FitNotes Alternative: Kinoku vs FitNotes

Quickstart

FitNotes is a free Android logger with no account, data kept on your phone, and no ads, and it is a good one. Kinoku matches it on all three, then adds scope: GPS runs, a muscle map, training programs, Wear OS, and a paid analytics layer. So FitNotes is the pick if you only want sets and reps, and Kinoku is the pick if you want runs, maps, and plans in one app.

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What FitNotes does well

FitNotes gets the basics right, and its own pages back that up.

• No account. FitNotes says you do not need to register an account to use it [1].
• Your data stays on the phone. FitNotes says every workout you record is stored locally on your device [2], and the optional Google Drive backup below uploads a copy.
• Free, with no ads. The homepage says it plainly: free to use, and no ads, ever [3].
• CSV export. You can export your log to a CSV file. FitNotes notes that this file cannot be restored into the app, so it also has a Backup option [4].
• Backup to Google Drive, if you turn it on. About an hour after each workout, a backup can save to your Google Drive account [5].
• Android only. FitNotes says it has no plans for an iPhone version right now [6].

That last one is not a flaw but a scope choice, and Kinoku makes the same one.

What we tested

On September 2, 2026 we ran FitNotes 25.1 from Google Play on an Android 16 emulator with flight mode on and Wi-Fi off, and these were the steps in order:

1. Close the app and open it with no network.
2. Begin a workout and add bench press.
3. Save one set with weight and reps.
4. Open the log and find that set.
5. End the workout the way the app does it.
6. Make a backup file and a CSV file.
7. Open restore and load the backup just made.
8. Check that the set is still there.

FitNotes has no “finish workout” step for a plain day log, so a saved set sits on that day’s home screen and that was the end state. The run produced FitNotes_Backup.fitnotes and FitNotes_Export.csv, and the CSV held the date, the lift, the muscle group, 80 kg, and 5 reps. The cropped screenshot in the test evidence section, below the sources, shows the set in the log.

Kinoku 1.1.1 got a lighter check on the same emulator: the Today screen opened with no network, read the local log, listed the exercises, and started a bench-press workout. We did not run the full backup and restore loop on that build. Kinoku’s backup and export facts on this page come from its own documentation.

Side by side

FitNotes’ own pages fill the left column and Kinoku fills the right. Each bracketed number is a FitNotes source, listed at the end of the page.

“Not stated on FitNotes’ pages” means we did not find that fact on a FitNotes page we could quote, and it does not mean the app lacks it.

FitNotes also appears in wider roundups: offline trackers with no account, what each free tier includes, and Hevy alternatives.

Where Kinoku differs

Every item here is on the free plan unless it says Pro.

1. GPS runs. Kinoku records your route, pace, and splits. It reads cues out loud as you run. Map tiles load when you view a map. Weather is an opt-in.
2. A muscle map. Frequency and training-volume views show what your log hits. Pro adds recovery estimates and readiness context.
3. Training programs. A program builder, 25 templates, and named plans like 5/3/1, GZCLP, and nSuns. There is no cap on how many you keep.
4. Readiness. Pro reads sleep, muscle recovery, lifting load, and heart rate variability (HRV) when it is there. Then it suggests how hard to go today.
5. Wear OS. Log sets on a watch. They sync to the phone. Free.
6. Ten languages. English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Bulgarian, and Turkish.
7. A free plan with no caps on the basics. Workouts, routines, history, and runs have no limit. A build check blocks a free feature from moving behind Pro without a recorded sign-off.
8. FitNotes-style logging options. On your first workout or right after a CSV import, you can pick compact rows, pills, or a grid for your set table and hide rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and reps in reserve (RIR) fields if you only log weight and reps. Exercise notes, routine notes, and last session’s set notes stay pinned above your sets on the phone and on Wear OS, and exercises include switches for per-hand dumbbell weight and two-sided timed holds.
9. Pro. One paid plan. US $39.99 a year, or US $5.99 a month. It buys the analytics hub, run analytics, and the smart layer. The app works without it.

Where FitNotes is the better pick

Some people should stay with FitNotes, and we mean that.

• You want a small, simple app. FitNotes does one job. Kinoku has more screens, and more to learn.
• Your log already lives there. If you like FitNotes and your history is in it, that is a good reason to stay. Nobody needs to switch apps for the sake of it.
• You do not want a paid tier in the picture. Kinoku has one. FitNotes’ paid part is a Supporter app that adds some exercise types [7]. There is no plan to weigh up.
• You only want sets and reps. A lifter who wants a fast log and nothing else needs none of what Kinoku adds.

Moving over

Kinoku’s importer reads the FitNotes CSV file, which FitNotes names FitNotes_Export.csv, and FitNotes 25.1 exported this header in our test:

Date,Exercise,Category,Weight,Weight Unit,Reps,Distance,Distance Unit,Time

Export from FitNotes, then in Kinoku open Settings, then Import & Export, then Import from CSV, and pick FitNotes. Because you already chose FitNotes, the importer skips the format screen and goes straight to exercise matching, reading the weight unit and the Distance Unit column for each row. The review screen flags close variations so an incline lift does not merge into a flat one, and it remembers your custom exercise picks if you import again later. Check the matches and save, knowing that Import History can undo the whole batch in one tap. Use the workout CSV rather than the .fitnotes backup, which is the file FitNotes restore wants. The backup page walks through it, and the import format page shows the FitNotes layouts the importer reads.

