If you are lifting on iPhone, Phyziq is the stronger modern workout tracker. Strong is a familiar gym log with a large user base, but its free tier caps custom routines. Phyziq gives you unlimited routines, fast set-by-set logging, RPE, set types, progress tools, and AI that imports or builds programs for you. The difference is simple: Strong records your plan. Phyziq helps you create it, improve it, and keep training.
Phyziq vs Strong: the short answer
Strong is known because it made gym logging simple. Phyziq keeps that speed and removes the parts that slow lifters down: routine limits, manual program setup, and thin set detail. You still get the basics: sets, reps, weight, rest timer, history, and personal records. You also get AI Routine Import, AI program generation, RPE, set types, muscle heatmaps, progress photos, and Apple Health integration.
Pick Phyziq if you want a workout tracker that does more than store numbers. Pick Strong only if you specifically need Android support or prefer the most familiar legacy option.
What do Phyziq and Strong have in common?
At their core, both apps do the same essential job well. You log a workout set by set, with weight and reps, while a rest timer keeps you honest between sets. Both keep a full workout history, both detect personal records automatically, and both let you build and reuse routines so you are not setting up the same session every week.
Both also connect to Apple Health, run on iPhone, and are free to download. So the question is not really "which one logs a workout" (both do that cleanly). The question is what each one gives you for free, and how much it helps beyond plain logging.
How does the pricing and free tier compare?
This is where Phyziq is easiest to recommend. Strong is free to download and lets you save unlimited workouts, but the free tier caps you at three custom routines. To unlock unlimited routines, progress charts, a plate calculator, and other advanced tools, you upgrade to Strong PRO.
Phyziq is free to download and use, with full set-by-set logging, rest timer, history, set types, RPE, and unlimited routines available out of the box. Serious lifters usually need more than three routines quickly. Phyziq does not make that basic training structure a premium feature.
| Phyziq | Strong | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free to start; PRO about $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr |
| Free routine limit | Unlimited custom routines | 3 custom routines on the free tier |
| Platforms | iOS (iPhone) | iOS and Android |
| Logging | Sets, reps, weight, RPE, set types, rest timer | Sets, reps, weight, rest timer |
| Standout feature | AI routine import and AI program generation | Polished, battle-tested simplicity |
| Best for | Lifters who want AI-assisted planning, free | Lifters who want the established standard |
| Rating | 5 stars (newer, smaller base) | ~4.9 stars (very large base) |
What can Phyziq do that Strong cannot?
AI Routine Import from a photo
This is Phyziq's headline trick. If your program lives on a coach's PDF, a screenshot, a whiteboard, or a page torn out of a magazine, you snap a photo and Phyziq reads it, extracting the exercises into a ready-to-use routine. There is no typing each movement in by hand, which is usually the most tedious part of switching apps or starting a new block.
AI program generation
Phyziq can also build a personalized multi-week program from scratch based on your goals, experience level, available equipment, and the muscle groups you want to focus on. If you are not sure how to structure a plan, the app gives you a real starting point instead of a blank screen.
Richer set tracking: RPE and set types
Phyziq logs RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) so you can track how hard each set actually felt, not just the numbers on the bar. It also supports proper set types, so you can mark a set as a warm-up, a drop-set, or a failure set rather than lumping everything together. For lifters who train with intensity techniques, that detail makes the history far more useful.
Beyond that, Phyziq carries a 340-plus exercise library, progress photos, body measurements, muscle group heatmaps, and Apple Health integration for live heart rate and calories during a session. I cover all of it in depth in the full Phyziq gym log review.
Where Strong still makes sense
Strong's main advantage is reach. It is available on both iOS and Android, while Phyziq is iPhone-only today. If you move between platforms, train with friends on Android, or already have years of Strong history you do not want to move, staying there can make sense.
Strong also appeals to lifters who want the barest possible log and nothing else. That simplicity is useful, but it is also the limit. Phyziq is for lifters who still want fast logging, but also want the app to reduce setup work and show more useful training context.
Who should pick which?
Choose Phyziq if you want unlimited routines and full logging without a paywall, you train with RPE and intensity techniques, or you want AI to import and generate your programs so you spend less time setting up and more time lifting.
Choose Strong if Android support matters, you already have a long Strong history, or you only need a very basic log and are happy with its free routine limit or PRO upgrade.
The bottom line
Strong is familiar, but Phyziq is the better iPhone choice for lifters who want a modern workout tracker. It gives you fast logging, unlimited routines, RPE, proper set types, progress tools, and AI that imports your plan from a photo or generates a new program from scratch. If you want a gym log that removes friction instead of just recording it, start with Phyziq.
Frequently asked questions
Is Phyziq a good Strong alternative?
Yes. For iPhone lifters, Phyziq is the more capable free pick. It covers the same gym log basics as Strong (sets, reps, weight, rest timer, history, and personal records), then adds unlimited routines, RPE, set types, AI routine import, and AI program generation.
How much does Phyziq cost compared to Strong?
Phyziq is free to download and use. Strong is also free to download, but its free tier caps you at three custom routines, and Strong PRO runs about $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year (with a lifetime option) to unlock unlimited routines and advanced tools.
What can Phyziq do that Strong cannot?
Phyziq adds AI Routine Import, which lets you snap a photo of any written workout plan and auto-extract the exercises, plus AI program generation that builds a personalized multi-week plan from your goals, experience, and equipment. It also tracks RPE and set types like warm-up, drop-set, and failure.
Can I move my workouts from Strong to Phyziq?
Phyziq supports import from Hevy and can also rebuild any written plan in seconds using AI Routine Import: take a photo of your routine and it pulls in the exercises automatically, so you can recreate a Strong routine without typing every exercise by hand.
