Roarer vs FitNotes
Roarer is a free, program first tracker with a modern, deliberately minimal interface and your training kept on a server, so a new phone signs in and everything is there. FitNotes is a free, ad free Android logger from an older generation of apps: fast and offline, with no week structure and an interface that stopped where it was.
| Roarer | FitNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free: no subscription, no ads | Free on Android; FitNotes 2 on iOS saves 12 workouts free |
| Platforms | iPhone first, Android next | Android; a separate app, FitNotes 2, on iOS |
| Multi week programs | The main flow: one plan, followed session by session | Simple routines, no week structure |
| Ready made programs | Editable templates with filters | None |
| Interface | Minimal by design, built for a modern phone | Plain and fast, visually dated |
| Set logging | Last set prefilled, lock screen rest timer, supersets, timed sets | Rest timer and set notes |
| Data location | On our server, tied to your account | On the device, CSV and cloud backup |
| Offline use | Sets log without a signal and sync later | Fully offline |
| Sharing | Program link with save a copy; workout card, text or CSV | CSV export |
Who is each app for?
Roarer is for lifters who train from a multi week plan, want an iPhone app that looks like it was designed this decade, and want their history to survive a lost phone. FitNotes is for Android users who log ad hoc and want nothing between them and a text field.
What does each app cost?
Both are free. The original FitNotes is free with no ads, but only on Android. On iPhone there is a separate app called FitNotes 2, whose free version saves twelve workouts before you delete old ones or pay. Roarer is free on iPhone with no workout limit, no ads and no subscription.
Programs versus loose routines
Roarer treats the program as the centre of the app: weeks, sessions in order, target sets and reps, the next session picked for you, and ready made templates to start from. FitNotes has no week structure at all: routines are lists of exercises you pull up on the day, and planning ahead is something you do on paper.
Logging between sets
FitNotes is quick: pick an exercise, type the numbers, with a rest timer and set notes. Roarer is just as quick and adds the last set prefilled, a rest timer on the lock screen, supersets, timed sets and session photos, without making the screen any busier.
Where your training lives
Roarer stores your history on its server and shows it as editable sessions, a per exercise diary with charts, weekly totals and body measurements. FitNotes keeps everything on the device with CSV export and manual cloud backups, which is fine until the phone is gone without a recent backup.
Why Roarer
Choose Roarer for structured programs, a clean modern interface, sharing that works outside the app, and history that is not tied to one device. FitNotes still makes sense if you are on Android, log without a plan, and want something fully offline that has not changed in years.
Features, plan limits and prices reflect publicly available information as of October 2026 (US store prices) and can change. Check each vendor's own site for the current state.