TrueCoach vs ABC Trainerize: an even-handed comparison for online coaches

The short version of each platform

TrueCoach calls itself the #1 platform built for personal trainers and belongs to Xplor Technologies. The coach works in a web app. A monthly calendar per client holds workouts you write in a free-form builder with drag and drop. Warmup, exercise, and circuit descriptions are open text fields. A program is a saved series of workouts you assign to one client, several clients, or a group. Clients log results in the TrueCoach app on iOS or Android, or on the web. The coach side of the app covers messages, the dashboard, and result review. TrueCoach Payments runs on Stripe in four countries. On the date checked the app held a 4.86 rating across about 35,000 App Store ratings.

ABC Trainerize describes itself as a personal training software platform for building, managing, and scaling a coaching business. ABC Fitness acquired it in 2020. Coaches and clients share one app, with a coach web account for the deeper tools. Programs are built in phases, each with its own calendar, from master libraries of workouts, programs, exercises, and forms. Exercise targets are text or time. Clients log in the app, which also runs on Apple Watch. A free Basic plan covers one client. Paid plans run from Grow through Pro seat tiers to Studio. Payments, nutrition, booking, and video calls are add-ons. On the date checked the app held a 4.9 rating across about 68,000 App Store ratings.

Side by side

Every fact below comes from each platform's own pages on the date shown at the top of this page.

Where TrueCoach is stronger

One bill for the whole team. Team Accounts add as many coaches as you like at no extra cost. Billing follows the combined client count across every coach. Trainerize sells seats by tier, with 1 seat up to Pro 15 and 3 seats from Pro 30.

Payments without an add-on. TrueCoach Payments comes with every tier. Subscriptions, one-time invoices, pauses, prorating, discounts, tax, split payments, and refunds are on the list. Trainerize charges $10 per month for its Stripe add-on before you sell anything. Read the fee row too, because the TrueCoach fee per transaction is higher.

A looser builder for coaches who write in prose. Warmup, circuit, and exercise descriptions are open text fields. You write sets, reps, tempo, and rest the way you would in a spreadsheet. Circuits cover EMOM and AMRAP. Trainerize has no dedicated EMOM or AMRAP tool and tracks a repeated exercise on its first occurrence only.

Programs that keep growing. A TrueCoach program is a saved series of workouts. You add weeks at any time and start a client at any point in it. A toggle decides whether edits sync to assigned clients. Trainerize builds programs in fixed phases and does not let you drag an item into another phase.

Bigger group threads and longer voice notes. Group messages hold up to 20 participants and voice notes run to 7 minutes. Trainerize caps group chat at 10 clients and voice messages at 5 minutes.

A wider wearable list and a client web login. Oura, Polar, and WHOOP appear on the TrueCoach wearables page and do not appear on the Trainerize integrations page. Clients can log on the web or print a PDF sheet for a gym with poor signal. Trainerize does not describe a client web login on the pages checked.

Where Trainerize is stronger

Forms exist. Check-in forms take single answer, multiple answer, text, and 1 to 10 rating questions. Onboarding forms and Pro consultation forms sit beside them. Photo and body stat reminders run on a schedule. TrueCoach has no form builder, and its help center suggests building a questionnaire inside the workout builder.

A free plan and a longer trial. Basic costs $0 for one coaching client with workout delivery, basic messaging, and habits. The trial runs 30 days with unlimited clients, against 14 days on TrueCoach.

A lower base price at every client count checked. Pro 5 is $25 per month against Starter at $29.98. Pro 15 is $50 against Standard at $69.98. Pro 30 is $79 against TrueCoach Pro at $164.98. The worked examples below show what add-ons do to that gap.

Lower payment fees. Trainerize passes through Stripe fees and states no platform share. TrueCoach charges a flat 5 percent on every invoice and on refunds. On $3,000 of monthly billing across 30 invoices, TrueCoach takes $150. Trainerize at the example rate of 3.15 percent plus 30 cents takes about $103.50, plus the $10 add-on.

