531 Trainer vs Forge 5/3/1
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
531 Trainer
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.
- Calculates daily workouts
- Automatic weight progression
- One Rep Max calculator
- Assistance work percentage calculator
- Supports kilograms or pounds
- Visual weight plate guidance
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5/3/1 made easy You no longer need to deal with clunky spreadsheets or fumble around at the gym trying to find your numbers. Everything is right on your phone and easy to access. Simply enter your max for military press, deadlift, bench press and squat once and have each day's workout calculated for you. When you finish a cycle, hitting just one button increments the weight for each of your lifts leaving you ready to quickly continue your training. Features: - One Rep Max Calculator - Assistance Work Percent Calculator - Uses Kilograms or Pounds - Program persistence - Visual information on what weight plates to use Icons Provided By Icons8 icons8.com/web-app/364/Settings icons8.com/web-app/437/Twitter icons8.com/web-app/435/Facebook icons8.com/web-app/94/Lock icons8.com/web-app/152/Unlock
Forge 5/3/1
This powerlifting app helps users follow the Wendler 5/3/1 Boring But Big program with personalized workouts. It offers detailed tracking, history, and gym-ready features, with optional premium upgrades for advanced customization and data management.
- Personalized 5/3/1 BBB workouts
- Classic Wendler progression
- Log sets, reps, and weights
- Volume and estimated 1RM tracking
- Offline functionality
- Plate calculator
- Customizable training percentages
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Forge 531 is your powerlifting companion for Wendler 5/3/1 Boring But Big—built for lifters who want precision, customization, and privacy. No ads-driven onboarding and no required account. PROGRAM & WORKOUTS (included) • Enter one-rep maxes for squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press—Forge generates personalized 5/3/1 BBB sessions from your training maxes • Classic Wendler progression with Boring But Big assistance work • Four-week cycles including deload; intuitive week navigation and cycle management • Metric or imperial units—switch anytime in Settings TRACKING & HISTORY (included) • Log sets, reps, and weights for every workout • Volume totals (weight × reps) • Estimated 1RM from AMRAP sets (Brzycki) • Full history with analytics so you can see progress over time GYM-READY DESIGN (included) • Optional keep screen awake during sessions • Dark theme suited to dim floors • Fast movement between weeks and workout detail PRIVACY & SIMPLICITY (included) • No account—ever. Nothing to register; nothing you must log into later • Your data stays on your device—not tied to a Forge cloud profile • Works offline for everyday training PREMIUM — SMART PLATES & LOADS (14-day free trial, then one-time purchase — no subscription) • Plate calculator — visual plate combinations for any target weight • Plate settings — barbell weight and inventory that match your gym • Full calculator access lines up with your metric/imperial choice once Premium is active PREMIUM — TRAINING CONTROL (same trial / purchase model) • Training max % adjustments — tune percentages off Wendler defaults • Progressions customization — adjust weekly progression percentages • Warm-up sets — bar-only and configurable percentage warm-ups before working sets (deload options in Settings) PREMIUM — DATA PORTABILITY (Not included in the free trial — unlocks with Premium purchase) • Import/export — backup and restore workout history via CSV HOW PREMIUM WORKS New users receive a 14-day trial for most Premium features listed above.** Import/export requires a Premium purchase and is not part of the trial.** After the trial ends, Premium remains available as a one-time purchase—no subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Forge 5/3/1 at 5.0 against 531 Trainer's 4.3. Forge 5/3/1 also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 82%). 531 Trainer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (10 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Forge 5/3/1 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 531 Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Forge 5/3/1 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 531 Trainer has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of 531 Trainer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Forge 5/3/1's.
531 Trainer ships an update fortnightly, Forge 5/3/1 every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 2, 2026.
| Parameter | 531 Trainer | Forge 5/3/1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (10 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.1 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kevin French | Dev IT Digital LLC |
Customer experience
531 Trainer
Forge 5/3/1
In-app purchases
531 Trainer
No in-app purchases
Forge 5/3/1
- Premium Features$4.99
Questions
Is 531 Trainer free?
Is Forge 5/3/1 free?
Which has better reviews, 531 Trainer or Forge 5/3/1?
Do 531 Trainer or Forge 5/3/1 have ads?
Which is updated more often, 531 Trainer or Forge 5/3/1?
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