Comparisons

Best Gravl Alternative: Bazu for Focused Strength Training

Looking for a Gravl alternative? Bazu gives iPhone lifters a focused gym log with free charts, 1RM, permanent PRs, muscle drill-down, goals, smart rest, and lower Pro pricing.

Waleed S.Jul 11, 202613 min read
Best Gravl Alternative: Bazu for Focused Strength Training

Gravl is a modern AI personal trainer app for strength training. Its official App Store listing describes a training algorithm that builds personalized workouts around your attributes, training level, workout patterns, schedule, goals, equipment, and training location. Gravl also emphasizes adaptive intensity, volume, and weight recommendations, more than 300 trainer-led videos, Strength Score, coach support, and Apple Health integration.

That is useful if you want the app to plan your training.

But not every lifter wants a full AI personal trainer. Some people already have a routine. Some want a faster gym log. Some want full-history charts, one-rep max tracking, permanent personal records, and clear progression targets without paying for a heavier coaching system. That is where Bazu fits.

If you are searching for a Gravl alternative because you want lower Pro pricing, less automation, faster logging, or a more focused iPhone and Apple Watch strength tracker, this guide compares Bazu and Gravl directly.

Feature and pricing details are based on official pages for Gravl, the Gravl App Store listing, Bazu pricing, and the Bazu App Store listing. App-store pricing can vary by region and may change over time.


Quick Comparison: Bazu vs. Gravl

If you are scanning before trying another app, here is the practical difference.

Feature Bazu Gravl
Core philosophy Focused workout tracker and progress log AI personal trainer and adaptive workout planner
Workout generation Routines + Bazu Pro progression targets Personalized algorithm-generated workouts
Free workouts Unlimited logging and history First 3 workouts listed as free on Gravl's site
Free charts & 1RM Yes Strength Score and progress tracking
Permanent PR history Every exercise + workout history Progress and strength scoring
Muscle analytics Free, with individual-muscle drill-down Strength Score subscores and workout adaptation
Goals with deadlines Free (up to 3) Goals guide the training algorithm
Warm-up sets Tracked, excluded from PRs/volume/PO Warm-up and stretching videos listed
Supersets Yes Custom workout settings and training variety
Rest timer Exercise-aware smart rest timer In-app rest timer listed in release notes
Apple Watch Logging + live BPM during rest + synced timer Apple Watch support
Android Not yet Android download linked from Gravl's site
Exercise library 500+ exercises with guides and anatomy 300+ trainer-led videos
Coach support No In-app coach support listed
Apple Health Apple Watch workout flow Apple Health integration
Progressive overload Bazu Pro explicit targets Adaptive algorithm adjusts intensity, volume, and weight
Monthly price $4.99 $14.99 listed in U.S. App Store
Annual price $24.99 $59.99-$79.99 listed in U.S. App Store

Bottom line: Gravl is the better choice if you want an AI personal trainer that generates workouts, adapts weights and volume, offers trainer-led videos, includes coach support, and integrates with Apple Health. Bazu is the better Gravl alternative if you are on iPhone and want a simpler gym log with unlimited free logging, free charts, 1RM (one-rep max), permanent PRs (personal records), individual-muscle drill-down, goals with deadlines, smart rest, offline logging, and lower Pro pricing.


Ready to Try Bazu?

Bazu is free to download on iPhone. The free tier includes unlimited workouts and history, charts, 1RM, permanent PRs, muscle breakdown, goals, warm-up sets, supersets, Apple Watch logging, live BPM during rest, offline mode, and a smart rest timer. Bazu Pro adds progressive overload recommendations, an intensity pace selector, Next Workout Targets, and unlimited routines, goals, and custom exercises.

Download Bazu Free on the App Store


Why Lifters Look for a Gravl Alternative

Gravl is not a basic workout log. It is closer to a personal trainer app: it asks about you, studies your training, and changes workout recommendations around your progress.

That can be exactly right if you want an app to decide what to train, how hard to train, and how to adjust the plan over time. It can also be more app than you need if you already know your routine and mostly want to log workouts faster.

Common reasons lifters look for a Gravl alternative are straightforward:

  • They already follow a program and do not need AI to build each session.
  • They want a quieter logbook during workouts.
  • They want lower subscription pricing.
  • They want unlimited free workout history and progress charts.
  • They want visible 1RM, PRs, and muscle drill-down without a trainer-style workflow.
  • They prefer explicit targets inside their own routines rather than a generated plan.

