lets you analyze your progress compared to last time • Completed workouts are saved to the Health app (with date, start time, end time, duration, name and optionally active calories and heart rate) and to Strava MORE... • Time your rests with the adjustable timer which also works when you set your device to sleep or close your app: you can configure your preferred timer duration, have a primary and a secondary timer (even specific to an exercise), choose between a classic or a graphical timer, have different timer sounds and more • Receive a detailed analysis of your performance thanks to the interactive line graphs, doughnut charts, and/or radar charts • Track your body measurements and analyze your progress in interactive line graphs: some body measurements (weight, height, body fat percentage and waist circumference) will also be synced with the Health app • Export your logs as XML and CSV file and export a backup as a database file • Synchronize your data with iCloud • Change the appearance of GymBook and choose from one of 9 great designs, each one available in both light and dark mode *Some special functions can be activated with GymBook Pro. SUPPORT: GymBook supports metric (kilograms, meters) and imperial (pounds, feet) system of units. NOTE: GymBook is developed by gym experts, for gym experts. Therefore it focuses on YOUR workouts and provides only example workouts for better orientation. TERMS OF USE: https://gymbookapp.com/terms.

About

Iron

This free weightlifting tracker offers a clean interface for logging gym sessions. It includes smart features like automatic rest timers and PR recognition, with Apple Health integration and export options for your data.

Highlights
  • Workout logging
  • Apple Health integration
  • Automatic rest timer
  • PR recognition
  • Progress charts
  • Custom exercises
  • Data export
Features
Read full description

A modern and completely free weightlifting workout tracker. • Beautiful and simple user interface • Apple Health integration • Apple Watch companion app • Smart set completions • Automatic rest timer • Recognizes and highlights PRs • Well maintained library of built-in exercises • Create custom exercises • Charts to visualize your progress • Supports Imperial (lbs) and Metric (kg) • Siri Shortcuts - Privacy focused There are no analytics, no tracking, no 3rd party SDKs and no account. - Apple Health Iron logs your finished workouts in Apple Health and displays your bodyweight next to your previous workouts - No lock-in Export all of your workout data as plain text or JSON for manual editing or further analysis. Privacy Policy: https://iron.ka.codes/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://iron.ka.codes/tos.html The exercise images are from Everkinetic (license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).

Screenshots

GymBook ・ Strength Training4 screens
Iron4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Iron at none against GymBook ・ Strength Training's 13. Iron also leads on iOS requirement (13.1 vs 16.4). GymBook ・ Strength Training's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 380). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. GymBook ・ Strength Training sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Iron asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for GymBook ・ Strength Training against 4.8 for Iron. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GymBook ・ Strength Training has 2.4K ratings behind it against 380, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of GymBook ・ Strength Training's written reviews are positive against 96% of Iron's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GymBook ・ Strength Training ships an update weekly, Iron monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
GymBook ・ Strength Training versus Iron: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGymBook ・ Strength TrainingIron
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.4K ratings)4.8 (380 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.6% of reviews96.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.4K — better380
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.413.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size393 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppwise GmbHKarim Abou Zeid

Customer experience

GymBook ・ Strength Training

All ratings2,433 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews411 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.6%

Iron

All ratings231 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive96.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.9%

User reviews

GymBook ・ Strength Training

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💪 Excellent workout tracking
  • 🔓 No subscription, one-time purchase
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 📊 Comprehensive data and progress tracking
  • 🤖 Seamless Apple Watch integration

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Cumbersome weight/rep selection
  • 📚 Limited exercise catalog (some missing)
  • 🔀 Difficulty switching between workouts
  • 📈 Confusing progress graph visualizations
  • 🔍 Lack of search/filter options for exercises

Iron

From 380 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💰 Completely free with no ads or paywalls
  • 🎯 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 🔒 Open source and privacy-focused
  • ⚙️ Highly customizable exercises and workouts
  • 📊 Excellent progress tracking and history

Room to improve

  • ❌ Limited cardio and machine exercise options
  • 🐛 Apple Health integration crashes phone
  • ⌨️ Keyboard overlaps buttons in some cases
  • 🎯 Muscle group classification too broad for compound lifts
  • ⏰ Workout timer can be confusing with time vs. weight tracking

Bugs and requests

GymBook ・ Strength Training

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional syncing issues with Apple Watch
  • Workout data sometimes recorded on wrong day

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to copy/duplicate workouts
  • Implement calendar view for workout history
  • Allow manual entry of weights/reps instead of scrolling
  • Integrate body measurement tracking and progress graphs
  • Add more pre-made workout templates and routines
Show 1 more
  • Implement calisthenics and cardio exercise support

Iron

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Apple Health integration causes phone crashes
  • Keyboard overlaps other buttons
  • Completed workouts display inconsistently (red vs. green)
  • Workouts don't auto-finish after extended inactivity, causing inflated duration times
  • Unable to edit reps or weight in some cases
Show 2 more
  • Recent update changed tracking from sets/weight/reps to time-based system without option to revert
  • iOS 14 compatibility issues (older review)

Requested features

13 requests
  • Cardio workout tracking options
  • More gym machine varieties in exercise library
  • Granular muscle group breakdown (e.g., separate shoulder heads, traps)
  • Customizable rest timer settings for compound vs. accessory work
  • Additional set tags (Warmup, Giant, Super sets)
Show 8 more
  • Plate calculator and lb/kg conversion tool
  • Multi-stat tracking capability
  • Ability to track timed exercises better
  • Workout sharing functionality with friends
  • More audible rest timer notification
  • Donation option to support developer
  • Improved widget options
  • FAQ documentation

In-app purchases

13 purchases

GymBook ・ Strength Training

Subscriptions2
  • GymBook Pro · Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • GymBook Pro · Yearly14 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time11
  • Timer+$3.99
  • Themes$3.99
  • Export$3.99
Show 8 more
  • Assistant$3.99
  • Cloud$3.99
  • Bronze ・ Package$5.99
  • +Exercises ・ Feature$5.99
  • Silver ・ Package$6.99
  • Gold ・ Package$12.99
  • Platinum ・ Package$17.99
  • GymBook Pro · Lifetime$22.99
None

Iron

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GymBook ・ Strength Training free?
GymBook ・ Strength Training is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Iron free?
Iron is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GymBook ・ Strength Training or Iron?
Iron is rated higher. GymBook ・ Strength Training averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Iron averages 4.8 from 380 ratings.
Do GymBook ・ Strength Training or Iron have ads?
Neither GymBook ・ Strength Training nor Iron shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GymBook ・ Strength Training or Iron?
GymBook ・ Strength Training ships an update weekly, and Iron monthly. Most recently, GymBook ・ Strength Training was updated on October 24, 2026 and Iron on October 24, 2026.

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