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Ægir Iron vs RTS
RTS (Reactive Training Systems) is the app most associated with serious RPE-based powerlifting. The real question between the two is whether you want a tool built end-to-end around one autoregulation philosophy, or a flexible platform that speaks both RPE and percentages and adds meet tools, scoring, and coaching.
What RTS does well
RTS, founded by Mike Tuchscherer, is where much of modern RPE-based powerlifting came from. The methodology (rating each set by reps in reserve, tracking estimated 1RM from RPE, and managing fatigue with fatigue percents) is now standard vocabulary in the sport, and the RTS tools are built natively around it. For an experienced competitor who already autoregulates by RPE, RTS offers a deep, purpose-built environment for planning and analyzing that style of training, backed by a long track record of coaching and education. If RPE and fatigue management are how you already think about training, it fits like a glove.
Where Ægir Iron differs
RTS is deliberately built around one philosophy; Ægir Iron (also written Aegir Iron) is built to be flexible. It programs main lifts by RPE or by a percentage of your training max, and it uses the same RPE-aware estimated-1RM math RTS popularized (reps and RPE mapped to a percentage of 1RM) for its e1RM, live logging hints, and analytics. Where it broadens out is everything around the programming: a guided wizard that writes a full Cycle / Block / Week / Day plan, auto-progression that advances your training maxes from logged AMRAP sets and reprices the plan in one tap, meet planning with warmup and attempt selection, and competition scoring across Wilks, DOTS, IPF GL, and Sinclair. It also reaches past powerlifting into weightlifting, strongman, and calisthenics, carries honest load analytics (uncoupled ACWR with an EWMA companion, relative intensity zones, make rate from logged misses), and connects real coaches and athletes on a shared roster where athletes train free. The on-ramp is gentler too: you do not need to already run an RPE system to get a sensible plan. Individual lifters use all of it free.
| Feature | Ægir Iron | RTS |
|---|---|---|
| Programming style | RPE or percentage of 1RM, your choice | RPE-based autoregulation, its specialty |
| RPE-aware estimated 1RM | Yes, on logging & analytics | Yes, a core concept it pioneered |
| Guided program generation | Wizard builds a full periodized plan | Built around RTS templates & methodology |
| Meet planning & scoring | Attempts + Wilks, DOTS, IPF GL, Sinclair | Focused on programming, not meet-day tooling |
| Sports covered | Powerlifting, weightlifting, strongman, calisthenics | Powerlifting focus |
| Learning curve | Works with or without an RPE background | Assumes you train by RPE |
| Coach and athlete platform | Yes, athletes train free | Coaching offered alongside the tools |
| Cost for individuals | Free, full platform | Paid |
Pricing and features reflect public information at the time of writing and may change. Check each app for the latest.
Who should pick which
If you are an advanced competitor who already lives in RPE and fatigue percents and wants the deepest tool built around that exact methodology, RTS is the specialist and a genuinely excellent one. If you want the same RPE-aware math but the freedom to program in percentages too, a guided plan that progresses itself, meet prep with proper scoring, more than one strength sport, or a coach-and-athlete workflow where athletes are free, Ægir Iron gives you that flexibility with a shorter on-ramp.