Gravl's adaptive trainer is useful, but not universal

Gravl's official positioning is clear: its algorithm looks at your attributes, training level, goals, equipment, schedule, training location, and workout patterns to create workouts that adapt over time.

That is valuable if you want planning help. Beginners, returning lifters, and people who do not want to write a program can benefit from that structure.

But experienced lifters often want something different. If you already know your split, follow a coach's program, or prefer repeating a training block long enough to measure progress, an adaptive planner can feel like an extra layer between you and the workout. Bazu takes a smaller role: keep routines easy to launch, make logging fast, and show whether you are progressing.

Price matters if you mostly want tracking

Gravl's U.S. App Store listing includes a Monthly Membership at $14.99 and Yearly Membership entries at $59.99 and $79.99. Bazu Pro is $4.99/month or $24.99/year.

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Short notes on progression, workout logging, and product improvements. No noisy fitness spam.

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That difference is easier to justify if Gravl's adaptive workout planning, trainer-led videos, Strength Score, and coach support are the main things you want. It is harder to justify if your primary needs are logging, charts, 1RM, personal records, goals, and progressive overload targets.

Trainer-style apps can add decisions between sets

A generated workout is only helpful when it matches your real day: available equipment, gym crowding, fatigue, time, injuries, and preferences. Gravl offers customization for goals, workout variety, split, duration, equipment, and more, which helps.

Still, some lifters want the workout screen to do less. They want to open their routine, see what they did last time, log the next set, and move on. Bazu is built around that workflow.


How Bazu Answers Each Reason

Here is what changes if you switch from Gravl to Bazu.

A logbook-first workflow

Bazu does not try to be your full AI personal trainer. That is intentional.

Instead, Bazu is a focused strength training log for lifters who want control over their plan. You can build routines, save a completed workout as a routine, autofill weight and reps from your last session, log warm-up sets and supersets, and check off sets with less friction.

If Gravl feels like more coaching surface than you need, Bazu is the simpler alternative.

Free progress data before Pro

Bazu Free includes the progress data most lifters check week to week:

  • Full workout history
  • 1RM estimates
  • Exercise-level charts
  • Volume analytics
  • Permanent PR history on every exercise
  • PRs earned inside completed workout history
  • Muscle breakdown across Legs, Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms, and Core
  • Drill-down from each muscle group into individual muscles

Gravl has Strength Score and adaptive progress tracking. Bazu's difference is that the logbook data stays central and useful even if you never upgrade.

For more detail, see how Bazu calculates PRs and how to spot PRs and training trends over time.

Progressive overload without handing over the whole plan

Progressive overload means gradually increasing training demand over time, usually by adding weight, reps, sets, or better execution. Gravl applies that concept through its algorithm by adjusting intensity, volume, and weight.

Bazu Pro applies it inside your own routines. It can suggest your next sets, use goal-aware rep ranges, let you choose an intensity pace, and show Next Workout Targets after a session. You keep the program structure; Bazu helps with the next target.

If you want the training framework behind that, start with Progressive Overload 101.

Goals with deadlines

Gravl uses your goals to shape training recommendations. Bazu Free makes goals visible as targets you can track directly.

You can set up to 3 goals with target dates free. Those goals can cover strength targets, duration targets for timed exercises, and added-load targets for weighted pull-ups or dips. Progress rings show whether you are moving toward the goal, and Bazu celebrates when you hit it.

That works well for lifters who do not need a whole new generated routine, but do want clear direction.

Smart rest and Apple Watch in the set/rest loop

Bazu Free includes an exercise-aware rest timer. It can use different rest recommendations for compound exercises (squat, deadlift, bench) and isolation moves (curls, flies), auto-start after a completed set, run on the lock screen, and sync with Apple Watch.

On Apple Watch, Bazu focuses on the set/rest loop: log weight and reps with the Digital Crown, see previous numbers and overload targets when available, view live BPM during rest, and keep the rest timer synced with iPhone.

Gravl also supports Apple Watch, and its App Store listing highlights Apple Health. Bazu's advantage is the narrowness of the workout flow: fewer surfaces, more focus on the next set.

For rest timing context, see how long to rest between sets.


Gravl Free vs Membership: Upgrade or Switch to Bazu?

If you want Gravl's adaptive workout planner, Strength Score, trainer-led videos, coach support, Apple Health integration, and broader platform availability, Gravl's membership may be worth the subscription.

Gravl is strongest when you want coaching and planning. Its product promise is that workouts adapt around you as you train. If that is the job you need done, Bazu is not trying to replace it one-for-one.

