Ladder app alternatives, ranked for lifters
Published November 12, 2026
The right Ladder alternative depends on why you're leaving: Sweat is the closest swap for trainer-led follow-along programs, Caliber if you need Android or a cheaper coach-designed plan. If you want to keep lifting progressively without paying for a coach, RIRLift is the pick: your own program, every next weight set from your last set, free on iPhone and Apple Watch.
Free on iPhone and Apple Watch · No account · Coming to Android: join the waitlist
Ladder alternatives, ranked
Ranked for the most common reason to leave Ladder, the price: by how much of Ladder's job each one does for less. Future does more than Ladder but costs over six times as much, so it comes last.
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1. RIRLift
Best for: Keeping your lifts progressing, free
- Price
- Free; Pro $9.99/month or $79.99/year
- Platforms
- iPhone and Apple Watch
Where it wins
- Next weight set after every set and session
- Free with no trial clock, 4 active routines
- Full logging and the next weight on Apple Watch
- Coach drafts a plan you review before it applies
Where it falls short
- No video classes, voice coaching or coach-led team
- iPhone and Apple Watch only; Android is a waitlist
- Logs reps in reserve, not RPE
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2. Sweat
Best for: Trainer-led programs, the closest thing to Ladder
- Price
- $24.99/month or $134.99/year
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple TV, Apple Watch
Where it wins
- Programs from Kayla Itsines and other trainers, beginner to advanced
- Video demos and trainer audio cues
- 200+ meals and a large community
Where it falls short
- Built for women
- You pick and log every weight
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3. Caliber
Best for: A free tracker plus coach-designed plans, Android too
- Price
- Free; Plus $12/month or $72/year; 1-on-1 coaching from $200/month
- Platforms
- iPhone and Android
Where it wins
- Unlimited free workouts and 800+ exercises with video tutorials
- 120+ coach-designed plans in Plus
- 1-on-1 coach with a training and nutrition plan in Premium
Where it falls short
- No Apple Watch app
- Doesn't suggest your next weight
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4. Fitbod
Best for: A workout generated for you each day, weights included
- Price
- $15.99/month or $95.99/year
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS
Where it wins
- Builds each session from your equipment, history and muscle recovery
- Recommends sets, reps and weight
- 1,000+ exercises with multi-angle video
Where it falls short
- No free tier after the 7-day trial
- No coach or team; the workout changes session to session
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5. Peloton Strength+
Best for: Self-paced strength workouts from Peloton instructors
- Price
- $9.99 membership, or included with Peloton App+ ($28.99/month)
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android, Apple Watch
Where it wins
- Workout generator by muscle, length and equipment
- Logs weights and reps, and suggests when to lift heavier
- In-ear coaching; log weights from Apple Watch
Where it falls short
- Instructor classes live in the separate Peloton App
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6. Apple Fitness+
Best for: Follow-along classes for the least money
- Price
- $9.99/month or $79.99/year
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch
Where it wins
- 12 workout types, 5 to 45 minutes
- Custom Plans built around your favorite activities
- Shared with up to five family members
Where it falls short
- No Android
- Follow-along classes; you pick the weights
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7. Future
Best for: A dedicated 1-on-1 human coach
- Price
- $199/month, or $149/month on a 12-month plan
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android, Apple Watch
Where it wins
- A matched coach builds and adjusts your program
- Check-ins and accountability
- Video demos and voice cues
Where it falls short
- Over six times Ladder's monthly price, month to month
What to decide before you switch
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Why you're leaving picks the app
Price: RIRLift or Caliber's free tier. Android: Caliber, Fitbod, Sweat, Peloton or Future. More coaching: Future's 1-on-1 coach. Follow-along video for less: Apple Fitness+.
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Who picks the weight
On Ladder you choose every load and the Journal records it. Fitbod and RIRLift set it for you; Peloton Strength+ suggests when to go heavier. RIRLift does it after every set, free.
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Who writes the plan
Ladder's coach writes a new week every Sunday. Sweat and Caliber Plus give you trainer programs to follow, Fitbod generates each session, and RIRLift runs a plan you pick or ask Coach to draft, the same lifts each week.
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What you give up
Team chat, a coach's voice and follow-along video. Sweat and Apple Fitness+ keep the video; only Future keeps a coach who knows you.