Two things are worth knowing first. FitNotes’ own page says its CSV cannot be restored into FitNotes [4], so keep its Backup file too in case you go back. And a FitNotes CSV has no row IDs, so Kinoku knows each workout by its date and a second import brings in only the days it has not seen. Sets you log in FitNotes later, on a day Kinoku already brought in, stay out of Kinoku.

What Kinoku does not do

• Android only for now. There is no iPhone app yet. FitNotes shares this point [6].
• No cloud sync between devices. Backup is a file you own. Restore it on a new phone yourself.
• No social layer. There is no feed and no followers.
• Some depth is paid. The analytics hub, run analytics, and readiness sit behind Pro. The pricing page says which parts.
• “Offline” has edges. Map tiles load from the network when you view a map. Weather is an opt-in call. Google Play handles billing.

If those limits are fine, and you want more than sets and reps, Kinoku is worth a look, and if not, FitNotes is a solid place to stay.

Related pages

• Best privacy-focused fitness apps for Android: FitNotes and Kinoku next to nine more apps, by what each Play label says it collects.
• Best FitNotes alternatives: five apps for FitNotes users who want runs, a watch, programs or an iPhone.
• Best free apps to build your own workout routines: FitNotes’ multi-day routines in a list grouped by what each free plan limits.
• FitNotes vs Hevy: FitNotes beside Hevy, with Kinoku as the third option.
• FitNotes vs Strong: FitNotes beside Strong, for lifters weighing a local Android log against cloud sync and an iPhone app.
• Best StrongLifts alternatives: For 5x5 lifters choosing between adding the weight by hand and an app that does it.

Which one fits you

• Choose FitNotes if you want a free Android log with no account, no ads and your data kept on the phone, you only log sets and reps, and the one paid part you want in the picture is a Supporter app rather than a plan.
• Choose Kinoku if you want that same no-account, on-phone log on Android, and you also want GPS runs, a muscle map, training programs or a Wear OS app in the same place.

Frequently asked questions

Does FitNotes work without an account?

Yes. FitNotes says on its privacy page that you are not required to register an account to use it, and that every workout you record is stored on your phone. Kinoku takes the same line, so neither app asks for an email or a password before your first set, and neither one holds your log on a server of its own.

Can I move my FitNotes history to Kinoku?

Yes, through the FitNotes CSV export. In Kinoku, open Settings, then Import & Export, then Import from CSV, and pick the file. Choosing FitNotes skips the format step and goes straight to exercise matching. It reads the weight and distance units from their own columns and remembers your custom picks for next time. Import History can undo the batch in one tap if a match looks wrong.

Can I make Kinoku's set table look like FitNotes?

Yes. Your first workout and your first workout after a CSV import ask how you want sets laid out: compact rows like a notebook, pill buttons, or a two-by-two grid. You can also turn rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and reps in reserve (RIR) fields off so only weight and reps show, and pin exercise or routine notes right above your sets.

Is Kinoku free?

The core app is free with no cap on workouts, routines, custom exercises or history, and there are no ads on any plan. Pro is the one paid layer, at US $39.99 a year or US $5.99 a month, and it adds the analytics hub, run analytics and readiness. Google Play shows the price in your local currency before you buy.

Which one works offline?

Both do. In our emulator test FitNotes 25.1 saved a bench-press set with flight mode on and showed it in the history, and Kinoku's Today screen opened and started a workout with no network. Kinoku goes online for map tiles when you view a map, billing through Google Play, a check for gifted Pro access at most twice a day, and features you choose, such as weather.

Does either app show ads?

No. The FitNotes homepage says it is free to use with no ads, ever. Kinoku's pricing page carries the same rule for every tier, and the public promise page lists no ads among the rules it holds to. That leaves the two apps level on this point, so the choice comes down to scope rather than to what a free plan has to put up with.

Which one has a Wear OS app?

Kinoku does, on the free plan. You can log sets on the watch, and they sync to the phone on their own, and the watch also covers runs and steps. The FitNotes pages we could quote do not mention a watch app, which is not a claim that FitNotes lacks one, only that we found no first-party sentence about it.

Is FitNotes available on iPhone?

No. The FitNotes FAQ says the app is only available for Android and that there are no plans for an iPhone version at the moment. Kinoku is Android only for now, so a lifter who is moving to an iPhone gets no help from either app today, though an iPhone version of Kinoku is in the works.

Does Kinoku track runs as well as lifts?

Yes. GPS run tracking is free and sits in the same app as the lifting log, with live pace, splits, a route map and audio cues, and Running Progress adds best-effort records and trends. The deeper Run Analytics dashboard is part of Pro. The FitNotes pages we read say nothing about run tracking either way.