Comparison

Set Deck vs Paper Gym

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

Head to head
About

Set Deck

Features
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Set Deck is the workout tracker with no keyboard between sets: every set is a card you swipe right if you hit it, left if you came up short, or up if it felt easy, which raises next session's weight. Beat a personal record and the lift mints you a PR card to keep, and logging is free with no ads. HOW IT WORKS Pick a session and the deck is dealt: one card per set, with last time's numbers on it. Swipe each set as you go. Rack busy? Hold the card to do another exercise first, or swap in an alternative. When the deck is done, the session is logged and the next one's targets are set. YOUR CARDS • A new best on any movement prints a PR card with the figure on it • Session milestones print cards of their own: your first, your fifth, your tenth • One pull in five lands a finish: copper, ruby, cobalt, emerald, or the prismatic everyone wants • Nothing is bought; every card is earned THE LOG • Sets, reps and weight per exercise, or a different pair for every set • Every session sets the next one's targets, and an easy set bumps the load • Alternatives for a busy rack, search by muscle, over 250 movements • Week streaks, a commitment you set yourself, volume and time by week • Body weight with a 7-day trend, and Apple Health both ways • Reminders on the days you train THE BOARD Sign in with Apple, pick a @handle, and you are on the board: everyone ranked by sessions logged this month. It resets with the month, so anyone can climb it. SHARE CARDS A finished session, a new PR, a streak or the week's recap, in three layouts, with your own photo behind them if you like. FREE, FOR GOOD Logging, every card and every finish, the board, share cards, Apple Health and reminders. No ads, no feed, no account required. SET DECK PRO Month and year stats, a rest timer that counts down after every set, four home screen widgets, a Live Activity for the set you're on, and all twelve accent colors. 7-day free trial on the annual plan. Start a session. The cards come on their own. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://polar-blanket-f7a.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-3d8767e6570481bb85f5cff6fd1eac4d

About

Paper Gym

Features
Read full description

Paper Gym is a workout notebook for the gym, in black and white. Write down your sets, reps and weights, tick them off with a rest timer running, and watch the numbers go up. Open the app, log today's workout, close it. No account to create, no feed, no ads, nothing asking for your attention. Your workouts stay on your phone. AT THE GYM • Start a routine and tick each set as you finish it. The rest timer starts by itself and lets you know when it's time for the next set, even with the app closed. • Reps and weights start where you left them last time, so you only change what's different today. • Cardio and holds too: a run or a row with its minutes and distance, a plank that counts down, a pause when you need one. • Add an exercise mid-workout, or make a new one on the spot. OR WRITE IT UP AFTERWARDS • Log a workout in a few taps, today or on another day, from a routine or from scratch, with a note wherever you want one. SEE YOUR PROGRESS • Records: beat your best and it's marked the moment you save. • Every workout compared with the last one like it: volume, time and sets. • A chart of your heaviest set for every exercise, a six-month consistency map, a weekly goal with its streak, goals for your lifts, and your body weight with its trend. PLAN YOUR TRAINING • Routines (up to ten on the free version) and blocks, and a calendar: plan a workout for a day and time, with a reminder. • Nearly fifty common exercises with photos of the movement, and ready-made routines: full body, push / pull / legs, upper / lower, no equipment. Or make your own, with your own photos and notes. PAPER GYM PRO: THE APP THINKS FOR YOU Logging is free, and stays free. Pro adds: • Progressive overload, worked out for you: what to try today on every exercise, your own rep range and weight step, and a warning when a lift stalls. • Your estimated one-rep max (1RM) and strength for your body weight, several exercises on one chart, and volume. • The muscle map: sets per muscle every week, drawn on the body, and push against pull. • Next week's workouts suggested from your blocks, your routines and the days you train. • A plate calculator and warm-up sets, unlimited routines, each routine in depth, and nine color themes. Pro is a subscription (monthly, every three months, every six months or yearly, each with a 14-day free trial) or a one-time purchase that is yours for good. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no cloud sync, no ads. Your workouts are never uploaded. Export everything whenever you like: a backup with your photos that you can import again later, or a spreadsheet. Works offline, so no signal is needed in the basement gym. Kilograms or pounds, light or dark, and a guided tour of every screen. In English, Spanish, Catalan, French and German. Paper Gym: a calm place to write down what you lifted. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Set Deck4 screens
Paper Gym4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Paper Gym at every 3 days against Set Deck's weekly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Set Deck sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Paper Gym sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Set Deck ships an update weekly, Paper Gym every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Set Deck versus Paper Gym: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSet DeckPaper Gym
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyan CrearyBrothapps, SL

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Set Deck

Subscriptions2
  • Set Deck Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Set Deck Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
5 purchases

Paper Gym

Subscriptions4
  • Pro Monthly14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Pro 3 Months14 Days trial$8.993 Months
  • Pro 6 Months14 Days trial$14.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • Pro Yearly14 Days trial$22.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Forever$24.99

Questions

Is Set Deck free?
Set Deck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paper Gym free?
Paper Gym is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Set Deck or Paper Gym have ads?
Neither Set Deck nor Paper Gym shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Set Deck or Paper Gym?
Set Deck ships an update weekly, and Paper Gym every 3 days. Most recently, Set Deck was updated on November 10, 2026 and Paper Gym on October 29, 2026.

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