Strength log · Apple Watch · Lifetime option
An Alpha Progression alternative
with an Apple Watch app.
Alpha Progression is a thorough, well-reviewed training app: periodized plans, RIR logging, and a recommendation before every set. It has no dedicated Apple Watch app, and its Pro plan is a subscription. GymLogger X also builds periodized programs with deload weeks, adds a free Apple Watch app with live heart rate, needs no account, and sells Pro as a subscription or for $39.99 once.
How does GymLogger X compare to Alpha Progression?
The programming ideas are similar. Alpha Progression coaches each set. GymLogger X puts logging and heart rate on your wrist and offers a one-time lifetime option.
Apple Watch
GymLogger X: A free Watch app. Start the workout on the iPhone, then log weight and reps, run the rest timer, and see live heart rate on the wrist.
Alpha Progression: No dedicated Watch app; the rest timer runs as a Live Activity on the iPhone.
Alpha Progression: No dedicated Watch app; the rest timer runs as a Live Activity on the iPhone.
Effort and recommendations
GymLogger X: Logs weight and reps. Each set row shows last time's numbers and the target, and you choose the next weight. Pro adds a plateau status for each lift and a Next Move card.
Alpha Progression: Per-set RIR logging (free) and a weight and rep recommendation before each set (Pro).
Alpha Progression: Per-set RIR logging (free) and a weight and rep recommendation before each set (Pro).
Privacy model
GymLogger X: No account, and no ads or third-party analytics. Workouts stay on your iPhone and in your own iCloud.
Alpha Progression: Guest mode without an account; its App Store label lists purchases and identifiers as used to track you.
Alpha Progression: Guest mode without an account; its App Store label lists purchases and identifiers as used to track you.
Pricing
GymLogger X: Free logging; Pro $1.99/mo, $17.99/yr, or $39.99 lifetime.
Alpha Progression: Free version; Pro $12.99/mo or $79.99/yr in the US, with no lifetime option listed.
Alpha Progression: Free version; Pro $12.99/mo or $79.99/yr in the US, with no lifetime option listed.
GymLogger X vs Alpha Progression, feature by feature
Alpha Progression details checked against its App Store listing and its own website on 25 October 2026; prices and free RIR logging rechecked in the US App Store on 29 October 2026. Prices are US App Store prices and change; check your own storefront.
| Feature | GymLogger X | Alpha Progression |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, with an Apple Watch app | iPhone and Android; no dedicated Watch app |
| Free tier | Unlimited logging, the Apple Watch app, one program at a time, 6 free programs, the last 30 days of history, and Apple Health export | Unlimited logging, custom plans, exercise videos, and CSV export |
| Periodized program generator | Smart Program Creator: six split types; linear, undulating, block, or wave (free, one program at a time; unlimited with Pro) | Pro: plan generator with mesocycles, RIR, and deloads |
| Deloads | Deload weeks in generated programs; insert a deload week in your own program or mark any past session as one | Integrated into Pro periodization |
| Reps in reserve | Not logged; a set records weight and reps | Per-set RIR, free |
| Next-set recommendation | No: each set row shows last time's numbers and the target | Weight and reps before each set (Pro) |
| Plateau detection | Pro: a status for each lift (Plateau, Watching, or Plateau Predicted) | Not advertised; recommendations adjust instead |
| Apple Watch | Free: set logging, live heart rate, and a rest timer that can tell you when your heart rate has recovered; the workout starts on the iPhone | None; Live Activity rest timer on iPhone |
| Account | None | Optional; guest data stays on device |
| Privacy | No ads or third-party analytics; no server of its own | App Store label: Data Used to Track You (purchases, identifiers) |
| Pricing | Free; Pro $1.99/mo, $17.99/yr, or $39.99 lifetime | Free; Pro $12.99/mo or $79.99/yr, 14-day trial on yearly |
Who should pick GymLogger X vs Alpha Progression?
Pick GymLogger X if…
- You want to log sets and see your heart rate on an Apple Watch, at no extra cost
- You'd rather pay once ($39.99) than subscribe
- You want to pick from 44 ready-made programs, or let the Smart Program Creator plan one with deload weeks
- You want plateau, fatigue, and muscle-balance signals from your own logs (Pro)
- You want an app with no account that keeps your workouts on your devices and your own iCloud
Stick with Alpha Progression if…
- You want to record reps in reserve on every set
- You like a weight and rep recommendation before each set
- You train on Android, or across Android and iPhone
- You want to export your log as a CSV file (GymLogger X has no file export)
- You're happy logging on the phone and don't need a Watch app
About GymLogger X
Questions
FAQ
Does Alpha Progression have an Apple Watch app?
Not a dedicated one. Alpha Progression's own comparison table lists no dedicated Watch app, and its App Store listing covers iPhone (plus Apple Vision), with the rest timer shown as a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. GymLogger X has a free Apple Watch app: you start the workout on the iPhone, then log each set's weight and reps, run the rest timer, and see live heart rate on the wrist. With heart rate available, the rest timer can tell you when your heart rate has recovered.
Is there an Alpha Progression alternative with a lifetime price?
GymLogger X offers one. Logging is free, and Pro is $1.99 a month or $17.99 a year, each starting with a 7-day free trial, or $39.99 once. Alpha Progression has a permanent free version, and its Pro plan is $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year in the US, with a 14-day trial on the yearly plan and no lifetime option listed. Check current pricing in your App Store.
Do both apps build periodized programs with deloads?
Yes. Alpha Progression's Pro plan generator includes periodization with mesocycles, RIR targets, and deloads. GymLogger X's Smart Program Creator builds full body, upper/lower, push/pull/legs, push/pull, Arnold, and bro split programs around your equipment, goals, injuries, and schedule, with linear, undulating, block, or wave periodization, and its preview shows the deload weeks. The Creator is free; free users keep one program at a time, and Pro removes the limit.
Can I log reps in reserve for each set in GymLogger X?
No. A logged set in GymLogger X is weight and reps, plus whether it was a warm-up, and its analytics work from those. Alpha Progression lets you record RIR as you log sets, even on the free version, and its Pro plan uses your performance to recommend weight and reps before each set. If per-set effort ratings matter to you, Alpha Progression is the better fit.
Which app is more private?
GymLogger X needs no account and has no server of its own: workouts stay on your iPhone and sync through your own iCloud, and the app carries no ads or third-party analytics. Alpha Progression can also be used without an account, with guest data kept on the device, but its App Store label lists purchases and identifiers as data used to track you, and fitness, contact, usage, and other data as linked to you.
Does GymLogger X recommend my next weight?
No. Each set row shows what you lifted last time and the target, and the next increase is yours to choose. With Pro, each lift gets a plateau status, and the Next Move card says whether to rest, deal with a plateau, work on a weak point, or train as planned. Alpha Progression's Pro plan gives a weight and rep recommendation before each set based on your previous workouts and today's sets, which is a real advantage if you want the app to steer progression set by set.
Try it
Open GymLogger X.
Periodized programs, a free Apple Watch app, and Pro as a subscription or $39.99 once. Free to download.
Last updated