Comparison

GainBlocks vs OpenBook

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

Head to head
About

GainBlocks

Features
Read full description

You train, but you can't tell if it's enough. GainBlocks makes it countable. Every muscle gets a weekly target in hard sets. Every hard set you log fills one block. Fill your board before Monday, on whatever days you train. A READY SESSION EVERY TIME Open the app and start the next session. GainBlocks builds your week from the days you train: full body, upper and lower, or push, pull and legs. Same lifts in the same order, with sets, weight and reps, so you can beat last time. NO FIXED DAYS TO FALL BEHIND ON A session is never tied to a weekday and there are no missed workouts. Just blocks still open. Train Tuesday and Saturday or five days straight; the board keeps score either way. A TARGET FOR EVERY MUSCLE Tell it how often you train and which muscles you want to bring up. GainBlocks sets a weekly number for chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs and abs, with extra work where you asked for it. ONE SET CAN FILL MORE THAN ONE ROW A bench press fills a chest block and adds half a block to shoulders and triceps. You see where your week is ahead and where it is behind. IT REMEMBERS YOUR NUMBERS Open an exercise and you see what you did last time and what to take today. Beat it and the next target moves up. LOCK IN BEFORE EVERY SET Hold to lock in, then give the set everything. Log your reps, say how much you had left, and the block lands. OR DO YOUR OWN THING Tap any muscle on the board and train that instead. It all counts. Short on time? Say how long you have and GainBlocks lines up the exercises that close the biggest gaps. RECORDS GET THEIR MOMENT A new best gets a plate slam and your number in yellow. No ads. No social feed. Your training data stays in your account. SUBSCRIPTION GainBlocks offers an auto-renewable subscription with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID and renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://exekute-app.com/privacy

About

OpenBook

Read full description

OpenBook is a clean, pen-and-paper style workout log. Built to be fast, simple, and flexible. No sign-up, no credit card required โ€” start right away with unlimited exercises and routines, full graph access, and CSV export for your own data. Log up to 28 training days. Subscribe anytime for unlimited logging. With OpenBook, you can: Log any exercise. Track any unit or combination of units. However you train โ€” strength, calisthenics, bodybuilding, powerlifting, yoga, or functional fitness โ€” OpenBook fits around it. For example: โ€ข Bench Press โ€” weight ร— reps โ€ข Zercher Hold โ€” weight ร— time โ€ข Sled Push โ€” weight ร— distance โ€ข Planche Lean โ€” distance ร— time โ€ข Dead Hang โ€” time only โ€ข Stretching โ€” time only โ€ข Arrowhead Lunge โ€” breaths Swipe between days Move between days with a simple swipe to review past sessions. See your training at a glance View your days across a calendar or heatmap. Plan or track anytime Start with a saved routine or log as you go. Time your rest. Add notes. Set custom rest timers and add notes for each session. View your progress with context Track your progress over time, including intensity through % max or %1RM. Compare and periodise Track two metrics on one timeline to support structured, periodised training. Edit or repeat sessions Quickly update past logs or duplicate sessions with a single tap. Download your data Export your data at any time. Back up your data to the cloud Keep your data safe and accessible. โ€”โ€”โ€” Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ OpenBook Terms of Service: https://openbook.fit/terms Privacy Policy: https://openbook.fit/privacy

Screenshots

GainBlocks4 screens
OpenBook4 screens

Verdict

The call

GainBlocks and OpenBook are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. GainBlocks sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and OpenBook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GainBlocks ships an update every 9 days, OpenBook every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
GainBlocks versus OpenBook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGainBlocksOpenBook
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days โ€” betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better15.5
Further details โ€” not scored
Size58 MB55 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMike HendriksOpenArcX Pty Ltd

In-app purchases

2 purchases

GainBlocks

Subscriptions2
  • GainBlocks Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • GainBlocks Annual7 Days trial$44.991 Year
2 purchases

OpenBook

Subscriptions2
  • OpenBook Full Access - Monthly$3.991 Month
  • OpenBook Full Access - Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is GainBlocks free?
GainBlocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenBook free?
OpenBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do GainBlocks or OpenBook have ads?
Both GainBlocks and OpenBook show ads.
Which is updated more often, GainBlocks or OpenBook?
GainBlocks ships an update every 9 days, and OpenBook every 2 weeks. Most recently, GainBlocks was updated on October 16, 2026 and OpenBook on October 14, 2026.

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