The 6 Best StrongLifts 5x5 Alternatives in 2026 (Free Picks, Ranked)

Quick answer: StrongLifts 5x5 now requires a subscription to use the app at all. Boostcamp runs the same 5x5 progression free, Liftosaur suits lifters who want to script their own progression, Hevy and Strong are general loggers, FitNotes is free on Android, and Gym Note Plus turns plain-text notes into charts.

This is about StrongLifts 5x5, the app that runs the classic A/B barbell program and adds the weight for you. Not the Strong app, which is a different product with a confusingly similar name. If that is the one you meant, we ranked the Strong app alternatives separately.

Why are people looking for a StrongLifts alternative?

Because the app stopped being free. That is the whole story.

StrongLifts' own App Store listing states the terms plainly: the app "is free to download, but requires a subscription to use. All new users get a 7-day free trial for the yearly plan. Monthly and quarterly plans are also available without a free trial."

The trial only comes with the yearly plan. Pick monthly or quarterly and you pay before you have trained a single session.

None of this makes StrongLifts a bad app. It has a 4.86 rating from over 76,000 ratings on the App Store, and the program it runs has worked for decades. The objection is to the price model, not the quality. Most lifters do not expect to pay a monthly fee for a beginner barbell program.

The 5x5 progression itself is not owned by anyone. It is five sets of five, add 2.5kg when you complete them, deload 10% when you stall three times. Any app that tracks sets and adds weight can run it.

What is the best free StrongLifts alternative?

1. Boostcamp: best for running 5x5 free

Platform: iOS App Store and Android · Price: Free tier includes the program library and tracker, with a paid Boostcamp Plus tier

The closest replacement. Boostcamp is a program runner, the same category as StrongLifts, rather than a blank logger you fill in yourself. You pick a program, it tells you what to lift, and it handles the progression.

Boostcamp's own 5x5 page confirms that StrongLifts 5x5, Madcow 5x5 and Starting Strength are all in the library and free on iOS and Android, with set and rep tracking and auto-progression built in.

One caveat the comparison sites skip: the 5x5 programs in Boostcamp are community-uploaded versions, not the official StrongLifts program. The progression is the same arithmetic, but the coaching material around it is not.

• Best for: Anyone who wants the guided 5x5 experience without a subscription.
• Watch out for: Community versions rather than official ones, and a library so large it invites program-hopping.

2. Liftosaur: best for defining your own progression

Platform: iOS App Store and web · Price: Free tier, with a paid option including a lifetime purchase

The programmable one. Liftosaur uses a text language called Liftoscript, where you write the sets and the progression rule once and the app applies it after every session.

A 5x5 with linear progression is roughly one line per lift. That is the appeal and the catch: StrongLifts 5x5 is not one of the built-in programs, so you either write it yourself or take a community version. Its bundled library leans toward GZCLP, 5/3/1 and Starting Strength.

• Best for: Lifters who want to change the progression rules and not just follow them.
• Watch out for: Setup takes real effort before your first session, and that will suit some lifters and put others off.

What are the best apps like StrongLifts for general logging?

3. Hevy: best free all-round tracker

Platform: iOS App Store and Android · Price: Free tier, with Hevy Pro for unlimited routines, custom exercises and full graph history

The popular default. Hevy has a 4.92 rating from over 88,000 ratings, and a free tier generous enough that most lifters never pay.

Moving here does change what you are responsible for. Hevy gives you a routine builder rather than a coach: build the 5x5 as a routine, run it, and type the new weight in yourself each week. Nothing prompts you to add 2.5kg, and nothing catches a stall and deloads you.

• Best for: Lifters ready to graduate from a fixed beginner program to running their own training.
• Watch out for: No automatic progression, so the thing StrongLifts did for you becomes your job.

4. Strong: best polish, and the name you may have meant

Platform: iOS App Store and Android · Price: Free version limited to 3 custom routines, Strong PRO at $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year

Different app, similar name, and Google confuses the two constantly. Strong is a general logger with the most refined tap-to-log interface in the category.

Its free tier is stricter than Hevy's: the App Store listing states the free version saves unlimited workouts but caps you at three custom routines. Three is enough for an A/B 5x5, so the cap may never bite you.

• Best for: Lifters who want the best-built logger and only need a couple of routines.
• Watch out for: Like Hevy, it logs your progression rather than driving it.

5. FitNotes: best free option on Android

Platform: Google Play · Price: Free, no premium tier

Free, with no tier above it. FitNotes is a fast offline logger with clean progress graphs and no ads, and there is nothing to upgrade to.

It is Android only, which rules it out for most people leaving StrongLifts on an iPhone. It also does no programming at all: it records what you did and charts it, and the 5x5 logic stays in your head.

• Best for: Android lifters who want a permanent free log and will run the progression themselves.
• Watch out for: No iOS version, and an interface that looks its age.

Where does Gym Note Plus fit?

