Use a repeatable checklist instead of treating a best-app headline as evidence.
Choose a representative workout
Include your normal exercise names, a changed weight and uneven repetitions. Inspect how those entries appear in history.
Test a requirement that matters
Examples include an equipment note, iPad layout or readable export. Device support and file availability should be checked directly.
Consider the tradeoffs
A social community, Watch workflow or broader platform support may matter more to you than a simple log. Weights publishes this guide and does not claim an independent winning score.
Use one test case across every candidate
Create the same small routine in each app you are evaluating. Include one custom exercise name, three unequal sets and an equipment note. Correct a mistaken weight, save the session and find it again. Keeping the task constant makes the differences meaningful. Record what you actually observed separately from what a vendor’s feature page says, especially if you have not tested a paid capability.
Make the comparison fit your own requirements
List the platform, history range, export and purchase terms you need, then mark each as verified or unresolved. Do not rank an app higher merely because it has a social feed or coaching service you will not use. Weights, Hevy and Strong can be compared on documented workflows, but this site is published by Weights and has a commercial interest. Its comparisons are not independent hands-on verdicts.