Stay Fit vs FitNotes: Modern Free Tracker Comparison
Stay Fit Team··6 min readStay Fit and FitNotes are both free forever, but they get there differently - FitNotes runs ads, Stay Fit doesn't. Full feature comparison.
Stay Fit and FitNotes are both free forever, with no subscription tier at either one. FitNotes funds itself with ads and has a longer track record. Stay Fit is ad-free and adds goals, streaks, and body measurements that FitNotes doesn't offer. Neither will ever ask you to pay.
FitNotes has been a fixture of the free-Android-fitness-app world for years. It predates most of the current wave of minimalist loggers and has the mature exercise database to prove it. It's also ad-supported, which is the one place it and Stay Fit genuinely differ on cost, even though both are $0.
Price: free vs free-with-ads
Both apps cost nothing to use, permanently. The difference is how each funds that. FitNotes runs banner ads throughout the app. A small but constant interruption in exchange for a fully unlocked feature set. Stay Fit runs no ads anywhere, funded instead by not needing server infrastructure that a subscription or ad revenue would otherwise pay for.
| Feature | Stay Fit | FitNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no ads | Free, ad-supported |
| Custom routines | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Progress reports | Weight, time, calories, frequency | Basic charts |
| Workout streak | Yes (with rest/freeze states) | No |
| Body measurements | 9 types tracked | Weight only |
| Progress photos | Yes, on-device | No |
| Goal tracking | Yes | No |
| Offline logging | Yes | Yes |
| Account required | No | No |
| Platform | Android | Android |
What FitNotes does well that Stay Fit doesn't beat
FitNotes has a genuinely mature exercise database built up over years of user contributions. Its charting, while basic compared to Stay Fit's Reports tab, has been reliable for a long time. If you've been using it since 2018 and your entire routine history lives there, that continuity has real value. A newer app can't manufacture that just by having more features on paper.
Where Stay Fit goes further
Stay Fit's feature set extends past logging into the things that keep people training consistently. A streak that distinguishes a real skip from a planned rest day. Body measurements across 9 tracked types. On-device progress photos. Goal tracking for weight and weekly frequency. None of that exists in FitNotes today.
If your use of a tracker has grown past "log sets and reps," this is the practical gap between the two. You're cutting for summer and want waist measurements alongside your squat numbers? FitNotes won't help. Stay Fit will, still for free.
The ads question, honestly
FitNotes' ads are not aggressive. Banner-level, not full-screen interstitials between sets. But they're there on every screen, permanently, because that's what funds continued free access.
Stay Fit's ad-free model works because offline-first, on-device storage removes the ongoing server cost an ad or subscription would otherwise need to cover. Neither approach is dishonest. They're just different trades for the same $0 price tag.
If your training history already lives in FitNotes and you don't mind banner ads, there's no urgent reason to switch. If you're choosing fresh, Stay Fit covers the same core logging without ads and adds streaks, goals, measurements, and progress photos FitNotes doesn't have.
Frequently asked questions
Is FitNotes really free, or does it have hidden costs?+
Free with ads, no subscription, no hidden costs. Every logging and charting feature is unlocked from install - the tradeoff is banner ads instead of a paywall.
Does Stay Fit have ads like FitNotes?+
No. Stay Fit has no ads at any tier, funded by not needing server infrastructure in the first place rather than by ad revenue.
Which app has been around longer?+
FitNotes has a longer track record on Android and a more mature exercise database. Stay Fit is newer but matches its core logging and adds goals, streaks, and body measurements FitNotes doesn't offer.
Reader reviews
- H
I ran FitNotes and Stay Fit side by side for three weeks so this was not theoretical. FitNotes still does this: the UI feels abandoned next to a modern logger. Stay Fit logged the same sets, reps, and weight with no account and no bill. I kept Stay Fit.
- L
Dual-app test on the same program. FitNotes is where I missed rest timers and reports the first week. Stay Fit finished the workout, saved the session, and never asked for a card. That is the whole review.
- A
Used both in the same gym session. FitNotes interrupted rest with upgrade noise - it is free, but Stay Fit is free and actually pleasant. Stay Fit's rest timer just counted down. I uninstalled FitNotes in the parking lot.
- G
Coaching two friends through this. I had them log in FitNotes and Stay Fit. They both hit the same wall: no guided flow - I was tapping around looking for last session. Stay Fit did not have a wall. We all stayed on Stay Fit.
- O
I still have FitNotes installed so I can be honest. Opening it reminds me export exists but the day-to-day log is dated. Opening Stay Fit reminds me I can just train. Stay Fit is the daily driver now. One star off because I still want a bigger exercise demo library.
- J
I wanted to like FitNotes. I used it for months. Then fine as a clipboard, not as a training companion, and I was done paying for a notebook. Stay Fit is the free logger I should have started on. One star off because I still want a bigger exercise demo library.
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