Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to MTOR – A free, local-first PWA to automate workout progression
Hi HN, My motivation for this came from frustration with existing workout trackers. Most felt clunky, hid core features like performance graphs behind a paywall, or forced a native app download. A few people close to me who take their training seriously shared the same sentiment, so I decided to build my own. I'm working on mTOR, a free, science-based workout tracker I built to automate progressive overload. It's a local-first PWA that works completely offline, syncs encrypted between your devices using passwordless passkeys, and allows for plan sharing via a simple link. The core idea is to…
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
- 1
Hey HN, I'm a solo developer and I built Steps: Workout & Pedometer, an iOS pedometer and workout tracker. Last week, two German iOS publications wrote about the app. I didn't pitch them. I didn't send a press release. I didn't even know it was happening. I woke up to a spike in downloads, checked the analytics, and traced it back to their articles. That coverage pushed the app past $1,000 in sales. I still have no idea how they found the app. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience getting featured in publications, whether organically or through outreach. What worked for you? Any tips…
Mar 2026 · getsteps.app · its alternatives →
- 2
2024 · workout.olzhasar.com · its alternatives →
- 3
After decades of tracking my exercise programs in progressively more complex spreadsheets I eventually burned out on metrics and complicated periodization programs to the point where I had almost stopped exercising. I am now at a place where I simply want the minimal amount of structure and tracking to make sure I can maintain my fitness, so I boiled the entire concept down to what I felt was its essence: enough information and structure to remind you of what is needed today, and how it went on the same exercises last week. To reduce friction, the interface is kept as simple as possible.…
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 4
Hello, For quite some time, I've been unsatisfied with the built-in timers on both Android and iOS; especially for workouts, when I needed to set up a configurable number of series with rest periods in between. That's when I started thinking about building something myself. It was just a timer and I said to myself "how hard could it be?", I had no idea. The first iteration of the project worked "just fine", but the UI was an eyesore (even more than it is now), and the UX was quite awful as well. As you can probably guess, I'm not versed in design or front-end development. In fact, my last…
Nov 2025 · mytimers.app · its alternatives →
- 5
Proxima▲77Despite there being lots of information out there on how to train in the gym, I still get asked by beginners the same fundamental questions. I decided to build a tool that would allow them to create their own programs in a matter of seconds. I plan soon to create another tool that will rate the quality of these AI built workouts to help improve the programs over time.
Apr 2026 · proximafitness.com · its alternatives →
- 6
Hi HN, I'm an indie dev who built this to settle a long-running argument with my teenage son about who lifts more at the gym. I wanted a workout tracker to kept our data side-by-side on a leaderboard, and let us swap training plans without texting screenshots back and forth. Nothing I tried did all three without a subscription wall, so I wrote my own. Most of the app is free, it covers the full workout experience and progress tracking with 80+ exercises. The one-time purchase unlocks multiple plans, custom movements, and the social/sharing features, mainly to pay for the infra. The…
May 2026 · mobile-squad.com · its alternatives →
- 7
ttrening▲3Offline workout tracker with 21 built-in programs
Feb 2026 · ttrening.com · its alternatives →
- 8
Open-source Workout Planning & Tracking
2024 · unshackled.fitness · its alternatives →
- 9LW
I made a weightlifting tracker app specifically for coders. In weightlifting, progressive overload is one of the most important parts of gaining muscle. You should constantly increase weights, reps, use different set schemes, and that will make your muscles grow. There're many weightlifting programs, using various overloading schemes - linear increasing of weights, some periodic ladder-up increase, switching to different set schemes in case of failures, etc. You can implement all of that in Liftosaur. It works this way: each exercise may define a bunch of variables, that could be changed…
2023 · liftosaur.com · its alternatives →
- 10
Hey HN, I’ve built and bootstrapped PARIAN. It designs personalized workouts so you reach your fitness goal quickly and efficiently. By training only with goal-specific exercises tailored to your experience level and preferred equipment (or just bodyweight), you skip the wasted time, effort, and disappointment. No more doom scrolling exercises, being overwhelmed by how to plan them, and being bombarded by noise from all the fitfluencers. You workout with confidence knowing each exercise is intentional and each session is moving you forward. Plus, you have the freedom to customize your…
2024 · parianlabs.com · its alternatives →
- 11
Free PWA workout tracker-no app store,no paywall, just lift.
