Comparison

Compound vs Workhorse Strength

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

Head to head
About

Compound

This app helps you track your weightlifting workouts with pre-built routines or custom options. It offers features like warm-ups, rest timers, mobility exercises, and progress tracking. Pro features include automated progression, custom routine building, and Apple Watch integration.

Highlights
  • Pre-built workout routines
  • Custom routine builder
  • Warm-up and mobility guides
  • Rest timers
  • Progress charts
  • Apple Health integration
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

Compound is a workout app with exactly one workout in it. Now it can be yours. Pick one routine and follow it for good: The Complete Physique Plan (a four-day pull, push, legs and auxiliary split that also trains the neck, tibialis, rotator cuff and grip), Push / Pull / Legs, or Upper / Lower. Or build your own with Compound Pro. Every routine comes with its warm-up, rest timers and mobility, and every routine that ships is free to train. FREE, FOR GOOD Compound Free is a complete training log. Each lift opens on the weight and reps you did last time, so you walk in knowing what to load. Tap to log a set, hold the circle to dial in what you actually got, and change the weight whenever you like. The warm-up, every rest length, the mobility, the form guides, exercise swaps, Progress charts, the Log and its calendar, widgets, share cards and Apple Health all come with it. No session limit, no history window. PRO DOES THE BOOKKEEPING Compound Pro runs on double progression, a tried-and-true way to get stronger. Hit your target reps and the target goes up next time. Hit the top of the rep range and the weight goes up (5 lb for big lifts, 2.5 lb for accessories) while your reps reset. Miss a set and the weight holds until you're ready. Want a slower climb? Require up to five good sessions before each jump. BUILD YOUR OWN WITH PRO Choose the days and the lifts. Compound writes each day's warm-up and mobility to match what it trains, and most lifts come with alternatives to swap to when the rack is taken. A routine you build stays saved, viewable and exportable on Free; running it is Pro. MORE THAN JUST MOVING WEIGHT Every workout starts with an actual warm-up: timed cardio, dynamic movements, and ramp-up sets calculated from your first working weight. Rest timers kick in automatically between sets. Ten minutes of guided mobility wraps up the day. Tweak or turn off any of it; the defaults are the program. TRACKS LIKE REAL LIFE Tap to log your squats. Run the stopwatch for dead hangs and let it save your best. Use the countdown for planks. Every exercise is tracked the way you actually do it. LEAVE YOUR PHONE IN YOUR POCKET WITH PRO Start the day from your Apple Watch, then log sets, skip rests and change the weight from your wrist, with heart rate and calories saved to Apple Health. Or run the whole session from the Lock Screen without unlocking. Pro also takes a progress photo after a session, and lines it up with the last one on its own. YOURS, PRIVATELY No account. No sign-up. Nothing is uploaded to a server that reads your training. Your history is stored on your device, full stop, and you can export the whole of it as a file at any time, Free or Pro. TRY PRO FREE Start 30 days of Compound Pro, free, once per Apple Account. Nothing to cancel and nothing is charged. When it ends you're back on Compound Free with all your history. SUBSCRIPTION Compound Pro comes as a monthly or annual subscription, or as a one-time Lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in your own currency inside the app before anything is charged. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is switched off at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and can be managed or cancelled any time in Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions. Lifetime is paid once and never renews; it includes everything in Compound Pro, including what Pro gains in later updates. If you subscribed to Compound Standard, you already have Pro. Privacy Policy: https://trycompound.cc/privacy Terms of Use: https://trycompound.cc/terms Terms of Use (Apple standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Workhorse Strength

This training system is designed for experienced lifters to meticulously track their progress through structured 16-week waves. It focuses on measuring work and advancing performance one number at a time, offering detailed history and analysis tools.

Highlights
  • 16-week training waves
  • 4-week rep-max progression
  • Customizable workout slots
  • Lifetime PR tracking
  • Full workout history
  • Cloud synchronization
  • Rest timers
Features
Read full description

Workhorse Strength is a training system for experienced lifters who want to control the variables, measure the work, and move one number at a time. Built around a repeating 16-week wave, Workhorse organizes training into four phases: 5s → 3s → 4s → 2s Each phase runs for four completed training weeks and uses a simple progression model: Week 1 — Make It Tie your current rep max. Week 2 — Back Off Tie it again, then complete two back-off sets. Week 3 — AMRAP Tie the rep max, then complete three AMRAP sets. Week 4 — Beat It Attempt a new rep max. Workhorse is not a beginner lifting program and does not teach squat, bench press, or deadlift technique. It is designed for lifters who already know how to train and want a structured system for tracking performance over time. Features include: Repeating 16-week training waves 4-week rep-max progression Customizable workout slots and training days Squat, bench, deadlift, press, and custom lifts Mixed lb and kg support Lifetime PR tracking Paused-rep tracking Full workout history Set, rep, and weight history Bodyweight tracking Accessory training Rest timers Flexible scheduling Pause, deload, and travel support Cloud synchronization Workhorse Web performance analysis Workhorse does not try to predict what you should be capable of. It gives you the structure and data to find out.

Screenshots

Compound4 screens
Workhorse Strength4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Workhorse Strength at none against Compound's 4. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Workhorse Strength asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Compound ships an update every 9 days, Workhorse Strength every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Compound versus Workhorse Strength: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompoundWorkhorse Strength
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB36 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSCOTT SHUMAKERNathaniel Green

Customer experience

Compound

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Workhorse Strength

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Compound

Subscriptions2
  • Progression · Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Progression · Annual$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • 30-day TrialFree
  • Progression · Lifetime$99.99
None

Workhorse Strength

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Compound free?
Compound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Workhorse Strength free?
Workhorse Strength is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Compound or Workhorse Strength?
Compound and Workhorse Strength are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Compound or Workhorse Strength have ads?
Neither Compound nor Workhorse Strength shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Compound or Workhorse Strength?
Compound ships an update every 9 days, and Workhorse Strength every 10 days. Most recently, Compound was updated on November 10, 2026 and Workhorse Strength on November 6, 2026.

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