Barley vs ION
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Barley
This app helps serious lifters track their strength training progress. It offers a comprehensive exercise library, custom exercise creation, and detailed performance metrics like PRs and RPE.
- Exercise library
- Custom exercise creation
- Plate calculator
- 1 rep max calculators
- PR tracking
- RPE tracking
- Workout statistics
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Barley is no-frills workout tracking app for serious lifters. **Features** - Exercise library - Create custom exercises - Barbell plate convenience calculator - 4 different 1 rep max calculators to choose from - Personal Record (PR) tracking for weight, reps, and volume - RPE tracking - Timed exercises - Workout statistics - Workout history - Customer rest timers (including the ability to have RPE-specific rest timers)
ION
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Ion is a simple gym tracker designed to help you log your workouts efficiently. Track your sets, reps, and progress over time.
Screenshots
Verdict
Barley and ION 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.
| Parameter | Barley | ION |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | No Translation Layer LLC | CARLOS MARTIN DE ARGILA LORENTE |
In-app purchases
Barley
No in-app purchases
ION
No in-app purchases
