# TrueCoach vs ABC Trainerize: an even-handed comparison for online coaches Updated: 2026-09-07 Published: 2026-09-07 Canonical page: https://methodapp.net/truecoach-vs-trainerize Homepage: https://methodapp.net/ TrueCoach and ABC Trainerize are two of the most used platforms for delivering workouts to coaching clients. They overlap on the core loop and differ on pricing shape, forms, payment fees, Apple Watch, branding, and team seats. This page lays them out from each platform's own pages on a stated date. Method is not one of the two. Checked against: - TrueCoach homepage (https://truecoach.co/) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach pricing page (https://truecoach.co/pricing/) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach features index (https://truecoach.co/features/) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach Program & Workout Builder (https://truecoach.co/features/program-workout-builder/) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach Client Management & Communication (https://truecoach.co/features/client-management-communication-tools/) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach Wearables (https://truecoach.co/features/wearables/) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach Custom-Branded App (https://truecoach.co/features/custom-branded-fitness-app/) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach help center, understanding processing fees (https://help.truecoach.co/en/articles/3491685-understanding-processing-fees) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach help center, team accounts (https://help.truecoach.co/en/articles/2403964) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach help center, waivers and questionnaires (https://help.truecoach.co/en/articles/3363240) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach help center, group messages (https://help.truecoach.co/en/articles/8156768) on 2026-09-07 - TrueCoach on the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/truecoach/id1439127794) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize about page (https://www.trainerize.com/about/) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize pricing page (https://www.trainerize.com/pricing/) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize features page (https://www.trainerize.com/features/) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize integrations page (https://www.trainerize.com/integrations/) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, create a workout in the Master Workout Library (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/208689086) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, phased programs (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004404763) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, Progressions Spreadsheet (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/212130826) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, AI Workout Builder (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/45565151151508) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, check-in forms (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/31369316335124) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, mass messaging (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000359286) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, about transactions (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/360023942192) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize help center, Pro Custom Branded App (https://help.trainerize.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000152823) on 2026-09-07 - ABC Trainerize on the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fitness-app-abc-trainerize/id516851502) on 2026-09-07 > **In short.** TrueCoach and ABC Trainerize do the same core job. Both deliver workouts to a client app, take logged results back, and hold a chat thread per client. TrueCoach is leaner. It prices by active clients across three tiers and includes payments with a flat 5 percent fee. Coach seats are unlimited on one bill. It has no form builder. Trainerize starts free for one client and sells seat tiers from 5 to 200 clients. It adds check-in forms, an Apple Watch client app, booking, video calls, and a beta workout generator. Booking, video calls, payments, and nutrition are monthly add-ons. Pick TrueCoach for a free-form builder, a team on one bill, and payments without an add-on. Pick Trainerize for forms, nutrition, a bigger client app, and the lower base price at each client count. ## 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. | | TrueCoach | ABC Trainerize | | --- | --- | --- | | Who it is for | Personal trainers, coaches, and gym owners | Personal trainers, online coaches, gyms, and fitness studios | | Coach side runs on | Web app, plus the TrueCoach app in coach mode for messages, dashboard, and review | Web account plus the iOS and Android app. Several coach tools are web only | | Client side runs on | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, Apple Watch. Client web login not described on the pages checked | | Apple Watch | Not described on the pages checked | Yes. Clients track workouts and habits on the watch | | Program builder | Free-form builder on a monthly client calendar. Drag and drop, warmup, exercise, circuit, and cooldown sections | Phased programs with a calendar per phase. Master libraries, drag and drop, Regular, Circuit, Interval, and Video workout types | | Set prescription | Sets, reps, tempo, and rest in open text fields. Supersets as A1, A2. Circuits for EMOM and AMRAP. No structured RPE, RIR, or percent fields described | Text or time targets, for example "12 reps/15 lbs, 1/2/4 tempo". Supersets and circuits with rests. No dedicated EMOM, AMRAP, warm-up, cool-down, or drop-set tools. RPE is a post-workout client rating | | Programs and templates | Saved programs with weeks added at any time, workout templates, duplicate, tagging, sync changes toggle | Master program library, pre-built