Bazu is stronger when you want tracking and progression at a lower price. Bazu Free already includes unlimited workout logging, full history, charts, 1RM, permanent PRs, muscle drill-down, goals, offline mode, 4 routines, 10 custom exercises, Apple Watch logging, and smart rest. Bazu Pro is for progressive overload recommendations, intensity pace, Next Workout Targets, unlimited routines, unlimited goals, and unlimited custom exercises.

So the decision is not "which app acts more like a trainer?" Gravl does. The better question is whether you want the app to manage the plan, or whether a focused training log with lower-cost progression guidance fits your lifting better.


Feature Comparison: Gravl vs. Bazu

Category Bazu Gravl
Free workouts Unlimited logging and history First 3 workouts listed as free on Gravl's site
Main workflow Build/save routines, log fast, track progress AI-generated training plan
Full-history progress Free charts, volume, PRs, 1RM Strength Score and progress tracking
Permanent PR history Every exercise + workout history Strength and progress metrics
Muscle insights Free muscle breakdown + individual-muscle drill-down Strength Score subscores and plan adaptation
Goals Free goals with target dates Goals personalize workout recommendations
Progressive overload Bazu Pro targets inside your routines Algorithm adjusts intensity, volume, and weight
Exercise library 500+ exercises with guides and anatomy 300+ trainer-led videos
Coach access No In-app coach messaging listed
Rest timer Exercise-aware smart rest timer Rest timer listed in app updates
Apple Watch Digital Crown logging, live BPM during rest, synced timer Apple Watch support
Android Not yet Android download linked from Gravl's site
Apple Health Apple Watch workout flow Apple Health integration
Monthly price $4.99 $14.99 listed in U.S. App Store
Annual price $24.99 $59.99-$79.99 listed in U.S. App Store
Design philosophy Focused, progression-first logbook AI personal trainer and workout planner

If your must-haves are adaptive workout generation, trainer-led videos, Strength Score, coach support, Apple Health integration, or Android availability, Gravl may still be the better fit. If your priority is fast logging, unlimited free history, lower Pro pricing, and explicit targets inside routines you control, Bazu is the cleaner choice.


Bazu workout logging — 1-tap sets, rest timer, and progressive overload in action

Who Bazu Is (and Isn't) For

Here is the plain version.

Choose Bazu if... Choose Gravl if...
You want a focused workout log, not a full AI trainer You want adaptive workout generation
You already have routines or prefer writing your own You want the app to plan training from your profile and history
You want unlimited free workout logging and history You want trainer-led videos and coach support
You want lower Pro pricing You are comfortable subscribing for the full trainer-style experience
You want Apple Watch logging centered on sets and rest You want Apple Health integration and broader platform options
You want progressive overload targets inside your own plan You want the app to manage more of the plan

Bazu is not a Gravl clone. It is for the serious-but-busy lifter who values control, repetition, fast logging, permanent history, and measurable progress.

Gravl is not the wrong choice. It is a strong choice for lifters who want an adaptive personal trainer app with videos, coaching support, and algorithmic planning.


The Short Answer

For iPhone lifters who want a simpler Gravl alternative, Bazu is the first app to try.

Gravl wins on adaptive workout generation, trainer-led videos, Strength Score, coach support, Apple Health integration, and broader platform availability. Bazu wins on focused logging, unlimited free workout history, free charts and 1RM, permanent PR history, individual-muscle drill-down, smart rest, goals with deadlines, and lower Pro pricing.

The decision is straightforward:

  • Pick Gravl if you want the app to act more like a personal trainer.
  • Pick Bazu if you want to own your plan, log faster, and see progress more clearly.

The best workout tracker is the one that reduces friction without taking away the parts of training you actually want to control.


FAQ

Waleed S.

Waleed S.

Founder of Bazu · 10+ years strength training

I'm the builder and user of Bazu. I've been lifting for over 10 years across strength and hypertrophy work, and I built Bazu to make progress simpler for serious lifters — every feature is designed around how real training actually works.

Ready to lift smarter?

Download Bazu to log workouts fast, track progressive overload, and catch PRs without the noise.

Download on the App Store
Bazu Notes

Make your next training week simpler.

Join for practical strength tips, cleaner logging workflows, and Bazu updates that help you know what to do next workout.

  • Simple strength tips
  • Cleaner logging workflows
  • Useful Bazu updates

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. See our Privacy Policy for details on how Bazu handles submissions.

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