Comparison

Progressive Overload vs Koar

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

Head to head
About

Progressive Overload

Features
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Progressive Overload takes the guesswork out of strength training. Most lifters plateau not because they lack effort, but because they're not progressing consistently. Progressive Overload solves that โ€” automatically calculating the exact reps and sets you should hit each session based on what you actually did last time. No spreadsheets. No mental math. Just show up and lift. โ€” SMART PROGRESSION Your training adapts automatically. Complete a session and the app updates your next targets, keeping you in constant forward motion. โ€” 1-TAP SET COMPLETION Log your sets in a single tap. Stay focused on the lift, not your phone. โ€” IN-DEPTH POST-WORKOUT STATS Dig into your performance after every session. Volume, progression rate, personal records โ€” all in one clean view. โ€” COMPLETELY FREE No subscriptions. No paywalls. No limits. Best suited for intermediate to advanced lifters who already know the movements and want a smarter way to track and progress. Beginners are welcome โ€” just be ready to learn as you go. Your next PR is already in the plan.

About

Koar

Features
Read full description

KOAR is a strength coach that adapts to your body, not just your preferences. It reads your recovery and fatigue, detects stalls before you do, adjusts volume and intensity to how you're actually recovering, and for women, tunes intensity to your cycle phase. This isn't a workout logger. It's a training system. Free to start. Works on iPhone alone, better with Apple Watch and AirPods. Full gym to just bodyweight, KOAR builds around what you have. HANDS-FREE COACHING Put your AirPods in, put your phone down, lift. A warm studio-quality coach (Kira or Wes) narrates every set: exercise intros, rest countdowns, brace cues before heavy lifts, form reminders, a halfway checkpoint. Works offline, no setup. INTELLIGENT PROGRESSION Every set feeds a progression engine built on exercise science. KOAR estimates your 1RM with an Epley-Brzycki ensemble, detects stalls before you notice, and auto-adjusts volume and intensity. It adds weight when you're ready and calls a deload when you need one, using severity-weighted analysis of your last 4 sessions instead of waiting for you to fail twice. ADAPTS TO YOUR BODY A 5-second wellness check-in (energy, sleep, mood) calibrates every workout. KOAR reads HRV and nutrition from Apple Health to adjust volume and recovery, and uses menstrual cycle data to tune intensity by phase. APPLE WATCH COMPANION Live heart rate with zone coloring, rest timers based on heart-rate recovery (not just the clock), and rep detection tuned per exercise. If your Watch drops mid-workout, your iPhone is the source of truth, no data lost. TEMPO COACHING KOAR prescribes lifting tempo (eccentric, pause, concentric, pause) and guides each phase with haptic pulses on your wrist. COACHING INSIGHTS A Coach tab surfaces patterns you'd miss on your own: masked fatigue, volume response profiles, and wellness-performance correlations unique to you. PERIODIZATION THAT RUNS ITSELF Mesocycles with automatic phase progression, volume landmark tracking per muscle group (MEV/MAV/MRV), and goal-aware deloads. Hypertrophy deloads cut volume with lighter weights; strength deloads cut volume but keep full working weight for CNS readiness. BUILT FOR EVERY LEVEL Beginners get guided weight discovery with live cues. Intermediate lifters get periodized mesocycles with automatic deloads. Advanced lifters get RPE/RIR autoregulation and sex-based programming. EARN YOUR PROGRESS XP tied to training quality, not just showing up. 20 rank tiers, 18 badges for real milestones like 12-week streaks and pressing your body weight, and streak flames that evolve from Bronze to Obsidian over a year. AI PROGRAM BUILDER Describe your ideal training in plain English and KOAR builds a complete periodized weekly plan that respects evidence-based volume landmarks. STRAVA SYNC Completed workouts post to your Strava feed automatically as Weight Training activities. WIDGETS & LIVE ACTIVITIES Today's workout, weekly volume by muscle group, and your streak flame on the Home and Lock Screen. Live Activities keep your current set on Dynamic Island. PRIVACY FIRST No account required. Fully functional offline. No ads. Anonymous usage analytics only, opt-out in Settings. Voice coaching runs entirely on your device. Your data stays on device unless you turn on iCloud sync. SUBSCRIPTION KOAR's core is free: workout logging, RPE/RIR autoregulation, the progression engine, periodization, wellness check-ins, Apple Watch, Strava, and widgets. KOAR Pro unlocks the coaching layer: voice coaching, the AI program builder, Coaching Insights, heart-rate-based rest, body tracking, advanced set techniques, and unlimited routines. New users get a 2-week free Pro trial. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in App Store settings. Localized in 13 languages. Voice coaching in English only for now. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Progressive Overload4 screens
Koar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Progressive Overload at none against Koar's 3. Progressive Overload also leads on iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 18). On price, update cadence, 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. Koar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Progressive Overload asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Progressive Overload ships an update weekly, Koar every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Progressive Overload versus Koar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProgressive OverloadKoar
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0.0 โ€” better18
Further details โ€” not scored
Size48 MB150 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCynetricAric Malka

In-app purchases

None

Progressive Overload

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Koar

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly14 Days trial$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$179.00

Questions

Is Progressive Overload free?
Progressive Overload is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Koar free?
Koar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Progressive Overload or Koar have ads?
Neither Progressive Overload nor Koar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Progressive Overload or Koar?
Progressive Overload ships an update weekly, and Koar every 5 days. Most recently, Progressive Overload was updated on September 13, 2026 and Koar on September 22, 2026.

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