Comparison
Cora vs Hevy: AI coaching or manual workout logging?
Hevy is a popular strength training logger built for tracking sets, reps, and PRs. Cora is an AI coach that generates recovery-adapted workout plans, tracks nutrition, and connects to your wearable. Here is how they compare.
The short answer
Hevy is one of the best manual workout loggers available. It lets you build custom routines, track every set and rep, follow your PR history, and share progress with a social community. But it stops at logging. Cora takes a different approach: it generates AI workout plans that adapt to your Body Charge recovery score, includes nutrition and macro tracking, and connects to Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, Oura, and Whoop. If you want to design and log your own workouts, Hevy is excellent. If you want an AI coach that builds your plan, adjusts it based on your recovery, and tracks your nutrition alongside your training, Cora is built for that.
Cora vs Hevy: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cora | Hevy |
|---|---|---|
| AI Workout Plans | ✓Recovery-adapted programs | ✗No AI plan generation |
| Manual Workout Logging | ✓Workout tracking | ✓Detailed set/rep logging |
| Custom Routines | ✓AI-generated routines | ✓User-built templates |
| PR / Personal Record Tracking | ✓Progress tracking | ✓Detailed PR history |
| Recovery Tracking | ✓Body Charge score | ✗No recovery features |
| HRV / Sleep Analysis | ✓Full sleep + HRV tracking | ✗No sleep or HRV data |
| Nutrition Tracking | ✓Macros + meal logging | ✗No nutrition features |
| Wearable Integration | ✓Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, Oura, Whoop | ✗No wearable integration |
| Heart Rate Zone Training | ✓Zone guidance + tracking | ✗No heart rate features |
| Exercise Database | ✓Curated exercise library | ✓Large exercise library |
| Social / Community | ✗Not yet available | ✓Social feed, followers |
| Free Tier | ✓Free trial available | ✓Free with Pro upgrade |
A closer look at the differences
Workout logging: where Hevy shines
Hevy is purpose-built for gym-goers who want to log every detail of their strength training. You can create custom routines, track sets, reps, and weight for each exercise, view your PR history over time, and browse a large exercise database with video demonstrations. The logging experience is fast, clean, and well-designed for people who enjoy programming their own workouts.
If you are the kind of person who likes to build your own training splits, tweak your programming week to week, and manually track every working set, Hevy does this better than almost any other app. It is a dedicated workout log, and it does that job very well.
The gap between logging and coaching
The fundamental difference between Hevy and Cora is the difference between a logbook and a coach. Hevy records what you did. Cora tells you what to do next, and why. Cora generates AI workout plans that factor in your Body Charge recovery score, sleep quality, HRV trends, and training history. If your recovery is low after a tough week, Cora dials back the volume. If you are fully recovered and ready to push, it programs accordingly.
Hevy does not have any awareness of your recovery status. It does not know how well you slept, what your HRV looks like, or whether your body is ready for another heavy session. That decision is entirely on you, which works well for experienced lifters but can lead to overtraining or undertraining for everyone else.
Recovery and wearable data
Hevy does not integrate with wearables for recovery data. It does not track HRV, sleep stages, resting heart rate, or training load from your watch. If you wear an Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, Oura, or Whoop, that data stays siloed in another app.
Cora connects to all five of those wearable platforms and uses the data to calculate your Body Charge recovery score. This score directly influences your workout recommendations, creating a feedback loop between how you train and how you recover. For people who already own a wearable, Cora puts that data to work instead of letting it sit in a dashboard you glance at but never act on.
Nutrition tracking
Hevy is strictly a workout app. It does not include calorie tracking, macro tracking, or any nutrition features. If you use Hevy, you need a separate app for food logging. Cora includes nutrition and macro tracking with AI-assisted meal logging, keeping your training, recovery, and nutrition data in one place. When your nutrition is connected to your training and recovery, you can see how dietary changes affect your performance and readiness over time.
Social features and community
Hevy includes a social feed where you can follow other lifters, share workouts, and see what your friends are training. For some users, this social accountability is a genuine motivator. Cora does not currently offer social or community features. If sharing your workouts and following friends is important to your routine, that is a real advantage Hevy has.
When Hevy might be the better choice
We believe in being honest. Hevy is a great app, and it may be the better fit in certain situations:
- -You prefer to design your own training programs and want granular control over every set, rep, and exercise selection. Hevy gives you a blank canvas to build exactly the routine you want.
- -You are an experienced lifter who already knows how to program training and does not need AI-generated plans. Hevy is a powerful logbook for people who manage their own programming.
- -Social features matter to you. Hevy has a workout feed, follower system, and community features that help keep some users motivated and accountable.
- -You only care about strength training and do not need recovery tracking, nutrition logging, or wearable integration. Hevy does one thing and does it well.
Why people choose Cora over Hevy
AI builds your plan
Stop spending time programming your own workouts. Cora generates training plans that adapt to your goals, recovery status, and fitness level automatically.
Recovery-driven training
Your workouts adjust based on how your body actually feels, not a fixed schedule. Cora uses your Body Charge score from your wearable to calibrate every session.
Training + nutrition + recovery
No more juggling Hevy for workouts, another app for food, and a third for recovery. Cora brings all three into a single intelligent system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cora better than Hevy for strength training?
Hevy is an excellent manual workout logger with detailed exercise tracking, PR history, and custom routines. Cora takes a different approach by generating AI workout plans that adapt to your recovery status from wearable data. If you want full control over logging every set and rep yourself, Hevy is hard to beat. If you want an AI coach that builds and adjusts your training plan based on how your body is recovering, Cora is the better fit.
Does Hevy have recovery tracking or HRV analysis?
No. Hevy focuses on workout logging and does not include recovery scoring, HRV tracking, sleep analysis, or wearable-based readiness data. If you want your training to adapt based on how recovered your body is, you would need a separate recovery app or switch to Cora, which includes recovery tracking alongside training.
Can I use Cora and Hevy together?
You can use both apps, but most users find it more practical to pick one. Hevy is ideal if you want to manually build and log your own workouts. Cora is designed for users who want AI-generated plans that respond to their recovery data, nutrition, and wearable metrics. Using both would mean duplicating your workout tracking.
Does Cora support manual workout logging like Hevy?
Cora tracks your workouts and exercise history, but its primary approach is AI-generated training plans rather than manual set-by-set logging. If you prefer to design your own routines and log every rep manually, Hevy offers a more granular logging experience. Cora is built for people who want the plan created for them and adjusted automatically.
Does Hevy have nutrition tracking?
No. Hevy is focused on workout logging and does not include calorie tracking, macro tracking, or meal logging. Cora combines AI training plans with nutrition tracking and recovery analysis, so you can manage training, food, and recovery in a single app instead of juggling multiple tools.
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