Fitness · head to head
Hevy vs Insight Timer
Insight Timer
Fitness
Meditation and sleep app with a large free library funded by a Member subscription for courses
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Hevy free tier severely limited to 4 routines and 7 custom exercises, requiring Pro subscription for most users; Insight Timer because the guided content library is open to contributing teachers rather than centrally produced, audio quality, teaching style and production values vary considerably and are inconsistent compared with a curated app.
- They diverge on capability: Hevy covers Workout tracking, Insight Timer covers Free guided meditation library.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hevy and Insight Timer actually diverge.
| Attribute | Hevy | Insight Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | Free with a Member subscription |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, WearOS | iOS, Android, Web |
| Founded | 2019 | Unknown |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Fitness).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Hevy
- Workout tracking
- Social feed
- Progress photos
- Personal records
- Exercise library
- Apple Health
- Google Fit
- Apple Watch
Only in Insight Timer
- Free guided meditation library
- Sleep content
- Structured courses
- Offline downloads
- Practice tracking and stats
- Live events
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Hevy
- Workout trackingnot Insight Timer
- Nutrition managementnot Insight Timer
- Health monitoringnot Insight Timer
- Fitness coachingnot Insight Timer
- Wellness improvementnot Insight Timer
Insight Timer
- Someone who wants to sample many different meditation teachers and styles for free before deciding what suits themnot Hevy
- A user who wants a plain, distraction-free meditation timer without any subscription at allnot Hevy
- Someone wanting structured multi-day courses on a specific theme like sleep or anxiety, which requires Membernot Hevy
- A traveller who wants offline downloaded sessions for a flight, which requires the Member subscriptionnot Hevy
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Hevy
- Free tier severely limited to 4 routines and 7 custom exercises, requiring Pro subscription for most users
- Strava integration is one-way only, preventing synchronization of Strava activities back into Hevy
- Social features are basic compared to dedicated social fitness communities, limited to workout feeds and comments
- No built-in nutrition or diet tracking, complementary to but separate from full fitness platforms
- Limited coaching and AI programming features compared to alternatives like Fitbod or Boostcamp
Insight Timer
- Because the guided content library is open to contributing teachers rather than centrally produced, audio quality, teaching style and production values vary considerably and are inconsistent compared with a curated app.
- Structured courses, the feature most likely to help someone build a consistent practice, are gated behind the Member subscription rather than included free.
- The sheer size of the free library, tens of thousands of sessions, makes finding a consistently good teacher a matter of trial and error rather than curation.
- Live events and some teacher content are scheduled around specific time zones, which can be inconvenient depending on where you live.
- The Member subscription auto-renews and, as with most mobile subscriptions, must be cancelled through app store account settings rather than within the app.
Pricing, plan by plan
Hevy
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited workout logging
- Full exercise library (200+ videos)
- Progress charts and personal records
- Pro$2.99/month
- All Free features
- Unlimited routines
- Unlimited custom exercises
Insight Timer
Free- Insight Timer Member$9.99/month
- Free tier includes a large library of guided meditations and talks, no card required
- Member unlocks structured multi-day courses and offline downloads
- Annual Member plans typically run $59.99 to $99.99, cheaper per month than monthly billing
Which should you pick?
Choose Hevy if
- You need workout tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, WearOS.
- You also want social feed.
Choose Insight Timer if
- You need free guided meditation library.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want sleep content.
Questions people ask
- Is Hevy or Insight Timer better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hevy starts at Free and Insight Timer at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hevy or Insight Timer?
- Hevy starts at Free and Insight Timer at Free.
- Does Hevy or Insight Timer run on more platforms?
- Hevy runs on iOS, Android, Web, Apple Watch, WearOS. Insight Timer runs on iOS, Android, Web.
- Can I use Hevy for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Hevy best used for?
- Hevy is most often used for workout tracking, nutrition management, health monitoring, fitness coaching. Of those, workout tracking and nutrition management are not what Insight Timer is typically brought in for.
- What can Hevy do that Insight Timer cannot?
- Hevy covers Workout tracking, Social feed, Progress photos, Personal records. Insight Timer covers Free guided meditation library, Sleep content, Structured courses, Offline downloads.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Hevy: Is Hevy completely free or does it have a paid tier?
Hevy has a free tier and a paid Pro tier. The free version includes unlimited workout logging and access to the full exercise library but is limited to 4 routines, 7 custom exercises, and 3 months of data history. Hevy Pro costs $2.99 per month, $23.99 per year, or $74.99 lifetime and removes these limits while adding advanced analytics and custom routine sharing.
SourceInsight Timer: Is Insight Timer really free?
Yes, a large library of guided meditations and talks, plus the core timer, is free without a subscription. Structured courses, offline downloads and deeper stats require Insight Timer Member.
Hevy: What features does Hevy include for workout logging and progress tracking?
Hevy provides automatic rest timers, RPE tracking, one-rep max calculations, exercise performance charts, body measurement tracking, progress photos, and an exercise library with over 200 exercise videos. The app supports warmup calculators, drop sets, failure tracking, and note-taking on workouts.
SourceInsight Timer: How is it different from Calm or Headspace?
Those apps gate most guided content behind a subscription from the first session. Insight Timer offers a much larger free library, contributed by many teachers, with paid structure layered on top for courses and offline use.
Hevy: Does Hevy work on Apple Watch and other devices?
Yes, Hevy is available on iOS and Android phones and tablets. It also supports Apple Watch and WearOS for basic workout logging and tracking. Additionally, Hevy has a web/desktop version for managing routines and viewing progress data.
SourceInsight Timer: Is the content quality consistent?
No. Because the library is open to contributing teachers rather than centrally produced, quality and style vary considerably across sessions.
Hevy: What integrations does Hevy support?
Hevy integrates with Apple Health to sync your workouts and fitness data. It also supports Strava integration, though the sync is one-way only: Hevy can send workouts to Strava, but Strava workouts will not be reflected back in Hevy.
SourceHevy: Can I share workouts and interact with other users in Hevy?
Yes, Hevy has social features including the ability to follow other athletes, view their workouts, like and comment on workouts, and save routines created by other users. The app maintains a social feed and leaderboard features, though these are more limited compared to dedicated social fitness platforms.
SourceHevy: Does Hevy have an offline mode for gym workouts?
While Hevy is primarily a cloud-based app, the search results do not provide explicit documentation about offline logging capabilities. The app requires syncing to log workouts and access progress data.
SourceRelated pages
More on Insight Timer
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