Comparison

Surplus vs BulkMate

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

Head to head
About

Surplus

Features
Read full description

Built for skinny hardgainers who struggle to eat ENOUGH to gain muscle. If you've ever heard "just eat more" but the scale won't budge — Surplus is for you. Most nutrition apps guilt-trip you about what you've already eaten. Surplus flips the script: it shows the gap. How many calories you're still SHORT of your daily surplus goal, so you know exactly how much more to eat to keep gaining lean muscle. No tedious food logging. No calorie-counting every bite. The scale is your source of truth. Why hardgainers love Surplus - Reversed nutrition view — see "you're SHORT X kcal" toward your gain goal, not what's "left" - One-tap daily weigh-in — log your weight in seconds - Prescriptive meal checklist — tick off meals to hit your target, zero calorie math - Smart weight-trend line — cuts through daily water-weight noise so you see real progress - Adaptive nudge — if your trend stalls for ~2 weeks, Surplus tells you to add +150–200 kcal/day - Streaks & reminders — stay consistent on the days motivation dips Made for real life Whether you're a student, an office worker, or a new gym-goer with a fast metabolism (ectomorph energy), Surplus fits a busy schedule. Weigh in, glance at your shortfall, tick your meals — done in under a minute a day. Surplus Pro (optional upgrade) - AI Meal Generator — instantly builds a meal plan + grocery list to hit your daily calorie and protein target - Allergen filtering on every generated meal Yours to keep Optional sign-in to back up and sync across devices (Apple, Google, or email). In-app account deletion and data export available anytime — your data, your call. Stop spinning your wheels. Eat enough, track less, and finally gain the lean muscle you've been chasing. Surplus is a fitness and nutrition tracking tool, not medical advice. If you are under 18 or underweight, talk to a healthcare professional before starting a bulk.

About

BulkMate

This app helps users gain weight by tracking calorie surplus and protein intake. It uses AI to log meals quickly and provides personalized targets to build muscle, not fat. Features include photo logging, barcode scanning, and progress visualization.

Highlights
  • AI calorie and macro logging
  • Protein intake tracking
  • Personalized calorie surplus calculation
  • Weekly target adjustments
  • Physique preview visualization
  • Meal pattern learning
  • Offline logging
Features
Read full description

BulkMate is the calorie tracker built for one goal: gaining weight. Set your surplus, hit your protein target every day, and watch the scale climb. Muscle, not fat. Most calorie counters are designed for people who want to eat less. BulkMate is for the other half of the gym: skinny guys who struggle to gain, lifters on a lean bulk, hardgainers who have tried everything, and athletes who need to eat big without guessing. LOG BIG MEALS IN SECONDS The hardest part of bulking is eating enough, so logging should be the easy part. Snap a photo and AI fills in your calories and macros instantly. Scan a barcode. Search over 300,000 foods with real portion sizes. It even works offline, so you can log at the gym or anywhere else. BUILT AROUND PROTEIN Protein is the difference between gaining weight and gaining muscle. BulkMate keeps your daily protein target front and center, so you always know how many grams you still need before the day ends. STAY IN A SURPLUS BulkMate works out the calorie surplus you need to gain at the right pace. Too slow and you stall. Too fast and you add fat instead of muscle. Weekly check-ins adjust your targets as your body changes, and your weight trend smooths out the daily noise so you can see real progress. SEE THE BODY YOU ARE BUILDING Add a photo and BulkMate generates a realistic preview of your target physique. Keep your goal in front of you on the days when eating big feels like a chore. IT LEARNS HOW YOU EAT Bulk meals repeat. BulkMate notices your patterns and suggests your usual meals so you can log a whole lunch in one tap. WHAT BULKMATE IS NOT No calorie restriction. No fasting timers. No guilt. If you are looking for a weight loss app, this is not it. Whether this is your first bulk or your tenth, BulkMate gives you the two numbers that actually build muscle, calories and protein, and gets out of your way. Download BulkMate and start gaining. Privacy Policy: https://bulkmate.app/privacy Terms of service: https://bulkmate.app/terms EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Surplus4 screens
BulkMate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Surplus at none against BulkMate's 4. Surplus also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). BulkMate's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price 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. BulkMate sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Surplus asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surplus ships an update fortnightly, BulkMate every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Surplus versus BulkMate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurplusBulkMate
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHuy NguyenWayfinity Ltd

In-app purchases

None

Surplus

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

BulkMate

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Premium Annual Saver3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Premium Annual3 Days trial$59.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Surplus free?
Surplus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BulkMate free?
BulkMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Surplus or BulkMate have ads?
Neither Surplus nor BulkMate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surplus or BulkMate?
Surplus ships an update fortnightly, and BulkMate every 5 days. Most recently, Surplus was updated on October 9, 2026 and BulkMate on October 13, 2026.

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