Alpha Progression Alternative: Kinoku vs Alpha Progression

Quickstart

Alpha Progression’s whole pitch is that the app does the programming for you. It creates your plan, tracks every workout, and tells you how much to lift and how many reps to do in the next set [10]. That is the thing it does best, and Kinoku does not do it. Kinoku’s side is ownership: no account, a log that works offline, a Wear OS app, and lifts, runs, steps and classes in one history. Its 25 program templates are free, and you edit them yourself. So pick Alpha Progression when you want the plan handed to you, and pick Kinoku when you want the record kept by you.

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What Alpha Progression does well

Alpha Progression’s own pages describe a planner first and a log second. Its listing says the app “creates your personal gym workout plan, tracks every workout and tells you exactly how much weight to lift and how many reps to do in your next set” [10]. Its algorithm looks at your past sessions and “recommends the exact weight and reps for your next set” [11], and it calculates warm-up sets from the exercise, your first work set, your experience and the plates you own [12]. A plate calculator shows how to load the bar while you type the weight [13]. The log itself tracks weight, reps and reps in reserve (RIR, how many more reps you had left) with notes and a rest timer [14]. Plans can run in cycles with deloads, or as a progressive plan where sets and RIR climb week by week [15]. You can set up several gyms with their own equipment [16], and the homepage promises “795 exercises. Real form videos.” [9]. On price, its blog is exact, because the permanent free version has unlimited logging, manual plans, every exercise video and no ads [1], and Pro costs “$12.99 per month or $79.99 per year” [2] with a 14-day free trial [3].

Side by side

Every Alpha Progression cell is a quote from its listing, its site or its blog. A feature its pages leave out is marked “Not stated”.

Where Kinoku differs

Kinoku starts from the log, and no Kinoku server keeps a copy of it, though Android’s own backup can save eligible app data to your Google account. There is no account to make, and the first set goes in without an email or a password. The core works with no signal, so a basement gym or a flight-mode session records the same as any other. Kinoku goes online for map tiles, Play billing, a gifted-Pro check at most twice a day and the features you switch on, such as weather. On the wrist, the Wear OS app can begin a workout or a run with the phone left behind and syncs back when the two are paired. Runs, daily steps, swims and classes sit in the same history as the lifts, and each session earns points on one Form curve, so the Form curve on Friday reflects the whole week. Programs are free too: 25 templates and a builder, with no cap on how many you keep. The named plans, 5/3/1, GZCLP (a beginner barbell program) and nSuns, set the weights by their own rules. The warmup tool and the plate calculator are free as well.

Where Alpha Progression is the better pick

• You want the plan built for you. Its listing says the app creates your personal gym workout plan and tells you the weight for the next set [10]. Kinoku gives you templates to edit, and its readiness and volume adjustments to a running program are Pro.
• You want a weight picked for every set. Its algorithm recommends the exact weight and reps for the next set [11] and calculates the warm-up sets before it [12]. Kinoku’s free templates follow the program’s rules, and its per-set weight suggestions are Pro.
• You learn from video. The homepage promises real form videos for all 795 exercises [9]. Kinoku’s library has muscle data and text cues but no filmed videos, so you would find your own on YouTube and save them to an exercise.
• You use an iPhone. Its blog says your data syncs across iOS and Android through your account [6]. Kinoku is Android only for now.

Moving over

Alpha Progression’s listing says you can export your training data as a .csv file that opens in Excel [17], and its homepage lists CSV export for the raw numbers [8]. Kinoku’s importer reads a minimal CSV with date, exercise, weight and reps columns, and the import format page shows the exact layout. We have not tested an Alpha Progression export file, so its column names may need a rename before Kinoku accepts it, and exercise names match against an English catalog. The review screen shows every name match before anything is saved, and Import History can undo the batch. Going the other way, Alpha Progression’s blog says there is currently no workout-history import feature [7], so a Kinoku export would not load into it.

What Kinoku does not do

Kinoku does not generate a plan from your goals, and on the free plan it does not pick a weight for every set. It ships no form videos of its own, does not run on iPhone, and does not sync between phones through a cloud. Readiness, RIR auto-adjustment and the deeper analytics are Pro, and the pricing page lists every gate. This page carries no emulator test of Alpha Progression; every Alpha Progression fact rests on its listing, its site and its blog as opened on September 20, 2026.

Related pages

• Best Alpha Progression alternatives: the same question against several apps.
• Best workout program apps: the apps that compute the weights for you.
• Kinoku vs Boostcamp: a free program library beside Kinoku’s templates.
• Best Fitbod alternatives: Alpha Progression, Hevy Trainer and JEFIT’s Adaptive Plan beside two free program apps.
• Free workout trackers that log effort per set: Alpha Progression’s RIR plans beside six apps that log rating of perceived exertion (RPE), RIR or both.

Which one fits you

• Choose Alpha Progression if you want the app to build your plan and tell you the weight and reps for the next set, you value real form videos for every exercise, and an internet step for plan generation is fine with you.
• Choose Kinoku if you want no account, a log that works offline, a Wear OS app, and lifts, runs, steps and classes in one history, with free program templates you edit yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Is Alpha Progression free?

Its blog says it has a permanent free version with unlimited workout logging, manually created plans, all 795 built-in exercises with their videos, and no ads. The generated plan and the set-by-set recommendations sit in Pro. Kinoku's free plan has no caps on workouts, routines or history, and its deeper analytics are the paid part.

Does Alpha Progression work offline?

Mostly. Its blog says most training features work offline, and that generating a plan or a standalone workout needs an internet connection. Kinoku's core log works offline with no account, so sets, runs, steps and classes all record without a signal. It goes online for map tiles, Google Play billing, a check for gifted Pro access (at most twice a day) and features you choose, such as weather.

Does Alpha Progression have a Wear OS app?

No. Its blog says there is currently no dedicated Apple Watch or Wear OS app, and its pages do not describe a watch app of any kind. Kinoku has a free Wear OS app that logs sets, records GPS runs and counts steps from the wrist, then syncs back to the phone.

Can I move my Alpha Progression history to Kinoku?

Its listing says you can export your training data as a .csv file, and Kinoku's importer reads a minimal CSV with date, exercise, weight and reps columns. We have not tested an Alpha Progression export, so the column names may need a rename first. The import format page shows the exact layout Kinoku reads.

Which one is cheaper?

Alpha Progression's blog prints Pro at $12.99 per month or $79.99 per year at standard US pricing, with a 14-day free trial on its subscribe page. Kinoku Pro is US $5.99 a month or US $39.99 a year, with a Pro Lifetime option at US $69.99. Both apps have a free version that logs without a cap.

Does Alpha Progression need an account?

Its blog says your training data and Pro status sync across iOS and Android through your Alpha Progression account, and a website purchase uses the same email as that account. Its pages do not say whether the app logs without one, so this page makes no claim. Kinoku has no account at all.

Which one picks the weight for my next set?

Alpha Progression. Its listing says its algorithm analyzes past workouts and recommends the exact weight and reps for the next set, and that it calculates warm-up sets too. Kinoku's free program templates set the load by the program's rules, and its per-set weight suggestions and RIR auto-adjustment are Pro features.

What does Kinoku not do that Alpha Progression does?

Generate a plan from your goals and equipment, show a real form video for every exercise, or run on an iPhone. Kinoku ships 25 program templates and a builder, and it adapts a running program by readiness and volume only in Pro. Its exercise library has muscle data and text cues rather than filmed videos, though you can save your own YouTube form video to any exercise.