Comparison

The Progressive Overload App vs Heroic

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

Head to head
About

The Progressive Overload App

Features
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Build muscle smarter with AI-powered progressive overload. The Progressive Overload app helps you grow muscle by turning your workout performance into your next training plan. Log the sets you actually complete, and the app automatically creates intelligent progressive overload targets for upcoming workouts so you can keep pushing forward with purpose. Instead of guessing when to add reps or increase weight, you get a clear path for progression based on your real performance in the gym. That means more consistency, better structure, and a training system designed around muscle growth.

About

Heroic

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You picked your exercises. You walked into the gym. Now what weight goes on the bar? Heroic is a strength-training coach that handles the calculations for you. Log your reps and Heroic figures out the rest โ€” next week's working weights, warmup loads rounded to real plate increments, deloads when a lift stalls, and a clear progression for every exercise in your program. Spend your time training, not doing math between sets. WHAT HEROIC DOES FOR YOU โ€ข Calculates next week's weights based on this week's reps โ€ข Generates warmup sets rounded to plate increments โ€ข Applies deloads when a lift stops progressing โ€ข Estimates your 1-rep max for every main lift โ€ข Tracks bodyweight and strength trends with charts TWO COMPLETE PROGRAMS Men's Program : a progressive-overload plan built around the major compound lifts: squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and row, with carefully chosen accessory work. Women's Program :built around lower-body strength,glute and hip development, and a pressing progression that moves week over week. BUILT FOR THE WAY YOU TRAIN โ€ข Native iOS app designed for one-handed logging between sets โ€ข Syncs across your iPhone and iPad through iCloud โ€ข Works offline at the gym and syncs when you reconnect Heroic works with the Apple Health app on iPhone. Bodyweight measurements are read from the Health app to seed your starting weight, and your completed strength workouts are written back to Health so your training history stays in one place. You can change this anytime in Settings > Apple Health. PRIVACY Heroic stores your training data in your private iCloud. No account sign-up is require

Screenshots

The Progressive Overload App4 screens
Heroic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Progressive Overload App at none against Heroic's 1. The Progressive Overload App also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Heroic's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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. Heroic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Progressive Overload App asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Progressive Overload App ships an update every 5 weeks, Heroic daily. Both last shipped on September 13, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
The Progressive Overload App versus Heroic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Progressive Overload AppHeroic
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksDaily โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size43 MB108 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTimo WernarsAhmet Adem

In-app purchases

None

The Progressive Overload App

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Heroic

One-time1
  • Get in shape: Heroic PRO$19.99

Questions

Is The Progressive Overload App free?
The Progressive Overload App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heroic free?
Heroic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do The Progressive Overload App or Heroic have ads?
Neither The Progressive Overload App nor Heroic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Progressive Overload App or Heroic?
The Progressive Overload App ships an update every 5 weeks, and Heroic daily. Most recently, The Progressive Overload App was updated on September 13, 2026 and Heroic on September 13, 2026.

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