What switching looks like
Ladder's $179.99 renewal is due, garage with dumbbells and a bench
You've run Ladder's dumbbell teams for a year and know the movements. You want to keep getting stronger without paying for the renewal.
| App | What it does here | For this lifter |
|---|---|---|
| Ladder | $179.99 for another year of every team and a new week every Sunday. | Only if the coach is still the reason you train. |
| Caliber | Free tracker for your own sessions; Plus at $72/year adds 120+ coach-designed plans. | The cheapest way to keep following a coach-written plan. |
| Fitbod | $95.99/year. Each session is generated from your equipment list, weights included. | Good if you like not deciding; the workout changes each time. |
| RIRLift | Free. Run the dumbbell upper/lower plan below; every next weight comes from your last set. | The best fit if you want the same lifts each week and the numbers to move. |
Three cheaper ways out. Two set the weight for you, and one of those is free.
Week 1 of the dumbbell upper/lower plan: every lift is new to the app
Your Ladder history doesn't come with you, so each lift starts at a light Estimate. The first set is as many good reps as you can; the rest of the session uses that measurement.
| Exercise | You logged | Next session | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Dumbbell Press | 30 lb pair (Estimate), 16 reps, nothing left | 35 lb × 6–10 | 16 reps to failure converts to about 36 lb for 6 with 2 left, loaded as the 35 lb pair. |
| Goblet Squat | 40 lb (Estimate), 15 reps, nothing left | 45 lb × 8–15 | 15 reps to failure converts to about 46 lb for 8 with 1 left, loaded as 45 lb. |
| Incline Dumbbell Row | 30 lb pair (Estimate), 14 reps, nothing left | 35 lb × 8–12 | 14 reps to failure is about 34 lb for 8 with 1 left; the nearest pair is 35 lb. |
One honest set per lift and the app knew where you were. From week two, each lift moves on its own.
Plans to run after Ladder
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The best workout with dumbbells, for the dumbbells you actually have
Adjustable dumbbells and a bench, 4 days
The garage plan from the example: four routines, the exact free limit.
4× a week · 71 sets a week · ~45 min
Add to RIRLiftSee the planAdd to RIRLift
Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.
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The best workout for full body, for your week
Full gym, 3 days: heavy, moderate, light
Three full-gym days if you train at a commercial gym.
3× a week · 50 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
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Tell it your equipment
Pick what your garage or gym has. Plans Coach builds and every swap stay inside that list.
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Do the first set honestly
On a new lift, take the light Estimate for as many good reps as you can. That one set sets the rest of the session.
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Ask Coach for a week like your old team's
Four days, dumbbells to 50 lb, glutes and shoulders first. It comes back as a preview to apply or adjust.
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Log from the Watch
Leave the phone on the bench. Log each set, run the rest timer and see the next weight on your wrist.
When a different app fits better
- The coach and the team are why you train. Stay on Ladder, or move to Sweat for a different trainer-led program.
- You're on Android. Caliber, Fitbod, Sweat, Peloton or Future. Ladder and RIRLift don't run on Android yet.
- You want a coach who knows you. Future, at $199/month, or Caliber's 1-on-1 Premium coaching.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Ladder?
Yes. Caliber's free version tracks unlimited workouts you build yourself, and RIRLift is free with a suggested weight for every set and up to 4 active routines.
Is the Ladder app expensive?
It's $29.99 a month or $179.99 a year in the US. That's more than Sweat ($24.99/month) and Apple Fitness+ ($9.99/month), and far less than Future's 1-on-1 coaching at $199 a month.
What are apps like Ladder?
Sweat is the closest: trainer-led programs with video and audio cues. Apple Fitness+ and Peloton offer follow-along classes. Caliber and Future add human coaching.
Is there a Ladder alternative for Android?
Caliber, Fitbod, Sweat, Peloton and Future all have Android apps. Ladder doesn't, and RIRLift's Android version is a waitlist.
Read next
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Ladder app review: what you get for $29.99 a month
What Ladder does well before you leave it.
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Ladder vs Sweat
The closest like-for-like swap.
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Caliber vs Ladder
The free-tracker route, side by side.
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Fitbod vs Ladder
If you want the workout generated for you.
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Free workout tracker apps
Free tiers compared.
More ways lifters use RIRLift
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Ladder app review: what you get for $29.99 a month
Ladder's coaches, price and Journal, reviewed, plus the free pick if you want your weights set for you.
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Ladder vs Sweat
One coach and a team, or a wide trainer library: Ladder and Sweat compared, plus a free option.
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Caliber vs Ladder
Caliber's free tracker and coaching tiers against Ladder's coach-led team, and a free third option.
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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.