Compare
One Rep Closer vs Strong, row by row.
Both apps log sets, reps and weights, with warm-up sets and a rest timer that starts itself. One Rep Closer builds the workout around one large ring you tap when a set is done, and adds blocks for runs, circuits and timed workouts in the same session. Here is how they compare, and where Strong is the better pick.
Checked on against Strong’s own published pages. Features change; each row links to its source.
Free on iPhone. Premium £3.99 a month, 14-day trial.
| Feature | One Rep Closer | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Strength logging | Yes. Sets, reps and weights for each exercise, with warm-up sets marked apart from working sets | Yes, its core purpose. Sets can be tagged as warm-up, failure or drop sets source |
| Warm-up sets worked out for you | Yes, on the free plan. Worked out from your working weight with a choice of four ramps (Standard, Starting Strength, 5/3/1 and Minimal), rounded to 2.5 kg, with an empty-bar set first on barbell lifts | Yes. A Warm-up Calculator with formulas you can customise, for barbell, dumbbell and machine exercises. It is a Strong PRO feature source |
| Rest timer | Yes. It starts itself when a set with a rest time is done. Rest is set per exercise and can be changed set by set before you start, with −15s and +15s while it runs. A separate rest after an exercise can run before the next one starts | Yes. It starts after a set is completed. The default can be changed per exercise, with separate times for warm-up and working sets, and adjusted while it runs source |
| Last time’s numbers | Yes. Starting a template again fills in last time’s sets, reps and weights | Yes. After a workout from a template, you can update the template with the weights and reps you used source |
| Changing today’s workout only | Yes. A plan screen before you start lets you change today’s sets, weights, reps and rest; the template stays as it is | Yes. When a workout from a template has changed, it asks whether to update the template or keep the original source |
| Timed sets | Yes. A Strength block can be set by time instead of reps, and each timed set counts down and finishes itself. A Hold block times planks and other holds | Yes. Duration exercises are one of its exercise types source |
| Templates | Yes. Built from blocks and started from the Train tab | Yes. Templates can be made from scratch or saved from a past workout source |
| Supersets and circuits | Circuit blocks, yes. Supersets, not yet; in progress on our public roadmap | Yes. Exercises can be grouped as a superset, or a circuit for three or more source |
| Cardio in the same session as lifts | Yes. Cardio blocks by time, distance or calories, alongside Strength blocks | Yes. Its library has cardio and strength exercises, and you can add your own source |
| Personal records | Yes. Estimated one rep max, the heaviest weight at each rep count, and tonnage; plus a benchmark time for a For Time template and best rounds for an AMRAP template | Yes. Personal records, estimated one rep max, and graphs of volume and one rep max source |
| Free and paid | Free with unlimited workouts and your full workout history, backed up when you sign in, and 2 templates; charts cover the last 4 weeks. Premium is a paid tier | Free with unlimited workouts and 3 custom routines; Strong PRO is a paid tier source |
| Platforms | iPhone today. Coming to Android | iPhone, Android and Apple Watch source |
| Apple Watch and wearables | No watch app, and no GPS | Yes. A full Apple Watch app that logs workouts with or without your iPhone source |
| Sharing | A whole template, every block, as an eight-character code a friend types in. Premium members send, anyone redeems. No social feed | Workouts and templates can be shared with friends by link source |
| Exporting your data | No export to a file yet | Exports your workouts as a CSV file source |
When Strong is the better pick
- You want a watch app. Strong has a full Apple Watch app that logs a workout with or without your iPhone; One Rep Closer has no watch app.
- You train on Android. Strong is on Android today; One Rep Closer is iPhone only for now.
- You use supersets today. Strong groups exercises as supersets; in One Rep Closer they are in progress on the public roadmap, not in the App Store version yet.
- You want your history as a file. Strong exports your workouts as a CSV; One Rep Closer has no export yet.
When One Rep Closer is the better pick
- You want a workout screen you can follow mid-effort. One large ring sits in the middle with the set you are on above it. It shows the rest clock, a timed set’s countdown or your AMRAP rounds, and on a lifting set it says DONE, so tap it when the set is done. The rest clock starts itself when the set has a rest time, and an Up next card shows what follows.
- You want more control over rest. As well as rest per exercise, any single set can have its own rest before you start, and a separate rest after an exercise can run before the next one starts.
