Hevy is the most popular gym tracker of its generation - 5 million+ Android installs, a 4.9-star rating, and a social feed its fans genuinely love. We build a competing app, so read this knowing exactly who wrote it. But we've kept it factual: where Hevy is the better choice, we say so, and every claim below was checked against Hevy's own site, help center and store listings in July 2026.
The short version
Choose Hevy if you want a social feed, train with friends who use it, want a web app for desktop logging, or want AI-generated programs. Choose BULQ if you're an Android lifter who wants a fast, private, stats-heavy log with no social layer, more of the training toolkit free (unlimited custom exercises and plans, plate calculator, muscle-map summaries), and a cheaper Pro - especially the $49.99 lifetime vs Hevy's $74.99. Switching takes one CSV file in either direction.
Free tier vs free tier
Both apps let you log unlimited workouts, forever, with no ads. The difference is where the walls are. Hevy's free tier caps structure: 4 routines, 7 custom exercises, and charts that only cover the last 3 months. BULQ's free tier caps chart range (last 30 days) and routines (5), but leaves the training toolkit open - unlimited custom exercises, unlimited custom plans, and tools Hevy doesn't have at all.
| Free tier | BULQ | Hevy |
|---|---|---|
| Workout logging | ✓ Unlimited | ✓ Unlimited |
| Routines | 5 | 4 |
| Custom exercises | ✓ Unlimited | 7 |
| Custom workout plans / programs | ✓ Unlimited | - (folders are Pro) |
| Supersets | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rest timer | ✓ Global + per-exercise + per-set | ✓ Per-exercise |
| Plate calculator | ✓ In-workout | ✓ Barbell only |
| Warm-up set calculator | - | Pro |
| Muscle map on workout summary | ✓ | - |
| Automatic insight cards | ✓ | - |
| Charts / analytics window | Last 30 days | Last 3 months |
| Full workout history (the log itself) | ✓ Always | ✓ Always |
| Body measurements | ✓ Full | ✓ + progress photos |
| Data export | ✓ JSON + Hevy-format CSV | ✓ CSV |
| Ads | None, ever | None |
Hevy details verified against hevyapp.com, its help center and store listings, July 6, 2026. Corrections welcome.
Being straight about the two cells where Hevy wins: its free charts cover 3 months to BULQ's 30 days, and its progress-photo tracking has no BULQ equivalent. If long free chart history is your deciding feature, Hevy's free tier serves you better. Both apps keep your actual workout log accessible forever - neither holds your history hostage.
What Hevy does better
The social layer. Hevy is a training network: a feed of your friends' workouts, likes, comments, leaderboards, shared routines. If that accountability loop keeps you showing up, nothing in BULQ replaces it - BULQ deliberately has no feed.
Platform reach. Hevy runs on iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS and the web. BULQ is Android-first - phone plus Wear OS today, with an iOS version on the way. If you need every platform right now, or you log from a desktop at work, Hevy has the wider footprint.
AI tooling. Hevy Pro includes Hevy Trainer (algorithmic program generation and week-to-week load progression, launched February 2026) and HevyGPT. Hevy Pro also unlocks a public API. BULQ has none of these today.
Track record and community. Hevy has years of updates, hundreds of thousands of ratings, and the biggest lifter community outside of Jefit. BULQ is the newcomer here - that's just true.
Where BULQ pulls ahead
More of the toolkit is free. Unlimited custom exercises (Hevy: 7), unlimited custom training plans, an in-workout plate calculator, per-set and per-exercise rest timer overrides, a muscle-map summary on every workout completion, and automatic insight cards (latest PR, stale PR, neglected muscle groups, volume anomalies) - all on the free tier.
Focus over feed. A meaningful slice of lifters don't want a social network in their gym app - it's one of the most common criticisms of Hevy in reviews. BULQ is built for exactly that lifter: open app, log set, see stats, leave.
Local-first and private. Your BULQ log lives in a database on your device - no account needed to train. Sign-in exists only for optional cloud backup. There's no feed, so there's nothing public to configure into privacy.
Wear OS as a first-class citizen. BULQ is Android-first, so the watch app isn't a port: log sets from your wrist and the rest timer stays in sync in both directions between phone and watch. Hevy's Wear OS app is solid - one of the few real ones - but it's companion-style (you can't build routines on the watch) and watch–phone sync issues are common enough that Hevy maintains a dedicated troubleshooting page.
Pricing, side by side
| Plan | BULQ Pro | Hevy Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| Yearly | $19.99 | $23.99 |
| Lifetime | $49.99 | $74.99 |
USD, July 2026. Both apps run occasional promos; regional prices vary.
Hevy Pro is genuinely cheap - credit where due. But BULQ undercuts it on the two plans that matter long-term, and the lifetime gap is $25. What Pro buys also differs: Hevy Pro is mostly about lifting its free-tier caps plus AI tools; BULQ Pro unlocks unlimited routines, unlimited saved charts, all-time analytics ranges, and automatic cloud backup.
Switching takes one CSV file - in either direction
In Hevy: Profile → Settings → Export & Import Data → export CSV. In BULQ: Settings → Import → pick the file. BULQ auto-detects Hevy's format and brings your full history - every session, set, weight and duration.
And if BULQ isn't for you? BULQ exports your history as JSON and as a CSV in Hevy's own format, free. You can arrive in one tap and leave in one tap. We think data lock-in is a bad reason to keep a user.
Get BULQ on Google PlayVerdict
Hevy earned its position: it's polished, cheap, social and everywhere. If the feed is part of why you train, or you need a browser between sets, use Hevy - you'll be happy.
If you're an Android lifter who treats a gym app as a tool rather than a network, BULQ gives you more of that tool for free, deeper rest-timer and stats control, a watch app built Android-first, and a lifetime price that closes the subscription question for less. And because the import path is one file, trying BULQ costs you nothing but ten minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my Hevy workouts into BULQ?
Yes. Export your data from Hevy (Profile → Settings → Export & Import Data), then import the CSV file in BULQ's settings. BULQ auto-detects Hevy's format - your full workout history, sets, weights and workout durations come across in one tap. No manual re-entry.
Is BULQ cheaper than Hevy?
Yes, on every plan. BULQ Pro is $2.99/month, $19.99/year or $49.99 lifetime. Hevy Pro is $2.99/month, $23.99/year or $74.99 lifetime. The biggest gap is lifetime: $49.99 vs $74.99. Prices in USD as of July 2026 and may vary by region.
Does BULQ have a social feed like Hevy?
No, and that's deliberate. Hevy is built around a social network - feed, followers, likes and comments. BULQ has no feed at all: it's built for lifters who want a fast log and deep stats without a social layer in their gym app. If you train with friends on Hevy and love the feed, Hevy is the better fit for you.
Which has the better free tier, BULQ or Hevy?
It depends on what you hit first. Hevy free caps you at 4 routines and 7 custom exercises but shows 3 months of charts. BULQ free gives you 5 routines, unlimited custom exercises, unlimited custom plans, a free in-workout plate calculator, muscle-map summaries and insight cards, with charts covering the last 30 days. Both let you log unlimited workouts forever, and neither shows ads.
Does BULQ work on iPhone?
Not yet - BULQ is Android-first, with a Wear OS watch app and an iOS version on the way. On iPhone today, Hevy is the practical choice. And because BULQ imports and exports standard CSV, your training log can move with you whenever your platform changes.
Can I leave BULQ later and take my data with me?
Yes. BULQ exports your history as a local JSON file and as a CSV in Hevy's own format, free on every tier. Your training log is never locked in.