---
title: Best Bulk or Cut Apps (2026): Get a Real Verdict
url: https://progresslens.app/best-bulk-or-cut-apps/
language: en
updated: 2026-11-13
---

# The best apps to decide whether to bulk or cut

By the [ProgressLens team](https://progresslens.app/about/) · Updated November 13, 2026

“Bulk or cut?” is the most-asked question in lifting forums. Here’s what can actually answer it.

Short answer

The best bulk or cut app is ProgressLens: its AI Progress Report ends with a single verdict (cut, lean bulk, recomp or maintain) based on your body fat from photos plus tape measurements, your weight trend, goal and experience, with a weekly rate and time to target. Free options are our bulk or cut calculator (needs a body-fat number) or asking ChatGPT (inconsistent).

**On this page**
- [Quick comparison](#quick)
- [The apps](#apps)
- [Which to pick](#verdict)
- [FAQ](#faq)

**Disclosure:** we make ProgressLens. Details about other apps come from their own store listings and websites as of November 2026; prices and features change, so check the listing before you pay. We name each app’s weaknesses and our own.

## Quick comparison

| Option | Gives a verdict? | Based on | Price |
| ProgressLens | Cut / lean bulk / recomp / maintain | Photos + tape + weight trend + goal | $39.99/year |
| GainFrame | Coaching-style advice | Photos, AI coach | Subscription |
| MacroFactor | Guide + calorie targets for the phase | Your choice of phase, food logs, weight trend | Subscription |
| HyperBody | Training plan | Five photos | Subscription |
| Bulk or cut calculator (free) | Yes | Body fat you enter | Free |
| ChatGPT / Gemini | Varies by run | One photo or a description | Free–paid |

## The apps

### 1. ProgressLens

- iPhone, iPad, Android
- AI Progress Report
- Free download, Pro in-app
- 11 languages
- No account

**Best for:** a verdict that stays the same for the same data and updates as you change.

Every report ends with one verdict and a weekly rate. The rules are fixed, so it doesn’t flip between runs, and it tracks you over time.

#### Good

- AI Analyze: body-fat range, what changed, fat vs muscle, cut or bulk verdict
- Reads photos and tape measurements together, so estimates stay consistent
- Same app and AI on iPhone and Android, in 11 languages
- No account; photos stay on your phone, analyzed photos aren’t stored or used for training
- Ghost overlay of your last photo, six measurements with charts

#### Watch out

- No calorie, workout or dose tracking
- No video timelapse export (use our free web tool)
- No Apple Health or Health Connect sync
- No app-specific passcode (use your phone’s lock)

[Get ProgressLens →](https://progresslens.app/bulk-or-cut-app/)

### 2. GainFrame

- iPhone
- Subscription

**Best for:** iPhone users who want to chat it through.

An AI coach can discuss bulking or cutting using your check-ins, per its listing.

#### Good

- Conversational

#### Watch out

- iPhone only
- English only

[Full comparison →](https://progresslens.app/compare/progresslens-vs-gainframe/)

### 3. MacroFactor

- iPhone, Android
- Subscription

**Best for:** people who already know their phase and want the food side handled.

A macro and calorie coach. Its website has a bulk-or-cut guide, and the app sets calorie targets for the phase you pick and logs body measurements and progress photos, per its site.

#### Good

- Strong for nutrition during the phase
- Adaptive calorie targets

#### Watch out

- You choose the phase; no verdict from your photos

### 4. HyperBody

- iPhone
- Subscription

**Best for:** people who want a program as well.

Builds a training plan from a five-photo physique scan, per its listing.

#### Good

- Training plan

#### Watch out

- Rating focus

[Full comparison →](https://progresslens.app/compare/progresslens-vs-hyperbody/)

### 5. Free bulk or cut calculator

- Any browser
- Free

**Best for:** a quick answer today.

Our calculator gives a verdict, weekly rate and timeline from a body-fat number, using the same rules as the app.

#### Good

- Free, instant

#### Watch out

- You need a body-fat estimate first
- No tracking

[Full comparison →](https://progresslens.app/tools/bulk-or-cut-calculator/)

### 6. Asking ChatGPT

- Any
- Free–paid

**Best for:** a rough second opinion.

Upload a photo and ask. Answers depend on the photo and the wording, and can change between runs.

#### Good

- Free, conversational

#### Watch out

- Inconsistent
- No history
- Your photo goes to a general chatbot

[Full comparison →](https://progresslens.app/guides/can-chatgpt-estimate-body-fat/)

## Which should you pick?

- A verdict you can track: ProgressLens.
- Calories for the phase you chose: MacroFactor (pairs well with ProgressLens).
- A free answer now: the bulk or cut calculator.
- A chat about it: GainFrame (iPhone).

## See how far you’ve come.

Take a check-in, tap AI Analyze and get your Progress Report: body-fat range, what changed, fat or muscle, and whether to cut or bulk. On iPhone, iPad and Android, with no account. Your photos stay on your phone.

FAQ

## Frequently asked questions

**Will it tell me whether to bulk or cut?**

Yes. Every Progress Report ends with one verdict, cut, lean bulk, recomp or maintain, based on your estimated body fat, your recent weight trend, your goal and your training experience, with a weekly rate and roughly how many weeks to your target.

**Should I bulk or cut at 20% body fat?**

Most men at 20% are better off cutting first to around 12–15%; most women at 20% are lean enough to lean bulk. Read [should I bulk or cut?](https://progresslens.app/guides/should-i-bulk-or-cut/)

## Sources

- App Store and Google Play listings and developer websites for each app, accessed November 2026
- ProgressLens, [What lifters ask about body fat](https://progresslens.app/research/what-lifters-ask-about-body-fat/), November 2026

---
ProgressLens is an AI progress photo app for iPhone, iPad and Android that turns your check-in photos and tape measurements into a Progress Report: your body-fat range, what changed, whether you are losing fat or muscle, and whether to cut, lean bulk, recomp or maintain.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/progresslens/id6806300575
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.progresslens