Alpha Progression is the closest app in this comparison to what Trackist does: it generates a plan and tells you what to lift on each set. The differences are in the unit of the plan, what the app will do when a week goes wrong, and what the free tier is for.
The short answer
Alpha Progression is a strong, detailed hypertrophy tool for a lifter who enjoys the dials: RIR, periodisation, dropsets, supersets, multiple gyms.
Trackist is for a lifter who wants fewer dials and a coach that reacts in sentences rather than settings.
What Alpha Progression does well
The plan generator builds a program from your goal, equipment, experience, frequency, session length and the muscles you want to prioritise, out of a library of about 795 exercises. During the session it recommends a weight, a rep count and an intensity target per set, based on what you actually lifted before. The free tier is ad-free and genuinely usable as a logger, with unlimited workouts, the full exercise library and body measurements.
Pro adds the generator, the recommendations, charts, RIR and periodisation options, multiple gyms and the calculators, at around $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year, with a 14-day trial on the annual plan.
Where Trackist is different
Both apps write a plan and both suggest a load. Three things separate them.
The plan is a block with an end. Four to twelve weeks, a deload in the last week when the block is six weeks or more, then a recap and a new plan built from the block that just finished. Training is a sequence of blocks rather than a program you keep editing.
You talk to it in sentences, not settings. Too hard, too easy, or this hurts. A repeat report rewrites the day; a pattern rebuilds the block's remaining weeks; a pain report swaps the movement and stores the limitation on your profile for every plan after it.
The coach remembers you. Each plan carries a few sentences addressed to you saying what changed against the last block and why, written from your logs, your readiness answers, your check-ins and everything you reported.
Trackist also puts a strength standard on the screen: a score across squat, hinge, push and pull from 90 days of sets, relative to your body weight, against published standards for your sex and age, plus a Strength Age. That part is free.
Side by side
| Alpha Progression | Trackist | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan generator | yes, Pro | yes, on both tiers, as a block |
| Per-set recommendation | weight, reps and intensity target | one suggested load per exercise, from your last sets and RPE |
| Reacting to a bad week | you adjust the plan and the settings | report it, and the coach rewrites the day or the block |
| Injuries | you avoid the movement yourself | a swap that trains the same muscle, remembered on your profile |
| Free tier | logger with the full library, no generator | one plan for life, week one of every block, the editor, the recap |
| Paid | about $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year, 14-day trial | $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year, first seven days free |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android | iPhone. Android is coming |
Prices and limits were checked on the US App Store and the apps’ own pages in September 2026. Both change, and the store is the source of truth.
What Trackist does not have
- No Android app yet.
- Fewer training toggles: no dropsets, supersets or periodisation settings to configure.
- A smaller library: 200 movements against roughly 795.
- No multi-gym profiles; equipment is one answer on your training profile.
Which one fits you
Alpha Progression if you want control and detail, and enjoy tuning volume per muscle and intensity technique by technique.
Trackist if you want to answer six questions, train, and say when something is wrong. Read how the adjustments work, or see what to do when a plan is too hard.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Which app is better for hypertrophy?
Both are built for it. Alpha Progression gives you finer control over volume per muscle and intensity techniques; Trackist keeps the controls few and handles the adjusting itself. The better app is the one whose workflow you will keep up for a year.
Is Alpha Progression free?
The free tier is an ad-free logger with the full exercise library, unlimited workouts and body measurements. The plan generator and the set-by-set recommendations are Pro, at around $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year with a 14-day trial, checked in September 2026.
Does Trackist tell me what weight to lift?
Yes. One line above each exercise suggests today’s load from your previous session’s sets, the target rep range and the RPE you logged, stepped by the equipment: 2.5 kg on a barbell, 2 kg on dumbbells, 5 kg on machines and cables.
Can I change the plan Trackist wrote?
Yes, on both tiers. The editor reorders, swaps, adds and removes movements and changes sets, reps and rest, from today on. Days you already logged are left alone.
5.0 ON THE APP STORE · FREE TO DOWNLOAD
Try the one that writes the plan
Six questions, and your first block is written around your gym and your week. Free on the App Store, Android coming soon.
