Comparison

SimpleLifts vs Braced

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

Head to head
About

SimpleLifts

Features
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Log your lifts. Track your runs. Sync your devices. SimpleLifts is a privacy-first gym and run tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch โ€” with no account, no ads, and no servers. Built for people who want a clean, fast workout log without giving up control of their data. WHAT YOU CAN DO โ€ข One-tap set logging โ€” weight, reps, perceived effort, all from the watch or phone โ€ข Apple Watch companion โ€” start a workout from your wrist, with live heart rate and calories captured through HealthKit โ€ข Outdoor runs โ€” GPS route, pace, distance, and elevation, alongside your lifts in the same app โ€ข Indoor runs โ€” log treadmill sessions by distance, speed, and time โ€ข Templates and programs โ€” save your routines, build multi-day splits, run them in sequence โ€ข Exercise library โ€” hundreds of bundled exercises with images, plus your own custom ones โ€ข Apple Health integration โ€” completed workouts save to Apple Health and contribute to your Activity rings โ€ข Widgets and complications โ€” see your last workout and weekly volume at a glance on your home screen and Watch face โ€ข Share extension โ€” paste a workout from any app (Notes, Messages, the web) and SimpleLifts parses it into structured sets PRIVACY BY DEFAULT SimpleLifts has no backend server. Your workouts live on your device and โ€” if you choose โ€” sync to your other devices through your own iCloud account, never through us. We don't collect personal information, we don't run analytics, and we don't sell data. โ€ข No account or sign-up required โ€ข No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions โ€ข No analytics SDKs or tracking โ€ข Location used only during outdoor runs (when in use, never in the background) โ€ข Optional Notion sync โ€” connect a Notion database to mirror workouts there if you keep a training journal in Notion ICLOUD SYNC Your lifts, templates, history, and exercise library sync between your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch via Apple's CloudKit framework. It's the same mechanism Notes and Reminders use โ€” your data never touches a SimpleLifts server, because there is no SimpleLifts server. APPLE WATCH The Watch app is a fully native watchOS companion. Start a workout from your wrist, log sets via the digital crown or on-screen buttons, capture heart rate and active energy through HealthKit, and review your last session โ€” all without your phone nearby. Outdoor runs use the Watch's built-in GPS. ON-DEVICE INTELLIGENCE Where SimpleLifts uses AI โ€” for example, parsing a workout you share into the app from another source โ€” it runs on Apple's on-device Foundation Models framework. No workout text is ever sent to a cloud AI service. (Requires iOS 26 or later on a device with Apple Intelligence enabled.) FREE, FOREVER SimpleLifts is free. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, and no premium tiers. If you'd like to support development, the best way is to leave a review and tell a friend. QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK? Email azeltzdev@gmail.com โ€” we read everything.

About

Braced

Read full description

Braced is a workout tracker and a social media platform: plan sessions, log sets, and see your progress over time. Start from your own templates, Braced's ready-made ones, or an empty session โ€“ then share workouts with friends when you want to, or keep everything private. LOG YOUR WORKOUTS - Log weight, reps, time, or distance, set by set, with last session's numbers in view. - Mark warm-up and drop sets so they stay out of your working numbers. - Rest timer between sets. - Build your own templates, use Braced's, or start from scratch. - Browse a full exercise library with instructions, target muscles, and equipment โ€“ and add your own exercises. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS - Review your history as a list or a calendar. - See volume, personal records, and how each lift trends over time, broken down by muscle and equipment. - Get a recap after every session, with the muscles you worked and how it compares to last time. - Braced Rewind: each month of training, told as a short story. BODY MEASUREMENTS - Log body weight, body fat, and tape measurements like waist, chest, and arms. - See trends, set goals, and get your BMI from your height. - Import weight, body fat, and waist from Apple Health (read-only). AI ANALYSIS (PRO) - Let AI review your recent training and report strengths, risks, and recommendations โ€“ based only on what you've logged. It isn't medical advice. SOCIAL - Follow people and see their workouts in a feed. - Like, comment, and post your own sessions. - Control who sees what: set your profile public, private, or hidden, and choose visibility per workout. ALSO IN BRACED - Dark mode. - Available in 11 languages. - Works offline โ€“ log without a connection and sync later. - Sign in with Apple, Google, or email. - Import workouts from Hevy or Strong, and measurements from Hevy or openScale. Export a backup or spreadsheet any time. BRACED PRO Braced is free for logging, up to 3 personal templates, personal exercises, history, calendar, and a workout-frequency overview. Pro adds unlimited personal templates, the full Braced template catalog, advanced statistics, body measurement charts and goals, and AI analysis. Pro is an auto-renewing subscription available monthly or annually; the annual plan includes a 7-day free trial that becomes a paid subscription unless cancelled before it ends. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase, and the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Questions or feedback: support@getbraced.app Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://getbraced.app/privacy

Screenshots

SimpleLifts4 screens
Braced4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SimpleLifts at none against Braced's 2. Braced's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Braced sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SimpleLifts asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimpleLifts ships an update every 2 months, Braced weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
SimpleLifts versus Braced: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleLiftsBraced
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size96 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAmir ZeltzerAirat Akhmadullin

In-app purchases

None

SimpleLifts

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Braced

Subscriptions2
  • Braced Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Braced Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is SimpleLifts free?
SimpleLifts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Braced free?
Braced is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SimpleLifts or Braced have ads?
Neither SimpleLifts nor Braced shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimpleLifts or Braced?
SimpleLifts ships an update every 2 months, and Braced weekly. Most recently, SimpleLifts was updated on October 12, 2026 and Braced on October 5, 2026.

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