Mekimeki vs Strong

Strong is the classic minimal barbell logger and the longest-running app in this comparison, with more ratings than any other tracker here. It does one thing — log sets fast and get out of the way — and it has been refining that for over a decade.

Mekimeki and Strong, side by side

App Free tier, as stated by the developer Paid tier Minimum iOS
Mekimeki Uncapped logging and routines None. There is no paid version. iOS 17.0+
Strong Capped $4.99/mo · $29.99/yr iOS 15.0+

What Strong says about its own free tier

This is Strong’s own wording on its App Store page, quoted rather than summarised, so you can weigh it yourself:

The free version of Strong can save unlimited workouts, but is limited to 3 custom routines.

Upgrade to a Strong PRO subscription ($4.99/month or $29.99/year) for an unlimited number of routines and to unlock additional PRO features.

Source: the Strong App Store listing, retrieved 2026-08-15.

Why people look for a Strong alternative

Three custom routines

Strong states the limit plainly in its own listing: unlimited workouts, but three custom routines on the free version. Push, pull, and legs is exactly three, so the cap is invisible for a lot of people. An upper/lower/push/pull split, or any four-day program, is over the line on the day you set it up.

A deload template counts against the cap too

If you keep a lighter version of a session as its own routine — which is the simplest way to plan a deload — that is a fourth routine. The cap does not distinguish between a training day and a planning tool.

The price to lift a structural limit

Strong PRO is listed at $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. That is not expensive for software you use four times a week. It is worth knowing that a good part of what you are buying is the removal of a number rather than new capability.

What Strong has that Mekimeki does not

Apple Watch

Strong has a mature watch app. Mekimeki does not ship one, so if you log from your wrist between sets, that decides it.

If you run exactly three routines, the cap never bites

Worth saying plainly. A three-day full-body programme, or a straight push/pull/legs, fits inside Strong’s free tier forever. In that case there is no limit to escape and no reason to move.

Where Mekimeki is different

Unlimited templates and unlimited custom exercises

Run a six-day split, keep a separate template for deload weeks, and add every machine your gym owns under its own name. Nothing counts these against a quota, because there is no quota to count against.

Last time is next to the input, not on another screen

The weight and reps you hit on this exercise last session sit beside the set you are filling in, matched set for set. Progressive overload is a comparison, and the comparison has to be in front of you during the fifteen seconds before you start the set.

There is no paid tier to compare against

Mekimeki does not have a Pro, Plus, Elite, or Premium version. There is no upgrade screen, because there is nothing behind it. Every feature listed on this site is in the free download, and that is a structural decision rather than a launch promotion.

More on how each of those works: Every feature, free · How the six set types are scored · Last session beside the input

The four shapes of "free"

Which one should you pick

Strong is a better bet if you want an Apple Watch app or the most polished set-entry flow available. Mekimeki is the better bet if your split has more than three days in it, because the thing Strong charges to remove is the thing Mekimeki never counted.

Questions people ask

What does Strong charge for?

Strong is free to download and charges for $4.99/mo · $29.99/yr. Here is how the developer puts it on the App Store listing: The free version of Strong can save unlimited workouts, but is limited to 3 custom routines. Upgrade to a Strong PRO subscription ($4.99/month or $29.99/year) for an unlimited number of routines and to unlock additional PRO features.

Is Mekimeki really free, or is it free like Strong is free?

It is free with no paid tier of any kind. There is no Pro version, no subscription, no one-time unlock, and no advertising. The distinction matters because most trackers on this page are also free to download and then charge to remove a limit; Mekimeki has no limit to remove.

Can I move my history from Strong?

There is no direct importer for Strong data, and past sessions do not come across. What is worth carrying over is the last working weight for each exercise: a few minutes while you build your templates, after which the new history accumulates from there. Templates in Mekimeki are unlimited, so rebuilding a six-day split costs nothing but the typing.

Where these numbers come from

Every free-tier limit and price on this page is quoted word for word from that developer’s own App Store listing, and a dated copy of the listing is kept so the quote can be re-checked. How these comparisons are sourced and archived →

Other comparisons

Mekimeki app icon

Try the version with nothing behind a paywall

Every feature free. No account, no ads, works offline. iOS 17+.

Download on the App Store

Free · Every feature included · No subscriptions · No paywalls · iOS 17+

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