Comparison

Compound Theory vs Stone

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

Head to head
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

About

Stone

This app is a dedicated tracker for the 5x5 barbell strength training program. It guides you through weight selection, plate loading, rest periods, and progression. Your data is stored locally, and you can import existing history for free.

Highlights
  • Automatic progression and deloads
  • Customizable sets, reps, and weight jumps
  • Plate calculator for loading
  • Guided warm-up sets and rest timer
  • Lift substitution and accessory work
  • History, progress, and PR tracking
  • Local data storage and export
Features
Read full description

Stone is a clean, modern tracker for the 5x5 barbell strength program – squat, bench press, barbell row, overhead press, and deadlift. No account, no ads, and no subscription. Fully free. Stone tells you exactly what to do: which weight to lift, the plates to load, when to rest, and when to add weight or deload. Log each set in a tap, then watch your strength climb over weeks and months. SWITCHING APPS? KEEP YOUR HISTORY Importing your existing lifting history is free, forever. Your past workouts and current weights come across in seconds, so you pick up exactly where you left off, no starting over. WHAT STONE DOES • Automatic progression – add weight when you succeed, deload after repeated misses, or set your own increment and deload rules • Programs your way – run 5x5, 3x5, 1x5, or 3x8, and tune the sets, reps, and weight jump for each lift • Plate calculator showing exactly what to load per side, in lb or kg • Guided warmup sets before your working weight • Rest timer between working sets • Swap any lift – substitutes inherit your weight, plate math, and PRs • Accessory work – add chin-ups, dips, or curls alongside your main lifts • History, progress, and PRs – weekly volume, streaks, and PR-aware charts • Make it yours – light or dark, four accent colors, alternate app icons, lb or kg YOU OWN YOUR DATA Your data lives on your device. Export a full backup anytime, your training history is always yours to keep and take with you. We never lock you out of your own data. That's it. No subscriptions, ever. No ads, ever. Free forever. Family Sharing is supported. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No sign-up and no account required. Stone collects only anonymous, aggregate usage data to improve the app – never your identity, and never sold.

Screenshots

Compound Theory4 screens
Stone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Compound Theory at every 6 days against Stone's every 3 weeks. Compound Theory also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Compound Theory sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Stone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Compound Theory against 5.0 for Stone. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Compound Theory ships an update every 6 days, Stone every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Compound Theory versus Stone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompound TheoryStone
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShane YoungSignal Creative, LLC

Customer experience

Compound Theory

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

Stone

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
1 purchases

Stone

One-time1
  • Unlimited Workout Tracking$9.99

Questions

Is Compound Theory free?
Compound Theory is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stone free?
Stone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Compound Theory or Stone?
Compound Theory and Stone are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Compound Theory or Stone have ads?
Neither Compound Theory nor Stone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Compound Theory or Stone?
Compound Theory ships an update every 6 days, and Stone every 3 weeks. Most recently, Compound Theory was updated on October 24, 2026 and Stone on October 5, 2026.

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