Comparison

Substrato vs Big Boy Club

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

Head to head
About

Substrato

Features
Read full description

Train and eat with the same precision. Substrato is for people who take training and nutrition seriously — and for the coaches who program both. Plan your macros over a dated protocol, build your workouts set by set, and watch a month of training and eating come together. Precise enough to hit your numbers. Simple enough to use every day. TRAIN • Build a workout from a 290-exercise library — five languages, muscle and equipment filters, a detail page for each • Track an exercise any way it needs — sets × reps, timed intervals, a duration, a distance, or a simple check-off — and link supersets • Run the session with a rest timer, tick sets in any order, and reorder exercises when a machine's taken • A Live Activity keeps the current set and rest countdown on your Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, and Apple Watch PLAN AND PREP YOUR NUTRITION • Dated protocols (cut, bulk, recomposition) with real start and end dates • Optional Training vs Rest day macros inside a single protocol • Prep: how much of each ingredient you need for the days ahead, with shelf-life warnings — then weigh everything you cook once and portion it perfectly across every meal, now with an isometric 3D view in Prep • Tag cooking methods for each ingredient (grilled, boiled, roasted…) so meal cards read at a glance • Meal logging: record what you actually ate and see how it lines up with the plan SEE IT COME TOGETHER • Insights: a month of training and eating as a calendar and cards — volume, muscles worked, rest, your usual training time, streaks, your heaviest lift, and per-lift progression • Apple Health: every ticked meal and finished workout is written to Health • An Activity timeline and cloud sync for all your protocols, not just the active one • Export your training history as a spreadsheet TRAINER MODE Substrato Trainer turns your programming into a professional tool your athletes execute with precision. • Manage every athlete on one screen • Build each athlete's protocol individually — personalized, not broadcast — now including their workouts, set by set • Log caliper skinfold readings and body-composition data for each athlete — Substrato does the body-fat math and tracks progress between sessions • See each athlete's adherence through the meals they log • Athletes receive plans instantly and run them with the same Prep and workout tools you use Send in seconds. You keep a read-only copy. Athlete data stays private. TRUSTED DATA Nutrition values are sourced from public food-composition databases including the U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central. Dietary guidance references the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the World Health Organization Healthy Diet fact sheet. Substrato provides information for training and meal planning and is not medical advice. WHY SUBSTRATO • Planning, Prep, and workouts work offline • Coach handoffs, adherence tracking, and cross-device sync require an internet connection • No ads. No streaks. No nagging. • Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese • Designed for iPhone — your running workout extends to Apple Watch

About

Big Boy Club

A structured strength training platform offering expert-designed programs, exercise demonstrations, and community support. Track your progress, learn proper technique, and build confidence in your fitness journey.

Highlights
  • Expert-designed strength training programs
  • Exercise instructions and video demonstrations
  • Progress tracking and performance history
  • Community for accountability and support
  • Educational content on technique and nutrition
  • Syncs with Apple Health
Features
Read full description

Big Boy Club is a structured strength training platform built for people who are serious about getting stronger with the programs, guidance, and community to make it happen. The app delivers expert-designed training programs that tell you exactly what to do, how to do it, and how to progress over time. No guessing, no randomness. Just a clear system built around progressive overload and consistent execution. Big Boy Club was created for gay and queer people who want a structured, supportive space to build strength. Everyone is welcome to train with our community. Inside the app, you can: • Follow structured strength training programs designed for 2, 3, or 4 days per week • Access exercise instructions and video demonstrations for every lift • Choose alternate exercises when the gym is busy or you need to adapt • Track weights, reps, and performance over time • View training history to stay consistent across every session • Connect with a community of members for accountability and support • Access ongoing educational content covering technique, progression, and nutrition Sync with the Apple Health app to keep your metrics up to date. Big Boy Club is built around one idea: knowledge creates confidence. When you understand your training and trust your program, you show up differently: in the gym and everywhere else. If you've ever walked into a gym and not known where to start, Big Boy Club is where that changes.

Screenshots

Substrato4 screens
Big Boy Club4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Substrato at every 10 days against Big Boy Club's every 3 weeks. Big Boy Club's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Substrato sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Big Boy Club sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Substrato ships an update every 10 days, Big Boy Club every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Substrato versus Big Boy Club: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubstratoBig Boy Club
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—9 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB427 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCristian GarskeBig Boy Club LLC

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Substrato

Subscriptions4
  • Premium$4.991 Month
  • Trainer$14.991 Month
  • Premium$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Trainer$119.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$79.99
1 purchases

Big Boy Club

One-time1
  • Premium Package$5.99

Questions

Is Substrato free?
Substrato is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Big Boy Club free?
Big Boy Club is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Substrato or Big Boy Club have ads?
Neither Substrato nor Big Boy Club shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Substrato or Big Boy Club?
Substrato ships an update every 10 days, and Big Boy Club every 3 weeks. Most recently, Substrato was updated on October 22, 2026 and Big Boy Club on October 24, 2026.

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