Mar 2026 · fitness-tracker-henna-psi.vercel.app · its alternatives →
- 12
Hi HN community, As a busy techie with kids and other family obligations and my recent health diagnosis, I wanted an efficient way to integrate workouts in my daily routine and my research indicated that HIIT/Tabata style routines fit that requirement much better than a dedicated long running/planned workout routine. I made a simple PWA to help me with that endeavor that I have found useful and hoping some of you may like it as well. No sign ups needed but you can sign in if you'd like to save custom presets and history/progress. You may also enjoy some of the fitness…
Jul 2026 · hiitmeup.fit · its alternatives →
- 13IS
i built a heart rate zone training app for runners. ios + apple watch. custom zones, real-time haptics, post-run graphs. all the “smart” stuff you’d expect. but i never talked to a single runner before building it. not even myself lol. started as a thesis → kept building → added features → added a paywall (€4/month!) → launched it → and yeah… no one cared. zero feedback. zero users. just code in the void. i recently made the whole thing free. not trying to “sell” anything now — just seeing if it’s actually useful, and listening this time. curious how others handle this. ever build…
2025 · basamasa.github.io · its alternatives →
- 14DA
Hey HN'ers! If you sit around a computer all day and are looking to be more active, or are just active in general, check out our app! https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id903459923?pt=265797&ct=hn&mt=8 or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.activityclub We have been hacking on this for 2 years and it's finally nearing a state where we are stoked about! Launched last Aug (2015) to the public. Coming up on our 1 yr anniversary and starting to get some traction. Two of us have _each_ lost about 70lbs while building the app…
2016 · its alternatives →
- 15
- 16
Free workout tracker & planner for iOS, Android & web. Build custom lifting programs with Liftoscript or use 50+ built-in routines like GZCLP, 5/3/1, PPL. Track progress with automatic progressive overload.
2020 · liftosaur.com · its alternatives →
- 17
I was frustrated about static, generic fitness apps and ChatGPT didn't give me enough structure and follow up in my fitness journey so I built MyTrainer, the first fully agentic oriented fitness coaching mobile app. It generates custom workout + nutrition plans, adapts in real time and connects to health data - all of this from a chatbot UI.
2025 · mytrainerapp.io · its alternatives →
- 18
ARVO▲8Hey HN, I've been lifting for years and got frustrated with fitness apps that either (a) generate a static plan and forget about you, or (b) require manual logging with no intelligence. So I built Arvo—an AI personal trainer that adapts after every single set, not just at the start of your workout. Why 19 agents instead of one? Each handles a specific job: - Exercise Architect (selects movements based on equipment/goals) - Load Navigator (calculates weight adjustments based on RIR) - Volume Manager (tracks MEV/MAV/MRV per muscle group) - Pattern Scout (extracts insights from…
Nov 2025 · arvo.guru · its alternatives →
- 19
The free gym tracker that actually helps you progress
2025 · repitfitness.se · its alternatives →
- 20GO
I built an app where you LITERALLY have to do push-ups to use Reddit (or whatever app). My guy, this is the summer you get SWOLE! Build a massive chest instead of doomscrolling on Hackernews. Also, it's FREE. You can set it on a schedule. You can set it on a time limit. You can set it after X opens. Or even after you come home from work. The apps will remain blocked until you do your push-ups! The app is built natively on SwiftUI. I use Apple's native Vision API to detect body parts and joints. I use Apple's Screen Time API for app blocking. I don't know what else to say so go on now and get…
2025 · timm.so · its alternatives →
- 21
Intermittent fasting made simple
Nov 2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 22
Hi HN, I built Axletic, a native iPhone workout tracker focused on making workout logging feel quick and uncomplicated. I drew a lot of inspiration from clean, dark themed apps such as Linear. I felt like a lot of fitness apps out there were too complicated to get started with, messy UI, too many settings etc. This one is made for people that just want to log what they do and understand how it is going. Kinda like a notes app for workout tracking. The core idea is that recording a workout should not interrupt the workout. Axletic lets you log weight, reps, duration, distance, rest periods,…
Jul 2026 · axletic.app · its alternatives →
- 23
GoalLift▲4The offline-first gym tracker that respects your data
Jun 2026 · goallift.netlify.app · its alternatives →
- 24
Zero equipment. Offline. Your data stays yours.
May 2026 · play.google.com · its alternatives →
Also compare
Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →