Hevy App Review — The Best Free Workout Tracker in 2025?
I've used Strong, FitNotes, JEFIT, and half a dozen other trackers. Hevy is the one that stuck. Here's why — and where it still needs work.
What Hevy does well
The exercise logging is fast. You pick an exercise, add sets and reps, and you're done. No unnecessary screens, no popups asking you to upgrade every 30 seconds. The free tier is genuinely usable — you get unlimited workout logging, which is the core feature.
The exercise library is solid. Over 800 exercises with GIF demonstrations. You can add custom exercises if something is missing. Search works well.
Progressive overload tracking is built in. You can see your volume trends, estimated 1RMs, and personal records over time. This is where Hevy really shines — making progress visible motivates you to keep showing up.
The social feature nobody asked for (that actually works)
Hevy has a social feed where you can follow friends and see their workouts. I was skeptical, but it turns out seeing your training partner log a session at 6am is surprisingly motivating. It adds a layer of accountability without being annoying.
Where Hevy falls short
The routine builder could be more flexible. You can create workout templates, but reordering exercises within a template is clunky. Small thing, but you notice it every time.
Rest timer customization is limited on the free plan. You get a basic timer, but can't set per-exercise rest times without the pro subscription.
No built-in nutrition tracking. You still need MyFitnessPal or similar for food logging. It would be great if Hevy added a simple macro tracker — even a basic one.
Free vs Pro
Free gives you: unlimited logging, exercise library, basic analytics, social features. Honestly, this is enough for most people.
Pro adds: advanced analytics, custom rest timers, unlimited routines, and graph exports. It's worth it if you're serious about data, but the free version is not crippled — a rarity in fitness apps.
Who is Hevy for?
Intermediate lifters who want to track their progress without friction. If you're a beginner who needs guided programs, look elsewhere (the app assumes you know what you're doing). If you're an advanced lifter who needs periodization tools, you might want something more specialized.
For the 80% of gym-goers who just want to log their lifts and see if they're getting stronger — Hevy is the best free option out there.