PlateStack versus the stack
One app, or five?
There is no single app you are choosing against. Most people who track seriously end up running a macro app, a lifting app, and two or three small ones for habits, fasting, and water — none of which can see the others.
This page is the honest version of that comparison, including where the specialists are still better.
What each app in the stack can see.
Compared by category rather than by brand, because the specific apps people combine vary — but the shape of the problem does not.
Swipe to compare every column →
| Capability | PlateStack | Macro app | Lifting app | Habit / fasting apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food logging (search, barcode, photo) | Yes | Yes | Not covered | Not covered |
| Strength logging with RIR and set types | Yes | Not covered | Yes | Not covered |
| Cardio, 13 activity types | Yes | Partial | Partial | Not covered |
| Habits and streaks | Yes | Not covered | Not covered | Yes |
| Fasting timer | Free | Not covered | Not covered | Yes |
| Hydration | Yes | Not covered | Not covered | Yes |
| Measurements and progress photos | Yes | Partial | Partial | Not covered |
| Habits that fill from your own logs | Yes | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered |
| A coach that reads food and training together | Yes | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered |
| Apple Watch app and home-screen widgets | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| No ads or data sales | Yes | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered |
| One subscription for all of the above | $1.99/mo | Not covered | Not covered | Not covered |
“Yes” means the capability ships today. Empty means the category typically does not cover it at all.
The arithmetic
Two of them cost more than a year of PlateStack, every month.
These are the two most-recommended apps in the categories PlateStack covers, at their published US prices. We are not claiming they are bad — they are good, and they are specialists. We are pointing out what the stack costs.
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Leading nutrition tracker
Nutrition only; its workout app is billed separately
$11.99/mo
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Leading AI workout planner
Training only; no food, no habits
$15.99/mo
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Habits, fasting, water
Usually two or three more subscriptions
varies
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PlateStack Premium
All of it, one record, one bill — or $14.99 for the year
$1.99/mo
A year of PlateStack Premium costs $14.99. One month of the two apps above costs $27.98.
Competitor prices are the published US App Store prices at the time of writing and may change. PlateStack is not affiliated with any other fitness app.
Where the specialists still win
Three honest reasons to pick something else.
If one of these is what you need, a specialist will serve you better, and we would rather say so here than have you find out after installing.
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You want a social feed
PlateStack has squads of people you know and a shared streak. It does not have a public feed, followers, or strangers’ routines to browse. That is deliberate, and for some people it is the wrong call.
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You are on Android today
iPhone, Apple Watch, and the widgets are live. Android is not available yet. Until it lands, an Android-first tracker is the better choice.
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You want a desktop app
PlateStack is a phone and watch app. If planning routines on a laptop matters to you, some lifting apps offer a full web version and we do not.
Where one record wins
Things no specialist can do, however good it is.
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Advice that has read everything
A coach that knows your protein, your last two pull sessions, your RIR, and the days you skipped can answer questions none of the single-purpose apps can even hear.
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Habits that fill themselves
Daily Wins tick off from logs you already made. A separate habit app has no idea you trained, so it makes you say so twice.
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One history, not five exports
Cardio sits in the same history as your lifts. Weight sits beside the sessions that moved it. Nothing needs reconciling across apps that disagree.
Bring your history with you.
Import years of training from Strong, Hevy, or any app that exports CSV — free, on the free tier. Nothing to re-enter.
Free to start
Premium $1.99/mo · $14.99/yr
