Best Free Strength Training Apps (2026)

Strength training rewards consistency, and the easiest way to stay consistent is to watch your lifts add up week after week. A good app makes that simple, and plenty of them cost nothing to start. The catch is that free means very different things depending on which app you pick. This guide looks at five strength apps with genuinely useful free tiers, sets out what you actually get before any paywall, and shows where Edge fits if your training goes beyond the barbell.

What counts as a genuinely free strength app?

Almost every tracker calls itself free, but there is a big gap between a free trial and a free tier you can settle into. A real free tier should let you log your sessions, keep your history, and see your progress without a timer running out or your data getting locked away. We focused on apps that let you do the core job, recording sets, reps and weight, for £0, then looked at what the paid version adds on top. We checked each free tier at the time of writing, because features and prices move around, so treat every price here as a rough guide and confirm it in your own app store.

Which free apps are best for logging your lifts?

If all you want is a fast, clean place to record sets and reps, three apps stand out. Hevy has a polished free tier with unlimited logging, a large exercise library, personal record tracking and a social feed, and it runs on iOS, Android and the web. Its free plan limits you to a handful of saved routines, around four, and caps the longer analytics history, with Pro from around £2.50 a month at the time of writing lifting those limits and removing ads. Strong is another favourite, and its free version lets you log unlimited workouts but caps you at three custom routines, with Pro from around £4 a month at the time of writing adding more routines and deeper stats. FitNotes is the outlier, because it is completely free with no ads and no paid tier at all, though it is Android only and deliberately simple. When you are choosing between these three, the things that matter most day to day are how quickly you can log a set between rounds, how complete the exercise library feels, and whether the app fits the phone you already carry. All three do the basics well, so the deciding factor is usually feel rather than features.

What about free training programmes, not just logging?

Logging is one thing, but plenty of people want a plan to follow. Boostcamp is the standout here, with a large library of structured programmes you can follow for free, alongside workout tracking, RPE and RIR logging, a plate calculator and rest timers. Its paid tier, from around £12 a month at the time of writing, mainly adds a set of exclusive coach programmes and more detailed analytics, so most people can get a long way without paying anything. JEFIT also offers routines and a library of more than 1,400 exercises on its free tier, though the free experience carries ads and keeps some programmes and features behind its Elite plan, which costs around £10 a month at the time of writing. Both give you real structure at no cost, which is rarer than it sounds and worth taking advantage of.

Where do the paywalls actually sit?

The honest answer is that free tiers are generous for logging and stingier for everything around it. Across these apps, the paywall usually sits in the same few places: the number of routines or programmes you can save, how far back your charts and analytics reach, removing ads, and extras like advanced body measurements, video demonstrations or a watch app. None of these apps hides basic logging behind a paywall, which is good news if you simply want to track your training. It is still worth knowing where the wall is before you commit, so you are not caught out when you reach it. Prices also vary by region and currency, so always check the figure in your own store.

Is a free app enough to build strength?

For most people, yes. The thing that builds strength is progressive overload, adding a little weight, a rep or a set over time, and every app here lets you record that and watch it trend upwards. A paid tier can make the experience nicer with more routines, cleaner analytics and no ads, but it will not lift the weights for you. If you are just starting out, pick a free tier, log every session for a few weeks, and let the habit form before you spend anything. You can always upgrade once you know the app suits you, and you will make that call from experience rather than from a sales page.

How does Edge fit into this?

Edge is a slightly different kind of app. The dedicated loggers above do one job very well, recording your gym sessions. Edge treats running, strength and HIIT as one plan, which matters if your training is not only lifting. You can start on Edge for free: log and track your workouts, sync with Strava, Garmin, Apple Health and Coros, and soon earn rewards for the training you already do, with Edge Rewards launching in October 2026. If you want structure, Edge Pro is £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial, and it gives you a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready in 15 minutes, with a real coach you can message anytime. So if you only ever touch a barbell, a lightweight logger may be all you need. If you mix strength with running or HIIT and want one plan that pulls it together, that is where Edge earns its place.

How should you choose?

Start with how you actually train. If you want the simplest possible log and you are on Android, FitNotes is hard to beat and genuinely free for good. If you want a polished logger with a community around it, Hevy or Strong will feel great, and you can decide later whether the paid upgrade is worth a few £ a month. If you want ready-made programmes without paying, Boostcamp gives you the most for nothing. If your training spans running, strength and HIIT, Edge keeps it in one place and lets you start free before you commit to a coached plan. The best app is the one you will still open after a long day, so pick the one that feels easy to keep using. There is no harm in trying two free tiers for a week each and keeping whichever you reach for without thinking. Because logging is free everywhere here, the only thing you spend while you test is a little time.

Prices and features change, so check each app for current details. Accurate at the time of writing.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.