Product
Liftoff alternatives: what to switch to, and why.
Liftoff ranks your lifts against a big crowd and leaves the programming to you. That works until the day you open the app and don't know what to train. Kovo is our pick for most people making that switch, because it writes the program. Here is the specific case for each of the other five.
Key takeaways
- Kovo is our pick for most people leaving Liftoff: it writes the program instead of only scoring it, and keeps the streaks, the clan wars, and the duels. It's our app, so weigh that accordingly.
- The real split is trackers versus planners. Liftoff, Hevy, Strong, GymLevels, and Stronger track. Kovo and Workout Quest plan. Get that right and the rest is detail.
- Kovo gives up ground in four narrow places: free-tier generosity (Hevy), analytics behind the rank (Stronger), the pure stats layer (GymLevels), and no ranking at all (Strong).
- Every app here has a free tier, so the comparison costs you one session rather than a subscription.
Liftoff is good at one thing and open about it. You log a lift, it ranks that lift against a large crowd, and the rank is the reason you come back. The community is real and the streak tracking works.
What it doesn't do is tell you what to train. That's fine when you have a program. It's a wall when you don't, and it's the reason most people start looking for something else. The other reason is the upgrade prompts, which come up often enough in reviews to be worth naming.
We make Kovo, one of the six below. So the bias is stated up front: we think Kovo is the right switch for most people, and every entry here names the case where one of the others is the better move. Two of them are better than us at something we haven't matched. All six have a free tier, so you can check this yourself in a session.
What Liftoff does, and where it stops
Worth being precise, because the right replacement depends entirely on which part you're replacing:
- It ranks. Your lifts get scored against a large userbase across hundreds of exercises. This is the good part.
- It tracks streaks. Show up, keep the number. Simple and effective.
- It does not write the program. You decide the split, the lifts, the weights, and the progression.
- It asks you to upgrade. How much that bothers you is personal, but it's the second most common reason people go looking.
If you're replacing the third one, you want a planner. If you're replacing the fourth, you want a tracker with a better free tier. Those are different apps.
Kovo
iOS, Android · Free with optional upgrades. Our app, and our pick for most people leaving Liftoff.
AI planner wrapped in clans, wars, and duels, with everything you level moving off real lifts
Switch to it if
You like the ranking and the streaks, and you're tired of deciding what to train before you can use any of it.
Strengths
- We write the program from your goals, equipment, and experience. Nothing to import, nothing to plan.
- Your weights and volume move off what you logged last session, not a fixed template.
- Clan wars. Your clan is matched against another one, you pick a muscle on the person you're up against, and the XP you earn training that muscle earns stars for your side.
- Duels. Invite up to four friends or clanmates, run it 7, 14, or 30 days, count it on XP, volume, minutes, or sessions, and put gems on the result if you want.
- Weekly leagues. Around 20 people, Bronze to Champion, ranked on the XP you earn that week.
- Friend streaks with each friend, cheers when someone hits a milestone, and clan chat behind all of it. People you know, not a global list of strangers.
- Streaks, daily quests, monthly medals, hidden badges, and a Strength Score that ranks every muscle and every lift from Bronze to Champion.
- Six classes, each with its own programming and pace.
Where it falls short
- Smaller userbase than Liftoff, so the leaderboards are smaller.
- If you already have a program you like, you're paying attention for planning you don't need.
- Newer, so there is less third-party coverage to read before you commit.
The verdict
Our pick, because it fixes the specific thing Liftoff leaves to you: the program. The game layer goes further too. A war and a duel are things you play with people you know, not a rank you check.
GymLevels
iOS, Android · Free with upgrades. Made by GymStreak Ltd.
RPG-style tracker with XP, muscle-group ranks, and streak freezes
Switch to it if
You want a sharper stats and rank layer than Liftoff's, and you already have a program.
Strengths
- XP on every set, with your character levelling as you lift.
- Muscle groups ranked Bronze to Mythic off real performance.
- Streak freezes, so a rest day doesn't cost you the streak.
Where it falls short
- Same gap as Liftoff: it scores your program, it doesn't write one.
- Mostly solo. Thin on the social side.
Where it beats Kovo
Kovo gives ground on the pure stats layer. If your complaint about Liftoff is that the ranking isn't detailed enough, GymLevels is the sideways move that fixes exactly that.
Hevy
iOS, Android · Free with a paid tier. The closest like-for-like swap.
Social-first workout logger with community feeds and friends
Switch to it if
You want Liftoff's community without Liftoff's paywall pressure.
Strengths
- The most direct social alternative: feeds, following friends, detailed logging.
- Generous free tier, which is the common complaint about Liftoff.
- Clean, fast logging that gets out of the way.
Where it falls short
- Light on game mechanics. No character, no quests.
- Still a tracker. You bring the program.
