GUIDES · COMPARISON · UPDATED AUG 2026
Best free workout tracker in 2026.
An honest look at free workout trackers in 2026: LIFTAG, Strong’s free tier, Hevy’s free tier, and FitNotes. What you actually get without paying, and where each one stops.
What “free” actually means
Every workout logger on this list will let you record a set without paying. That is not the interesting question. The interesting question is what happens on week six: extra routines, charts, ads, a phone that is not Android, a gym with tags on the machines.
This page is only the free tier. Paid Strong, Hevy Pro, and LIFTAG premium are out of scope except where they explain the wall. For the full paid-and-free matrix see the 2026 workout tracking app comparison. What each paid tier actually costs, quoted from the store listings with the date they were read, sits on LIFTAG vs Strong, LIFTAG vs Hevy, and LIFTAG pricing.
At a glance
| App | Platforms | Free log | Where it stops | Unique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIFTAG | iOS, Android | Sets, rest timer, PRs, history | Optional intelligence is paid; gym network still growing | NFC + QR machine tags |
| Hevy | iOS, Android | Generous: unlimited workouts, social, large library | Some analytics and history depth sit in Pro | Community feed |
| Strong | iOS, Android | Clean logger, small free routine cap | More than a few routines wants Pro | Fastest minimal log |
| FitNotes | Android only | Fully free, no ads | No iOS, dated UI, no gym tags | Zero paywall |
LIFTAG
LIFTAG is a free workout tracker built around the gym floor. You can pick barbell bench press, back squat, or conventional deadlift from the library and log weight × reps like any other app. At a partner gym you tap an NFC tag or scan a QR code and that lift is already open.
The free tier is the logger: sets, rest timer, PRs, estimated 1RM, history. That is the product. If you train at a gym that has not installed tags yet, you still have a complete iOS and Android tracker.
Hevy, Strong, and FitNotes
Hevy is the free-tier champion for people who want a social feed and a huge in-app library without thinking about gym hardware. If “best free” means “most features before a paywall,” Hevy is the honest pick.
Strong is still the fastest blank-page logger. The free cap on routines is the catch. If you run one template forever, Strong free is enough. If you rotate programs, you will hit the wall.
FitNotes is fully free on Android and nowhere else. Recommended when the only requirement is “never pay, never see an ad,” and you can live without iOS, tags, or a modern chart.
Which one should you install?
- You train at a gym and want the machine to open the exercise — LIFTAG.
- You want the fattest free general-purpose logger — Hevy.
- You want the fewest taps and can live inside a few routines — Strong free.
- You are Android-only and refuse a paywall — FitNotes.
Head-to-head on Strong versus Hevy versus LIFTAG, including paid tiers, lives on its own page. If you searched for a workout logger rather than a tracker, including a paper logbook, start with the workout logger vs tracker guide or the 2026 logger comparison.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the gym and the phone. LIFTAG is free on iOS and Android with full set logging, rest timer, PRs, and NFC/QR machine tags at partner gyms. Hevy’s free tier is the most generous general-purpose logger. Strong is free until you want more than a few routines. FitNotes is fully free on Android only.
Written by
The LIFTAG team. We ship one of the apps on this list. Where the free tier loses, we say so. Updated August 2026.