GymBook ・ Strength Training vs Mackro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Mackro
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Mackro is the macro tracker for people who got burned by the others. You don't want ads. You don't want a spreadsheet. You don't want to be lectured by an algorithm. You want to log what you ate, see how you're trending, and get on with your day. So that's what Mackro does. ▸ SNAP A PHOTO, GET THE MACROS Point your camera at your meal. Mackro's AI estimates the calories and macros in a couple of seconds. No typing, no menu-diving, no second-guessing portion sizes. ▸ OR JUST DESCRIBE IT IN PLAIN ENGLISH "Two scrambled eggs and a piece of sourdough." That's it. Mackro figures out the rest. ▸ A MASSIVE FOOD DATABASE — BARCODE SCAN INCLUDED Over 2 million foods from Open Food Facts and USDA. Scan barcodes (with a built-in torch for low light). Save custom foods to your library. ▸ MEET MACK Your tiny companion. Mack checks in when you've had a quiet day, celebrates when you hit your target, and is gentle when you blow past it. Mack does not lecture, judge, or moralize. ▸ STREAKS THAT EARN THEMSELVES BACK Log every day, build a streak. Miss a day? You've banked freezes that protect it. Streaks only break when both your discipline AND your freezes are gone. ▸ BUILT FOR THE APPLE ECOSYSTEM - Apple Watch app: today's numbers and quick re-logs on your wrist - Home Screen, Lock Screen and Control Center widgets - Apple Health: reads your height and weight; Pro writes macros, water and weight back - iCloud sync across all your devices — MACKRO PRO — $5.99/mo or $39.99/yr — 7 day free trial Pro upgrades Mackro into the full AI macro tracker: • AI logging: snap a photo, describe a meal, or dictate from Apple Watch (up to 30 a day) • Adaptive TDEE: your calorie target updates based on your real weight trend • Full history and trends, beyond the last 7 days • Meal Templates: re-log a whole day with one tap • Training and Rest day targets • Apple Health write-back for macros, water and weight Free, always: search, barcode scan, manual entry, Mack, streaks and freezes, weekly recap, widgets, Apple Watch app. — A NOTE FROM THE DEVELOPER I built Mackro because every macro app I tried was either selling me ads, asking me to feel bad about myself, or trying to be a spreadsheet. I wanted something warmer. Mackro is a solo project. Your food log stays on your device or syncs through your iCloud. I don't sell it, and I can't see it. No ads, no Facebook pixel, no data brokers. I use anonymous usage analytics to see which screens get used. They never include your food or health data. If you have feedback, the email is in Settings. I read every one. — John — PRIVACY FIRST Your nutrition data lives in your iCloud, not on our servers. We don't track you across apps or websites. AI logging sends your meal description or a resized photo through our proxy to Anthropic's API for analysis. Subscriptions are verified with RevenueCat, and anonymous usage analytics go to PostHog. Details are in the privacy policy. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://apps.johnkatez.com/mackro/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: GymBook ・ Strength Training at 2.4K against Mackro's 1. Mackro's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. GymBook ・ Strength Training sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Mackro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Mackro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GymBook ・ Strength Training has 2.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
GymBook ・ Strength Training ships an update weekly, Mackro every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GymBook ・ Strength Training | Mackro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.4K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 398 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Appwise GmbH | John Katez |
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
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- Implement calisthenics and cardio exercise support
Mackro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GymBook ・ Strength Training
- GymBook Pro · Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- GymBook Pro · Yearly14 Days trial$8.991 Year
- Timer+$3.99
- Themes$3.99
- Export$3.99
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- 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
Mackro
- Mackro Pro7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Mackro Pro7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is GymBook ・ Strength Training free?
Is Mackro free?
Which has better reviews, GymBook ・ Strength Training or Mackro?
Do GymBook ・ Strength Training or Mackro have ads?
Which is updated more often, GymBook ・ Strength Training or Mackro?
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