Between vs. Strong: Which Is Better for Timing Rest Between Sets?
Short answer
Strong is the better pick if you want to log every weight and rep and follow saved routines. Between is the better pick if what you want is a faster rest timer: one tap on Log set starts your rest, you can log your next set from the Lock Screen, and your Apple Watch buzzes when you're up, with no account and no workout to build first. Plenty of lifters use a logger for their numbers and a separate timer for their rest.
The short version
Strong and Between solve different problems. Strong is a workout tracker: you pick exercises, enter weight and reps, and it keeps your history, charts and personal records. Its rest timer is one feature of that logger. Between is only a rest timer. It doesn't record weights or reps. It exists to make the time between sets take as little of your attention as possible.
Side-by-side comparison
| Between | Strong | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Rest timer for lifting, plus an interval timer | Workout logger with a built-in rest timer |
| Start a rest | Tap Log set | Check off a set in your workout |
| Setup before your first set | None | Start a workout and add exercises |
| Logs weight and reps | No | Yes, with history and charts |
| Routines and programs | No | Yes |
| Lock Screen and Dynamic Island | Yes, with a Log set button | Yes, rest timer Live Activity |
| Apple Watch | Smart Stack with a buzz when you're up, no watch app needed | Full watch app for logging |
| Interval timer | Yes, work and rest rounds | No dedicated interval mode |
| Train with a partner | Yes, take turns on one phone or link phones | No shared timer |
| Account | None | Optional, for cloud sync |
| Cost | First 5 workouts free with everything on (pricing) | Free with limits, Strong PRO subscription or lifetime |
Strong details are from its App Store listing as of September 2026. Check the listing for current features and prices.
Where Strong is the better choice
- You track progressive overload. If you want to see last week's numbers before this week's set, you need a logger. Between doesn't store weights or reps.
- You follow a program. Strong saves routines, so a 5x5 or a push/pull/legs split is ready when you walk in. (The free version limits how many custom routines you can save.)
- You want a full Apple Watch app for entering sets from your wrist.
Where Between is the better choice
- Fewer steps per set. In Between, logging a set and starting your rest is one tap on a button that never moves. Nothing to open, pick or type first.
- Your phone can stay in your pocket. Log your next set from the Lock Screen, see your rest on the Dynamic Island or Apple Watch, and get a buzz 10 seconds before your next set and again when you're up.
- Alerts play over your music. A short chime, without pausing your playlist. Or vibration only, or silent.
- You don't want to build a workout just to time your rest. Open Between and tap Log set.
- Circuits and intervals are in the same app: work and rest on one ring, 1 to 50 rounds.
- You lift with friends. Take turns with up to four lifters on one phone, or link phones so everyone's rest stays in sync.
- No account. Your workouts stay on your phone.
Can you use Strong and Between together?
Yes. Some lifters keep their numbers in a logger and time their rest in Between. If you do, turn off the logger's automatic rest timer so you don't get two alerts for the same rest.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Strong if the numbers are the point: you want history, charts and routines. Pick Between if the rest is the problem: you want the fastest possible loop between sets and your phone out of your hands.
Frequently asked questions
Is Between a Strong alternative?
For rest timing, yes. For workout logging, no. Between doesn't record weight, reps or exercises, so if you rely on Strong's history, Between works best next to it rather than instead of it.
Does Strong have a rest timer?
Yes. Strong starts a rest countdown when you complete a set in a workout, and it can show on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.
Does Between need an account like a workout logger?
No. There's no sign-up. Open the app and tap Log set. Your workouts stay on your phone.
Does Between work on Apple Watch?
Yes, through the Smart Stack, with no watch app to install. Your rest shows on your wrist, and the watch buzzes 10 seconds before your next set and when you're up.