- You want warm-up sets worked out from your working weight on the free plan, from four ramps (Standard, Starting Strength, 5/3/1 and Minimal), with an empty-bar set first on barbell lifts.
- You want AMRAP, For Time and Interval pieces each built as its own timed block, in the same session as your sets.
- You want a run, row or SkiErg piece set by distance as a Cardio block that repeats for rounds with rest between, and records how long each took.
- You train for Hyrox and want to build a full simulation as one For Time template, then compare your time from one attempt to the next.
- You want a say in what comes next. One Rep Closer keeps a public roadmap of what is in progress, planned and under consideration, and you can suggest an idea from the roadmap page or from Send feedback in the app.
- You swap hybrid sessions with a training partner or coach. A whole session, including its Strength, AMRAP, Circuit and Cardio blocks, travels as one eight-character code they type in, and their copy is theirs to train and change. Premium members send; anyone redeems.
Who Strong suits
Strong is a workout log built around lifting. Its App Store listing says it is optimised for a progressive barbell routine and adapts to others. Sets can be tagged as warm-up, failure or drop sets, supersets group exercises together, and the Apple Watch app means you can leave your phone in your bag. It runs on iPhone and Android.
If you want a watch on your wrist doing the logging, you train on Android, or you rely on supersets and CSV exports, Strong is a good choice, and nothing on this page should talk you out of it.
Who One Rep Closer suits
For lifting, One Rep Closer covers the same ground: sets, reps and weights, warm-up sets worked out from your working weight, and a rest clock that starts itself. Mid-workout, the screen is one large ring with the set you are on above it. Inside the ring is the rest clock, a timed set’s countdown or your AMRAP rounds; on a lifting set it says DONE, and you tap it when the set is done. Reps and weight sit in steppers below, and an Up next card shows what follows.
It is also built for weeks that mix lifting with runs, circuits and timed workouts. A session is a chain of blocks: Strength, Interval, AMRAP, For Time, Circuit, Cardio, Hold and Rest, in any order. So a Monday can be squats then a 12-minute AMRAP, and a Thursday can be 4 × 1 km runs with rest between, then wall balls. A For Time block runs one clock while you finish the work, and a Circuit block names each movement in turn.
Runs, rows and SkiErg go in by time, distance or calories, in the same session as your lifts, and everything lands in one history. When you start a template again, last time’s sets, reps and weights are already filled in.
For Hyrox, every station is in the exercise library. A full simulation fits in one For Time block, and when the template is that single block, the summary shows your time against your last attempt.
What One Rep Closer does not do yet
There is no watch app and no GPS: you enter the distance and the app times the effort. There are no supersets yet (they are in progress on the public roadmap), no social feed, no way to import your history from another app, and no export to a file. It is on iPhone today, with Android coming soon.
Trying both
Both are free to download, and both log unlimited workouts on the free plan, so the simplest test is your next session: build it in each and keep the one that suits how you train.
Questions
- Can I move my Strong history to One Rep Closer?
- Not today. One Rep Closer cannot import workout history from another app or a file. Strong can export your workouts as a CSV, so you keep a copy, but your history in One Rep Closer would start fresh.
- Does One Rep Closer have supersets?
- Not in the current App Store version, and they are in progress on the public roadmap at onerepcloser.fit/roadmap. Today a Strength block holds one exercise. If you want movements back to back, a Circuit block runs them in order for as many rounds as you set.
- Is there an Apple Watch app?
- No. One Rep Closer does not connect to a watch or use GPS. You enter distances, and the app times the effort. If a watch app matters to you, Strong has one.
- Can I use One Rep Closer on Android?
- Not yet. It is on the App Store for iPhone, and the Android version is coming to Google Play soon. Leave your email on onerepcloser.fit and we’ll send one email when it’s on Google Play.
- Can I suggest a feature?
- Yes. The public roadmap at onerepcloser.fit/roadmap shows what is in progress, planned and under consideration, with a button to suggest an idea. In the app, Send feedback in Profile opens the same form.
- Is One Rep Closer connected to Strong?
- No. They are separate apps from separate companies. Strong is named here only to compare features, using Strong’s own website, help centre and App Store listing.
Try it on your next session.
Free on iPhone. Premium £3.99 a month, 14-day trial.