LIFTAG vs Strong.

The short version

Strong is the app every other logger gets measured against, and it earned that. Ten-plus years of sanding, an Apple Watch app that works with the phone in a locker, and a screen that holds nothing but the set you are doing.

LIFTAG is the same core job with the gym in it. Tap the NFC tag or scan the QR on the machine, and the exercise in front of you is already open, with a video filmed on that specific equipment. The bench press, the back squat, and the leg press all behave the same way. Away from tags it logs like Strong, without the three-routine ceiling.

Two rows decide most of this. If you log from a watch, Strong wins outright. If your split needs more than three routines and you would rather not subscribe, LIFTAG does.

Strong's free tier and PRO price, quoted

Strong's own App Store listing says the free version saves unlimited workouts but is limited to 3 custom routines, and markets Strong PRO at $4.99 / month or $29.99 / year to remove that cap. Read on 27 August 2026.

Those are the two figures Strong markets in its US App Store description. The in-app purchase list on the same page also shows a $99.99 "Strong PRO Forever" and several other price points, and Strong states the prices are for US customers and vary by account. Treat the store, not this table, as final.

Three routines is enough for a full-body program or a simple upper/lower. It is not enough for push/pull/legs plus a deload template, or a separate session for the hotel gym. That is the moment Strong becomes a paid app, and it usually arrives in week one of setup rather than month six.

LIFTAG's side: no routine cap, and neither store lists an in-app purchase for it as of 27 August 2026. What we will and will not claim about a future premium tier is spelled out on LIFTAG pricing.

Feature by feature

Where Strong wins

• The watch. Strong's Apple Watch app logs a full session with the phone in a locker. LIFTAG has no watch app, and if that is how you train, this comparison ends here.
• A decade of sanding. Warm-up calculator, plate calculator, CSV export, imperial and metric mixed in one log. Small things, and Strong has had years to get them right.
• Restraint. No feed, no gym layer, no suggestions. If you want the app to disappear between sets, that is a feature and Strong is still the best at it.
• A knowable bill. PRO is published at a price with a lifetime option, so you can decide once. LIFTAG cannot promise you that yet, because it has no paid tier to publish.

Where LIFTAG wins

• The three-routine cap does not exist. A push/pull/legs split plus a travel day already breaks Strong's free tier; LIFTAG's routines and weekly plans are unlimited without paying.
• The gym floor. Tap the NFC tag or scan the QR on the machine and the exercise is open, with a setup video filmed on that exact equipment rather than a generic demo.
• Trainers and gyms are in the app. Verified coach profiles, shared plans, and a gym map with equipment, hours, and reviews.
• Nothing to buy. Neither store lists an in-app purchase for LIFTAG today, so the free tier is not a countdown.

The tag half of that list is documented on NFC and QR gym tags and in the NFC tags for gym equipment guide.

Switching without burning anything

Strong exports CSV; LIFTAG has no importer for it. So do not migrate, overlap. Install LIFTAG, log the next session in both for a week, and see which one you reach for on the third set of the day. Neither app is charging you during that week.

If your gym has no tags, the difference narrows to the routine cap and the trainer and gym layer, and you should know that before you decide. You can ask your gym to become a partner, or read what tagging a floor actually involves in gym NFC tag rollout.

Other comparisons

Hevy instead of Strong: LIFTAG vs Hevy. All three at once: Strong vs Hevy vs LIFTAG. The eight-app matrix: best workout tracking app 2026. Powerlifting specifically: best workout app for powerlifting.