sTrain vs Surge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
sTrain
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sTrain is a notebook for workouts. You write down what you lifted. That is the whole idea. There is no coach, no algorithm and no progression engine deciding your next session. You build the program you actually train, log it set by set, and the app stays out of the way. BUILD THE PROGRAM YOU TRAIN Create training days and fill them with strength, bodyweight, cardio or timed exercises. Set the reps, the weight and the rest, drag them into the order you do them in, and reuse the day every week. Forty ready-made training days ship with the app - push/pull/legs, upper/lower, full body, 5x5, PHUL, Arnold splits and more - and every one of them is free to add and free to change. SEVENTY-SIX EXERCISES, ALREADY THERE Search the library by muscle group or by equipment: barbell, dumbbell, machine, cable, kettlebell, band, or nothing at all. Every exercise you create is saved to your own library, so you never type the same movement twice. LOG THE SET, NOT THE APP Start a session and fill in one row at a time: reps, weight, done. Mark a set as a warm-up, a drop set, or one taken to failure. The rest timer runs inline between sets and you can skip it whenever you like. The screen stays awake while you train. WATCH THE WORK ADD UP Streak, total training time, sessions per week, completion rate, average duration and your most trained exercises. Personal records are what you actually lifted - max weight by reps, per exercise - not an extrapolated one-rep max. The activity calendar marks every day you trained, with the month's sets, exercises and volume. MAKE IT YOURS Six colour themes, all free, with light, dark and system modes. Kilograms or pounds, switched at any time. ON YOUR DEVICE, NOT OURS No account, no ads, no data sales. Your training log lives on your phone and sTrain works fully offline. If you ever want it on a second device, a free Sapplify account turns on Sync. It is optional, and it keeps your log in step through our servers in the EU, encrypted in transit and at rest. FREE AND PRO Free gives you unlimited workouts across three training days, the last seven days of statistics, and every theme. sTrain Pro is a one-time purchase, never a subscription: unlimited training days, the full statistics history, personal records and progress, the activity calendar, and export, import and backup. Write down what you lifted. Come back and beat it.
Surge
This interval timer app is designed for various circuit-style workouts like HIIT, Tabata, and boxing. It provides audio and haptic cues for each phase, allowing users to train without constantly watching the clock. All features are included with a single purchase, offering a complete, ad-free experience.
- Customizable work and rest intervals
- Pre-set workout routines (Tabata, HIIT, Boxing)
- Audio and haptic interval cues
- Save up to 20 custom presets
- Preparation countdown
- Screen stays awake during workouts
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Surge is a beautifully designed interval timer for HIIT, Tabata, boxing rounds, EMOM and any circuit-style workout — at home, in the gym or ringside. Pay once and it's yours forever. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads — every feature included. Set your work and rest, pick your rounds and press play — Surge calls every phase with beeps and haptics, so you train bell to bell without watching the clock. ROUNDS READY TO GO • Tabata — 20s work / 10s rest × 8 rounds • HIIT — 40s work / 20s rest × 10 rounds • Boxing — 3:00 rounds with 1:00 rest × 6 • EMOM — 60-second intervals × 10 • Stretch — 30s holds / 10s rest × 12 • Edit any built-in preset to match your training YOUR WORKOUT, YOUR RULES • Work from 5 seconds to 10 minutes, rest up to 5 minutes • 1–50 rounds, with an optional preparation countdown • Save up to 20 presets with custom names and icons • Skip a phase mid-workout; the screen stays awake to the final bell • A large, glanceable countdown with an animated progress ring BUILT RIGHT • Pay once, own it for life — the price you see is everything • No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no upsells • No ads, ever • Megabytes, not gigabytes — no ad libraries, no analytics SDKs, nothing that isn't the app itself • No account and no data collection — your presets never leave your device • Designed for iPhone and iPad Download Surge and let every round run itself.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: sTrain at Free against Surge's $2.00. sTrain also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Surge's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On ads and device support 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
sTrain is free to download; Surge costs $2.00 up front. sTrain sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Surge asks for nothing beyond the download.
sTrain ships an update monthly, Surge fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | sTrain | Surge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.00 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Anthony Eli Rasch | Matthew Avery |
In-app purchases
sTrain
- sTrain Pro - EarlyBird$3.99
- sTrain Pro - Lifetime$5.99
Surge
No in-app purchases









