The decision
Free if you want to be guided, a logbook if you already have a programme, a one-time purchase if you want the app to decide. Nike Training Club and Decathlon Coach are free and complete for video guidance. Strong and Hevy work for free if you follow your own programme. Apps that prepare the workout themselves almost all use a yearly subscription; La Bonne Séance costs €49 once after a free first workout. Against a €21.99 monthly subscription, €49 pays for itself in under three months; against a €70–100 yearly plan, within the first year, as long as you keep using it. Prices checked on the French App Store and publishers’ pages on 29 September 2026; they vary by country.
A practical sequence
Three steps that keep the decision honest
- Free, brand-funded: Nike and Decathlon offer their apps to support their brands. You get coached videos, but you choose what to follow, and Nike Training Club requires a Nike account.
- Logbook with limits: Strong and Hevy record sets, loads and records. The free versions limit routines; lifetime plans exist at around €90. They do not decide the workout, except Hevy Trainer, included in Hevy Pro, which generates a weekly programme.
- One-time purchase that prepares the workout: the rarest model. GYMDONE offers lifetime access at €299.99; La Bonne Séance costs €49 once, on iPhone and on the web.
If you train a few weeks a year, a free app is enough. If you train mostly in a gym with machines, La Bonne Séance is not designed for you: it targets home training. “Lifetime” means as long as the app is maintained and distributed. Conflict of interest: La Bonne Séance publishes this guide and sells one of the apps presented.