Gym Note Plus is for the lifter who was already writing 5x5 in a notes app and only used StrongLifts for the charts.

The 5x5 progression is simple enough to hold in your head. Squat 5x5 @ 80 this week, 5x5 @ 82.5 next week. What a notes app cannot do is tell you your squat trend over eight weeks, or that you have stalled at 100kg three sessions running.

Gym Note Plus reads that plain text and builds the structure from it.

• Log at notes-app speed. Type Squat 5x5 @ 80, move on. No fields, no set-by-set taps.
• Keep your own shorthand. Your notation, your abbreviations, your comments about how the fifth set felt.
• Get the charts anyway. Per-lift history, personal records, and searchable sessions build themselves.
• No program to follow. You decide when to add weight.

Be clear about what it is not. Gym Note Plus does not run 5x5 for you. It will not prescribe today's weight, catch a stall, or schedule a deload. If the thing you valued about StrongLifts was being told exactly what to lift, Boostcamp is the honest recommendation, and we would rather send you there than win the install.

How do the options actually compare?

Prices and free tiers shift over time, so check the current store listings before you commit to anything.

For the wider field beyond the 5x5 crowd, we ranked the best workout tracking apps in 2026 on the same questions.

Which should you pick?

• Pick Boostcamp if you want to keep running 5x5 exactly as you were, without paying.
• Pick Liftosaur if you want to write the progression rules yourself and have them applied automatically.
• Pick Hevy if you are done with fixed beginner programs and want a free logger with good charts.
• Pick Strong if you want the most polished logger and three routines is enough.
• Pick FitNotes if you are on Android and "free forever" is the only requirement.
• Pick Gym Note Plus if you already write your sessions as text and just want the analysis back.

A simple plan for switching

1. Write down where you are. Current working weight for squat, bench, row, press and deadlift. This is the only StrongLifts data you actually need.
2. Note your stalls. Any lift you have failed twice is a lift to restart 10% lighter.
3. Install the alternative that matches your reason. Guided program means Boostcamp. Own programming means Hevy. Plain text means Gym Note Plus.
4. Rebuild the A/B pair once. Workout A is squat, bench, row. Workout B is squat, press, deadlift. It takes five minutes.
5. Cancel only after a week of real sessions. Confirm the new app survives contact with the gym floor before you give up the old one.

If you are the type who logged in text anyway, paste a real session into the free notes to workout translator and see what it makes of your shorthand before installing anything.

The 5x5 was never the app. It is five sets of five and a little more weight than last time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is StrongLifts 5x5 still free?

No. StrongLifts' App Store listing states the app is free to download but requires a subscription to use. New users get a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan only, while monthly and quarterly plans start charging immediately. The 5x5 program itself is free information, so any app that tracks sets and adds weight can run it.

What is the best free StrongLifts alternative?

Boostcamp is the closest free replacement, because it is a program runner rather than a blank logger. Its free tier includes the program library and the tracker, and community versions of StrongLifts 5x5, Madcow 5x5 and Starting Strength run with auto-progression built in. On Android, FitNotes is free permanently but does no programming.

What is the best 5x5 app in 2026?

For a guided 5x5 without a subscription, Boostcamp is the strongest pick. For lifters who want to define the progression logic themselves, Liftosaur can express a 5x5 in about a line per lift. If you only want to record the sessions and read the charts, any general logger works, since the 5x5 progression is simple enough to run from memory.

Are Strong and StrongLifts the same app?

No, they are two different apps with similar names. StrongLifts 5x5 runs one specific barbell program and adds the weight for you. Strong is a general workout logger with no fixed program, made by a different company. Search results often blur the two. If you meant Strong, see our Strong app alternatives instead.

Can I run 5x5 without any app at all?

Yes. StrongLifts 5x5 is five sets of five reps, adding 2.5kg per session and deloading 10% after three failed attempts at a weight. A notebook or a notes app records that fine. What you lose is the trend view: whether your squat is actually climbing over two months, and which lifts keep stalling.

How do I get my data out of StrongLifts?

Export before you cancel, because losing access to history is the expensive part of switching. In practice most lifters only need their current working weight for the five main lifts, which fits on one line. Rebuilding from those numbers is faster than fighting an import.

Does Gym Note Plus run the 5x5 program for me?

No. Gym Note Plus reads sessions you type in plain text and turns them into charts, personal records and searchable history. It does not prescribe weights, detect stalls, or schedule deloads. Pick Boostcamp if you want the program run for you, and Gym Note Plus if you want to log in your own words and still get the analysis.

Final Takeaways

• The program is free, the app is not. 5x5 is public knowledge and any tracker can run it.
• Boostcamp is the direct swap. Free program library, auto-progression, community 5x5 versions.
• General loggers change your job. Hevy and Strong record progression, they do not drive it.
• Strong is not StrongLifts. Different app, different company, similar name.