Comparison

5/3/1 Workout Manager vs Five/Three/One

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

Head to head
About

5/3/1 Workout Manager

This application assists users in calculating their training weights based on Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 strength training program. It's designed to facilitate consistent progress towards significant strength gains.

Highlights
  • Weight calculation for 5/3/1 program
  • Facilitates steady strength gains
  • Supports Jim Wendler's methodology
Features
Read full description

This app calculates your weights if you are using Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program, which promises slow and steady gains that will eventually turn you into the strongest guy in the gym.

About

Five/Three/One

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
Read full description

The latest app for weightlifters doing Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program! Five/Three/One is a focused and intuitive app helping you achieve what really matters: Getting Stronger. No more bringing a crumbled workout sheet to the gym, no more messing around spreadsheets to update your weights. From calculating your cycles, to telling you what plates to put on the bar, Five/Three/One does it all. Features include: - Planning and scheduling your whole 5/3/1 cycle - Charting your progress - Rest timer with notifications - Automatic plating calculation - Calculating your next cycle based on your performance - Notes associated with each sets - Home screen widget showing your your current and upcoming workouts - Lbs/kg support Optional paid features: - Customize which plates you're using and change your barbell's weight - Customize templates assistance work and define your own exercises - Beyond 5/3/1 templates and options, from Joker Sets to FSL, Pyramid and much more! Integrates with Apple Health : The app saves the workouts you've performed as well as the calories you've burnt in Apple Health. As weightlifters doing 5/3/1 ourselves, we made the app we wanted after being dissatisfied with what was out there. More than just a glorified spreadsheet, we designed it to be focused on each task at hand. With even more great features in the pipeline, we're stoked to release the app for others to use and can't wait to hear your feedback! We use it, we love it, and we're sure you will too.

Screenshots

5/3/1 Workout Manager4 screens
Five/Three/One4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 5/3/1 Workout Manager at none against Five/Three/One's 6. 5/3/1 Workout Manager also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). Five/Three/One's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 32). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Five/Three/One sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. 5/3/1 Workout Manager asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Five/Three/One holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five/Three/One has 1.2K ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of 5/3/1 Workout Manager'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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

5/3/1 Workout Manager ships an update every 9 months, Five/Three/One every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
5/3/1 Workout Manager versus Five/Three/One: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter5/3/1 Workout ManagerFive/Three/One
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (32 ratings)4.9 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better78.2% of reviews
Number of ratings321.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher DwyerStrong Pigeon LLC

Customer experience

5/3/1 Workout Manager

All ratings32 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative3.3%

Five/Three/One

All ratings1,218 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews133 reviews
Positive78.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative12.8%

Bugs and requests

5/3/1 Workout Manager

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Five/Three/One

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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)

In-app purchases

None

5/3/1 Workout Manager

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Five/Three/One

One-time6
  • Custom Weight Plates$2.99
  • Tip$4.99
  • Beyond 5/3/1 Pack$5.99
Show 3 more
  • Custom Assistance$8.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
  • Enormous Tip$24.99

Questions

Is 5/3/1 Workout Manager free?
5/3/1 Workout Manager 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, 5/3/1 Workout Manager or Five/Three/One?
Five/Three/One is rated higher. 5/3/1 Workout Manager averages 4.7 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Five/Three/One averages 4.9 from 1.2K ratings.
Do 5/3/1 Workout Manager or Five/Three/One have ads?
Neither 5/3/1 Workout Manager nor Five/Three/One shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 5/3/1 Workout Manager or Five/Three/One?
5/3/1 Workout Manager ships an update every 9 months, and Five/Three/One every 2 weeks. Most recently, 5/3/1 Workout Manager was updated on September 29, 2026 and Five/Three/One on October 16, 2026.

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