Comparison

BellSense vs Stack

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

Head to head
About

BellSense

This app acts as a personal kettlebell coach, guiding you through workouts based on your goals and recovery. It adapts sessions based on your performance and readiness, offering various tracking methods and training programs.

Highlights
  • Personalized workout plans
  • Rep counting via camera
  • Effort and readiness tracking
  • Progressive overload guidance
  • Multiple training programs
  • Complex lift chaining
  • Social leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Just got a kettlebell? BellSense is your coach. Tell it your goal and the days you can train, and it calls every session: what to do, how heavy, how hard. Prop your phone up and it counts your reps. Each session moves on what you actually did. Make every rep matter. New to kettlebells Tell the coach you are new and it starts you on a beginner plan. The work grows in steps: more reps, more rounds, less rest. When you have earned a heavier bell, the coach tells you. How the coaching works Pick a program, or just ask what to train today. You log your sets and rate how they felt, and the coach reads all of it: reps, effort, volume, heart rate if you wear a monitor, and your sleep, HRV and resting heart rate from Apple Health, combined into a daily readiness score. Then it makes the call a coach makes: add weight, hold, or back off. Decided by your results and your recovery, not by a calendar. And it tells you why it chose what it chose. The programs Beginner foundations through advanced work: strength, hypertrophy, power, density, conditioning, and skill. Four weeks to several months, two to five days a week. Kettlebell on its own, or paired with a barbell or bodyweight. Filter by your level, your days, and what you are training for. Finish one and the coach runs your first session again as a retest, so you see what changed in your own numbers. Every program is free. Four ways to track a set • The camera counts your reps as you go: squats, presses, rows, swings, snatches • Log it by hand in a few taps • Film a set and get it read back rep by rep • Cardio: run, row, bike, ski, swim, sled, or anything else, logged or read live in heart rate zones Complexes Chain lifts into one set, clean to press to squat, without setting the bell down. Timed rounds, and you log each movement after. What it learns Every session ends with the call for next time: add weight, hold, or back off. Progress builds week over week: volume, trends, readiness, conditioning load, and whether your lifts are moving. All of it free. The coach's written read of a session is the BellSense+ Live layer, with a free taste first. Train with people Make a group, share your sessions, and compare on a leaderboard. Free, and entirely optional. BellSense+ Live One optional subscription, and it is the coach. It reads each session and tells you what the numbers mean, with weekly and monthly reviews and an on-demand read of your last 30 sessions. It rebuilds today's session when your readiness calls for it. Tell it you slept badly, something hurts, or you only have twenty minutes, and it adapts the day around that. It sets a weekly conditioning target from the training load you actually carried, and it analyses unlimited lifting videos, scoring how your form held across the set. During the session, the coach watches your sets through the camera and tells you what it saw at each rest. Ask it anything in chat, and the answers come from your own sessions. Every day opens with a written brief: what today should be, and why. Programs, progression, and cardio stay free. • BellSense+ Live Monthly: $29.99 per month • BellSense+ Live Annual: $179.99 per year BellSense+ Live starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the same price unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Prices are in US dollars and may vary by region. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://bellsense.app/privacy What you need • An iPhone and a kettlebell. • Optional: a heart rate monitor, and Apple Health for readiness. • No sensor. Ours is in development, and the app never requires one.

About

Stack

This app helps users track their weightlifting progress with a focus on ease of use and data privacy. It allows for detailed logging of sets, exercise planning, and visual progress tracking without ads or intrusive notifications.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free lifting log
  • Local-first data storage with optional iCloud sync
  • Customizable splits and routines
  • Extensive exercise library with muscle mapping
  • Detailed per-set logging
  • Plate calculator for real-world racks
  • Progress visualization and trend analysis
Features
Read full description

Less tapping. More time lifting. See how far you have come. Stack is a workout log for strength training. Walk in with a routine ready, keep your last session's numbers close and see your progress over time. Start free, with no account required. With Stack Pro, get a target for your next set, skip the plate math and repeat a set from your iPhone Lock Screen without reopening the app. KEEP YOUR WORKOUT MOVING Log weight and reps with controls made for the time between sets. Your previous session's numbers are prefilled, so you can pick up where you left off. Build routines, add your own exercises and train in pounds or kilograms. SEE WHAT YOUR WORK IS ADDING UP TO Revisit your workout history, follow strength trends and track personal records. Explore the muscle map to see which muscles your logged sets worked. Your workout log, history, basic trends and muscle map are free. GIVE YOUR NEXT SESSION A DIRECTION WITH PRO - Know what to lift next. Smart Targets suggest weight and reps based on your logged sets. - Keep logging from your Lock Screen or Dynamic Island. Repeat your previous set and add rest time on iPhone. - Load the bar without the math. See the plates to put on each side for your chosen weight. - Turn a weekly gap into a plan. Compare planned sets with your muscle targets, preview a routine change and save it when it fits your week. - See progress beyond the numbers. Compare progress photos and work toward your next max attempt with guided one-rep max testing. Pro also includes Gym Mode, suggested exercise replacements, extra themes and custom appearance controls. YOUR TRAINING, WITH YOU Log workouts offline. Export and import your training data, and choose optional iCloud sync. No account is needed to start training. Start with your next workout. Keep a record you can build on. STACK PRO Optional monthly or yearly subscription, or a lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase. Terms of Service: https://stack.lauterstar.com/terms.html

Screenshots

BellSense4 screens
Stack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stack at none against BellSense's 2. BellSense's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days) and ratings volume (17 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. BellSense sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Stack 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 BellSense against 5.0 for Stack. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BellSense has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BellSense ships an update every 3 days, Stack every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
BellSense versus Stack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBellSenseStack
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (17 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBellSense LLCLauterstar Technologies, Inc

Customer experience

BellSense

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Stack

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

BellSense

Subscriptions2
  • BellSense+ Live7 Days trial$29.991 Month
  • BellSense+ Live7 Days trial$179.991 Year
None

Stack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BellSense free?
BellSense is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stack free?
Stack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BellSense or Stack?
BellSense and Stack are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 17 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do BellSense or Stack have ads?
Neither BellSense nor Stack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BellSense or Stack?
BellSense ships an update every 3 days, and Stack every 10 days. Most recently, BellSense was updated on October 31, 2026 and Stack on October 24, 2026.

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