Comparison

Axelroad vs Dimly

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

Head to head
About

Axelroad

This app guides beginners through strength training with step-by-step missions and exercise demos. It offers proven programs, gamified progress tracking, and motivational tips to build confidence and a stronger body.

Highlights
  • Beginner-friendly strength training plans
  • Step-by-step guided missions
  • Exercise demos with clear instructions
  • Gamified progress tracking (streaks, XP, levels)
  • Proven programs recommended by r/Fitness
  • In-app lifting buddy for encouragement
Features
Read full description

Axelroad helps you build muscle and strength step by step. Not sure where to start? We've got you. Follow a proven training plan, learn the movements, and always know what to do. Build muscle, strength, and confidence, one small step at a time. CHOOSE YOUR PROGRAM Choose from popular programs recommended by The Fitness Wiki, including LIFTOFF, Basic Beginner Strength, and GZCLP. Start where you are and follow a simple training path. ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO DO See your next workout, exercises, sets, reps, and weights in one place. Watch demos, train, and log your progress. LEARN AS YOU GO Improve your form with training tips and demos. Build skills and see your confidence rise. SEE PROGRESS FROM DAY ONE See your progress immediately. Way before you notice changes in the mirror. EASY TO USE WITH APPLE WATCH Track your workouts from your wrist with Apple Watch support. TRY FOR FREE Your first 3 workouts are free. No payment information needed. No subscription. No ads. Buy more workouts only if you wish to continue. Start where you are. Build muscle and strength step by step.

About

Dimly

Read full description

Dimly is a quiet app for the end of your day: a short bedtime routine, sleep sounds and a dim red screen with no clock. No account, no ads, and everything stays on your phone. At bedtime you tap "I want to sleep". First you can write down whatever is still on your mind. The list waits in the app until morning. Then you pick a sound and a light, and the screen turns dim red. Over about 20 minutes it fades to black. The sound stops on its own after 15, 30 or 60 minutes, or plays all night if you want. You can switch off any step you don't use, and your choices stay for the next night. On nights when you just want to lie down, play something on the Sounds tab and tap "Dim and sleep". Sounds and light There are 23 sounds, and you can mix any two: rain, rain on the roof, a distant storm, a winter storm, ocean waves, a stream, a waterfall, a night marsh, wind, rustling trees, a forest, a fan, a fireplace, a campfire, a train, a purring cat, white noise, pink noise, brown noise, and four calm meditation tracks, singing bowls among them. For the light you get Embers, Aurora, Night sky, Breath (a circle you can breathe along with) or Dark, which is just a black screen. Tap the screen for the controls, which sit over your own light. To end the night, hold the button. At night None of the night screens show the time. That's on purpose. If you wake up and open the app, one tap starts your sound and the light again. You can change the sound, the volume or the light in the middle of the night, and the controls stay dim and red. If you can't fall asleep, there's a short page that suggests getting up for a bit and coming back when you feel sleepy. In the morning Dimly has no alarm. If you open it 7.5 hours or more after lights out, it asks "Time to get up?" You can sleep a little longer with your sound on, or get up and let the sound fade out. Then it asks how the night was. Pick good, okay or rough. One tap is enough. If you like, add what helped, and last night's list is there too. Your nights Tonight shows your last seven nights as small moons. The Nights tab goes back by week, month, year or all at once. After about ten nights you'll start to see what your good nights often had in common, a sound or going to bed on time, for example. It only works from your own nights in the app, so take it as a hint. There are no scores, streaks or badges. You can set a reminder 15 to 60 minutes before bedtime. It stays off until you turn it on. The daytime screens have an aurora in the background, in one of five shades from Emerald to Ice. At night everything turns red anyway. There's nothing to sign up for and nothing to buy. The app doesn't track you and doesn't send anything anywhere, so what you write never leaves your phone. You can delete all of it in Settings. I'm a product designer in Czechia. I made Dimly in my spare time, for my own evenings. It's in English and Czech. If something doesn't work for you, write to me from Settings. I read every message. Dimly is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition.

Screenshots

Axelroad4 screens
Dimly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dimly at none against Axelroad's 3. Dimly also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Axelroad's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Axelroad sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Dimly asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Axelroad ships an update every 3 weeks, Dimly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 5 level
Axelroad versus Dimly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAxelroadDimly
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better16.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size97 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAxelgateMichal Damborsky

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Axelroad

One-time3
  • 12 Missions (~4 Weeks)$9.99
  • 36 Missions (~3 Months)$19.99
  • 72 Missions (~6 Months)$29.99
None

Dimly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Axelroad free?
Axelroad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dimly free?
Dimly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Axelroad or Dimly have ads?
Neither Axelroad nor Dimly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Axelroad or Dimly?
Axelroad ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dimly every 5 days. Most recently, Axelroad was updated on November 4, 2026 and Dimly on October 31, 2026.

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