Most people searching for a Hevy alternative are running into the same wall: the free plan caps how much you can save. LiftHero takes the opposite approach — log without limits, with a program built in.
Short answer: LiftHero is a free-first alternative to Hevy on iOS. You get unlimited workout logging with no cap on how many routines you save, plus built-in training programs, deep set logging and a community — no interruptive ads. Hevy is free to start too, but its free plan limits how many routines and custom exercises you can keep, pushing serious lifters toward Hevy Pro. Hevy is more mature and cross-platform (Android, a web app, a standalone Apple Watch app, a huge community). LiftHero is iOS now, Android coming — pick it if you want a free, program-rich tracker without the routine caps.
Hevy is a genuinely good app, and its logging is free — you can track unlimited workouts without paying. The friction shows up in what you're allowed to keep. On the free plan, Hevy limits how many routines (templates) and custom exercises you can save.
As of July 2026, Hevy's own Pro documentation lists the free tier at around 4 routines and 7 custom exercises, with unlimited routines and unlimited custom exercises reserved for Hevy Pro. If you run more than a handful of training blocks — a push day, a pull day, a leg day, a deadlift day, an accessory day — you can bump into the routine cap fast. (Plans change, so check Hevy's current store listing before you decide.)
That's the wedge. If the free-plan caps are the reason you're reading this, an app that's free-first — where saving more routines doesn't cost extra — is a cleaner fit.
Current as of July 2026. Free-tier details in particular change often — verify each app's store listing for the latest.
| Feature | LiftHero | Hevy (free plan) |
|---|---|---|
| Workout logging | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Saved programs / routines | No cap | Limited on free (≈4 routines) · unlimited on Pro |
| Custom exercises | Yes | Limited on free (≈7) · unlimited on Pro |
| Built-in programs | 5/3/1, Starting Strength, PPL, Texas Method, Madcow | Routine templates you build or copy |
| Deep set logging | Supersets, drop sets, tempo, rest timer, RPE | Supersets, RPE, warm-up sets |
| Community | Yes — post, follow, copy templates | Yes — large, established feed |
| Interruptive ads | None | None |
| Platforms | iOS (Android in development) | iOS, Android, web |
| Smartwatch app | On the roadmap | Standalone Apple Watch + Wear OS |
| Premium option | Optional Hero subscription · 14-day trial | Hevy Pro |
Pick Hevy if you need an Android app or a standalone smartwatch app right now, want the largest existing community and exercise library, or prefer a long-established, cross-platform app you can open on any device. Its free logging is genuinely unlimited — the caps are on saved routines and custom exercises, not on tracking itself.
Pick LiftHero if you're on iPhone and want the free-first, program-rich option: unlimited logging with no routine caps, real training programs built in rather than blank templates to fill yourself, and deep set logging for the details that matter. It's iOS now with Android coming, so it's the better fit when you don't want your free plan to gate how much you can save — and you don't mind being early.
Want the full feature-by-feature breakdown instead of the free-alternative angle? Read the complete LiftHero vs Hevy comparison. Coming from a different app? See our free alternative to Fitbod, browse training programs, or explore the exercise library.
Yes. LiftHero is a free workout tracker on iOS with unlimited workout logging and no cap on how many routines you can save. Hevy is also free to start, but its free plan limits how many routines and custom exercises you can keep — currently around 4 routines and 7 custom exercises — with the rest behind Hevy Pro. If the free-tier caps are what pushed you to look, LiftHero is built free-first.
Yes. LiftHero is free to download and use on iOS, with unlimited workout logging, built-in training programs, deep set logging and community — no interruptive ads. There's an optional Hero subscription with a 14-day free trial that unlocks premium analytics, but the core tracking experience is free and not gated behind routine limits.
Hevy's free plan lets you log unlimited workouts, but limits how much you can save. As of July 2026 Hevy's own Pro documentation lists the free tier at around 4 routines (templates) and 7 custom exercises. Unlimited routines and unlimited custom exercises require Hevy Pro. Verify the current numbers on Hevy's store listing, as plans change.
Hevy is the mature, cross-platform option — iOS, Android, web and a standalone Apple Watch app, with a huge community and exercise library. LiftHero is the free-first, program-rich option: it ships with built-in programs like 5/3/1, Starting Strength, Push Pull Legs, Texas Method and Madcow that you can save without limit, and logs supersets, drop sets, tempo, rest timer and RPE. LiftHero is iOS now with Android coming.
Not yet. Hevy ships a standalone Apple Watch app and a Wear OS app today. LiftHero is currently iOS-only and lists wearables on its public roadmap as in development, alongside Android. If a watch app is a must-have right now, Hevy is the safer pick.
Switch if you're on iPhone, want a program built in rather than blank templates to fill yourself, and don't want to hit routine caps to use the app fully. Stay on Hevy if you need Android or a smartwatch app today, or you rely on its large established community. Both are free to try, so you can run LiftHero alongside Hevy before deciding.
Free on iOS. Unlimited logging, built-in programs, and a community that shows up.
Download on the App StoreFree to start · No interruptive ads · 14-day Hero trial
Hevy is a trademark of Hevy Ltd. LiftHero is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hevy. Feature comparisons reflect publicly available information as of July 2026 and may change — verify current details on each app's store listing.
By Meitar Lazimi, founder of LiftHero · Last updated July 1, 2026.