Strong vs Essence Journal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Strong
This app helps strength training enthusiasts log, track, and analyze their workout progress. It allows detailed recording of sessions, saving workouts as templates, and provides analytics like estimated 1-Rep Max. Data is synced to the cloud and appearance is customizable.
- Workout logging and history
- Save and group workout templates
- Cloud sync for data backup
- Estimated 1-Rep Max (e1RM) calculation
- Customizable themes and units (kg/lbs)
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App Overview: Strong-er Strong-er is a modern, data-driven mobile application designed for strength training enthusiasts. Strong-er provides a robust platform for users to log, track, and analyze their workout progress. Core Features & Functionality 1. Workout & History Tracking Log Workouts: The primary function of the app is to allow users to record their workout sessions in detail. Workout History: All completed workouts are saved to a comprehensive history, allowing users to review past performance. Workout Management: Users have full control over their workout entries. From a convenient toolbar menu, they can Edit, Delete, or Repeat a past workout. 2. Templates & Efficiency Save as Template: Users can save any workout as a "Template" for quick and easy reuse in the future, streamlining the logging process for routine exercises. Template Groups: To keep templates organized, they can be grouped together, for example, by muscle group ("Push Day," "Leg Day") or workout style. Quick Actions: The home screen features a "Quick Actions" menu, providing immediate access to the most common user tasks. 3. User & Data Management Account System: The app features a full authentication system using Firebase, allowing users to create persistent accounts. It also supports a "guest session" for users who wish to try the app without registering. Cloud Sync: All user data, including profiles, workout history, and templates, is synchronized. This ensures data is backed up and available on any device. 4. Personalization & Analytics Customizable Appearance: Users can personalize the app's look and feel by choosing from different themes (e.g., light or dark mode). Weight Unit Preference: The app supports both kilograms (kg) and pounds (lbs). Users can set their preferred unit in their profile, and the app handles all conversions and formatting consistently. Strength Analytics (e1RM): Strong-er includes a scientific component to help users understand their strength gains. It uses the Brzycki formula to calculate the estimated 1-Rep Max (e1RM) from workout data, providing a more accurate strength estimate, particularly for higher repetition sets.
Essence Journal
A private and ad-free digital journal for capturing your feelings and daily essence. Log moods with rich detail, track self-care, and revisit your entries through an elegant calendar archive.
- Free writing with prompts
- Nuanced mood logging
- Daily essence visualization
- Self-care and appointment tracking
- Elegant calendar archive
- Private by design
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Essence Journal is a calm, grown-up place to capture how you actually feel — without the clutter, ads, or teen-app noise. Open it on a lunch break or in five quiet minutes: write freely, log a feeling in a word instead of an emoji, and watch the day's "essence" take shape on a living ink field. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Write freely, or with a gentle daily prompt, a gratitude page, or a guided deep-reflection page. • Log nuanced moods from a rich palette — or add your own words — with triggers and notes. • See your day's essence: a computed score and tone drawn from every feeling you log. • Tend the small things — water, self-care rituals, hobbies, and upcoming appointments. • Revisit everything in an elegant calendar archive that tints each day by mood, with week-over-week trends and plain-English patterns. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your journal is yours. The core writing experience, your privacy, and your data are never paywalled. LIFETIME OWNERSHIP Essence Journal is a one-time purchase — no subscription, no renewals. Pay once and it is yours to keep, forever. Privacy Policy: https://preview.apppublishing.ai/legal/essence-journal/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://preview.apppublishing.ai/legal/essence-journal/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Strong at free against Essence Journal's paid. Essence Journal's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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. Strong sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Essence Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Strong against 5.0 for Essence Journal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.
| Parameter | Strong | Essence Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 127 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chad Granofsky | heather sherry |
In-app purchases
Strong
- Donation$0.99
Essence Journal
- Lifetime Ownership$9.99









