6 Hevy alternatives in 2026 (and when to just stay on Hevy)

Quick answer: The best Hevy alternatives in 2026 are Trainer Gym AI ($5.99 one-time, iOS, generates the plan for you), Fitbod ($79.99/yr, generates each session), Strong ($29.99/yr, the minimalist logger), Boostcamp (free expert programs), JEFIT (huge library plus community), and Caliber (free tier with optional human coaching). But read the last section first — Hevy's free tier is more generous than most paid apps, and "I need an alternative" is often really "I hit one specific cap."

We build Trainer Gym AI, one of the options below. We've tried to make this useful even if you stay on Hevy, which is the right answer for a lot of readers.

First: why are you leaving?

Hevy is very good. Most searches for alternatives trace back to one of four specific problems, and the right alternative depends entirely on which one you have:

• You hit the free-tier caps. Hevy free gives you 4 routines, 7 custom exercises and 3 months of graph history. Pro removes all three for $2.99/month, $23.99/year or $74.99 lifetime — see the full pricing breakdown. If the cap is the problem, an alternative may cost you more than just upgrading.
• You want the app to write the program. Hevy is fundamentally a logger. Hevy Trainer exists but is Pro-only and algorithmic.
• You don't want the social layer. Hevy leans into a feed, leaderboards and shared routines. Some people want a private notebook.
• You don't want a subscription. Hevy's $74.99 lifetime option exists, but it's the most expensive one-time price in this list.

#1 — Trainer Gym AI

Best for: iOS users who don't yet know what to program, and want to pay once.

Price: $5.99 one-time (R$29.90 in Brazil). No subscription.

This is ours, so weigh it accordingly. It solves the opposite problem from Hevy: instead of recording a program you already have, it generates one — grounded in 17 peer-reviewed strength and conditioning meta-analyses, with onboarding written for people who have never trained, and plain-language explanations of why each exercise is in your plan. It covers 8 training types (gym strength, running, yoga, combat sports, CrossFit, calisthenics, sport-specific, rehab), adds on-device 3D form correction, and speaks Brazilian Portuguese natively.

Unlike Hevy Trainer and Fitbod — both of which are algorithmic — the plan generation genuinely runs on a language model, which is why it can explain its reasoning back to you rather than just output sets and reps.

Where Hevy wins: logging speed, long-term charts, community, Android support. We're iOS-only and we're not trying to be your social feed.

#2 — Fitbod

Best for: people who want a fresh session decided for them every time they walk in.

Price: $12.99/month or $79.99/year. No permanent free tier.

Fitbod's engine tracks what you've trained recently, estimates recovery, and assembles today's workout around what's fresh. It's the most "just tell me what to do" option here, and the exercise library and demos are excellent. The catch is price — it's over 3× Hevy Pro annually, and the subscription never ends. See how much Fitbod costs and Fitbod vs Hevy.

#3 — Strong

Best for: people who find Hevy too social and want a quiet logger.

Price: free tier; Strong Pro is $4.99/month or $29.99/year.

Strong is the original minimalist lifting logger and still one of the cleanest. No feed, no leaderboards, no discovery — just your sets. If your reason for leaving Hevy is "I want a notebook, not a network," Strong is the closest match. It does less than Hevy, deliberately.

#4 — Boostcamp

Best for: people who want a proven program without paying anything.

Price: free for the core program library.

Boostcamp gives away expert-designed strength programs — nSuns, GZCLP, PPL variants, and many others — with a solid built-in logger. There's no AI and no personalization beyond picking a program and entering your numbers, but for an intermediate lifter who just wants a credible block to run, it's the best free option in this list.

#5 — JEFIT

Best for: people who want the largest exercise library and an active community.

Price: free tier plus a paid Elite tier (pricing varies by region and promotion — check in-app).

JEFIT has been around longer than almost everything else here and it shows in library depth and community size. The interface feels dated next to Hevy, which is the main reason people don't switch to it. If your complaint about Hevy is that 7 custom exercises isn't enough, JEFIT's stock library may mean you don't need custom exercises at all.

#6 — Caliber

Best for: people who want a real human involved.

Price: genuinely free tier; human coaching is a paid add-on.

Caliber pairs a free strength-training app with optional one-to-one human coaching. If the actual reason you're shopping around is that no app has kept you accountable, a human is the honest answer, and Caliber is the cheapest credible way to test that.

Side by side

When you should just stay on Hevy

We'd rather say this plainly than sell you something you don't need:

• If you hit the 4-routine cap: most splits fit in 4. If yours doesn't, Pro at $23.99/year is cheaper than every paid alternative here except ours.
• If you hit the 3-month history cap: that's the one genuinely worth paying for, and no alternative gives you back the history you'd lose by switching.
• If you like the logging and the community: nothing here beats Hevy at logging. Switching to get a feature you'd use once a month is a bad trade.
• If you're an experienced lifter with a program you trust: you don't need an app to think for you. Hevy free is close to the perfect tool for you already.

The honest case for switching is narrow: you don't know what to program (try us or Boostcamp), you want each session decided for you (Fitbod), you want silence (Strong), or you want a human (Caliber).

If you don't know what to do at the gym

That's the specific gap we built for. Hevy assumes you arrive with a plan; Trainer Gym AI writes the plan, explains it, and checks your form on-device — $5.99 once, no subscription.

Read Trainer Gym AI vs Hevy for the direct comparison, or AI gym coach for beginners if you're starting from zero.

FAQ

Why do people look for Hevy alternatives? Four main reasons: they hit the free-tier caps (4 routines, 7 custom exercises, 3 months of graph history) and don't want to pay; they want the app to write the program rather than just log it; they find the social feed distracting; or they want a one-time purchase instead of a subscription.

Is there a workout app better than Hevy? Not at logging — Hevy is the best pure logger in the category and its free tier is the most generous. 'Better' only makes sense relative to a specific gap: Fitbod is better at deciding your session for you, Trainer Gym AI is better for beginners who need a plan and form guidance, Boostcamp is better if you want proven expert programs for free.

What's the best free Hevy alternative? Boostcamp, if you want structured programs — it gives away expert-designed strength programs at no cost. But be honest about the comparison: Hevy's own free tier is more generous than most paid apps, so 'free alternative to Hevy' is often a question worth re-examining before switching.

Which Hevy alternative actually uses AI? Trainer Gym AI generates plans with a language model that reads your goals, equipment and experience and explains its reasoning in plain language. Note that Hevy Trainer and Fitbod's session engine are both algorithmic rather than AI-based — Hevy states this explicitly — so 'AI' in this category is often marketing rather than architecture.

Can I export my Hevy data if I switch? Yes. Hevy supports data export and offers a public API, so your logged history isn't locked in. Most alternatives can't import it directly, but you can keep the export as a record of your training history.

Get Trainer Gym AI on the App Store →