content libraries, import phases between programs | | Progression | Not described on the pages checked | Manual Progressions Spreadsheet per scheduled workout. Lost when workouts move | | Workout generation | None in the product | AI Workout Builder in open beta. Single workouts, no programs or phases. Excluded from Free and the trial | | Client logging | App or web, results in a free-text field, stopwatch, countdown, and interval timers, printable PDF sheets | Mobile app with timers, stats, exercise substitution, comments, and an end-of-workout RPE rating | | What the coach sees | Completed and missed workouts, 7, 30, and 90 day compliance rates, exercise history, custom metrics with graphs, milestone badges | Compliance graphs, sign-ins and workouts per week, activity feed, rep maxes at 1, 3, 5, and 10 reps on graphs, leaderboards and challenges on Pro | | Video form feedback | Client uploads video or photos to an exercise or comment. Annotation not described | Videos in messages up to 3 minutes or 50 MB, mobile app only. Annotation not described | | Check-ins and forms | No form builder. Help center suggests building questionnaires in the workout builder | Check-in forms, onboarding forms, and consultation forms on Pro. Photo and body stat reminders on a schedule | | Messaging | Chat with GIFs, photos, videos, and PDFs. Voice notes up to 7 minutes. Group messages up to 20 participants. Broadcasts to client groups | 1-1 and group chat. Voice up to 5 minutes. PDFs up to 10 MB. Group messages up to 10 clients. Auto-messages. Basic on Free, advanced on Pro | | Habits and nutrition | Custom habits daily, weekly, or monthly. MyFitnessPal goals. Advanced habit and nutrition tracking on Standard and Pro, mobile app only | Habits with streaks and badges. Meal and macro tracking on Grow and up. Meal planner and custom recipes in the Advanced Nutrition add-on | | Client payments | TrueCoach Payments on Stripe. Subscriptions, one-time invoices, discounts, tax, refunds. US, UK, Canada, and Australia | Stripe Integrated Payments add-on at $10 per month. One-time, recurring, packages, memberships, session credits, storefront on Trainerize.me | | Payment fees | Flat 5 percent per transaction on the invoice total, also on refunds | Stripe fees, example 3.15 percent plus 30 cents. No platform share stated | | Custom branding | Logo on emails and the client web app, a yourname.truecoach.co subdomain, 8 themes. Standard and Pro. No separate app | Pro Custom Branded App at $169 one time. Shares the Apple listing and shows the name Fitness App on iOS. Own Google Play listing. Studio gets its own App Store listing | | Wearables and integrations | Garmin, Fitbit, Oura, Google Fit, Polar, Apple Health, WHOOP on Standard and Pro. MyFitnessPal, Zapier, Stripe | Apple Health, Google Health Connect, Garmin, Fitbit, Withings, MyFitnessPal, Stripe, Google Calendar, YouTube, Zapier, Mindbody on Grow and up. API and SSO on Studio | | Booking and video calls | Not described on the pages checked | Business add-on at $25 per month for booking. Video Coaching add-on at $10 per month | | Team seats | Unlimited coaches at no extra cost, billed on the combined client count | 1 seat on Pro 5 and Pro 15, 3 on Pro 30 to Pro 75, 5 on Pro 100 and Pro 200, 6 on Studio Plus. Grow lists unlimited trainers | | Trial | 14 days, no card. 90 day money-back on a first annual plan | 30 days with unlimited clients, no card. Add-ons excluded. Reverts to Free | | Price (USD, date checked) | Starter $29.98, Standard $69.98, Pro $164.98 per month on monthly. $26.34, $57.99, $136.99 per month on annual | Basic $0. Grow $10. Pro 5 $25, Pro 15 $50, Pro 30 $79, Pro 50 $135, Pro 100 $225, Pro 200 $250 per month on monthly. Annual saves 10 percent | | Clients included | 5, 20, or 50 active clients. Custom pricing above 50 | 1 on Basic, 2 on Grow, then the number in the Pro tier name | ## 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](/coaches) 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](/truecoach-alternative) and [Method vs Trainerize](/trainerize-alternative) lay out the full trade-offs. ## Common questions ### Is TrueCoach or Trainerize better for online coaching? They are close on the core loop of writing a workout, delivering it, and reading the result. TrueCoach is leaner, prices by active clients, and includes payments and unlimited coach seats. Trainerize adds check-in forms, a free plan, Apple Watch for clients, booking, and video calls, mostly as paid add-ons. ### Which is cheaper, TrueCoach or Trainerize? On the date checked, Trainerize was cheaper at 5, 15, and 30 clients on the base plan. Pro 5 was $25 per month against TrueCoach Starter at $29.98, and Pro 30 was $79 against TrueCoach Pro at $164.98. Trainerize add-ons for payments, nutrition, and booking narrow the gap. ### Does TrueCoach have check-in forms? No dedicated form builder is described. The TrueCoach help center suggests building questionnaires with the workout builder and storing waivers in shared Documents. Trainerize has check-in, onboarding, and consultation form builders. ### What fees do TrueCoach and Trainerize charge on client payments? TrueCoach Payments has no monthly cost and charges a flat 5 percent processing fee on each invoice total, including refunds. Trainerize charges $10 per month for its Stripe add-on and passes through Stripe fees with no platform share stated. ### Does either platform have an Apple Watch app for clients? Trainerize does. Its client app runs on Apple Watch for workouts and habits. The TrueCoach App Store listing shows no watch support on the date checked. ### Can either platform prescribe RPE or RIR per set? Neither documents structured RPE, RIR, or percent fields. TrueCoach prescriptions are open text for sets, reps, tempo, and rest. Trainerize targets are text or time, and RPE is a post-workout rating the client gives from 1 to 10. ## About this page Method writes and maintains this page. Every statement about Method is checked against the shipped product. For general references, link to https://methodapp.net/.