StrongLifts alternative
The free StrongLifts alternative for running 5x5
Same program, same five lifts. Lift5x5 decides your weights, warmups and deloads for free, keeps your history yours, and imports everything you logged in StrongLifts.
★ 5.0 from 108 App Store ratings · free, no ads
Full disclosure: we make Lift5x5. Competitor prices come from the US store listings (checked October 29, 2026), claims we can’t verify ourselves are marked as user reports, and there is a section below on what StrongLifts does better.
Lift5x5 vs StrongLifts
| StrongLifts | Lift5x5 | |
|---|---|---|
| The 5x5 program | Subscription after a 7-day trial | Free |
| Automatic progression and deloads | Subscription | Free |
| Warmup sets | Subscription | Free |
| Plate calculator | Subscription | Free |
| Your workout history | Locked without a subscription, users report | Free, always |
| CSV / JSON export | — | Free |
| Import a StrongLifts CSV | n/a | Free |
| Madcow, GZCLP, Texas Method | Madcow + Intermediate (paid) | Pro |
| Apple Watch app | ✓ | — |
| Exercise videos | ✓ 100+ | — written guides |
| Ads | None | None |
| Price (US) | $11.99/mo · $59.99/yr · $199.99 for 5 years | Free · Pro from $4.99/mo, or a one-time lifetime |
| App Store rating | 4.9 from ~77,000 ratings | 5.0 from 108 ratings |
Checked October 29, 2026. Store prices change and vary by country; check the listing before you buy.
Why people look for an alternative
Almost nobody leaves because of the program. 5x5 works, which is why they started. They leave because of what it now costs to run it in the StrongLifts app.
There is no free tier any more
StrongLifts used to have a free version. Today the app gives you a 7-day trial on the yearly plan, and after that the program itself needs an active subscription: $11.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US.
History behind the paywall
A recurring theme in recent Play Store reviews: workouts people logged for years become unreachable once the subscription lapses. We read the 150 newest reviews in July 2026 and most of the low-star ones say this.
"Lifetime" that wasn’t
Buyers of the old one-time Power Pack report that the purchase stopped being honored when the app moved to subscriptions. Whatever app you pick (ours included), ask what happens to your data and your purchase if you stop paying.
Everything the program needs, free
Not a trial. If you never pay, you can still run 5x5 from your first empty-bar squat to the end of linear progression.
- Automatic weight progression: +2.5 kg a session and +5 kg on deadlift (5 and 10 lb if you train in pounds)
- Deload after three failed sessions, handled for you
- Warmup sets calculated from your work weight and loaded with plates you actually own
- Plate calculator that knows your bar and your plates
- Rest timer that keeps running on the lock screen
- Progress graphs and your full history, with no time limit
- CSV and JSON export of everything you have logged
- Works offline, in 11 languages, with no ads
Pro is optional: a coach that forecasts your next plate and warns about plateaus, per-lift progression rules, more programs (Madcow 5x5, GZCLP, Texas Method, Smolov Jr, German Volume Training) and anonymous leaderboards.
Keep your StrongLifts history
Switching doesn’t mean starting over. Lift5x5 reads the CSV the StrongLifts app exports and rebuilds your training log, so your next workout continues where the last one stopped.
- 1
Export from StrongLifts
In the StrongLifts app, open the ••• menu and choose Export data → CSV. Send the file to your phone.
- 2
Install Lift5x5
Free on iPhone and Android. You can import as a guest, no account needed.
- 3
Import
Settings → Import data → choose the file. Workouts, working weights, PRs and your unit come across.
Where StrongLifts is better
StrongLifts brought 5x5 to millions of phones and it is a polished app. Stay with it, or pick it, if any of these matter more to you than the price:
- Apple Watch. You can log a whole workout from your wrist. Lift5x5 has no watch app yet.
- Exercise videos. 100+ in the app. We cover form in written guides instead.
- Every Apple device. iPad, Mac and Vision, with sync. Lift5x5 is phone only.
- Flexible schedule and custom programs on Pro, 2 to 6 workouts a week.
- Track record. Close to 77,000 App Store ratings at 4.9 is real evidence. Ours is 108.
Other StrongLifts alternatives
The useful split is program runners, which know the 5x5 rules and tell you what to lift, versus general loggers, which record anything and leave the progression to you.
- Boostcamp. Free library of structured programs, including a community 5x5 with auto-progression. Pick it if you expect to switch programs often.
- Hevy. Fast, cheap general logger with a social feed. You build the A/B routines and change the weights yourself.
- Strong. Veteran general logger with an Apple Watch app. Same deal: it records 5x5, it doesn’t run it.
- Liftosaur. Free and open source, with progression rules you script yourself. Powerful, with a steep learning curve.
- A notebook or spreadsheet. The program ran on paper for decades. Our free generator builds the sheet for you. Build your sheet →
Prices, free tiers and verdicts for all of them: the best 5x5 apps, compared.
Common questions
Is StrongLifts still free? +
No. As of 2026 the StrongLifts app has no permanent free tier: you get a 7-day trial on the yearly plan, and after that the app needs an active subscription ($11.99/month, $29.99/quarter, $59.99/year or $199.99 for five years in the US). The 5x5 program itself is public and free; you are paying for the app.
What is the best free StrongLifts alternative? +
For running 5x5 specifically, Lift5x5 keeps the whole classic program free: automatic progression, deloads, warmups, plate calculator, rest timer, history and export. We make it, so check it yourself; the download is free. Boostcamp runs a community 5x5 for free inside a big program library. Hevy and Strong are good general loggers but leave the progression math to you.
Can I move my StrongLifts history to Lift5x5? +
Yes. Export a CSV from the StrongLifts app, then in Lift5x5 go to Settings → Import data. Every workout, your current working weights and your PRs come across, and the unit (kg or lb) is detected from the file. You can do it as a guest; a free account keeps unlimited history and syncs it between phones.
Does StrongLifts lock your workout history if you stop paying? +
That is what many recent Play Store reviews describe: previously logged workouts become inaccessible without an active subscription. We have not been able to confirm the exact rules with StrongLifts, so treat it as a user report. In Lift5x5 your history is free and exportable whether or not you ever pay.
Is it the same program? +
Yes. Workout A is squat, bench press and barbell row; workout B is squat, overhead press and deadlift. You alternate them three times a week, add weight after every successful session and deload after repeated misses. The method is decades old and belongs to no one; StrongLifts popularized it.
Does Lift5x5 have Madcow and the other StrongLifts programs? +
The classic 5x5 is free. Lift5x5 Pro adds Madcow 5x5, GZCLP, Texas Method, Smolov Jr, German Volume Training and the lighter and heavier 5x5 variants (3x5 Lite, Mini, Ultra), plus per-lift progression rules (increment, sets × reps, deload).
Does Lift5x5 work on Apple Watch? +
Not yet. If logging from your wrist matters most, the StrongLifts app has an excellent watch app and is worth its price for that. Lift5x5 is iPhone and Android, with Apple Health and Health Connect sync.
Is Lift5x5 affiliated with StrongLifts? +
No. Lift5x5 is an independent app that runs the same public-domain 5x5 method. We name StrongLifts only to help people compare and move between the two apps.
Try it on your next workout
Install, import your StrongLifts CSV or type in five working weights, and train. It costs nothing to find out.
The program itself