# 531 Trainer vs Five/Three/One

The clearest difference is rating: Five/Three/One at 4.9 against 531 Trainer's 4.3. Five/Three/One also leads on ratings volume (1.2K vs 10). 531 Trainer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (7.1 vs 12.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Five/Three/One sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. 531 Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Five/Three/One holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five/Three/One has 1.2K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of 531 Trainer's written reviews are positive against 78% of Five/Three/One's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

531 Trainer ships an update fortnightly, Five/Three/One every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 531 Trainer | Five/Three/One |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/531-trainer/id870272886/reviews) | **[4.9 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fivethreeone-531-workouts/id1560266240/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **81.8% of reviews** | 78.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.1** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kevin French](https://appshunter.io/developer/870272889) | [Strong Pigeon LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560266242) |

## What reviewers say

### 531 Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/531-trainer/id870272886)

Simplify your strength training with this app. It calculates your daily workouts based on your max lifts, eliminating the need for spreadsheets or manual calculations at the gym. Easily progress to the next cycle with automatic weight increments.

**Highlights:** Calculates daily workouts, Automatic weight progression, One Rep Max calculator, Assistance work percentage calculator, Supports kilograms or pounds, Visual weight plate guidance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Five/Three/One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fivethreeone-531-workouts/id1560266240)

This app helps weightlifters follow Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program by automating cycle calculations, plate suggestions, and progress tracking. It eliminates the need for paper logs or spreadsheets, focusing on strength gains. Features include rest timers, workout scheduling, and Apple Health integration.

**Highlights:** 5/3/1 cycle planning and scheduling, Progress charting, Rest timer with notifications, Automatic plate calculation, Next cycle calculation based on performance, Home screen widget, Apple Health integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Custom Weight Plates | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Beyond 5/3/1 Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Custom Assistance | $8.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Enormous Tip | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Excellent app for 5/3/1 programming
- 📊 Provides great tracking and progress monitoring
- 🔢 Automatic weight and plate calculations
- ⏱️ Built-in rest timers and workout flow
- 🎨 Clean and intuitive user interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗓️ Rigid scheduling and inability to reschedule missed workouts
- 🔒 Limited customization options for assistance exercises
- 🔀 Difficulty in reordering or supersetting exercises
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and data loss issues
- ⚠️ Lack of Apple Watch integration

**Reported bugs**

- Workout data occasionally lost or not syncing properly
- Calendar and scheduling issues when trying to reschedule missed workouts
- Plate calculation bugs leading to incorrect weight displays
- Occasional app freezes and crashes

**Requested features**

- Allow more flexibility in scheduling and rescheduling workouts
- Provide customization options for assistance exercises
- Implement superset and out-of-order exercise completion
- Add support for Apple Watch integration
- Incorporate additional 5/3/1 program variations (e.g., Bodybuilder, Monolith)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 531 Trainer free?

531 Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Five/Three/One free?

Five/Three/One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 531 Trainer or Five/Three/One?

Five/Three/One is rated higher. 531 Trainer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Five/Three/One averages 4.9 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do 531 Trainer or Five/Three/One have ads?

Neither 531 Trainer nor Five/Three/One shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 531 Trainer or Five/Three/One?

531 Trainer ships an update fortnightly, and Five/Three/One every 2 weeks. Most recently, 531 Trainer was updated on October 2, 2026 and Five/Three/One on October 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*