ChatRPE is a JEFIT alternative for people who would rather describe a routine than assemble one from an exercise library. Tell the coach your goal, the days you can train, your equipment and anything that hurts, and it writes the plan with a reason for each exercise. When your week changes, say so and it rewrites the plan and tells you what moved.
Sets go in the same chat as sentences: "bench 80 kg for 8, 8, 7, last set felt like a 9." The coach saves a dated entry, and the next time you ask what to lift, it reads those entries before it answers.
Building a routine by describing it
In JEFIT you build a custom plan by naming it, opening each day and adding exercises from the library, as its help article on creating a customized routine shows. Its workout planner page adds templates such as 5×5 and push/pull/legs, filtered by equipment and goal.
In ChatRPE the routine starts as a message. If you already follow a JEFIT plan, paste or describe it and say what has to change:
"This is my four-day upper/lower split. For the next month I can only train Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and my elbow is sore on skull crushers. Keep my back volume about the same and show me what you changed."
The reply lists the new days, what was dropped or swapped, and why. Push back on one change and keep the rest. If a limit will last for weeks, such as the elbow, ask the coach to keep it as a coaching note. Notes are visible to you, last 30 days unless you ask for longer, and are read again when the coach plans or checks in.
JEFIT now adjusts your weights; ChatRPE explains them
JEFIT has added a Progressive Overload system. Its support FAQ says the live part, a Load Progression Engine, reviews each workout and updates the next session's weights and reps. Main lifts move up when you reach the top of the rep range with steady reps, accessories when most sets do, typically by 2.5 to 5%. Multi-week training blocks are listed as coming next. If you want the app to set your numbers without discussion, that may be reason enough to stay.
ChatRPE does not fill in weights on its own. You agree a progression rule with the coach in words, for example "add 2.5 kg to squat when all three sets reach 5 reps at RPE 8 or easier." Before a session, ask for today's targets and it works them out from your last logs of each lift against that rule. When a lift stalls, ask why. The coach can point to the sessions it read: the weeks your reps dropped, a missed session, or effort ratings creeping up.
The progressive overload tracker guide covers which numbers show a block is working.
Logging between sets
Typing a sentence is the main way to log, and a live session keeps the workout in view. Ask the coach to start one and it lists the exercises in order, updates as you report sets, and runs rest timers that also show on your iPhone's Lock Screen. When you finish, the session is saved to your history.
On an iPhone with iOS 18 or later, Siri works without opening the app: "Hey Siri, log with ChatRPE," then the set, or "Hey Siri, start a workout with ChatRPE." Free and Basic share a daily voice allowance between Siri and in-app voice, reset at midnight UTC. Premium has no voice limit, and typed messages never count. The hands-free logging guide covers setup.
JEFIT's FAQ says it does not monitor form visually. In ChatRPE you can send a photo of a rep on any plan, or a short video on Premium, between sets and ask what to fix. The coach answers with your logged weights and effort in mind. There is no live camera; the form check guide explains what to film.
Training while you diet
JEFIT's pages describe a training app. ChatRPE logs meals, bodyweight and workouts in the same chat, so you can ask questions that cross them: "my bench has stalled for three weeks; how does that line up with my calories and weight since I started cutting?" The coach reads both sets of entries and can chart bodyweight beside a lift.
A chart shows that two things moved together, not that one caused the other. A stalled lift during a cut can come from sleep, a missed session or the deficit itself. Ask which entries the answer rests on, and the coach links the logs it read. The weight loss tracker guide covers logging food and weight.
What stays with JEFIT
Some JEFIT features have no ChatRPE equivalent. JEFIT's logging page lists Apple Watch and Wear OS apps and a web planner. ChatRPE runs on the web and as an iPhone app, with no watch app. JEFIT's Elite plan includes HD exercise demonstration videos; ChatRPE describes a movement in writing, or reviews a photo of your own rep.
JEFIT also has a social side, with a feed, groups, monthly contests and Iron Points you can redeem for Elite time. ChatRPE has none of that: your log is private to you and the coach. JEFIT's BodyMap shades the muscles a workout targets. ChatRPE has no body map, though you can ask which muscle groups you have trained hard this week and the coach answers from your logs.
Moving your JEFIT history
JEFIT's logging page says you can export your workout history. ChatRPE takes pasted text, not file uploads, so open the export, copy rows for a few weeks at a time, paste them into a message and say what the columns mean. Two to four weeks of your main lifts is enough to program from; older history can follow later.
Screenshots of recent workouts also work. A signed-in free account attaches one image a day, Basic two per message, and Premium five per message. Make sure each session shows its full date, and check the first batch saved on the right days before sending more.
Frequently asked questions
Can ChatRPE build a workout plan without an exercise library?
Yes. Describe your goal, schedule, equipment and any limits, or paste the routine you use now, and the coach writes the plan with a reason for each exercise. You change it by asking.
Does ChatRPE increase my weights automatically like JEFIT?
No. You agree a progression rule with the coach, then ask for today's targets or start a live session, and it works them out from your recent logs. It can explain each target from the sessions it read.
Can I import my JEFIT workout history?
Yes, as pasted text or screenshots. Copy rows from a JEFIT export into a message a few weeks at a time, or send screenshots with the date visible. ChatRPE doesn't accept file uploads for imports.
Does ChatRPE work on Apple Watch?
No. ChatRPE has no watch app. On an iPhone you can log by Siri without opening the app, and live session rest timers show on the Lock Screen.
Can I log a set hands-free with Siri?
Yes, on an iPhone with iOS 18 or later. Say "Hey Siri, log with ChatRPE" and then the set. Free and Basic share a daily voice allowance with in-app voice; Premium has no limit.
Can ChatRPE check my form?
Yes, from a photo of a rep on any plan or a short video on Premium, sent between sets. It is not a live camera, and the feedback takes your logged weights and effort into account.
JEFIT is a trademark of its respective owner. This independent comparison is based on publicly documented product features and is not sponsored or endorsed by JEFIT.