Comparison

Strong vs Essence Journal

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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)
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Free writing with prompts
  • Nuanced mood logging
  • Daily essence visualization
  • Self-care and appointment tracking
  • Elegant calendar archive
  • Private by design
Features
Read full description

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

Strong3 screens
Essence Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Strong versus Essence Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrongEssence Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChad Granofskyheather sherry

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Strong

One-time1
  • Donation$0.99
1 purchases

Essence Journal

One-time1
  • Lifetime Ownership$9.99

Questions

Is Strong free?
Strong is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Essence Journal free?
Essence Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Strong or Essence Journal?
Strong and Essence Journal are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Strong or Essence Journal have ads?
Neither Strong nor Essence Journal shows ads.

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