Comparison

Progressive vs Compound Theory

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

Head to head
About

Progressive

This app helps you track your strength training progress with a focus on progressive overload. It allows you to log sets, reps, and weight, visualize trends, and maintain clarity during workouts. Built for consistent, trustworthy progress.

Highlights
  • Progressive overload tracking
  • Log sets, reps, and weight
  • Exercise history review
  • Track top set weight, volume, reps
  • Visualize strength trends
  • iCloud data sync
Read full description

Progressive is a workout tracker designed for progressive overload. Train with focus and keep your progress grounded in real sessions. Progressive helps you stay oriented during training and turn completed effort into clear, per-exercise progress—so you always know where you are and what to improve next. With Progressive, you can: • Stay oriented during training with clear, up-to-date context • Capture sets, reps, and weight naturally as you train • Review complete history for every exercise • Track top set weight, total volume, and total reps separately • Visualize strength trends over weeks and months • Sync your data securely with iCloud Built for lifters who want clarity, consistency, and progress they can trust.

About

Compound Theory

This strength training tracker offers a vast library of proven workout programs and allows users to build their own custom routines. It provides insights into muscle recovery, strength standards, and integrates with Apple Health for a comprehensive view of fitness progress.

Highlights
  • Extensive library of pre-built strength programs
  • Customizable workout routine builder
  • Muscle recovery tracking with visual indicators
  • Strength standards comparison
  • Apple Health integration for recovery insights
  • One-tap set completion and auto-progression
  • Apple Watch workout tracking
Features
Read full description

Compound Theory is a no-nonsense strength training tracker built for lifters who already know what they're doing, and the ones who want to. PROVEN PROGRAMS, BUILT IN Linear: StrongLifts 5×5, Starting Strength, Greyskull LP, GZCLP, Reddit PPL, Reddit Basic 3×5. Intermediate: Madcow 5×5, Texas Method. Peaking: Candito 6 Week, Juggernaut Method 2.0. Full 5/3/1 family: Original, BBB, FSL, SSL, Triumvirate, Monolith, Leader/Anchor, Beginner, 2 day Minimalist. Power/hypertrophy: PHUL, PHAT, nSuns 4 Day, Jacked & Tan 2.0, Powerbuilding Template, Juggernaut Base. Not sure where to start? The Find Your Program quiz picks the best match for your goal, experience, and schedule in under a minute. MUSCLE FRESHNESS Every exercise row carries a recovery dot, green, yellow, or red, so you know which movement patterns are ready for another hard session. Tap in for a per pattern recovery bar, last loaded time, and the workouts that contributed. STRENGTH STANDARDS See where your Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and Overhead Press rank against the rest of the lifting population, adjusted for your bodyweight, age, and sex. Per lift progress bars show how far you are from Intermediate, Advanced, or Elite. RECOVERY INSIGHTS Connect Apple Health and the app watches your HRV, sleep, and recent training load. When recovery looks reduced, a banner on Home suggests a lighter day. Every past alert stays in Progress so you can scroll back through the data that drove every recommendation. LIFT, LOG, DONE One tap set completion with a crisp haptic click. Auto calculated warmups. Plate math that respects the plates you actually own. Rest timer that auto starts when you finish a set. Weight auto progresses after every workout. Supersets drawn as paired cards with rest pause timer behavior. BUILD YOUR OWN Have a program the presets don't cover? Custom Programs now lets you design anything from a flat StrongLifts-style linear plan to a multi-week wave with per-set percentages of your training max, AMRAP markers, and auto TM advancement on 5+ rep finishers. Nest LEVIASUNS, an nSuns variant, or your own coach's block in minutes. Export the whole program (or a program + history bundle) as a single .ironprog file, share it, and import on another device without losing a set. BODYWEIGHT, DONE RIGHT Pull ups and dips accept signed weights (+25 for a belt plate, −40 for band assistance) and factor your real bodyweight into total volume. Push ups and planks just track reps. WATCH + HEALTH Track workouts on Apple Watch: start a set on your wrist, see the rest timer tick down, end the workout without pulling out your phone. Optional auto RPE suggestion from heart rate recovery (beta). Workouts sync to Apple Health as strength training sessions. Body weight, heart rate, and calories flow both ways. STREAK THAT UNDERSTANDS YOUR SCHEDULE A 3×/week program means Tuesday is a rest day, not a gap. Your streak only breaks when you miss a scheduled session. iCLOUD SYNC + IMPORT Your workouts live on every device signed into your iCloud account. Coming from StrongLifts, Strong, or a spreadsheet? One tap CSV import brings years of workouts with you. MAKE IT YOURS Seven themes. 29 app icons including Terminal, Space, Matrix, Holographic, Neon, Gold, Carbon Fiber, Blueprint, and more. WHAT YOU WON'T FIND No social feed. No trainer DMs. No push notifications begging you to open the app. No dark pattern paywalls gating basic set tracking. Pro unlocks advanced analytics (Muscle Freshness, Strength Standards, Recovery Insights), every program template, premium themes, and alternate icons. Available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime unlock. Built for the barbell. Designed for the people who lift it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://compoundtheory.x90sky.sh/privacy

Screenshots

Progressive4 screens
Compound Theory4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Progressive at none against Compound Theory's 3. Compound Theory's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Compound Theory sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Progressive asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Progressive against 5.0 for Compound Theory. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Progressive ships an update weekly, Compound Theory every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Progressive versus Compound Theory: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProgressiveCompound Theory
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVignesh IyerShane Young

Customer experience

Progressive

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Compound Theory

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Progressive

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Compound Theory

Subscriptions2
  • Compound Theory Pro7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Compound Theory Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Compound Theory Pro$99.99

Questions

Is Progressive free?
Progressive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Compound Theory free?
Compound Theory is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Progressive or Compound Theory?
Progressive and Compound Theory are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Progressive or Compound Theory have ads?
Neither Progressive nor Compound Theory shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Progressive or Compound Theory?
Progressive ships an update weekly, and Compound Theory every 4 days. Most recently, Progressive was updated on October 4, 2026 and Compound Theory on October 14, 2026.

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