Comparison

Progress vs Forge

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

Head to head
About

Progress

Features
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Progress your way. Progress tracks your workouts, automates your progression, and takes the guesswork out of your training β€” so you can focus on lifting. WORKOUT TRACKING Log every set, rep, and weight with a clean, distraction-free interface. Built-in rest timers keep you on pace. Exercise notes keep your cues close. ADVANCED TRAINING Automatic progressive overload β€” set a weight increment per exercise and the app adds it after every successful session. No spreadsheets. No manual tracking. Pyramid sets β€” assign each set its own weight and rep target. The app sequences through automatically and the plate calculator updates for each set. Supersets β€” group exercises back-to-back with a live display of what's next so you never lose your place. Plate calculator β€” built into every exercise. Shows exactly which plates to load, updated for every set. Full exercise customisation β€” control weight type, sets, reps, rest time, and progression settings per exercise. AI PROGRAM BUILDER Answer a few questions about your goals, experience, available equipment, and any injuries or constraints. The AI builds a complete multi-week training program tailored to you. Not a template. Ask the AI to adjust it if anything isn't right. AI WORKOUT BUILDER Need a single session? Generate a workout built around your goals and equipment in minutes. AI NUTRITION PLANS Tell the AI your goals and dietary preferences β€” it generates a personalised nutrition plan with calorie targets, macros, and meal guidance. Export it as a PDF to keep on hand. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Every lift you log builds your history. Per-exercise charts show your strength trends over time β€” weight moved, estimated 1RMs, and personal records in one view. AI COACH Ask the built-in AI coach anything β€” form tips, program adjustments, recovery advice. It knows your history and gives answers based on your actual data, not generic advice. APPLE WATCH Leave your phone in your bag. Track full workouts from your wrist with heart rate monitoring and a live rest timer. LIVE ACTIVITY & DYNAMIC ISLAND Your rest timer lives in the Dynamic Island and on your Lock Screen β€” always know when it's time for the next set. iCLOUD SYNC Your workouts, programs, and history sync automatically across your iPhone and Apple Watch. APPLE HEALTH Progress writes your completed workouts to Apple Health, keeping all your fitness data in one place. MAKE IT YOURS Choose from four themes β€” Forest, Ocean, Bloom, and High Contrast β€” and set your preferred weight units. Download Progress and start training your way.

About

Forge

Features
Read full description

FORGE β€” the dark-first workout tracker, as serious as you train. Forge is a fast, private gym log built for people who actually lift. Plan your training, log every set in real time, watch your numbers climb, and own all of it. No sign-in. No servers. Everything lives on your device. TRAIN Log weight Γ— reps with every set type: normal, warmup, dropset, AMRAP, timed and failure A built-in rest timer counts you back in β€” with alerts even when your screen is off Weight prefill carries your next load over from your last top set or a rolling average Reorder and adjust exercises on the fly mid-session PROGRESS Automatic personal records, ranked by estimated 1RM See your β€œbiggest mover” β€” the lift climbing fastest β€” every session Weekly and monthly plan adherence keeps you consistent (rest days never count against you) Stats follow each exercise by name across your entire history BRING YOUR OWN PROGRAM Programs are portable JSON you fully control No program to hand? Forge’s built-in prompt spells out its import format β€” paste it into any chatbot to get a compatible program, then import the result straight in Import by paste or file; export and share any program in a tap APPLE WATCH Start and run a workout from your wrist Live heart-rate zones, active energy and your rest timer Log sets on the watch, or hand the session off to your iPhone Saves to Apple Health when you finish 100% ON-DEVICE & PRIVATE No account, no cloud, no ads, no tracking Your data never leaves your device unless you choose to back it up Optional backup writes to a folder in your own iCloud Drive, Google Drive or Dropbox β€” Forge itself never sends your data anywhere ALSO Dark by default, with a light theme when you want it Home Screen widgets and a Live Activity to jump straight into today’s workout Full English and ζ—₯本θͺž support Forge stays out of your way and keeps the receipts. Plan it, lift it, log it β€” and watch the numbers climb. No ads, no tracking β€” all on your device.

Screenshots

Progress4 screens
Forge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Forge at 4 against Progress's 2. Forge also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Progress ships an update every 4 days, Forge every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Progress versus Forge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProgressForge
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days β€” betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch β€” better
Requires iOS17.614.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size70 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIan FarrBrendon Roberts Pomeroy

In-app purchases

None

Progress

No in-app purchases

None

Forge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Progress free?
Progress is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Forge free?
Forge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Progress or Forge have ads?
Neither Progress nor Forge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Progress or Forge?
Progress ships an update every 4 days, and Forge every 5 days. Most recently, Progress was updated on September 19, 2026 and Forge on September 13, 2026.

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