Apple Watch for clients. The client app runs on Apple Watch for workouts and habits. The TrueCoach App Store listing shows no watch support.

A branded app with a store listing. The Pro Custom Branded App is a $169 one-time purchase with its own Google Play listing. On iOS it shares the Trainerize listing and shows the name Fitness App. Studio plans get their own App Store listing. TrueCoach branding is a logo, a subdomain, and 8 colour themes on the client web app.

Booking, video calls, and a storefront. Appointments, classes, and self-booking come with the Business add-on. 1-1 and group video calls come with Video Coaching. Trainerize.me lists your products publicly. TrueCoach describes a public profile with a lead form and does not describe booking or built-in video calls.

A workout generator, in beta. The AI Workout Builder drafts sets, reps, rest periods, and supersets for a single workout. It cannot build programs or phases, and it is excluded from Free and the trial. TrueCoach has nothing equivalent inside the product.

Pricing, read carefully

TrueCoach prices by active clients in three bands. Trainerize prices by a seat tier named for its client cap, with a free plan below and add-ons on top. Both bill monthly or annually. TrueCoach shows annual plans as a lower monthly rate. Trainerize annual billing saves 10 percent and is billed once per year. All prices are USD on the date checked.

Assumptions. Every client is a coaching client with programming. The Trainerize Basic client allowance is ignored. No add-ons unless stated. Monthly billing first, annual in brackets.

5 clients. TrueCoach Starter covers up to 5 active clients at $29.98 per month ($26.34 on annual). Trainerize Pro 5 is $25 per month ($23 on annual). Grow at $10 covers 2 coaching clients and does not fit.

15 clients. TrueCoach Standard covers up to 20 active clients at $69.98 per month ($57.99 on annual). Trainerize Pro 15 is $50 per month ($45 on annual).

30 clients. TrueCoach Pro covers up to 50 active clients at $164.98 per month ($136.99 on annual). Trainerize Pro 30 is $79 per month ($71 on annual) and includes 3 trainer seats.

Now add what a coaching business often needs. On TrueCoach, wearables, branding, public profiles, and advanced nutrition need Standard or Pro. A 5-client coach who wants them pays $69.98 per month. Payments are included, with the 5 percent fee. On Trainerize, payments add $10 per month. Nutrition adds $20 per month on Pro 5 and Pro 15, and $45 on Pro 30 and up. Booking adds $25. A Pro 15 coach with payments and nutrition pays $80 per month before Stripe fees. A Pro 30 coach with the same pays $134.

Above 50 clients TrueCoach asks you to email for pricing. Trainerize lists Pro 50 at $135, Pro 75 at $180, Pro 100 at $225, and Pro 200 at $250. Studio Plus is $275 for 500 clients.

Neither platform states a per-client overage. On both you move up a band. Neither charges clients for the app.

Who should pick which

Pick TrueCoach if you write workouts in prose, run a team on one bill, or want payments without an add-on. It also fits if you want group threads above 10 people or your clients wear Oura, Polar, or WHOOP. Accept the 5 percent fee, the missing form builder, and the Standard price for wearables and branding.

Pick Trainerize if you need check-in and intake forms, a free plan to start, or Apple Watch for clients. It also fits if you want booking, video calls, a branded app, or the lowest base price. Accept phased programs that lock items in place and a progressions sheet that empties when workouts move. The bill grows with each add-on.

Where Method sits

Method's Coach Workspace is web only for the coach, with an iPhone app for clients. It costs $19.99 per month for 5 clients and $2.00 per extra client, on the date checked. Sets carry structured rep and RIR or RPE targets, check-ins run on a rhythm, and form checks take timestamped drawings. It has no client billing, nutrition, habits, Android, branding, group chat, or wearables beyond Apple Health. Method vs TrueCoach and Method vs Trainerize lay out the full trade-offs.