Setkord vs Hevy: A Fair Head-to-Head for Lifters

Setkord and Hevy are both strong lifting trackers that aim at different lifters. Hevy is mature, polished and has a big social community, which is a genuine draw if a feed keeps you motivated. Setkord is local-first and strength-first: it works fully offline with no spinners, it stays uncluttered, and it imports your Hevy history for free - so if you want a fast, private, no-feed log, that is where it fits.

I build Setkord, so read this as an honest comparison from someone on one side of it. I have kept everything I say about Hevy general and fair, because getting a competitor's details wrong would be the fastest way to lose your trust.

The short version

• /Pick Hevy if you want a mature app with a large, active social community and a feed to share progress in.
• /Pick Setkord if you want fully offline local-first logging, a strength-first app with no clutter, built-in accessibility, and a free forever core.

Both log sets, track lifts, show history and estimate your maxes well. The differences are about focus and feel.

Where Hevy is genuinely good

Hevy has earned its following. It is a well-built, polished app with a clean interface and a large, active community of lifters sharing routines and progress. If part of what keeps you training is the social side - following friends, seeing what others lifted, posting a PR - Hevy leans into that harder than Setkord does, because Setkord deliberately has no feed. It is also been around long enough to feel settled and familiar, with a big user base behind it.

If a social feed is a must-have for you, Hevy is the more natural home. I am not going to pretend otherwise.

Where Setkord is different

Fully offline, local-first

This is the core difference. Setkord is local-first: every set logs instantly on your phone with no signal, no spinner and nothing lost, then syncs in the background the moment you are back online. Basements, rural gyms, aeroplane mode - it does not matter. The app never blocks on a connection. Plenty of lifters train exactly where signal dies, and this is the feature they notice first.

Strength-first, no clutter

Setkord is built for lifters and nothing else. It does not track your steps, your sleep or your social feed, so the whole app stays focused on logging sets and watching your strength climb. That is a preference, not a verdict - some people want the all-in-one, some want the clean single-purpose tool. Setkord is firmly the latter.

Free import from Hevy

If you are already on Hevy, you are not starting over. Setkord imports your Hevy history via CSV for free, so you begin with your real numbers instead of a blank slate. Your data stays yours too - you can export the whole history back out to CSV any time.

Built-in accessibility

Setkord supports full Dynamic Type, a high-contrast mode and VoiceOver from day one, including on charts and destructive actions. Accessibility is often an afterthought in fitness apps; here it was in from the start.

Free forever core

Setkord's core is free forever - unlimited workouts, automatic PRs, estimated 1RM, routines and stats. Pro removes limits and adds deeper Insights, PDF export and routine sharing. I will not quote a price here because they change - check the current numbers in the App Store.

Feature comparison

Hevy's column is kept general on purpose, because its details can change and I would rather be safe than wrong.

For anything specific about Hevy, check its own App Store listing - it will always be more current than this table.

Which should you choose?

Be honest about what motivates you. If a community and a feed are what keep you coming back, Hevy is a great fit and I would not talk you out of it. If you train where there is no signal, you want a clean strength-only log, and you like the idea of a free forever core plus your data staying portable, Setkord is built for exactly that.

You do not have to guess blind, either: import your Hevy history into Setkord for free and run both for a couple of weeks.

If you are also weighing up other apps, see Setkord vs Strong, the wider best workout tracking apps roundup, and my list of Hevy alternatives.

Try Setkord

Setkord is free on iPhone, with the core free forever. Importing from Hevy takes a couple of minutes, so you can try it against your own real numbers rather than a demo. If it is not for you, everything exports cleanly - no lock-in either way.

FAQ

Can I import my Hevy data into Setkord? Yes. Setkord imports your Hevy history via CSV for free, so you start with your real numbers instead of a blank slate.

Does Setkord have a social feed like Hevy? No, and that is deliberate. Setkord is strength-first with no feed, to keep the app fast and uncluttered. If a social community is important to you, Hevy is the stronger choice there.

Is Setkord free? The core is free forever - unlimited workouts, automatic PRs, estimated 1RM, routines and stats. Pro removes limits and adds deeper Insights, PDF export and routine sharing. Check current pricing in the App Store.

Which one works better offline? Setkord is built local-first, so every set logs instantly with no signal and syncs later - no spinners. Hevy's offline behaviour can vary, so check its current listing if offline use is essential for you.