Comparison

Trainer vs Shugyo

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

Head to head
About

Trainer

Features
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Unlock your true potential and transform your fitness journey with Trainer, the smartest way to plan, track, and perfect every workout. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting, Trainer provides the tools you need to build muscle, increase strength, and achieve your goals faster than ever before. All Your Workouts, Perfectly Organized Say goodbye to messy notes and scattered spreadsheets. Trainer is your central command center for your fitness life. - Your Training Logbook: Get a clean, at-a-glance overview of your entire workout history. Instantly see key stats like sets, reps, and workout duration, and jump back into any routine with a single tap. Master Your Time Under Tension (TUT) with a Revolutionary Guided Trainer Forget just counting reps; true growth comes from controlling the Trainer. Trainer’s revolutionary guided system ensures every second of your workout is effective. - Guided Trainer and Pacing: Our app guides you through every critical phase of the liftβ€”the eccentric (down), concentric (up), and isometric holds. With clear visual displays and hands-free audio prompts, you can stop staring at your phone and focus purely on your form and effort. - Maximize Time Under Tension: This scientifically proven driver for strength and hypertrophy is built into your workouts. From the "Prepare" countdown to the automatic rest timer, every moment is designed to keep you in the zone. Siri Integration β€” Hands-Free Workout Control Trainer now works seamlessly with Siri, letting you train without touching your phone. Simply say things like: - β€œHey Siri, start my workout in Trainer.” - β€œHey Siri, pause my session in Trainer.” - β€œHey Siri, skip my rest in Trainer.” Stay in the zone and let your voice guide your workout. Whether you’re lifting, timing, or resting, Siri keeps your flow uninterrupted β€” so you can focus purely on performance. Craft Your Ultimate Workout Plan Go beyond simple lists and build routines that are as unique as you are. - The Workout Builder: Our intuitive builder lets you construct detailed, custom training sessions from start to finish. Arrange exercises in the perfect sequence, specify the exact number of sets, and track your completion in real-time. Discover and Master Hundreds of Exercises Never get stuck in a rut again. Our extensive library ensures your workouts stay fresh, challenging, and effective. - The Movement Library: Explore hundreds of exercises with crystal-clear animations to guide your form. Easily filter by muscle group or equipmentβ€”from bodyweight to barbellβ€”and use the powerful search to find exactly what you need for your next great workout. Dial In Every Single Rep for Peak Performance This is for the athlete who sweats the details. We give you precision control over every variable. - Precision Set Editor: Customize every rep, weight, Trainer, and rest period. Log the exact weight lifted, define specific repetition durations, and program precise rest timers to stay optimized and on track. Download Trainer today and start training with the precision and intelligence you deserve! Terms-and-conditions: [https://www.notion.so/Terms-and-conditions-24d9b837817480a3926fdb2e2c93a102?source=copy_link](https://www.notion.so/Terms-and-conditions-24d9b837817480a3926fdb2e2c93a102?pvs=21) EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Shugyo

Features
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Shugyo means training through discipline. It runs a complete strength program for you, so you walk into the gym knowing exactly what to lift. TWO PROGRAMS, BUILT IN A nine-day split and a ten-day split, each with its own loading protocol. Every round tells you the reps, the reps in reserve and the back-off sets. You run each program for two full cycles, so the second time through you see exactly how much stronger you got. Then the next program starts, a little heavier than before. EVERY SET PRE-FILLED Your warm-ups and working sets are filled in before you start, worked out from what you actually lifted last time. Missed a target? The next suggestion backs off by itself. Felt easy? Tap Easy and it goes up. You can always change any number. BUILT FOR A BUSY GYM Machine taken? Swap the exercise in two taps, just for today or for the rest of the program. Every machine keeps its own weights, so 50 kg on one cable stack and 90 kg on another never get mixed up. BOXING, PILATES AND REST, WITHOUT BREAKING THE PLAN Swap a gym day for boxing or pilates and the program moves forward. Nothing is skipped. After boxing, legs come first. After pilates, you get a full rest day. A REST TIMER YOU WILL ACTUALLY USE It starts when you finish a set, counts up to the hundredth, and chimes once when your rest is done. It keeps running when your phone is locked. SEE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME Progress per exercise and per machine: your starting weight, your estimated max and every round you logged. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. Your training stays on your phone. Export a backup whenever you like.

Screenshots

Trainer4 screens
Shugyo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shugyo at none against Trainer's 2. Shugyo also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Trainer's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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. Trainer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Shugyo asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trainer ships an update weekly, Shugyo every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Trainer versus Shugyo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrainerShugyo
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly β€” betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size61 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLiquidcoder LimitedYassin Kwyasse

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Trainer

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly2 Months trial$24.991 Year
None

Shugyo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Trainer free?
Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shugyo free?
Shugyo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Trainer or Shugyo have ads?
Neither Trainer nor Shugyo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trainer or Shugyo?
Trainer ships an update weekly, and Shugyo every 5 weeks. Most recently, Trainer was updated on November 5, 2026 and Shugyo on November 5, 2026.

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