Fitbod Vs. Gravl

Hi there!

We often get asked what makes Gravl different from Fitbod, so let’s dive into that mystery.

Fitbod’s like that gym bro who throws together random exercises and hopes for the best. Gravl’s the lifter with a plan, a spreadsheet, and actual results. If you want clean workouts, smart progression, and zero “what the hell is this?” moments, go with Gravl.

Yes, Fitbod has Strava integration - but only for its iOS users - and a Wear OS app. Gravl has everything else, and more importantly, it wins where it counts: delivering solid, effective workouts.

Let’s see how both apps handle what they actually exist to do - build workouts. Both apps were tested using the same setup after completing the onboarding process: a basic home gym with dumbbells up to 36 kg and a few benches. First up, lower body day. Here’s what each app served up.

EXERCISE ORDER: Fitbod’s plan looked like it was made by someone who’s never been to a gym. It starts with glutes (not as warmup, in case you thought that), then throws in a second glute move - but not back-to-back, and tosses quads and hams in between. It just looks random.

Gravl, in contrast, gives a logical order: quads, hams, calves. No explanation needed.

WINNER: GRAVL
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WORKOUT DURATION: Both apps default to 60 minutes sessions. Fitbod gave 26 sets, Gravl 18 -  a much more realistic number, especially for legs.
Granted, if Fitbod assumed the user couldn’t lift more than a feather, maybe 26 sets would’ve been doable.

WINNER: GRAVL

INITIAL RECOMMENDED WEIGHTS: Without any lifting history to pull from, both apps had to make educated guesses. In Gravl’s case, there’s a clear logic behind the numbers. Gravl uses standards for each exercise based on the age, sex and experience level users provide during onboarding. For some, these recommendations may be spot on, while others might need to make adjustments.

Fitbod, on the other hand, claims to base its recommendations on "billions of data points". These estimates, however, seemed random - often suggesting flat 10 kg loads or even no weight at all.

Gravl adapts as soon as you log a session with your actual numbers. Fitbod likely does the same.

WORKOUT SPLIT: Let’s give Fitbod another shot and try setting up a custom split.

Turns out… It can't be done. Fitbod only offers four predefined splits: Fresh Muscle Groups, Upper-Lower, Full Body, and Push-Pull-Lower (yes, that’s their name for Push-Pull-Legs. Just in case you were confused).

There’s no way to create a split from scratch, choose specific muscle groups, or define your own training structure.

Gravl, on the other hand, not only includes 8 preset splits in its library but also lets you build your own from the ground up - whether by selecting target muscle groups or even assigning full workouts to the routine.
​WINNER: GRAVL

Only the split was changed: To match Fitbod’s limits, Push-Pull-Legs was used. Everything else remained constant.

WORKOUT DURATION: Fitbod came up with 23 sets this time (down from 26). Reps: 302.
Gravl presented 20 sets and 200 reps - way more realistic.

REPS PROGRESSION AND SETS: Gravl offers a mix of straight sets, pyramids, and even a dropset in this workout, ensuring progressive overload. Fitbod? Just straight sets across the board. And by the way, Fitbod doesn't offer dropsets at all.

Alright, so most users go to a fully equipped gym, you say? Fair enough - let’s give both apps access to the full range of gym equipment. The result? Not much has changed. Fitbod’s workout still lacks logic and is not taking advantage of the available equipment, while Gravl’s remains solid.

Both apps were asked to include supersets.

Fitbod delivered a superset with two compound moves from the same muscle group. Big no-no!

Gravl declined, because it makes sense: push days don’t lend themselves to proper superset pairings.

Fitbod’s exercise library is undeniably larger. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you. The catch? Many exercises show up two or three times under different names. For example: Barbell Row, Bent Over Barbell Row, and Bent Over Row - they’re all the exact same movement.

Fitbod says this is intentional (you can check it for yourself on Reddit), claiming people might know exercises by different names, so duplicates make them easier to find. Not the most convincing argument, and it can be especially confusing for beginners who might assume these are three distinct exercises.

Then there are gems like Hug the Ball - yes, that’s literally what it’s called. It’s listed as a chest exercise where you just hug a stability ball.

You won’t find duplicate entries or oddities like that in Gravl.

CUSTOM EXERCISES: Both apps let you create them, but there’s one key difference: Gravl offers the option to include them in your generated workouts, while Fitbod does not. What’s more, once you’ve created a custom exercise in Fitbod, you can’t edit it. Misspelled something? Want to change a detail? You’ll have to delete it and start over.

At the end of the day, both apps can get you moving. But if you're someone who actually cares about structured, smart and adaptable programming, Gravl clearly pulls ahead where it matters most: the workouts themselves.

From exercise order to customization, progression, and even basic common sense - Gravl wins.

That said, Fitbod does have the edge when it comes to Wear OS support. But that's where it ends. If Wear OS support is a must-have for you, Gravl doesn’t offer it yet, but it's on the roadmap. Same goes for cooldowns: currently missing, but coming very soon.

One important note for Android users: Gravl has always maintained full feature parity with its iOS version. Fitbod, on the other hand, has historically lagged behind on Android - though it does seem to be catching up.

So, if you're serious about your workouts and not just logging sets for the sake of it - Gravl is the one you’ll want to stick with.

You might say this article is biased. Fair enough. But go ahead, test both apps the same way - and see which one actually makes you want to train.
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​Tested Versions