# Barley vs ION

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Barley | ION |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barley-workout-tracker/id6752520791/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | **17.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [No Translation Layer LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1705015522) | [CARLOS MARTIN DE ARGILA LORENTE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869158134) |

## What reviewers say

### Barley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barley-workout-tracker/id6752520791)

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.

**Highlights:** Exercise library, Custom exercise creation, Plate calculator, 1 rep max calculators, PR tracking, RPE tracking, Workout statistics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ION

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ion-workout-log/id6757827438)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Barley free?

Barley is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ION free?

ION is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Barley or ION have ads?

Neither Barley nor ION shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Barley or ION?

Barley ships an update fortnightly, and ION fortnightly. Most recently, Barley was updated on October 28, 2026 and ION on October 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*