Caliber vs Hevy
Published November 12, 2026
For logging your own training, Hevy beats Caliber: it's free, Pro is $2.99 a month or $74.99 for life, and it runs on Apple Watch, Android, Wear OS and the web; Caliber wins if you want 120+ plans or a human coach. If you want the next weight set for you without paying, RIRLift beats both: Hevy's weight suggestions need Pro, Caliber's app leaves the jump to you, and RIRLift sets every set free on iPhone and Apple Watch.
Free on iPhone and Apple Watch · No account · Coming to Android: join the waitlist
Caliber vs Hevy, row by row
| Feature | Caliber | Hevy | RIRLift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Unlimited workouts, 800+ exercise tutorials, Workout Circles | Unlimited workouts, 4 routines, 7 custom exercises, 3 months of graph history | Unlimited workouts, 4 active routines, a weight for every set |
| Paid tier | Plus $12/month or $72/year | Pro $2.99/month, $23.99/year or $74.99 lifetime (better here) | Pro $9.99/month or $79.99/year |
| What paying adds | 120+ plans, Strength Score, nutrition targets, custom exercises, swaps | Unlimited routines and custom exercises, full history, Trainer | More Coach conversations, unlimited routines, all-time analytics, CSV export |
| Next weight | You pick; Last fills in what you did | Trainer suggests weights, with Pro | Set after every set and session, free (better here) |
| Human coach | 1:1 coaching from about $200/month (better here) | None | None |
| Apple Watch | No Watch app | Logs sets, rest timer, heart rate | Logs sets, rest timer, next weight |
| Social | Private Workout Circles | Connect with other lifters in the app (better here) | Friends, challenges, weekly board |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android | iPhone, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS, web (better here) | iPhone and Apple Watch |
| Strava | No | Syncs workouts to Strava (better here) | No |
Hevy wins as a logger: cheaper and on more devices. Caliber wins on plans and coaching. If you want the next weight set for you without paying, RIRLift does it free.
What to compare between Caliber and Hevy
-
The free tiers are close
Both log unlimited workouts free. Hevy caps you at 4 routines, 7 custom exercises and 3 months of graph history. Caliber's free app adds 800+ exercise tutorials and private Workout Circles.
-
Hevy Pro is the cheap upgrade
Hevy Pro is $2.99 a month, $23.99 a year or $74.99 for life. Caliber Plus is $12 a month or $72 a year, and buys plans and scores rather than more logging.
-
Only Caliber has a coach
Caliber's Premium Coaching pairs you with a 1:1 trainer who writes your plan and reviews form videos, from about $200 a month. Hevy Coach is software for trainers, not a coach for you.
-
Only Hevy is on your wrist
Hevy's Watch app logs sets, runs rest timers and shows heart rate. Caliber has no Watch app.
-
Neither sets weights for free
Hevy's weight suggestions come with Trainer, a Pro feature. Caliber fills in last time's numbers. RIRLift sets every set's weight free, on the iPhone and the Watch. How it decides.
Caliber or Hevy, in two real cases
Upper chest push day, phone in the bag
Lifts five days a week, chest first, and logs from an Apple Watch. Wants to stop deciding when the incline press goes up.
| App | What it does here | For this lifter |
|---|---|---|
| Caliber | Logs the push day on the phone, with tutorials for every lift. No Watch app. | Not for wrist logging. |
| Hevy free | Logs from the Watch with rest timers and heart rate. Weight suggestions need Pro. | Fits the wrist; the jumps stay yours. |
| Hevy Pro | Adds Trainer's weight suggestions, for $2.99 a month. | A fair fit, and cheap. |
| RIRLift | Logs load, reps and reps left on the Watch and sets the next set before you start it. Free. | Fits, at $0. |
On the wrist it's Hevy or RIRLift. What's left is whether you pay for weight suggestions.
The same push day, logged in RIRLift
Smith machine incline press planned for 9 reps with 2 left; cable curls finishing in a 10–15 range.
| Exercise | You logged | Next session | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Incline Press | Set 1: 155 lb × 9, 3 left | Set 2: 160 lb × 9 | 12 reps to failure against a planned 11, so 155 × 41 ÷ 40 ≈ 159 lb, loaded as 160 lb. |
| Cable Curl | 50 lb, 15 / 15 / 15 reps, 2 left | 60 lb × 10 | Every set at the top of 10–15: one 10 lb step up the stack, reps back to 10. |
One extra rep in the tank was enough to move set 2. Nothing else changed.
Plans for a Caliber or Hevy lifter
-
The best workout for chest, matched to your setup
Full gym, upper chest first
Two chest days in a full gym, incline first.
2× a week · 17 sets a week · ~30 min
Add to RIRLiftSee the planAdd to RIRLift
Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.
-
The best workout for arms: biceps, triceps and forearms together
Full gym, one arm day a week
One arm day a week in a full gym, curls included.
1× a week · 18 sets a week · ~45 min
Add to RIRLiftSee the planAdd to RIRLift
Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.
Make it fit you
-
Import from Hevy
Export a CSV from Hevy and import it in RIRLift. Weights worked out from it are marked From history.
-
Start Caliber lifts from one set
RIRLift doesn't import from Caliber. Each new lift opens at a light starting weight, and one max-reps set gives it a real number.
-
Turn RPE into reps left
If you logged RPE in Hevy: RPE 8 is 2 left, RPE 9 is 1. Set the target once per exercise.
-
Pick your four routines
The free tier keeps 4 active routines, the same number Hevy's free tier allows. Group them into a program and switch when you change plans.
When a different app fits better
- You want Android, Wear OS or Strava sync. Hevy. RIRLift is iPhone only, has no public feed and doesn't sync to Strava.
- You want a human coach or nutrition targets. Caliber. RIRLift has neither.
- You log RPE and want to keep it. Hevy. RIRLift logs reps in reserve.
Questions
Is Caliber or Hevy better?
Hevy, for logging your own program: cheaper Pro, a Watch app and more platforms. Caliber, if you want plans to follow or a human coach.
Are both free?
Yes. Both log unlimited workouts free. Hevy's free tier caps routines at 4 and history at 3 months; Caliber's free app has 800+ exercise tutorials.
Which is cheaper to upgrade?
Hevy. Pro is $2.99 a month, $23.99 a year or $74.99 lifetime. Caliber Plus is $12 a month or $72 a year.
Can I move from Hevy to RIRLift?
Yes. Export a CSV from Hevy and import it in RIRLift on the iPhone; your first weights come from that history.
Read next
-
Caliber app review
Free, Plus and coaching, in detail.
-
Caliber vs Fitbod
If you want the app to write the session.
-
Hevy app review: free vs Pro, and who should pay
Hevy on its own, in detail.
-
Hevy on Apple Watch, and what RIRLift does differently
What Hevy does on the wrist.
-
Free workout tracker apps
Free tiers compared.
-
RPE vs RIR
Moving from RPE in Hevy to reps in reserve.
More ways lifters use RIRLift
-
Hevy on Apple Watch, and what RIRLift does differently
Hevy's Watch app logs sets and rest. RIRLift adds reps in reserve and sets the next weight on the wrist.
-
The gym tracker that turns your logs into your next weight
Bring your old logs, chart every lift, and see a stall answered before it eats another month.
-
A workout app you can train on for years without a subscription
Unlimited workouts, weights set for you and Apple Watch, free with no trial countdown, account or ads.