Workout Aura vs Hevy
Hevy is a community-driven logger with one of the strongest social features in the category. Workout Aura is single-player by design — built around structured campaigns and a long-term progression ladder. Different philosophies for different lifters.
TL;DR
- Pick Hevy if: Social accountability motivates you, you want to follow friends and lifters you admire, you enjoy browsing and importing community-shared routines, and you don't mind a logger-first design.
- Pick Workout Aura if: You train solo, you value local-first privacy, you want pre-designed periodized campaigns instead of building your own, and you're motivated by long-term progression systems (ranks, XP, unlocks) over social feeds.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Workout Aura | Hevy |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | Solo, structured campaigns with progression ladder | Social-first logger with community feed |
| Pre-designed programs | 16 science-backed campaigns (2–12 weeks) | Pre-built routines + community routines |
| Periodization & deloads | Yes, built into every campaign | No formal periodization framework |
| Rank / progression ladder | 21 ranks across 5 divisions + Prestige | None |
| Streaks & multipliers | XP streak multipliers + optional Streak Shield | Streaks only |
| Cosmetic unlockables | 76+ (talismans, auras, mantras, rings, stripes) | None |
| Social feed / followers | None (by design) | Yes — follow lifters, like workouts, comments |
| Community routines | No | Yes — browse and import |
| Local-first / works offline | Yes, no account required | Account required |
| Form cues / exercise videos | Form cues for 100+ exercises | Exercise GIFs/videos in DB |
| Annual price | $39.99/yr | $59.99/yr (Pro) |
| Free tier | 7-day free trial; no permanent free tier | Yes, with limitations |
| Platforms | iOS only | iOS + Android + web |
Prices reflect publicly listed Hevy Pro pricing as of May 2026. Hevy feature descriptions based on the app's public marketing materials.
Where Hevy genuinely wins
Hevy has the strongest community layer in the gym app category. If social accountability is what keeps you consistent — knowing your training partner will see your skipped session, or following stronger lifters to stay inspired — Hevy is built for that. The routine-sharing feature is a real asset: you can import a popular routine (PPL, nSuns, GZCLP) without rebuilding it yourself.
Hevy also ships on Android and the web, which Workout Aura doesn't. If you train across devices or have an Android phone, that matters.
Hevy's free tier is genuinely useful, not crippled — many lifters use it indefinitely without paying.
Where Workout Aura genuinely wins
Workout Aura is built around intrinsic, single-player motivation. There's no follower count, no social feed, no comparison to other lifters. The 21-rank ladder, XP economy, talismans, auras, and mantras exist to make consistency feel meaningful on its own — not relative to anyone else. For lifters who find social feeds distracting (or who specifically want a private training practice), this is the entire point.
On programming, Workout Aura ships 16 pre-designed periodized campaigns with phases, deloads, and explanations. Hevy lets you build or import routines, but doesn't enforce or guide periodization. If you don't know what periodization is or how to structure a deload week, Workout Aura makes those decisions for you.
On privacy, Workout Aura is local-first — your training data lives on your device by default, with no account required. Hevy requires an account because the social layer needs it.
At $39.99/year vs Hevy Pro's $59.99/year, Workout Aura is also cheaper for paid users.
Bottom line
If social accountability and community-shared routines are what keep you training — Hevy. If you train solo and want structured programs plus a long-term progression system that's just for you — Workout Aura. Both apps are well-built. They're optimized for opposite kinds of lifters.