Strength Cycle vs PR Foundry
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Strength Cycle
This app meticulously implements popular strength training programs like 5/3/1, 3x5 Strength, and Texas Method with full methodology fidelity. It provides exact prescribed percentages, automatic e1RM calculations, and detailed workout history tracking. An in-app assistant offers guidance on program-specific questions.
- Full methodology fidelity for 5/3/1, 3x5, and Texas Method
- Exact prescribed percentages, no rounding
- AMRAP top set logging with e1RM calculation
- Training Max progression tracking
- Automatic deload week handling
- Filterable workout history
- In-app assistant for program guidance
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Built for serious lifters running structured strength programs. Strength Cycle handles 5/3/1, 3x5 Strength, and Texas Method with the rigor each methodology demands. No generic templates. No bolted-on assumptions. Every program implemented with full methodology fidelity: - 5/3/1 — Wendler's percentage-based system with proper Training Max management, AMRAP top set logging, and complete 4-week cycle phases (5/5/5, 3/3/3, 5/3/1, deload). - 3x5 Strength — Linear progression for intermediate strength building, with smart deload triggers when progress stalls. - Texas Method — Volume/recovery/intensity weekly progression with PR-driven Training Max updates. MORE PROGRAMS COMING Strength Cycle is built program-first. More proven strength programs are in active development — each implemented with the same methodology fidelity as the three above. No half-baked templates, no generic "add your own program" placeholders. WHAT YOU GET - Exact prescribed percentages, never rounded into uselessness - AMRAP top set logging with automatic e1RM calculation (Epley formula) - Training Max progression tracked across cycles, with full phase context - Deload weeks handled with proper percentages — not skipped, not faked - Workout history filterable by lift, cycle, and phase - e1RM trend charts per lift across all cycles - Ask Coach — in-app assistant for AMRAP interpretation, TM management, assistance work selection, deload decisions, and program-specific programming questions BUILT BY A LIFTER Strength Cycle was built by a 30+ year lifter who got tired of programming apps that misunderstand the programs they claim to support. If you've ever rolled your eyes at an app rounding 67.5% to "70% — close enough" or skipping deloads entirely, this is the one that gets it right. FREE, NO SUBSCRIPTIONS, NO ADS Strength Cycle is free to download and use. No subscription tiers. No paywalled programs. No ads. Just the programs, done right.
PR Foundry
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PR Foundry is a strength app for powerlifters and serious lifters. Pick a program, set your maxes, and it builds your training week from the real published protocol. Log every set as you go, and it keeps score. Ten programs are included, each built to match how its author actually wrote it: Westside Conjugate, Sheiko, Smolov, Calgary Barbell, 5/3/1, nSuns 531 LP, GZCL, Classic Strength (Texas Method, Madcow 5x5, StrongLifts 5x5, Starting Strength), Bullmastiff, and Physique Forge — a 16-week bodybuilding program with 3, 4, 5, and 6-day splits. Most come with their known variants, like Sheiko 29 through 40, Smolov Jr., 5/3/1 Boring But Big, and the GZCL Rippler. Your week is generated from each program's own sets, reps, and percentages, then mapped to your 1RMs (with a Training Max where the program uses one). These are the actual programs, not generic logging dressed up with their names. TRACKING - One screen per exercise, with warm-up ramps and working sets - Log weight, reps, and RPE, then auto-advance to the next set - A rest timer that starts on its own and adjusts to the effort you logged - AMRAP top sets, plus paused, tempo, and drop sets; supersets and giant sets - A live PR banner when a set beats your estimated 1RM - Last session carries over, so accessory weights pre-fill - Weight suggestions when your logged RPE runs off target - Session duration and an estimated calorie burn on the summary YOUR WORKOUT, NOT THE APP'S - Swap any exercise mid-workout — main lifts included; warm-ups and reps carry over - Add or remove exercises and sets mid-session; changes never touch the rest of your week - Fix the weight on one set and the sets below follow - Delete a single set, or jot a note on an exercise - Create your own exercises on the spot, including cardio logged by time and distance HISTORY - Open any past workout laid out exactly as you trained it, plate math and all - Per-exercise history, one tap from the tracker - An exercise library with current weight, best set, and estimated 1RM per movement - Share a finished workout as an image card APPLE WATCH AND LOCK SCREEN - Live heart rate next to the rest timer — the watch app starts itself when you begin - An optional rest mode that ends when your heart rate recovers, not when a countdown runs out - A wrist tap when rest ends, and a chime through your headphones even on silent - A lock-screen Live Activity and Dynamic Island with the current set and rest countdown - Workouts saved to Apple Health with heart rate and energy TOOLS - A plate calculator that draws what to load on one side of the bar, from your own plates and bar weight - 1RM manager and calculator (Epley, Brzycki, Lombardi) - RPE and RIR calculator - Strength trends per lift and tonnage by week, exercise, and muscle group, with deloads called out - Body measurements over time - Your gym's entry barcode one tap away, at full brightness so the scanner reads it - Post workouts to Strava as structured strength activities, with heart rate and calories - Works in lbs or kg BRING YOUR OWN AI - Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or any assistant that speaks MCP to your account - It reads your real history — workouts, estimated 1RMs, body measurements — and writes programs back, week by week - AI programs run like the built-in ten: pick one, generate the week, and it flows into the tracker PRIVATE BY DEFAULT PR Foundry runs on your phone. There is no account to create, it works with no signal, and the app carries no analytics, ads, or trackers. Cloud sync, the AI connection, and Strava are all optional and off until you turn them on. Nothing leaves your phone unless you ask it to. Your training data stays yours, and you can export all of it to JSON or CSV whenever you want. Terms of Use: https://prfoundry.fit/terms Privacy Policy: https://prfoundry.fit/privacy PR Foundry gives you general strength-training information, not medical advice. Lift with good form and stop if something hurts.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Strength Cycle at 15.1 against PR Foundry's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Strength Cycle ships an update every 11 days, PR Foundry fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Strength Cycle | PR Foundry |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Strength Cycle Studios, LLC | Draxis Inc |
In-app purchases
Strength Cycle
No in-app purchases
PR Foundry
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Strength Cycle free?
Is PR Foundry free?
Do Strength Cycle or PR Foundry have ads?
Which is updated more often, Strength Cycle or PR Foundry?
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