Comparison

OpenLift Workout Journal vs Ischys Workout Tracker

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

Head to head
About

OpenLift Workout Journal

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OpenLift is a training journal for people who want more than a simple workout tracker. Plan your workouts, log every set, follow progression, track nutrition, record body measurements, and keep your training history in one clear place. OpenLift helps you understand what you did, how things are moving, and what makes sense to do next. WORKOUT PLANS Use structured programs built around your goal, level, and available equipment. Whether you train for strength, hypertrophy, calisthenics, or general fitness, OpenLift gives you a clear plan to follow instead of leaving every session to guesswork. WORKOUT JOURNAL Log sets, reps, weight, rest, RPE/RIR, notes, and exercise details during training. Your workout history stays organized so you can compare sessions, review performance, and see how your training changes over time. CUSTOM WORKOUT BUILDER Create your own workout templates, choose exercises, configure sets and reps, reorder movements, and prepare sessions before you enter the gym. PROGRESSION PLAYBOOKS Use progression rules that turn completed workouts into clearer next steps. OpenLift helps you see when to increase, hold, or adjust based on your training history and performance. NUTRITION AND MEASUREMENTS Track food, body weight, measurements, and progress photos alongside your training. Even imperfect logs can give useful context for strength, recovery, and body composition changes. ANALYTICS THAT STAY PRACTICAL Review personal records, volume, estimated strength trends, exercise history, and muscle group distribution. The goal is not more data for its own sake. It is a clearer picture of your progress. BUILT FOR REAL TRAINING Missed workouts, failed sets, partial logs, and busy weeks are part of the process. OpenLift keeps your history usable so you can continue without feeling like you need to start over. OpenLift is designed for lifters, calisthenics athletes, and anyone who wants a clearer training journal for long-term progress.

About

Ischys Workout Tracker

This app allows users to quickly log gym sets, build routines, and track personal records entirely on their device. It features a rest timer that continues running even when the app is closed and integrates with Apple Watch for seamless workout management. Data is kept private and local, with options for importing and exporting workout history.

Highlights
  • Log sets in seconds
  • Build and start routines
  • Rest timer with Lock Screen support
  • Automatic personal record tracking
  • Apple Watch integration
  • 100% on-device data storage
  • Import/export workout history
Features
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Ischys is a fast, private workout tracker for lifters. Every set, routine, and personal record lives entirely on your iPhone — no account, no cloud, no tracking. Your training data is yours. BUILT FOR THE GYM • Log sets in seconds — weight, reps, warmup, drop and failure sets • Build routines and start them in one tap, or freestyle an empty session • A rest timer that keeps running when you leave the app — right on your Lock Screen • Auto-fills your last session's weights and reps, so you're not retyping • Personal records tracked automatically: heaviest set, best volume, most reps APPLE WATCH • Start a workout on your phone and it runs on your wrist • Live heart rate and active calories during the session • Log sets, adjust rest, and end the workout from the Watch YOUR DATA, YOUR DEVICE • 100% on-device — no account to create, nothing uploaded, no analytics • Import your history from other apps (CSV) and export it any time as JSON • Optional Apple Health: save finished workouts and read your heart rate OPEN SOURCE Ischys is open source — see exactly what runs on your device at ischys.app.

Screenshots

OpenLift Workout Journal4 screens
Ischys Workout Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

OpenLift Workout Journal and Ischys Workout Tracker are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenLift Workout Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, Ischys Workout Tracker every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
OpenLift Workout Journal versus Ischys Workout Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenLift Workout JournalIschys Workout Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB53 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMARTIN NIKOLAEV HARALAMPIEVVASILEIOS POULOPOULOS

In-app purchases

None

OpenLift Workout Journal

No in-app purchases

None

Ischys Workout Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenLift Workout Journal free?
OpenLift Workout Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ischys Workout Tracker free?
Ischys Workout Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do OpenLift Workout Journal or Ischys Workout Tracker have ads?
Neither OpenLift Workout Journal nor Ischys Workout Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenLift Workout Journal or Ischys Workout Tracker?
OpenLift Workout Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ischys Workout Tracker every 9 days. Most recently, OpenLift Workout Journal was updated on October 30, 2026 and Ischys Workout Tracker on November 6, 2026.

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