Where it beats Kovo
Kovo gives ground on being the smallest possible change. If you like Liftoff and only want the pricing and the feed to be better, Hevy is the shortest move, and we'd rather you were happy than converted.
Strong
iOS, Android · Freemium. Long-established and widely used.
The classic strength logger
Switch to it if
You want the game layer gone entirely and just want a fast, reliable log.
Strengths
- Fast, dependable logging with a long track record.
- Solid progression charts, personal records, and 1RM estimates.
- Plate calculator and warmup sets built in.
Where it falls short
- No gamification at all. That's the point of it.
- No programming. It records, it doesn't decide.
Where it beats Kovo
Kovo gives ground if the ranking was the problem rather than the draw. Some people find leaderboards stressful, and Strong is the calm version of this whole category.
Stronger
iOS, Android · Positions itself directly against Liftoff.
Ranked tracker with a Strength Score and weak-point analytics
Switch to it if
You want Liftoff's ranking idea with more analysis behind the number.
Strengths
- Strength Score plus weak-point analysis, so the rank comes with a reason.
- Adaptive routines, which is more than most trackers in this list offer.
- Ranks lifts across a large exercise catalog, like Liftoff does.
Where it falls short
- Analytics-led, so there's more to read and interpret than in a game layer.
- Lighter social side than Liftoff or Kovo.
Where it beats Kovo
Kovo gives ground on analytics depth. If you want to know precisely which lift is holding your total back, that's Stronger's whole pitch and they make it well.
Workout Quest
iOS, Web · AI-driven RPG trainer.
Solo RPG: an AI trainer wrapped in loot, quests, and cosmetics
Switch to it if
You want a deeper game than Liftoff's and don't care about training with anyone.
Strengths
- AI trainer that adapts the plan as you go, so it plans as well as tracks.
- Daily quests, loot chests, and cosmetics. The most committed RPG metaphor in this list.
Where it falls short
- Solo. No friends, no shared gym, so it removes the thing Liftoff is best at.
- The loot focus can tip into grinding for its own sake.
Where it beats Kovo
Kovo gives ground on solo loot systems. If the leaderboards were never the appeal and you just want the game, Workout Quest is the better install.
Which one should you switch to?
Kovo, for most people, for the reasons above. The cases where something else is the better move:
You only wanted a better free tier: Hevy. Nearly the same app as Liftoff with less pressure to upgrade, and the smallest possible change to your routine.
You want to know why your rank is what it is: Stronger. Weak-point analytics behind the number is their pitch and we haven't matched it.
You want a sharper stats layer: GymLevels. Bronze to Mythic per muscle group, off real performance.
The ranking was the problem, not the draw: Strong. No leaderboards, no character, just a fast and reliable log.
You want the deepest game and no people: Workout Quest. Loot, quests, cosmetics, solo.
You want to stop planning and keep the pull: Kovo. We write the program, move your weights off what you logged, and put your friends in the clan next to you, in wars and duels rather than a leaderboard you scroll. Free on iOS and Android.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Liftoff?
Kovo, for most people. Liftoff ranks your lifts but expects you to arrive with a program, and Kovo writes the program from your goals, equipment, and experience while keeping the streaks, levels, and a gym you share with friends. Kovo is our app, so weigh that accordingly. The honest exceptions: Hevy if you want the same thing as Liftoff with a more generous free tier, Stronger if you want deeper analytics behind the rank, GymLevels if you want a sharper stats layer, and Strong if you want the ranking gone entirely.
Why do people look for a Liftoff alternative?
Two reasons come up repeatedly. The first is programming: Liftoff scores what you did but doesn't tell you what to do, which is a hard place to start if you don't already have a routine. The second is pricing, since the upgrade prompts are a common complaint in reviews. If your reason is the first, move to a planner. If it's the second, a tracker with a more generous free tier is the smaller change.
Is there a free alternative to Liftoff?
Yes. Kovo is free with optional in-app upgrades, and so are Hevy, GymLevels, and Workout Quest on their own free tiers. Strong is freemium. No app in this list requires payment to log a workout, so you can install two and compare before you spend anything.
What is the difference between a workout tracker and a workout planner?
A tracker records the session you already decided on. A planner decides the session for you. Liftoff, Hevy, Strong, GymLevels, and Stronger are trackers. Kovo and Workout Quest are planners. This is the single most useful distinction when picking a replacement, and it matters more than any feature list.
Which Liftoff alternative is best for training with friends?
Kovo, which is built around a clan you share with people you know rather than a global list of strangers. Your clan gets matched against another clan in a war, you can duel up to four friends or clanmates over 7, 14, or 30 days, and you keep a separate streak with each friend. Hevy is the runner-up with community feeds and following. GymLevels, Strong, and Workout Quest are solo experiences.
We build your program. You play through it.
Streaks, quests, levels, and friends in your gym. Free on iOS and Android.