Comparison

PlateCalc Barbell Calculator vs RackMath

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

Head to head
About

PlateCalc Barbell Calculator

This app quickly calculates barbell weights for your workouts. It features a unique, fast interface that allows you to adjust weight by sliding your finger. Customize available plates and barbell weight, and switch units easily.

Highlights
  • Fast weight calculation
  • Unique sliding interface
  • Customizable plate selection
  • Adjustable barbell weight
  • Pounds/kilograms support
  • Minimalist design
Features
Read full description

Plate Calculator is the fastest, easiest to use barbell calculator for iPhone. Input weight, get results, and get back to working out in seconds, all without typing, tapping buttons, or multiple pages. - Minimalist Everything you need. Nothing you don't. - Unique Interface Plate Calculator's uniquely designed, blazing fast user interface is what sets it apart from other barbell calculators. Getting from 45 lbs to 200 lbs takes less than a second, and results are displayed *immediately*. Simply slide your finger up and down, using the whole screen, to change the weight. - Customizable Mark which plates you have access to. Change the weight of your barbell. Switch between pounds and kilograms. - Accessible Developer Hi, I'm Greg. I built Plate Calculator to streamline my own workouts, and love using it at the gym. I hope you will too. Have feedback, feature requests or questions? Shoot me a quick email directly from the app settings page, and I'll get right back to you. PlateCalc uses Apple's standard Terms of Use / EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

RackMath

This app removes the guesswork from loading a barbell, providing color-coded diagrams for precise plate loading. It offers alternative weight options when exact matches aren't possible and allows for real-time bar monitoring as plates are added or removed.

Highlights
  • Color-coded plate diagrams
  • Nearest weight alternatives
  • Customizable plate inventory
  • Real-time bar weight monitoring
  • Multiple barbell setup organization
  • Efficient weight transitions
Features
Read full description

Stop doing plate math between sets. Type the weight you want on the bar and Rack Math shows exactly which plates to load per side, based on your plates, your bar, and your gym. Build a list of weights, and it tells you precisely what to ADD and REMOVE to get from each set to the next, so you spend your rest resting. FREE, FOREVER • Instant plate math for any weight, in lb or kg • Your plate inventory: only weights you can actually make • Bar diagrams that match what’s on the bar • Build-on-bar: enter what’s loaded right now and work from there RACK MATH COACH Turn the calculator into a training partner. Try the Coach free for your first 10 workouts. No account. Nothing to cancel. Keep it with a subscription or a one-time Lifetime purchase. • A daily plan built around your lifts: Rack Math schedules what to train next and adapts as you recover • Freshest: an extra generated session for off days. Lifts picked from whatever your recovery says is most rested, with the day’s plan built around them • Cardio-aware recovery: with Apple Health, your runs, rides, and swims count toward what’s fresh, tracked as one total across activities, so swapping a walk for a run never reads as slacking • Unlimited weights in your stack • Warmup ramps in one tap: straight sets, top set + backoff, or 5/3/1 • Follow mode: the current set lights up, DONE advances, the next plate change is always right in front of you • Lock Screen Live Activity: your rest countdown, next set, and exact plate change. Log your set, skip rest, or load the next exercise without unlocking your phone • Apple Watch: follow along from your wrist with displays for weight, per-side plates, a rest timer that taps you when it’s up, and one-tap DONE, synced from your iPhone • Automatic progression: Rack Math suggests your next weights and reps • Strength tracking: your estimated 1-rep max over time, and personal records • Gyms: save plate setups for home, work, or travel and switch in two taps • Workout timer with per-exercise split times • Apple Health: finished workouts logged as strength training (optional) • Workout history: what you lifted, how long it took, your top weight, and the ability to reload any past stack onto the bar • Fewer-swaps optimizer: re-arranges the whole workout’s plate layouts to minimize how many plates you touch • Save and reload your stacks Choose your plan: Monthly, Annual (best value), or pay once for Lifetime. The plate calculator stays free either way. No ads. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Rack Math has no accounts and no ads. Your training lives on your device and, if you use iCloud, syncs privately through your own iCloud account; we never see it. We use one privacy-first analytics tool that collects no personal data and can’t identify you. Writing to Apple Health is entirely opt-in. See our privacy policy: https://keithjeffery.org/rack-math-privacy

Screenshots

PlateCalc Barbell Calculator4 screens
RackMath4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PlateCalc Barbell Calculator at 100% against RackMath's 33%. PlateCalc Barbell Calculator also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (21 vs 4). RackMath's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PlateCalc Barbell Calculator sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per year and RackMath sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PlateCalc Barbell Calculator holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PlateCalc Barbell Calculator has 21 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of PlateCalc Barbell Calculator's written reviews are positive against 33% of RackMath's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlateCalc Barbell Calculator ships an update every 2 weeks, RackMath weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PlateCalc Barbell Calculator versus RackMath: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlateCalc Barbell CalculatorRackMath
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (21 ratings) — better3.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings21 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGreg KalekaKeith Jeffery

Customer experience

PlateCalc Barbell Calculator

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

RackMath

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PlateCalc Barbell Calculator

Subscriptions1
  • PlateCalc+$1.991 Year
3 purchases

RackMath

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Access to Coach$9.991 Month
  • Annual Access to Coach$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Full Access$99.99

Questions

Is PlateCalc Barbell Calculator free?
PlateCalc Barbell Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RackMath free?
RackMath is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PlateCalc Barbell Calculator or RackMath?
PlateCalc Barbell Calculator is rated higher. PlateCalc Barbell Calculator averages 4.9 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while RackMath averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.
Do PlateCalc Barbell Calculator or RackMath have ads?
Neither PlateCalc Barbell Calculator nor RackMath shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlateCalc Barbell Calculator or RackMath?
PlateCalc Barbell Calculator ships an update every 2 weeks, and RackMath weekly. Most recently, PlateCalc Barbell Calculator was updated on November 1, 2026 and RackMath on October 31, 2026.

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