Barley vs Lightweight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Barley
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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)
Lightweight
This app helps lifters track their workouts with fast logging and detailed insights for progressive overload. It focuses on session efficiency, personal records, and data ownership, working offline without an account.
- Fast set logging with gym-focused keypad
- Previous-session placeholders
- Rest timer with auto-start and fine-tune
- Superset support
- Custom exercise creation
- Personal record tracking
- Offline functionality
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Lightweight is a workout tracker for lifters who actually train. No social feed, no cookie-cutter programs, no bloat. Just fast logging, clean data, and the insights that matter for progressive overload. BUILT FOR THE SESSION • Log sets in seconds with a keypad designed for the gym floor • Previous-session placeholders — see last week's numbers without breaking your flow • Rest timer with auto-start, ±10s fine-tune, and a floating puck that expands on tap • Sound cues and haptics tuned for headphones • Supersets — alternate exercises with a single shared rest • Custom exercises for anything missing from the defaults • Training notes on every session PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD, FRONT AND CENTER • Personal records by weight and estimated 1RM — detected the moment you hit them • Per-exercise history with e1RM progression sparklines • PR progression tab with running-max overlay • Volume by muscle group, session frequency, duration trends YOUR DATA, YOUR DEVICE • Everything works offline — data lives on your phone • No account required to start • Bodyweight tracking with a weekly reminder • Light, Dark, and System themes PREMIUM (OPTIONAL) • Unlimited workout templates (free tier includes 2) • Cloud sync across devices via Apple Sign In • AI insights — session reviews, weekly and monthly reports, plateau detection, volume balance Free tier covers unlimited sessions, full history, charts, PRs, stats, custom exercises, supersets, rest timer, and bodyweight tracking. You never lose access to your own data. No ads. No feed. No streaks-as-a-service. Just your training, logged properly. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Barley at none against Lightweight's 2. Lightweight's advantage is update cadence (daily vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.4). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Lightweight sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Barley asks for nothing beyond the download.
Barley ships an update fortnightly, Lightweight daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Barley | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | No Translation Layer LLC | Cem Kagan Kayili |
In-app purchases
Barley
No in-app purchases
Lightweight
- Premium Monthly$5.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$53.991 Year









