Most workout trackers open with a sign-up screen. Before you have logged a single set they want an email, a password, and a connection to a server you did not ask for. On a park bar with one bar of signal, that is a wall between you and writing down what you just did.
PlayThenics does not have that wall. Here is exactly what runs where.
What works with no account and no signal
Everything that is training.
| Feature | Needs an account? | Needs a network? |
|---|---|---|
| Logging sets, reps, holds, RPE and weight | No | No |
| The exercise catalogue and every progression | No | No |
| Rank per movement pattern, from your logged sets | No | No |
| Milestones, personal records, streaks | No | No |
| Routines, custom exercises, rest timer | No | No |
| Body metrics and check-ins | No | No |
| CSV export and JSON backup | No | No |
| The weekly plan, readiness, balance and the Athlete Index | No | No |
| Stats past 30 days: momentum and the training-load trend (Pro) | No | No |
| Backup to a second device | Yes | Yes |
| The coach (Pro) | Yes | Yes |
The two rows at the bottom are the whole list. Sync needs somewhere to sync to; the coach runs on a server because the model does. Everything else — including the longer stats window Pro opens — is computed on the phone.
Why it is built this way
A training log is one of the most personal documents you keep. It says when you trained, how hard, how you slept, what you weigh. The default for that should be your phone, not a database whose retention policy you have not read.
So the log lives in a local SQLite database. Rank is derived from it on the device. Records are detected on the device. If you never sign in, nothing about your training leaves the handset.
What "offline" means in practice
- On the bars. Open the app, log the set. No spinner, no "connecting".
- On a flight, in a basement gym, abroad without data. Same.
- After a factory reset. This is the one case where offline hurts you: with no account, a wiped phone is a lost log. Export a JSON backup now and then, or sign in once so a copy exists somewhere.
What it costs
Logging is free, without limits, and so is what the phone measures from it: sets, reps, holds, RPE, every built-in exercise, progressions, your rank in every pattern with the set that earned it, the weekly plan, readiness, balance, the Athlete Index, your goal and its weekly targets, milestones, records, streaks, the calendar, body metrics, check-ins and export. Sync and backup to a second phone are free with an account. Pro adds the coach, stats past 30 days — momentum and the training-load trend — and unlimited routines and custom exercises, where the free tier has two routines and five custom exercises. Pro is $39.99 a year with a seven-day trial, or $6.99 a month — the store shows the real price in your currency.
Questions
Does PlayThenics work without an account?
Yes. Every training feature works signed out. An account only adds backup and a second device.
Does it work with no internet?
Yes. The log and every computation are on the device. Only sync and the coach use a network.
Where is my data stored?
On your phone, in a local database — and nowhere else unless you choose to sign in.
Can I export my history?
Yes, on every tier: CSV of everything you have logged, plus a JSON backup you can restore on another phone.
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